The Sleeping Omega Prince

by Maggie Hemlock

  Chapter Thirty

  Brendan

  “The last brick is going up now,” Mike said pointing to the heavy stone brick the crane was sliding into place.

  “I can’t believe that the island is ready to live on again,” I said blinking away tears.

  My pregnancy hormones were messing with my emotions. Everything made me cry. Last night Rhett stubbed his toe coming back from the bathroom in the dark. He swore and I cried for an hour. I didn’t go back to sleep until I ate a gallon of chocolate ice cream. It was a light snack for a dragon, but as my pregnancy progressed, I found myself eating more often than not. I pulled a chocolate bar from my pocket. It was one Rhett ordered by drone. They didn’t taste as good as homemade candies, but the processed sugar was growing on me.

  My life was rebuilt down to the tiniest details. Shrines for my parents and the fallen were erected in a huge garden with a beautiful ocean view. Clarence flew in expert carpenters to help build furniture as close to the items I had before everything fell apart. The newest editions were two handcrafted cribs and a birthing pool. I’d lay my eggs here at home like my carrier and his carrier before him. After the workday was over, I’d bring Rhett home.

  “We pride ourselves on fast quality work. With the amount of jobs Clarence puts out we have to stay on the ball. Besides, this was one of the more interesting ones.”

  “I meant what I said about you and Shelly. You two should come live here. You could have third pick of the houses after David and Rhett’s brother, Seth.”

  “I’ve spoken to her about it. She’s considering it, but with the island’s habit of circling the globe she’s not too sure about it. If we end up in Antarctica where would she shop?” Mike laughed.

  “You could fly her out,” I grinned.

  “Have you told Rhett you invited his brother to move out here after your eggs hatch?” Mike asked.

  “No,” I shook my head. “He’s overthinking the situation with Seth. They didn’t grow up in a pack. So, they don’t know to pull together when things fall apart. Now, they’re part of a flight. So, I’ll glue them together if I have to.”

  “That might put a hamper on your bedroom life,” Mike laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Then Rhett will resolve the problem faster, won’t he?” I took another bite of the bar so I didn’t cry.

  Growing up, I always wanted siblings. I was a single egg and my parents never conceived another child. Maybe I was trying to live vicariously through Rhett, but I hated how his eye twitched whenever I brought up his brother.

  “Omegas haven’t changed much over the centuries,” Mike shook his head.

  “Good to hear they’re still keeping you cave-Alphas in line.”

  “They wouldn’t have it any other way,” Mike chuckled.

  I spent the afternoon checking and double checking every detail of the castle. Everything needed to be perfect before I brought Rhett home.

  “Before our eggs are laid,” my dragon chimed into my thoughts.

  That too. But just imagine the look on Rhett’s face when I finally bring him home.

  “He’d live with you in a hovel.”

  Do you really want to live in a hovel?

  “No,” he sniffled, “but you aren’t the only one entitled to pregnancy hormones.”

  I took a deep breath and fought off the urge to call for Rhett over our mating link. Since discovering I was pregnant, I thought about Rhett at odd times. I wanted to run into his arms every time I felt a sniffle or a pang from the past. The most difficult part of rebuilding Moonscale Island was fighting the urge to attach myself to my Alpha’s hip.

  At the end of the workday, I said goodbye to David and the other students. David promised to come and visit. He planned to move here after he finished his education. I promised him a job. If there wasn’t one available when the time came, I’d invent one for him.

  “If anymore Matthews give you trouble you call me,” I hugged him again. “Well, call Rhett’s phone and ask for me.”

  “I will,” he laughed.

  “Good. You don’t have to take shit from anyone. You have just as much right to be at Moonscale Academy as anyone else does.”

  “Aye, aye, captain!” David hugged me again. “I better go. I’ll miss my ship.”

  “I’ll watch out for him,” Samantha nodded to me as she and David boarded the boat which would take them back to the mainland.

