by TJ Cross
But he was always my alpha.
And I was always his omega.
The time came for me to open my eyes again, as he called for my name, using the most tender of words. "Wake up to the most beautiful sight, my love," he murmured.
I was surprised to see that he was in human form once more, naked and marked by dark ash and smoke, but holding the most radiant, most beautiful baby in his hands.
"A boy," Everett said, lowering the child so I could see. I had just about enough strength to sit up, yet there was no pain. Focusing back on the last few minutes, I realized I had enveloped myself in sweat and distantly detected the pain of him cutting into me and then slicing the cord that connected me and my son... it had all felt so far away, the pain.
Pleasure and passion ruled me in its stead.
"So beautiful," I mustered, breathing heavy as I began crying again. He was so beautiful! As soon as I saw him I loved him so strongly, knowing that I would devote my life to him. To our family.
"I love you," Everett said, the three words that stoked such a great fire in me. It wasn't just arousal I felt inside me but also true happiness, a buoyant light that wanted to burst out from me.
Reminded by that thought of light, I looked down to my belly, which was still radiating a glow -- the womb inside me having served its magical purpose. I sighed, content with everything in the world. "I know what we'll name him."
"I know, too," Everett said.
Arching an eyebrow at him, I hugged the whimpering baby, kissing and making as much skin-on-skin contact as I could, then looking up to my alpha with the playful rebelliousness that marked my favorite way to be his omega. "How could you know that?"
"Oh, just an incredibly strong, incredibly beautiful psychic bond between us," Everett grinned, wiping the sweat and soot off his body.
"In that case, let's say it together. On three. Three... two... one..."
We spoke at the exact same time, naming our child as the magic of fire, blood and love surrounded us still.
"Gabriel."
We embraced as a trio then: Gabriel, Everett and I. Our hearts beat as one in that moment, holding firm until the magic from the ceremony the alpha had performed finally, slowly faded away.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The apartment was never as busy as it got in the days after Gabriel was born. Whole teams of staff from Copperwind HQ came to check in on us, offering to do every single minor task for Everett and I. They kept the place clean, kept the fridge stocked, even helped install more and more furniture meant for our child.
"Talk about far-thinking," I said, as I oversaw a team build a cot that I didn't think Gabriel would need until he was two or three years old.
"My mother likes to view childhood as a series of tasks that should be completed well in advance," Everett grinned.
"Helen's nothing if not extremely organized."
Everett kissed me on the forehead and offered his hand as I tottered with him back to the bedroom. He wanted me to spend as much time as possible in bed, because my largely human body was recovering slowly to the magical disappearance of the uterus that had been inside me.
I even missed it. "I'd love to be pregnant again," I said, winking at him. "For all its flaws, it actually really feels so nice."
"What about it feels nicest, my love?" he asked me, joining me in bed.
This required some thought -- I couldn't quite settle on a single defining experience about it at once, so I really thought about my favorite part of the pregnancy. "Feeling close to you," I finally murmured. "Knowing it was your baby, our baby, inside me."
"For me it's the incredible anticipation, knowing we would welcome another member into our family," he said, punctuating every word with a kiss to the side of my head.
I smiled and closed my eyes. The luxury I enjoyed in the last few days weren't just financial: it was that I had all the time in the world for myself. Everett passively continued playing his role as a director at Copperwind HQ until Helen ordered him to take a vacation -- which he had already been planning, anyway.
As soon as I was well enough to get on the Copperwind private jet, we were going to fly to Norway and see his ancient homeland, so we could have Gabriel touch his little hands down to the soil that would define his magical powers forever.
There was no denying that Gabriel was potently, powerfully a shifter -- everything about him was so full of fire and strength. I needed Everett to identify to me all the marks that proved Gabriel was strong in the magical world, and he showed me every chance he could.
"While the lifespan of a dragon is unlimited, the early life of a dragonling does not stretch forever the way an adult's does. Gabriel will grow normally, just like a human child. It'll only be after he completes his teenage years that his body will start to fully strengthen its ability to age at a much slower scale over the millennia," Everett told me.
As for me, he reminded me that the fact that I had been so imbued with dragon magic likely meant I was going to enjoy a dragon, or at least dragon-like, lifespan as well. It surprised me, because I had just started getting anxious about the idea of having to age like a human while Everett and Gabriel likely stayed perfectly still forever.
Helen came to visit a lot, usually after her long days at the office. As the CEO and chairman of the board of Copperwind Corporation she had offered me a permanent position in the company, but I had turned it down saying I wanted to focus on my art... when I was ready, of course.
