Chapter Thirty-One
Rhett
With the island no longer at risk of sinking I slept easier and so did Brendan. Shifters have long lives. Getting settled in and having to move because the sea swallowed our island paradise whole wasn’t in my plans. Brendan poured his heart and soul into rebuilding the city of his youth. There was no way I was letting it get washed out to sea.
With the last of the construction crew and dig site students gone, Brendan and I were finally alone again. It’s common in new mates, but I rested easier without all the strange dragons flying around. Everyone knew the Moonscales took care of their own, but I’d been a little more cynical of strangers since Brendan’s pregnancy. I loved how he connected with his flight, but sometimes I just wanted him all to myself. Eventually, we’d have to find the balance between hermitage and family. For now, we both voted for self-imposed hermitage.
Alone we settled into a comfortable routine. We explored the island and tried to guess which of our friends would choose which house in the future. Brendan and the crew resurrected several villages worth of homes and storefronts. Together, we walked through what Brendan dubbed ‘the museum hall’ of the castle. I love the artifacts, but the real draw of the hallway was how Brendan would stop and smile at something broken, because he remembered when it was whole and new. His smile was worth not being part of the reconstruction project.
We slept in well past sunrise most mornings and shared breakfast on the egg room balcony. Then we’d weave anything interesting we found from the previous day’s explorations into our nest. It grew stronger and thicker with every trip out. We’d usually make it home by lunch, but sometimes we ate lunch down on the beach. Long lazy afternoons passed in a blur of discussions about the future and mating until we fell into a happy if exhausted slumber. In the evenings at sunset, we’d check the island’s perimeters. Despite the island’s distance from civilization neither of us forgot Matthew knew where we were at. I checked the ground and Brendan checked things out from a bird’s eye view. Once the eggs came one of us would always stay in the egg room, but for now our routine allowed us to never be far apart.
Somedays we rearranged rooms to integrate my belongings from the mainland house. Seth sent most of the via drone. We still hadn’t spoken, but he hadn’t called me to bail him out either. That was something, at least. We shopped for our groceries online for now. Clarence set us up an account that was filled directly by his grocery chain’s drone to protect our location.
In the future, we’d have farms and ranches, but until we had the citizenry, we made do. Not that I minded the convenience of groceries being delivered to our drawbridge. We slept wherever we liked. Some nights we slept in the huge master bedroom at the castle, others in the egg room, and yet others we spent on the ship where we spent our first nights together in doors. We stored the scales from Moonstruck on the ship too. The vaults were safe, but the harbor even safer. It wasn’t visible to the outside world. Whether it was hidden by draconic magic or the island itself, I didn’t know, but even from the sky the ship wasn’t visible.
Most of the stuff we’d need for the twins was brought in by the construction crew courtesy of Clarence Moonscale, but that didn’t stop us from online shopping. Besides the basics of living and property taxes on my parents’ old home I tossed most of my cash into the bank. Eventually, we might need to open a vault, but we were set for a while. Online we bought more clothes than we’d ever need for the kids. From little dresses to sailor suits we bought it all. The kids would outgrow the stuff before they ever had a chance to wear it all, but we both knew more children were in our future. Despite not knowing the genders of the babies we shopped for boy and girl clothes to be prepared for every possibility.
We started an online catalogue of the unknown scales. Several Moonscales showed up to claim scales from direct ancestors. Others sat waiting for their families, but at least they were safe from the black market and those who would use them for nefarious means. Brendan’s father protected the island during his life and now in his death he protected the scales of dragons who moved on from our realm.
Most days our anticipation of our babies led us back to the same place: The egg room. We double and triple checked the nest daily to ensure nothing frayed or came loose. We stocked a fridge with snacks and microwave meals. The cabinets were full of baby supplies, blankets, diapers, and of course non-perishables. The room didn’t house a stove, but one of us could slip downstairs to cook when the time came. The eggs might take turns hatching with months in between. When it came to dragon eggs nothing was certain.
