by Katie Reus
She was fierce and determined, his beautiful, tough mate. Her fingers dug into his palm as she let out another cry of pain.
“Almost there,” Greer murmured.
Wait, what? Drake looked at his clan’s healer. “He’s coming now?”
“Yep. This guy is not waiting… Take three short breaths, then push, Victoria.”
“Okay.”
Drake wiped her brow as she started pushing, wishing he could take away all her pain, all this agony. Gods above, females were definitely the stronger sex. “I’m right here with you, sweetheart.”
“I know…arghh.” She cried out again as Greer let out a pleased sound.
“You’re so close. Keep pushing.”
“You’ve got this,” Drake said, feeling utterly useless. Words were useless. Her pain should be his.
“You did it,” Greer murmured, cradling a tiny little baby covered in…a lot of stuff. “He’s a healthy baby boy.”
The urge to hold his baby was strong, but he took Victoria’s hand in his and brought it to his mouth. “You are my perfect, fierce warrior.”
Victoria pushed out a breath even as she shoved back a lock of her dark, damp hair. He cupped her face as she looked at Greer and said, “When can I hold him?”
“Give me just a second to clean him up.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Drake was vaguely aware that Greer was doing something. Shifter births were a hell of a lot different than human ones. Victoria’s body would already be healing itself at rapid speeds, but it still must have hurt. He was glad her labor had been so short. It was a blessing, considering how long her pregnancy had been.
“Drake…” Victoria’s vivid green eyes glazed over as she slumped back against the pillows, her entire body going lax.
“Shit! Take him now.” Greer started barking out orders before she shoved Drake back. “I need to get her next door,” she snapped out at…Rhea. Where had she even come from?
That was when he realized there were a handful of his clanmates in their huge bedroom. And next door meant the room they had prepared for their baby’s birth. It was where Victoria was supposed to have given birth but everything had happened so quickly.
“I can’t get a pulse,” Greer said, bending over Victoria.
No pulse? What was happening? No. No. Noooooooo.
Drake’s beast took over at those words. He would not lose Victoria. He’d raze the entire planet before he allowed that to happen. His dragon clawed at him, wild and angry in a way he’d never experienced before. He tried to hold him back, to contain him, was barely retaining control.
“Get him out of here!” Greer screamed as Drake found himself tackled by his father and brother. Where had they even come from?
His father slammed a fist across his face so hard his bones rattled, and for a moment darkness engulfed him. When he opened his eyes, he was in his backyard, flat on his back, on a pile of snow.
“Why am I out here?” Drake demanded, his voice more beast than man.
His father and brother stood over him, their expressions grim, and that was when he realized his clothes were partially shredded as if he’d tried to shift then stopped. He didn’t remember attempting to shift, but he also didn’t remember much of what had happened after he’d heard Greer say she couldn’t get a pulse.
“You can’t be near Victoria or your baby in this state.”
“Victoria—”
“She’s alive,” Conall said.
Yeah, he knew that. Because if Victoria had died he would have died as well. His wonderful mate was too young to die. She deserved a long, full life and his child deserved both his parents.
His father crouched down next to him, his silvery-gray eyes sparking with far too many emotions. “You nearly lost control upstairs. You started to shift and I could see the wildness in your eyes. I will only let you return upstairs if you think you have control of your dragon.”
Drake shoved to his feet and his father stood, going toe-to-toe with him. They’d never sparred with each other, never really even argued. Now, he wanted to punch his father, to run his father over for trying to keep him from Victoria. “If you think you can keep me away from my mate—”
“Enough!” Conall snapped out, his tone pure Alpha. “You love Victoria and if you don’t control yourself, you could hurt her or your baby. I know you don’t want that. I know your dragon doesn’t want that. So get it together before you go upstairs. You’re not going to put them in danger willingly. If you go upstairs knowing you can’t control yourself, you are not the dragon I thought you were.”
Shame filled him because his brother was right. Jaw clenched tight, Drake simply nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to work. After a few deep breaths, he said, “I’m okay now. Tell me what’s going on.” Because he needed to get to Victoria now. He wasn’t even sure what had happened to their baby or who had him.
His father glanced at Conall once, nodded, then turned back to Drake. “Victoria is in your guest room. Greer has her attached to the EKG machine and is monitoring her vitals. She’s also monitoring her through their healer link. There’s no other way to say this. Victoria flatlined. Her heart stopped beating and she is now in what Greer believes is a temporary coma. She doesn’t completely understand what happened, but the baby came so fast, causing a shock to Victoria’s system. Victoria’s heart stopped, Greer kick-started it with her healer’s powers and now all your mate’s vitals are good. She just needs to wake up.”
Drake swallowed hard, ignoring the sensation of a dagger sliding into his heart. “The baby?” he rasped out.
“Mom is holding him and is in the room with Victoria so they’re close together. He’s completely healthy,” Conall said.
Drake nodded once again, managing to get himself under control. “Okay. Okay,” he repeated to himself, trying to force more words out. “I want to see them now.”