  Hand-in-hand, Rhett and I watched the ship disappear beyond the horizon as if the sun swallowed them up whole. Tears leaked from my eyes no matter how hard I tried to blink them away.

  “I feel like I’m sending my kid out into the world,” I sniffled and turned my face into Rhett’s shoulder.

  “It feels like that every year, babe,” Rhett held me close to him. “Remember, this year is different, because of you. David and Samantha are moving here one day, and I bet some of the others will visit.”

  “I know,” I sniffled. “It’s just pregnancy hormones, but now I can’t stop crying and it’s going to ruin our evening.”

  “Nothing to do with you growing our babies could ruin anything.” He cupped my chin, so I looked up at him.

  “Stop being so sweet,” I sniffled, “or I’m going to cry harder.”

  “Let’s go inside,” he scooped me up.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to carry me back into the cabin. We lit a fire and cuddled until the tears finally stopped.

  “I wanted tonight to be perfect. I wanted to take you to the island at sunset. That’s when everything glows. It’s perfect or at least it would have been if we made it on time.”

  “Then we’ll wait until tomorrow evening if you want. We have the rest of our lives to spend together. Let’s heat up leftovers and just decompress for tonight. It’s been a difficult few weeks and I’m glad things are slowing down.”

  “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?” I asked him.

  Rhett shook his head with a smile and pulled me in for a kiss. When the kiss broke, we stayed with our heads pressed together for a long moment.

  “We’ll even watch funny cat videos. You have a lot of those to catch up on,” Rhett laughed.

  “Deal,” I reached out for his phone.

  ***

  The next evening, I spent ten minutes deciding whether it was best to arrive to Moonscale Island by boat or flying. Both had their advantages, but since the island was built by dragon hands, I decided flying was the best option. From the sky, the island shimmered like a diamond resting atop the sea. Rainbows light prisms reflected in every direction from the gemstones mixed into the building blocks.

  “I can’t believe you guys rebuilt everything so fast,” Rhett said as I circled the island again.

  “The crew was huge. I’ve never seen so many dragons work together without fighting,” I laughed. “Ready to see our new home up close and personal?”

  “Absolutely,” Rhett said and ran his fingers along the scale on the back of my neck.

  “Watch it! Do that again and I’m liable to fall,” I let out a throaty growl.

  “Sorry,” he smirked.

  We could explore the newly built village tomorrow, but tonight the castle was our destination. Though, to properly explore the castle would take days too. I landed on the draw bridge and shifted back into my human form. Rhett pulled me into his arms for a long slow kiss. I melted into him as our tongues danced together.

  “I am so proud of you,” Rhett said when the kiss broke.

  “For what?” I blushed.

  “For rebuilding your home. I know it wasn’t an easy thing for you to do. It took guts.”

  “I did what needed to be done. That’s what Moonscales have always done. It’s how we survive,” I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  Rhett scooped me off my feet and caught off guard I squeaked.

  “What are you doing? Put me down!” I laughed and squirmed in his arms.

  “Carrying you over the thres
hold. It’s a tradition,” he said and started towards the door.

  “Carry me home then, Alpha,” I grinned at him.

  The walls inside glittered and gleamed in the torchlight as they did when I was a hatchling. Paintings of my parents and ancestors lined the walls leading all the way back to Frost and Juda. Seth even sent me the painting from the house on the mainland to join the rest.

  “You’ve been talking to Seth,” Rhett said.

  Tension pulled at his shoulders. I wiggled out of his arms until my feet touched the floor. Stepping behind him I massaged his shoulders, but he turned to face me.

  “He’s your brother. He’s still clean. Besides, I wanted my painting back,” I grinned hoping to end the argument before it started. “My carrier commissioned this one. It was his favorite of me.”

  “I love my brother, but he has a way of fucking up everything he touches.”

  “Do you really think he could fuck what we have up?” I put my hands on my hips. “Do you think our relationship is that fragile?”