Three months after officially moving into the castle I woke in our bedroom alone. I reached out to pull Brendan in close, but his side of the bed was cold.
“Babe?” I called out, but no one answered.
Our mating link was silent. I climbed out of bed and checked the nearby kitchen. Brendan didn’t have any of the usual pregnancy cravings, but he did wake up in the middle of the night starving. He’d devour everything in the kitchen before heading back to bed.
“Come to the egg room,” he whispered over the link.
“Are you okay, mate?”
“Come to the egg room,” he said again.
Not waiting around to ask him again, I sprinted towards the tower entrance. I slowed on the steps in case something was wrong. If someone penetrated our defenses, I’d need the element of surprise. I crept up the steps and peeked around the corner.
My breath caught in my throat. Two large eggs sat in the nest behind a very exhausted Brendan. They were polished to sheen. One silver and the other black as Brendan in his dragon form. The moment we waited for had arrived and I slept through it. The flight exit was open, and moonlight danced over his face.
“You could have woken me up, babe,” I climbed into the nest with him.
“You’d have been nervous. Besides, laying eggs is boring business. If I ever have a live birth, I promise we’ll do the wolf thing. You can be there, and I can threaten to castrate you if you ever knock me up again,” he chuckled.
“Do I need to call the doctor?” I asked looking him over.
“No,” he shook his head. “I just need a shower and some sleep. The eggs are polished and warm for now. They’re growing fast too. They’ve already more than tripled in size.”
I pulled him close and kissed his forehead. Now that our eggs were here our real wait began.
“Can you stay with them while I take a shower?” Brendan asked.
“Of course,” I hugged him. “Are you sure I shouldn’t call the doctor?”
“Maybe tomorrow. We’re all okay. Edna doesn’t need to fly out here in the middle of the night,” Brendan laughed.
When Brendan left, I positioned myself between the open flight exit and our eggs. I traced their shells expecting them to feel as smooth as they looked, but each had its own unique texture against my fingers.
“Welcome to the world, you two. You picked a nice night to be born,” I whispered with a hand on each of the eggs. “I hope you don’t wait two years to come out and meet us.”
When Brendan came back, we ate a few microwave meals and celebrated with some wine. We both lived dry since the news of his pregnancy it was nice to have the familiar burn of alcohol back. Even if it was only wine. Our inner beasts chattered too quick for me to follow and keep my attention on Brendan and our eggs.
“To our babies,” we said and clinked our glasses together.
Brendan was out cold before he finished his glass. I stayed up drinking and watching our eggs grow inches before my eyes. Brendan curled around the eggs smiling in his sleep. The next stage of our life arrived. I prayed we were ready for what came when the babies hatched from the eggs. I assured Brendan we were, but now faced with the future there was a pang of uncertainty in my gut.
“I can’t wait to meet you two and hold you in my arms. I’ve spent months imagining which one of us you’d look like. What will your laughs sound like? What your favorite foods, colors
, and toys will be. I love you two.”
When exhaustion made it hard to keep my eyes open, I closed the flight exit and curled up on the opposite side of the eggs as Brendan. I fell asleep reassured our children were safe and protected on all sides.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Brendan
“Brendan, baby, wake up. We need to move the eggs down to the dungeon or something. A storm’s coming in. Seth just called to give us a heads up. It’s only about an hour from us,” Rhett shook my shoulder.
I squeezed my eyes shut against his flashlight beam and groaned.
“At least he’s talking to his brother again,” my dragon said turning over to hide his face from the light.
“Lay back down, Alpha. Dragon buildings hold up against hurricane winds. If all the windows are shut we just need to sit tight and wait it out. Come back to the nest. Stay with me and the babies. We need you.” I reached out an arm groping for Rhett’s hand.
“I’m going to check the windows.”
“They’re all closed,” I squinted one eye open to look at him.
“Are you sure?”