"Well, that's fine," Helen said today when she visited. "I only was offering you the job so you were close enough for our weekly lunches. Wouldn't want to trouble you with a long commute to Howell Lodge."
"Psh," I said dismissively, enjoying the way the ancient, wise dragon and I spoke as equals. "Is there a recovering omega menu there now?"
"I think Chef Michel has never been happier, now that he can go back to preparing fine cuisine -- no more Ruffles chips and bisque," Helen smiled. "Now, about the honeymoon..."
"Norway's not going to be a honeymoon. We might hold a private wedding ceremony, though. Everett's very serious about the whole dragons keeping a low profile thing so we'll probably do a super quiet thing at the Copperwind estate, and then host a proper reception when we're back in America... a short while later, I suppose."
My mother-in-law-to-be nodded. "Yes, Everett's briefed me on all the details. I'll actually be accompanying you three in the Norway trip. It would be nice to see home. Back there, of course, we aren't the Copperwinds -- we're the ancient and great Clan Kobbervind."
"Kobbervind," I whispered it the way she pronounced, with all the Nordic accents it came with.
"You've done something truly incredible," Helen said, smiling with great happiness as she glanced over to Everett, who was idly tidying up the apartment while carrying Gabriel, whispering words to our child. "You've tamed a dragon. Not many people can boast that."
I smiled, feeling so much love swell for my entire family -- Helen, Everett, Gabriel, everyone. "You're right," I whispered, reaching to hold Helen's hands. "You're right."
Nothing filled me with joy more than the thought of living out the rest of my very long life with my Everett, with my dragon clan.
THE END.
And now, a very special teaser for THE DRAGON'S OMEGA -- the first ever TJ Cross dragon shifter mpreg romance... out now in Amazon for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
An ancient, powerful alpha will find his soul-bound mate, one way or the other...
College sophomore Miles Robertson hasn't figured out many things in life -- like what he wants for his career, or even his major. But the most pressing among his concerns is his lack of a love life: college is supposed to be when you're allowed to go wild and free... but in his case, being a young gay man interested in the world of shifters means the prospect of meeting an alpha through a mail-order mate service becomes genuinely tempting!
Dragon prince Viktor Dragovich tries his hardest to keep away from human society, always holding back his i
nner beast's urges to wreak fire and blood to the world. But a millennia of solitude leaves the ancient, powerful alpha desperately lonely, and worse, he knows that ignoring his pent-up desire to mate could have lethal consequences for himself...
When they're paired together, skeptical Viktor finds himself opening up to charming young Miles. Their relationship heats up quickly, and never before have either of the two experienced such a natural, perfect match.
The flaming intensity rises and unlike all the others Viktor had considered in the past, Miles is ready for everything the dragon throws at him...
But is it all meant to be for alpha and omega, or does this flame burning twice as bright burn only half as long?
------
CHAPTER ONE
MILES
Miles Robertson exhaled a happy, contented sigh of relief after making it through his least favorite class of the day. He was starting to think that choosing a few sociology modules at this stage was a mistake, and Professor Singh had made it quite clear to him that he was lagging behind.
"That's your own damn fault for being so indecisive," he wryly joked to himself, paying no attention as he walked on mental autopilot to the library. This was his Wednesday ritual -- disconnecting from social media, from the Internet, from his phone, so he could pick a book to read from the university's impressively wide selection. At first he preferred to borrow the books but found that he never quite found the time to read when he was back in his apartment. Something would always just pop up.
Finding his usual table in the far corner occupied by a group of freshmen girls, Miles wandered around library trying to find a new perch, his eyes idly scanning the Dewey decimal codes of the shelves he passed.
"Sarah!" he called out, recognizing his friend. She shared a few classes with him, including the Brutalist Architecture 202 he loved but was forced to miss last week when he felt sick. This was his chance to catch up.
"Miles," she answered warmly, pulling her earphones out. "How's it going, babe?" The exaggerated Cali girl voice she used daily was in full force here, but Miles knew better than to automatically dismiss her as a bimbo -- Sarah Ioannis was a regular on the dean's list. She was a sophomore, like him, but she was barely 16, having entered university early as a child prodigy.
"Didn't know you liked spending time in the library like us plebs," Miles remarked. "It's nice to see a familiar face."
"I come here once in a while, when I need to think," she shrugged. "I have noticed you here though before, but you always looked so engrossed in the little pile of books you always have in front of you that I got too scared of saying hi."