  “He caused you to break your wing,” Rhett growled.

  “I broke my wing saving him. I did that. Yeah, he didn’t think before he walked through, but that’s not his fault. From what I hear boobytraps went out of style decades ago!”

  “Maybe, but I don’t want you getting hurt because he can’t control his impulses,” Rhett said.

  “I can take care of myself. I’m a dragon not a gecko who can be squashed under someone’s heel.”

  “What about the kids?” Rhett asked.

  “What about them? Does he have a history of playing whack a mole with eggs? Throwing babies out of windows? Dealing drugs to school children?”

  “No! But…” Rhett’s growl died in his throat.

  “He’s family, Rhett. I invited him to live here on the island when the time comes, and we let people move here. He should be close by. I know he thinks he doesn’t need people, but that’s what we all need. We need people to lean on when things hurt.”

  “And what happens when he fucks up?” Rhett asked.

  “If it’s bad enough we’ll make him move, but I think he’s really trying to put it all behind him.”

  “I hope so,” Rhett sighed and shook his head.

  “Are you angry with me, Alpha?”

  “Frustrated with Seth as usual.” Rhett sighed. “I want one part of my life to be free of the wrecking ball who is my brother.”

  “What can I do to make it better?” I reached up and rubbed his shoulders.

  “Show me the rest of the house?” He grinned after a few long seconds of silence.

  “That would take several days, but there is something I want to show you. We’ll be spending a lot of time in a certain room very soon.”

  “The bedroom?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “There’s one room we’ll be spending even more time in,” I took his hand and led the way.

  I smiled to myself as I led Alpha down the winding hallway and up the stairs to one of the towers. All the way at the top was the place we’d build our nest. Better known to most dragons as the egg room. While working on rebuilding the island I gathered up old blankets, grass, leaves, and everything else we’d need to build our nest. The blankets were put through a washing machine and a sterilizing station so they were safe for us and the hatchlings who would greet the world wrapped inside of them.

  “A nest?” Rhett grinned when we entered the room.

  “Where else do you think dragons lay our eggs?” I laughed. “I haven’t put it together yet. I thought you might want to help, but if you don’t that’s okay. I know wolves find dens instead of building nests.”

  “Show me how it’s done?” Rhett pulled me into his arms.

  “Of course,” I kissed him.

  “Our children will be dragons. I want to understand them and you.”

  “I think you get me,” I smiled and turned out of his arms.

  We spent the rest of the evening building the nest. Rhett’s braiding skills weren’t as good as mine, but he was a fast learner. We worked in silence weaving discarded pieces of the past together to create something new. When we finished the nest glistened like walls. The blankets were stitched with dragon gem thread. Shimmering items always drew the attention of dragons, but hatchlings were extremely fond of glittering lights. The nest was big enough to house two full sized dragon eggs and us in our human forms. The room wasn’t big enough for me to shift in unless I opened the flight exit, but with most of the world unaware of us I didn’t think I’d need to make a quick exit.

  “This is huge,” Rhett laughed standing back to examine our handywork.

  “We’ll be spending a lot of time in the nest once the eggs come,” I took his hand and pulled him into the nest. “Come on. Let’s test it out. Get ready for the coziest experience of your life, Alpha.”

  We settled into the center of the nest with my head resting on Rhett’s chest. His fingers trailed up and down my back easing the muscles that ached from hunching over the nest for so long. Over the month and a half since we met our mating link had grown. We knew each other’s emotions and tuned into each other’s little aches and pains when they occurred.

  “It’s hard to believe soon Baby Elwin and Baby Stacy will be in the nest with us,” Rhett said.

  “Well, first comes the eggs. They can take a while to hatch. I stayed in my egg for almost two years. My fathers swore I tried to drive them mad.”

  “Two years?” Rhett arched a brow.

  “I must’ve known what was waiting on me two decades later,” I laughed.