“There’s no breeze. We’re locked down. I double checked when I felt the eggs were close to coming,” I sat up and took his hand. “So, come back with us and wait it out. Let’s sleep some more. I’m exhausted. If you can’t sleep, stay with me and stroke my hair. I like it when you do that.”
“Okay,” Rhett sat down next to me and I laid with my head in his lap.
I dozed off and on for a bit. Hurricanes always picked the worst times to show up. The air hung thick and muggy around us thickening with each breath I drew in. It wasn’t the worst I’d lived through. The worst hurricane to find Moonscale Island in my lifetime I slept through. Wind and rain beat on my face and body through the blankets while I lay prone and helpless to run for cover. I couldn’t even bring my wings out to protect my face. The approaching storm wasn’t as bad as that one and would likely leave by morning.
“Stop being nervous, Alpha. It’ll rub off on our eggs. Didn’t you say you weathered a hurricane before?” I sat up and stretched my arms high above my head. Sleep still clung to my brain, but until the uneasiness left his scent, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“More than one,” Rhett nodded. “I didn’t have eggs to protect then.”
“They’re safe here. You’ll see. This tower won’t even sway. This isn’t the first hurricane Moonscale Island has weathered and it likely won’t be the last. Do we have any of the wine left?”
“Plenty,” he said and poured me a glass.
“Help me polish the eggs,” I said after downing the glass.
The alcohol didn’t do much to wake me up. It lulled my dragon into a slumber. When he slept, I reaped some of the benefits of his rest.
The storm raged around us. Wind howled and battered the walls of the castle, but nothing moved. Nothing swayed. We polished the eggs, turning them to cover every inch of their growing surface area. I hadn’t had much experience with eggs, but I’d never heard of them growing so quickly.
I pressed my ear to the silver one. A faint heartbeat echoed inside the thick shell. I took Rhett’s hand and tugged him over with me.
“Listen,” I whispered.
He pressed his ear gently against the shell. A second later, he grinned.
“Is it normal for them to grow this quickly?” Rhett asked.
“From what I understand, it’s all normal. Hatchlings come out when they please.”
“What about you, baby?” Rhett turned his attention to the shiny black egg. “Are you growing as fast as your sibling?”
We both pressed our ears against the egg.
“You are,” Rhett grinned still listening to the heartbeat.
We alternated between polishing the eggs and listening to the heartbeats of the babies growing inside of them. Sometime before sunrise my stomach growled. I ignored the gnawing feeling, but Rhett kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. Our supply of egg room snacks disappeared into my belly shortly after I laid our eggs.
“Do you want me to go downstairs and get you something to eat?” Rhett asked
“I’m okay. Waiting a few more hours isn’t going to kill me,” I laughed.
“Afraid the downstairs isn’t storm proof?” Rhett arched a brow.
“No,” I shook my head quickly. “I just hate being alone during a storm like this. Do you know that hurricanes are one of the few times dragons can’t just up and fly away?”
“You don’t need to fly anywhere right now, anyway,” Rhett pulled me close and stole a kiss. “I’m going downstairs to get you something to eat. I’ll be back before you know it. Besides,” he glanced at our eggs, “you’re not alone.”
“Hurry back,” I squeezed his shoulders and didn’t let go.
“Don’t worry,” he grinned at me. “I’ll only be a minute. Can’t let my mate go hungry.”
“I’m not literally starving,” I laughed and eased my grip on his shoulders. “I ate just a bit ago.”
“I’ll be right back, babe,” Rhett stole a kiss and disappeared from the egg room.
The muggy air was twice as thick without Rhett. I settled down between our eggs and polished the silver one. The shell pulsated with the life growing beneath it. Outside, our tower hideaway the wind howled. A tree smashed into the windows rattling the glass. The windows held up, but my fingers trembled around the polishing rag.
“Stop being a ninny! You’re safe!” My dragon snapped at me.
I’m not a ninny! That was loud! It shook the damn windows! Stop being so grouchy. You’re not the only one who’s afraid you know. Besides, you can’t eat me. I’m you!
