The Prince's Mate

by Alexis Davie

  “Exactly,” Nix said. He stood up. “I need to book a flight and get packing.”

  Mitch stood up too and extended his hand. Nix shook it, and then on a whim, he pulled Mitch into a hug.

  “Thank you, Mitch. I know you’ll be the best leader this pack could ever ask for,” he said.

  5

  Eve rocked the crying baby from side to side, making gentle shushing noises. Baby Ethan was four weeks old now and Eve loved him more than she had ever loved anyone or anything. She loved him more than she had thought it was possible to love another person. Even when he was crying for no clear reason, Eve loved him.

  She loved the weight of him in her arms, the new baby smell of him. She loved the way he looked up at her with his big, green eyes. She loved the way he looked so much like Nix, and yet when she looked at him from certain angles, she could see herself in him too.

  Ethan screamed again, his crying reaching a whole new decibel level. Eve felt misery inside of herself. She hated that something was bothering Ethan and she didn’t even know what it was, let alone how to fix it. She had tried to give Ethan a bottle, but he had refused it. She had burped him and changed his diaper, but nothing seemed to be bringing him comfort. She knew he was at that age where he was susceptible to colic and she could only assume that was what this was all about. She had debated taking him to the doctor when he had started crying so loudly a while ago, but her mother’s helper was due any minute, and she had decided to wait to see what she thought. Even though her father was not the warmest person, he did care. So, when Ethan was born, he paid for a baby nurse to stop by Eve’s house to help her with the baby. She didn’t want to become one of those paranoid mothers who took their children to the doctors for every sniffle. She didn’t want paranoia to take a hold of her and stop her from enjoying her baby.

  Ethan’s face was red and twisted, his angry cries filling the air. He opened his eyes and looked up at Eve as he cried, and for a second, Eve thought his eyes changed. They seemed to flash yellow, and Eve could have sworn the shape of his irises changed from their usual circle shape to something elongated, almost reptilian in their appearance. It wasn’t the first time Eve had seen this. She had been sure it had happened before. It always seemed to happen when Ethan was particularly distressed.

  At first, Eve had convinced herself she was seeing things, but now, she wasn’t so sure. What if there was something wrong with Ethan’s eyes? That could explain the crying. And it could explain why it only seemed to happen when he was particularly distressed. He could be upset because whatever was going on with his eyes was painful for him. She knew it sounded crazy, but she also knew she would never forgive herself if her baby was in pain and she ignored this. She decided she would mention it to the nurse, just to be on the safe side.

  She shifted from Ethan lying prone in her arms so instead she was holding him against her body, his little head on her shoulder. She rubbed his back in a gentle circular motion, still rocking herself gently from side to side and making shhh noises. Ethan’s cries began to trail off and soon he was barely whimpering. Eve dared to risk moving him back into her arms. The crying fit seemed to have passed. Whether it was colic, his eyes, or just one of those phases, at least for now it was over and for that much, Eve was grateful.

  Eve placed Ethan in his bouncy chair, then sat down on the couch and gently rocked him with her foot. She glanced at her watch. Her nurse was late. It wasn’t like her, but Eve told herself there could have been some sort of emergency with one of the other babies she visited.

  Ethan seemed to be content enough and Eve stood up and moved to the kitchen area where a pile of Ethan’s tiny vests and baby clothes sat freshly laundered and waiting to be folded and put away. She was halfway through folding them when her intercom buzzed. It was the nurse, so Eve told her to come on up and released the main door for her. She poured them both some coffee and took it to the living room, and then she went to let the nurse into the apartment when there was a knock on her door.

  “Hi. Eve Stanton?” the nurse said with a wide smile. “I’m Kelly.”

  “Umm, hi,” Eve said uncertainly. “Yes, I’m Eve Stanton.”

  This wasn’t her usual nurse, and it threw her for a moment.

  “I’m afraid Laura has had an accident. She’s alright, but she broke her leg and she’s had to take a few months off, so I’ll be taking over her duties,” Kelly explained.