Miles laughed, covering his mouth to make sure the sound wasn't too loud. "That's okay. I mean, that's what libraries are for, right? Books. I like to read. Plus, not being able to afford buying most of the books I want, especially the big glossy specialist books that are only available in hardcover, means this is my best option."
"I get what you mean," she said. "Hey, did you just come out of a class? You look worn out."
"Is it that obvious?" Miles answered.
"You've normally got the pretty boy look going on, but not today. Today you look like you just lost a hell of a battle."
"Courtesy of Professor Mendel," he laughed. He tapped his fingers on her table. "Anyway, I didn't really want to bother you when you're clearly studying... but I did want to ask for a teeny-tiny favor. If that's okay!"
"Sure thing, Miles, what do you need?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know if you noticed but I missed Friday's Brutalist Architecture lecture and I wondered if you took down the notes, maybe even the PowerPoint. If you did, I'd super, super appreciate it if you could email me. The last thing I want at this point of the semester is to feel like I was lagging behind on my favorite subject," Miles said, his face revealing the sheepishness he had over making such a request.
Sarah's warm smile dispelled any worries he had immediately. "Don't sweat, I've got it on my laptop. I'll even send it to you right now." She glanced over at Miles' shoulder. "Doesn't look like you've brought your laptop today, though."
"Oh, no, I don't normally... but I've got my phone and I can login to my email now and skim through the notes -- then when I get home I can study them properly," he answered.
"Works for me if it works for you," Sarah grinned as she started tapping on her keyboard. "Okay, sending... yup, sent. You want to sit at this table too? Promise I won't be too much of a nuisance."
"Ah, that's okay," Miles smiled, shaking his head. "Looks like my favorite spot's free now and I figure I'll only be here an hour or so. Might as well immerse myself in a book or something. Thanks for the offer, though."
"No worries," Sarah said, although Miles detected something of a light shadow of embarrassment come over his friend. Unwilling to let the scene between them turn awkward, he smiled, nodded and began walking over to his spot, only turning around a second later so he could wave at Sarah and thank her for emailing him.
I really hope she didn't think we were flirting, he thought, suppressing a smile. They were college friends but clearly she didn't know him that well if she hadn't caught on that he was gay!
As he settled into his spot he wondered if many people in college knew. He kept his sexuality on the down low not so much because he was afraid of what other people might think, but because he wasn't interested in most of the people he knew... especially most of the people his age. The Queer Kids' Club on campus were made of some pretty radical, especially vocal LGBT activist types and he didn't really find that he identified with them, and he didn't like the way they always seemed to talk to him patronizingly on every topic they ever discussed, even the ones Miles knew well.
As for all the other guys, well, Miles had given hookup apps a shot but what he really wanted was a relationship, not a string of one-night stands. He knew he was good-looking, with a handsome, angular face prominently marked by strong cheekbones and a slightly fey pair of pinkish lips. Other gay guys certainly thought that too... but it only ever seemed like they were only interested in sex from him.
Not that Miles was opposed to a good, fun time -- it was just that he didn't want that to be central focus of anything he had with someone.
Of course, he was guilty of having pretty high standards too. The kind of man Miles dreamt of was hot, buff and athletic. He loved the classic hunky jock, even if the bro culture that permeated most of the fraternities here left him decidedly uninterested in those same guys. But it wasn't just a hot body that turned Miles on the most. He liked charming guys, with a wit that could flick on at zero notice. And smart guys, too, especially voracious readers like him.
Oh, and a dash of danger never hurt anyone, Miles thought.
The reality, though? He never spoke it aloud, for fear of sounding like he was prejudiced or fetishizing a whole community of people, but he found himself most drawn towards one particular group: shifters.
There's just something so sexy about the idea of being with someone who's not truly human... He had known that all his life, fantasizing as a young boy of being the one human to successfully tame a wild, ruthless shifter. Over time, as the elusive world of shifters became more and more understood by human society, he came to understand that they were rarely as seemingly brutal or primal as he had imagined. They were a lot like him, just... well, different.
But that didn't mean his fascination had ever ended. Miles had even found a sort of shifter online dating site, except it was, well, idiosyncratically different. Most shifters, apparently, were still struggling to grasp the concept of the Internet and advanced telecommunications technology. The latest innovation in their society was... a mail-order service.
Even now, sitting in the library as he stretched his legs out, Miles laughed at the thought. One particularly lonely night he had on a whim decided to register for the site. It didn't cost him anything to put up a profile, and within minutes he had filled out the comprehensive online form listing everything from the mundane details of
his life to long answers to freeform questions asking him if he was familiar with mating rituals of specific types of shifters.