“Wouldn’t that be a feat. Me eat myself?” He chuckled.
Footfalls on the steps made me smile.
“Back already? That was fast!” I laughed without looking over my shoulder at Rhett. “You must have missed me.”
“Can’t say I have. If you would have stayed out of my way this island would be mine,” a too familiar voice said. The words crawled over my skin. I swallowed hard but didn’t turn to face him. Corden’s long straight nose and menacing eyes were burnt into my memory. Besides, it wasn’t his face that would do damage. He was a magic user. I needed to watch his hands.
A thud hit the floor. My muscles froze into the spot. Under my flesh my wings ached to come out and protect the eggs, but I couldn’t move. Couldn’t reach out on the mating link. I was a teenager all over again and Corden returned to finish the job he started so long ago.
“Ungrateful orphan!” Corden spat. “Is this any way to greet your last living parent?”
I drew in a deep breath ready to turn and breathe fire on him, but when I turned only a gasp escaped my mouth. Matthew lay on the floor at his feet. His neck beck backwards jutting his chin at an odd skyward angle. Blood dripped from his mouth stretched open in a wide O as if he tried to scream for help or in terror. His eyes starred blankly at a ceiling he’d never see.
“You really should have checked him better before you let him off the island. It was a bitch to get past his old man’s security system, but he knew the way. The pup was so eager to prove himself worthy of helping me reclaim the island. Though, he was too naive to know that would never happen. As your carrier found out, I work alone.”
“NOW!” My dragon cried out.
Fire erupted from my throat, but when the smoke cleared Corden stood unharmed.
“That’s funny, Brendan. Really fucking funny. It didn’t work last time. What made you think it would work this time? You’re not the only one who grew more powerful with age,” Corden stepped closer to me.
My wings sprung free of my back and wrapped backwards around my eggs.
“Shhhh… Babies. You’re safe. I have you,” my dragon whispered to the eggs. His voice trembled. Scratching echoed from inside the eggs. “Shhh… Stay still little ones. This isn’t your fight.”
“Rhett,” I whispered unable to shout.
“I’ll ge
t him too. There’s no one around to trap me in some Frost-forsaken bottle this time. That’s what Bashi did. He lured me in saying he’d trade you to me if I left the island in peace. I wasn’t going to. This island belonged to me. I married the heir and I’m still living. Moonscale island belongs to me. Thought I’d never find my way back to this drifting paradise once that traitor dropped me at sea.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rhett
Brendan’s anxious scent spread over the castle. My wolf paced inside my chest and muttered under his breath about how I shouldn’t have left him alone.
“He laid eggs today. Our eggs! Food can wait. Safety is more important. He’s panic stricken. Can’t you smell him?”
Of course, I could, but Brendan was always on edge when he was hungry. Dragons are known for being hangary and he didn’t fit the bill. Except, fear made dragons angry. Add hunger to that and it was a recipe for disaster. Still, I didn’t want to leave him for too long. Not being able to pull him close as the storm battered the castle pissed me off.
After hurriedly throwing together some sandwiches I grabbed a few bags of chips and headed back to the egg room. My wolf breathed hard and shifted my eyes to allow him a better view of the world. I sniffed the air. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my nose on it. An out of place scent wrapped around me. Part sea and part danger. The faint smell of soot and blood clung to my nostrils. I huffed and breathed in again to discern what tickled my nose.
“. . . my way to this drifting paradise once that traitor dropped me at sea.” The words drifted to the foot of the stairs.
“EAT HIM!” My wolf growled.
The stranger’s scent mingled with Brendan’s anxiousness. A coppery scent accompanied them both. Dropping the food where I stood, I crept up the stairs two at a time. Matthew’s scent slapped me in the face halfway up the stairs. My heart pounded in my ears, but I didn’t slow down. Without my wolf’s interference I’d have charged in, but a lone wolf learns to hunt with patience.
The Sleeping Omega Prince Page 17