  “Okay,” Eve said. She realized she still had Kelly on the doorstep and she stepped back quickly, shaking her head slightly and smiling. “I’m sorry. Please come in.”

  Kelly smiled and stepped inside. She walked toward the bouncy chair.

  “You must be Ethan,” she said, smiling down at the baby. She bent down and put her large bag on the floor and then she stroked the baby’s cheek. She turned back to Eve. “He’s four weeks, yes?”

  Eve nodded. “Yes, four weeks tomorrow,” she said.

  Kelly nodded and sat down.

  “I’ve been over the notes from your last few visits. I’m just going to weigh and measure him and then we can have a little chat,” she said.

  She got Ethan out of the bouncy chair, cooing to him as she went. Eve was waiting for Ethan to protest at being disturbed, especially by a stranger, and she was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t happen. Kelly caught her surprised expression and smiled.

  “I have a way with babies,” she explained. “I guess it comes from having two of my own and seven nieces and nephews.”

  Eve relaxed a little. With that many little ones around her, Kelly obviously did know what she was doing and maybe she would have an answer to Eve’s question. Surely she had heard crazier concerns.

  “It must be chaos at your family gatherings,” Eve smiled.

  “Oh, believe me, it is,” Kelly laughed as she set Ethan down on the scales she had pulled from her bag. She checked the gauge. “All good. He’s put on four ounces, which is fantastic.”

  She measured Ethan and nodded to herself, writing the number down on his chart. She put the tape measure away and cooed over Ethan some more.

  “So, how are you, Eve?” Kelly asked, turning her attention to Eve, although she still held Ethan.

  Ethan seemed content enough and Eve allowed Kelly to sit cuddling with him.

  “Me? Oh, I’m fine. You know, a little sleep-deprived, of course, but nothing I wasn’t expecting.”

  “Good,” Kelly smiled. “It can be a bit of a shock welcoming home a new baby, but there is help available if you find yourself struggling. Don’t ever be afraid to ask, Eve. If you feel a bit down, or overwhelmed, or you just have a question, I’m going to leave my card and you can call me any time of the day or night.”

  “Thank you,” Eve smiled. “I must admit I was a little nervous at first. I was worried I’d feel down or something like that, you know. One of my friends had really bad postpartum depression, but honestly, I’ve never felt happier. I feel like Ethan has filled a hole in me that I didn’t even know I had.”

  Kelly smiled at Eve and then down at Ethan.

  “How could he not? He’s so adorable,” she said. She looked back up at Eve. “Is he feeding well?”

  Eve nodded. “Yes. I think he’s got a touch of colic at the minute, though. He screams for no apparent reason every now and again.”

  “I’ll write you a prescription for some gripe water,” Kelly said. “Just give him a few drops orally through a syringe and it’ll have him sorted in no time. Do you have any other concerns?”

  Eve shook her head, suddenly sure the nurse would think she was crazy if she started talking about yellowed reptilian eyes. Kelly raised an eyebrow.

  “Whatever it is, Eve, you can just ask me. Trust me, I’ve heard it all before. Don’t be embarrassed—if it turns out to be nothing, then that’s a good thing,” she said.

  She is good, Eve thought to herself. She saw immediately that there’s something I want to ask about, and that I’m embarrassed enough to have held myself back from aski
ng it.

  “This is going to sound crazy,” Eve said. She paused and took a deep breath. “But sometimes, when Ethan gets himself really worked up, I’ve seen something a little strange in his eyes.”

  Kelly frowned slightly and sat forward, nodding at Eve to go on.

  “I’m sure I saw his eyes change. Like the irises flashed yellow for a second, and they seemed to change shape a little. I know it sounds mental, really I do, but I’m a little worried that there’s something wrong with his eyes and they hurt him and that maybe his crying isn’t colic after all.”

  “You say the irises flashed yellow? Not the whites of his eyes?” Kelly said.

  “Yes. Just the irises,” Eve confirmed.