They flanked him on the way inside, with Conall going first and his father heading up the rear as they all stalked in, single file. Drake knew exactly what they were doing. In case he lost his shit again, they would bring him down as a cohesive unit. Even though he was grateful for their presence, grateful that they’d stopped him from shifting and wreaking havoc and potentially hurting his own clanmates, he only cared about getting to his mate. He desperately needed to see that she was okay with his own eyes.
More than that, he needed her to wake up. She was the only thing that mattered.
Chapter 9
Finn strode into Victoria’s room, though he hadn’t been invited. He’d held off as long as he could, accepting updates from Rhea and Conall downstairs in the living room the last five hours. He and Lyra had been in Montana the last couple days, visiting with their daughter, showing off their own new son, and spending time with Victoria until she’d been relegated to bed rest two days ago.
He was done waiting. Victoria was like a daughter to him.
Conall and Dragos Sr. were both inside, leaning against one of the walls. They didn’t make a move to stop him, simply nodded once.
As Finn stepped into the quiet room with the soft beep, beep, beep from the EKG machine, his gaze locked on Victoria, who was lying far too still in the bed. His heart ached to see her like this, but he shut the thought down and approached Drake, who was sitting by her side, head bent forward in defeat. The male had been here for five hours straight, not moving from her side.
“Drake.”
“Go away.” The big dragon didn’t even look up.
“You have a child who needs you right now. He needs to be held by his father. What’s going to happen when Victoria wakes up—and she will wake up, no doubt about it—and she finds out you couldn’t even hold your child?”
Drake’s head snapped up, his dragon in his gaze. Wild, ferocious, angry. Then he blinked and the man was looking back at Finn. “I don’t need advice right now.”
“Too bad. You’re getting it. You helped save my daughter once and I’ll always be in your debt. So, take it f
rom someone who missed out on the first years of his firstborn’s life—you will regret this later.”
Drake blinked once, looking almost confused. “Where is he?”
“In the other room with your clanmates. He’s safe, but he needs you.”
As if to solidify that point, the angry cry of a newborn cut through the air. It was the first time the little guy had truly cried. Something about the sound seemed to jump-start Drake.
Swallowing hard, without a word, Drake strode from the room. Moments later, he returned, his baby curled up against his chest, quiet now as he cuddled against the huge male.
Finn grabbed a chair from by the window and set it next to Victoria’s bedside. “Let your mate hear you and the baby. Have you picked a name yet?”
“No.” Drake shook his head, his expression miserable. “Victoria wanted to wait until we saw his face. She said she’d know then what his name was supposed to be… He’s so tiny,” Drake whispered.
Dragos snorted as he shoved up from the wall he’d been leaning against, a ghost of a smile playing across his mouth. “My grandson is perfect. And he looks just like you did when you were born.”
Conall moved closer to the bed now too, squeezed his brother’s shoulder once. “She’ll wake up,” he murmured, conviction in his words.
“She has to,” Drake said, a wealth of emotions in his voice as he started gently rocking his baby.
Finn wondered if he should leave and give them privacy, but Victoria was one of his own. He’d basically raised her as his daughter. And their relationship hadn’t changed even though she’d moved in with a bunch of dragons. So he sat on the other side of the bed and took her hand in his, willing her to wake up. Greer had said that her vitals and life force were fine, and that she would wake up in her own time. So Finn was going to believe that the healer knew what she was talking about.
“Keep talking,” Drake said quietly. “She needs to hear happy voices and I don’t trust myself right now.”
Finn nodded once and squeezed her hand. It was probably his imagination but he swore her fingers moved. He started talking about the first time she’d gotten into trouble as a teenager. “Of all my wolves, you never gave me any trouble. Except when you were determined to do something you knew you shouldn’t…”
* * *
Victoria opened her eyes, feeling as if she was fighting her way through cobwebs. Turning slightly, she shifted against the soft bed and struggled to sit up fully. Her stomach muscles felt slightly sore, but not too bad considering she’d just given birth.
When her gaze landed on her sleeping mate cuddling their tiny baby, her heart expanded about ten sizes. Her baby. Their baby. She couldn’t believe it. And she desperately wanted to hold him.
She must have fallen asleep or something after giving birth. Though… She frowned at the little pads attached to her chest and the machine next to the bed. None of that mattered now as she looked at Drake cradling their baby in his huge arms. Drake had dark circles under his eyes. She couldn’t believe their son actually had hair. A thick, dark mop of it. His eyes were closed and his little nose was scrunched up, as if he was about to sneeze. He was quite literally the cutest thing in the world. Well, they both were.
She swiped at wetness on her cheeks and realized she was crying.
Then she scented something familiar and glanced around their bedroom. “Arya?” she whispered, scenting the ancient female nearby. She also scented a lot of others, wolves and dragons alike. As if they’d recently been in her room.
The French doors to their balcony opened up and Arya stepped inside, a hesitant smile on her face. “I know I’m overstepping those privacy bounds,” Arya whispered, “but with you in a coma—”
Uh, come again? “Coma?”
She nodded and moved so quietly Victoria couldn’t hear her at all before she sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve been out for over twenty-four hours. Your heart flatlined and you lost a lot of blood while giving birth.”