  “Well, you two don’t have anything horrible waiting on you,” he looked down at my belly. “We’re the only ones on the island and nothing will ever hurt you.” He ran his fingers along my belly.

  “I was an outlier,” I kissed his cheek, “but I love how you talk to them.”

  The sunlight disappeared replaced by stars shining through the windows. The walls glowed softly in a rainbow circling the room. Mike promised to line the colors up in the correct order and he came through.

  “Do you have any experience with babies?” I asked Rhett.

  My heart raced, because I only met two in my life before Corden cursed me.

  “A little,” he shrugged. “Couple years ago, one of my students were a single parent and he brought the kid to class a lot.”

  “Do we have any idea of what we’re doing?” I sat up.

  “Hey, now, babe,” Rhett sat up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his warmth, but my heart raced on.

  “Hey, we’ll be fine,” he continued. “Really, I’ve been reading up and we know the basics. Babies need milk, love, clean diapers, and a safe place to grow up. We have those things. We’ll learn the rest as we go.”

  “What if we mess up?”

  “Hopefully they’ll be too young to remember neither of us were great at changing diapers,” he laughed.

  “Don’t joke about this! The futures of our hatchlings are at risk!” I stood up.

  “Hey,” he stood up too. “We’ll be okay. They’ll be okay.”

  “We’re here you know,” my dragon put in his two cents. “You shouldn’t discount our primal nature. The hatchlings will be fine. Now, lay back down. I can’t see the stars from up here.”

  “He’s right,” Rhett kissed my forehead. “Our family will be just fine.”

  ***

  That night I dreamed that I dropped one of our eggs and it cracked open and scrambled. The world shook, rocked, and swerved as I tried to put the baby puddle back into the egg. Sweat covered my trembling body and tears overtook my face. My vision blurred and the sun beat down on my head. Only the sun was real.

  “Rhett!” I reached out and blinked my eyes open.

  The world didn’t stop shaking and wobbling. My heart leapt into my throat and my dragon bolted upright inside my chest.

  “RHETT!” I sat up. “CORDEN’S HERE! HE’S ATTACKING RIGHT NOW!”

  Rhett was on h
is feet before I could rise to mine. He pulled me up and told me to stay put, but of course I followed him out the window down the escape ladder. I wasn’t going to let him face off against Corden alone! He wasn’t a dragon! He didn’t have scales to protect him.

  “Lotta good they did us,” my dragon grumbled.

  Air swooshed around the island and flapping wings filled the air. Dragons with ropes tied around their middles surrounded the island grunting and snorting as they flew upward.

  “YOU PUT MY ISLAND DOWN RIGHT NOW! THIS IS THIEVERY!” My dragon’s growl bubbled over my human lips.

  The island tilted to the left and I jutted that way. Rhett grabbed my arm and pulled me to him.

  “How are you staying upright?” I shouted over the noise.

  “I had the forethought to grab the ladder,” he laughed.

  “What are you laughing about? They are stealing our island and us along with it!” I growled at him.

  “This is a little surprise I worked out for you. You aren’t the only one who can surprise someone. I spoke with Mike and the others about the problem of rising sea levels. He wasn’t sure they’d be able to pull it off, but they’re doing it.”

  “They’re doing what exactly?” I demanded.

  “Pulling the island up so it’s not swallowed whole by the sea in a hundred years.”

  “Oh.” I blinked.

  “I thought we’d be up by the time they got here, or I’d have warned you. They had to recruit a few water dragons to swim around and figure out how to hook up the rigs, but when they’re finished, we’ll be above sea level and should be able to safely ride out climate change until things settle down.”

  “Will they, though?” I asked.

  “I think so. Shifter governments produce less carbon emissions than human governments did.”

  “Magic for the win,” I grinned up at him.

  “I told you I’d take care of you and our hatchlings,” he said and pulled me in for a long hard kiss.

  “No mating while the island is rocking,” I laughed and braced myself against the ladder as the world wobbled again.