  “It’s just a trick of the light and your sleep deprivation,” Kelly said in a soft, reassuring tone. “The whites of a baby’s eyes can turn yellow and that’s a symptom of jaundice, but it’s impossible for the irises to flash a different color like that. I guarantee you his eyes are fine.”

  “Thank you,” Eve smiled, reassured by Kelly’s certainty. “Deep down I knew it was just the light, but I guess it’s best to ask these things, right?”

  “Right,” Kelly agreed. “It’s always better to put your mind at rest. That’s what I’m here for. Are there any other concerns?”

  “There is one more thing, actually,” Eve said. “Ethan has a funny mark on the bottom of his back. I think it’s just a birthmark, but I would appreciate it if you would take a quick look just in case it’s an allergy mark or eczema or something.”

  “Of course,” Kelly said. She nodded down to Ethan as she laid him flat on her lap and went to open the snaps on his onesie. “May I?”

  Eve nodded. She watched as Kelly expertly popped his onesie open and got his legs out. She gently rolled Ethan onto his front.

  “Just inside the top of his diaper,” Eve said.

  Kelly pulled the top of the diaper down a little, revealing a small mark. The mark was silvery in color, and a little bit bigger than a dime. The shape of the mark was what had caught Eve’s attention originally. It looked to Eve like a dinosaur with wings.

  Kelly looked down at Ethan’s little mark. She ran her fingers very gently over the mark, and for a second, Eve was sure she saw an expression like awe on Kelly’s face. Kelly smiled up at Eve, looking normal again, and Eve was sure she had imagined the star-struck look.

  “You’re right, Eve. It’s just a birthmark. A rather unusually shaped one, but as birthmarks go, a very pretty one, don’t you think?”

  Eve nodded and smiled. “I’ve never seen a silver birthmark before,” she admitted.

  “They’re rare,” Kelly said, rolling Ethan onto his back again and beginning to put his legs back into the onesie. “But other than the lovely color, they’re really no different from any other birthmark. Totally harmless.”

  She finished fastening the onesie and then put Ethan back in his bouncy chair. Eve thought she looked a little reluctant to put him back down and she resisted the urge to smile. Kelly must spend so much time with babies who screamed at her touch, afraid of strangers and unhappy about being pulled around, that Ethan was a treat for her.

  “He’s a very special little boy,” Kelly said, smiling at Eve.

  Eve smiled back at her, but she frowned slightly too. What did Kelly mean by that? Eve obviously thought Ethan was pretty special, but it was a weird thing for her nurse to say. Kelly laughed when she saw Eve’s expression.

  “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but my mouth tends to engage before my brain at times. It’s an old wives’ tale. The story goes that children born with the silver mark are touched by fairies, and the fairies give them the mark to mark them out as special. They will always be under the protection of the fairies and they will go on to achieve great things,” Kelly said.

  Eve relaxed and smiled along with Kelly.

  “I’m glad you told me. I love that story,” she said. She looked down at Ethan. “Did you hear that, Ethan? You’re going to achieve great things.”

  “And the best part? When he’s older, you can tell him this story and tell him the fairies want him to eat all of his vegetables, or go to sleep early, or whatever it is he doesn’t want to do,” Kelly laughed.

  “Now there’s an idea,” Eve laughed back.

  Kelly pulled a prescription pad from her bag and wrote on it quickly, finishing up with a flourish as she signed her name. She tore the prescription loose and put the pad back. Then, pulling a small card from her bag, she stood up and handed it and the prescription to Eve, who started to stand up with her.

  “Don’t get up,” Kelly said, waving her back down. “I can see myself out. You stay here and enjoy your little one. Remember, call me any time of the night or day.”

  “Thank you,” Eve said again, remaining seated as Kelly had instructed her to. “And thank you for putting my mind at rest about the eye thing and the birthmark.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Kelly said.

  She headed for the door and said goodbye as she pulled it shut behind her.

  “Well, wasn’t she lovely?” Eve cooed to Ethan.

  For the tiniest second, she thought she saw Ethan’s eyes flash yellow again, but he blinked and his eyes were normal again. Eve shook her head.