Her chest constricted as she digested all the information. “Is my baby okay?” she asked, looking over at him. He was sleeping so that had to be good.
“Yes. Drake hasn’t left your side.”
“Were you just waiting out on the balcony?”
“More or less. We haven’t left either of your sides. Drake didn’t handle you flatlining well. I think my baby just tired himself out worrying about you.” Her expression softened as she looked at her son.
Before she could respond, Dragos stepped in from the balcony and nodded once at her. “Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course, please come in. I know what I said before about boundaries—”
“You were one hundred percent correct,” Arya said. “I push the boundaries and I’m definitely going to work on that in the future.”
“Well you don’t have to work on it now.” She looked over at Drake who was starting to stir slightly. “Has he eaten anything?” she asked, even as her arms ached to hold her baby and to hug Drake. But if he hadn’t gotten any sleep—and she figured he hadn’t if he’d managed to sleep through them talking—she didn’t want to wake him.
“No.” Arya frowned, looking at her oldest with motherly concern. “He’s been a wreck. We all have.”
Victoria reached out and took Arya’s hands in her own. “Will you get him some food?”
“I’ve got it,” Dragos said. “And I’m going to get Greer to look at you.”
Victoria nodded and glanced over at her mate again. She was torn with wanting to wake him up and not wanting to disturb him. He took the choice out of her hands when his eyes popped open, and when he pinned her with his silvery-gray eyes, her heart skipped a beat.
“My mate,” he rasped out, moving toward her with a preternatural speed, but not disturbing the little bundle in his arms.
Arya quickly took their baby from him and a moment later Drake was next to her in bed, pulling her into his arms. He buried his face against her neck, and she definitely felt wetness as he crushed her to him.
Just as suddenly he pulled back, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine. I think.” She felt fine, anyway. Her midsection was sore, but thanks to her shifter metabolism and healing speed, she was all right. “Your mom told me I was in a coma.”
“More or less.”
“I want to hold our baby.” Before she got the words out, Arya was next to them, holding her son out.
Victoria’s throat was so tight with emotions that she couldn’t speak as she took hold of her little guy. Much later she was going to digest that she’d been in a coma, that her heart had stopped beating, but for now, she was going to hold her baby.
When he opened his eyes, she smiled to see those same silvery-gray eyes as Drake’s looking up at her. She knew babies were too young to smile, but she swore that hers smiled right at her. Yep, these last thirteen months had been totally worth it. Then he started nuzzling against her and she realized what he wanted. Laughing, she lifted her shirt up and let him go to town. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing too. And it felt like the most natural thing in the world to let him start breastfeeding.
“You can never leave me again,” Drake murmured, leaning his forehead against the side of her head as he inhaled deeply. “I can’t live without you.”
Technically, if she had died, he would have died too, so he wouldn’t have lived without her. And in that moment, she felt what humans must feel: completely aware of her own mortality. If something happened to one of them, they both died, and their son would be all alone. Oh, God…how the hell did humans deal with being so mortal?
As another wave of emotions threatened to sweep her under, she shoved those thoughts aside and simply basked in her family. “I know what I want to name him,” she murmured, staring down at their son’s dark hair. “Phoenix.”
“It’s perfect,” Drake murmured, kissing her forehead.
She was aware of Arya and Dragos leaving—and telling Greer to come back in a little
bit. And she was so grateful to have this time with her boys.
She might have complained about her long pregnancy, but this was the greatest gift she could have ever received.
Chapter 10
“Here, have a beer,” Bo said, handing Javier his favorite domestic brand.
“Thanks, brother.” Javier popped the top off, grateful for the drink. He’d come to Montana at the request of his brothers so he’d be with them for Christmas. It didn’t hurt that he got to see some of the dragons he’d become friends with over the last couple years either.
For the majority of his life he’d been different, had never fit in anywhere because of his half-demon, half-fucked-up-hybrid status. With wolf and jaguar genes, he only shifted to wolf—or demon. But that jaguar gene was still there. He didn’t know of any other being like him.
But a couple years ago he discovered that he had half-brothers and a half-sister when they’d rescued him from Hell, more or less. Not the real Hell, but the prison in that Hell realm had been just as bad. After that, he’d met all sorts of supernatural beings and realized that he was definitely not alone, and there was much more to the world than he’d originally thought.
Some days it was strange to think he had family and friends who knew what he was and accepted him. And then some days he found it hard to accept himself. Not because he didn’t like what he was, but he sometimes simply felt broken. Shaking off that thought when Nyx, Bo’s mate, sidled up next to him and linked her arm through his, he smiled down at the adorable half-fae demigod.
“What’s got you down on Christmas Eve?” she asked, frowning. Of average height, her eyes were ocean blue and she was slender and fragile-looking—though she was anything but delicate. As the daughter of the goddess of Chaos, she had a lot of powers hidden in a small package. “It’s a time to celebrate, especially with Victoria being awake and a new baby here.”
While he adored her, he wasn’t opening up to her tonight. “Nothing’s got me down, I promise.” He took a swig of his beer and grinned at the semi-dark look Bo shot him.