  “We have to get some different curtains or something,” she said, more to herself than to Ethan. “Because these ones throw some strange shadows around, don’t they?”

  She smiled down at Ethan, whose eyes were normal once more, a striking green color that never failed to make Eve think of Nix.

  “You definitely have your father’s eyes,” Eve said to Ethan. “But we’re not going to think about him.”

  Except now, Eve was thinking about him. She felt as though she could still feel his lips on hers, his fingers on her skin, his cock inside of her. She closed her eyes, trying to push the memories away, but instead, she only saw Nix more clearly. In her mind, he was lying on top of her, looking deep into her eyes. She saw the beautiful green of his eyes and then, for a tiny second, his eyes were yellow, the pupils slit-shaped and reptilian in nature. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were normal.

  Eve’s eyes flew open. She tried to tell herself it was her imagination, that she had just imagined Ethan’s eyes in Nix’s face, but she knew this was real. Ethan definitely had Nix’s eyes, all right. Even down to the strange thing that happened to them when they experienced a strong emotion.

  I really am going crazy, Eve thought to herself.

  But deep down, she knew she wasn’t crazy. She knew it was impossible, but all the same, she had seen it. She had seen it on Nix and she had seen it on Ethan. Their eyes changed and she could think of absolutely no logical explanation for it. She was just happy for now that at least Nix hadn’t shown any sign of pain when his eyes had changed, which likely meant whatever weird trait Ethan had inherited from his father, it wasn’t anything painful.

  6

  Nix wondered, not for the first time, how his life had come to this. How he had gone from being the dragon prince of New York, the alpha of his pack, to being a lone dragon in a far-flung corner of Alaska. Of course, he knew how it had happened, and he knew he was doing the right thing for Eve and the baby, but that didn’t make this any easier.

  Over the course of the last few months, he had begun to nurture a hatred for King Xavier, a hatred much stronger than the one he had previously felt for the king. The king was the main reason he couldn’t be with the woman he was meant for, why his child had to grow up without a father, why, in years to come, his child would think his father was some deadbeat who didn’t want to be a part of his life.

  He knew he was doing the right thing, though, even though staying away from New York was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. The pack needed him, but they had Mitch now, and staying away was by far the safest thing for Eve and the baby and his pack as well.

  If Nix risked even so much as a visit, he could alert the king
to Eve being special to him, and it wouldn’t take the king long to find the royal mark on the baby, the small, silver dragon his entire bloodline bore on their lower backs.

  Then he would be left with no choice but to turn Eve and the baby into dragons for their own safety, and that would be disastrous in more ways than one. Nix had known for as long as he could remember that he was immortal, but for Eve, it would be a huge shock to the system, and after he had ghosted her, the chances of her wanting to spend eternity with him were slim at best. She might get over it, though, and come to embrace her new status as a powerful dragon. But for the baby, it would be a different story.

  Dragons stopped aging when they reached twenty-five, but a mortal who was turned into a dragon stopped aging the moment they were turned. That would be fine for Eve. She was perhaps a year or two short of twenty-five, but it was still a good age to stay at. But the baby would be a four-week-old baby for all of eternity if Nix turned him now, and that was no life for anyone. It was, in some ways, almost a death sentence. Being condemned to never grow up, to never fulfill your destiny, was a punishment, one that Nix wouldn’t wish on anyone, least of all his own son.

  Nix pushed the thoughts away. He had this argument with himself at least three or four times a day and he was driving himself crazy with it. And today, it was worse than ever. Nix’s dragon was restless inside of him, and for some reason, Nix couldn’t shake the sense of dread that hung over him, a feeling as though something bad was going to happen.

  He didn’t think it was possible that King Xavier had tracked him down all the way out here. He had flown the conventional way, on an airplane, so there was no risk of King Xavier’s pack members having seen him flying away from New York in his dragon form. And his passport carried a fake name, so he couldn’t have been tracked that way. He hadn’t seen any signs of dragon hunters out here in the desolate wilderness. In fact, he rarely saw anyone.