Emerald Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 6)

by Terry Bolryder

“Okay,” Dom said. “How?”

  “I need you to send both him and Hallie calming thoughts. I need the whole situation calmed. If Sapphire is physical healing, then I know you can heal the mind.”

  “He can,” Lana said. “I know from experience.”

  “Okay,” Aegis said. “Then you support him. Actually…” Aegis trailed off as he stood and took a step back, folding his arms and surveying Hallie as another contraction went through her. “This is going to become a normal birth, and we’re going to need someone to deliver the baby.” He looked over at the other women. Erin and Faye were both pregnant, and their mates were trying to shield them from this, even as they wanted to be with their friend.

  Bridget stepped forward, raising a hand. She looked pale. “I can try.”

  “No,” Lana said, rolling up her sleeves and pushing Aegis out of the way as she set herself up between Hallie’s legs. “I got this. I may be a cold-ass bitch at times, but that’s good at moments like this.” She looked up at Hallie. “When you’re ready, girl, push. I’ll catch your baby.”

  Hallie growled and threw her head back, but they were the usual sounds of exertion that a pregnant woman would have, not the agonized screams of the dying.

  Dom kept his place, murmuring words of comfort, and Sapphire held his mate, making her look better by the minute now that she was no longer being hurt.

  Aegis turned away. He saw inside the baby’s mind that he was fine, that he was coming. He saw inside Hallie’s mind that she was focused, trying.

  He felt his collar activate and sat back on a chair with a sense of relief. Everything was going to be fine now. Everyone was going to be okay somehow.

  Coming in here, putting himself aside, he’d actually managed to save someone.

  He didn’t know what to make of it.

  His heart was still pounding even as his breath returned to normal, and he fought off the screams from his past, the bad memories of his family, as he heard Hallie’s friends and family coach her on.

  He put his head in his hands and took deep breaths, and then the room went totally silent just before a wail rent the air. But this cry was one of hope. The cry of an infant seeing the world.

  “Let me see my baby,” Hallie said, reaching out, and Aegis turned just in time to see Lana place the bloody newborn in Hallie’s arms.

  Sapphire wiped his baby down with a cloth as Hallie cooed to the new little arrival.

  As the others gathered around the bed, Aegis stood abruptly and slipped out of the room. It was no longer his place to be here, and he needed some time alone.

  Chapter 13

  Opal woke groggily from the sleep Aegis had forced on her. She pushed up on the bed, listening for anything that was happening.

  She knew he’d said she wouldn’t wake until the screams had stopped, but what did that mean? Her heart pounded as she threw herself off the bed and rummaged in Aegis’s dresser for clothes. She threw on her bra haphazardly and then put on an oversized sweatshirt of Aegis’s along with some sweatpants.

  Then she ran from the room, her heart pounding as she swung around the corner and into Sapphire’s room. She had to know if Hallie was okay.

  The scene that greeted her stunned her. Hallie was in the bed. There was some blood, but there was also a healthy newborn in Hallie’s arms. She was nuzzling it with her pale face. Her hair was damp with sweat, but that was normal for labor.

  Opal looked around the room, seeing the other dragons and their mates standing protectively around the new couple.

  She was surprised to realize how much this felt like family. And disappointed Aegis wasn’t in the room.

  Even Citrine was there, tucked in a corner on a chair, watching nervously.

  She stared around as she walked forward, and Hallie looked up at her, eyes shining. “It’s all thanks to Aegis,” she said, her voice hoarse as she pulled her baby in against her chest and brushed his soft black hair off his forehead.

  Opal walked closer, eyeing the baby, wanting to reassure herself everything really was fine. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” she said nervously. “I wanted to be, but Aegis put me under. He didn’t want me scared.”

  “It’s fine,” Hallie said, watching her infant. “He saved me and my baby. I’ll never be able to thank him enough.” She looked around. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know,” Opal said, still feeling as if she were in a trance. “I’ll go find him. But what did he do?”

  Sapphire stood, walking over to her and taking her by the hand. “When you find him, tell him I’m sorry. Tell him he needs to come back here so we can thank him. And we have something to tell him.”

  She nodded and walked from the room numbly. What on earth was going on?

  She’d expected a lot of things when she woke up, but Aegis being a hero wasn’t one of them. For one, he always ran from awkward situations. For two, he had trauma from his mom dying in childbirth. For three, he’d never been any kind of hero for anyone but her.

  She strode out of the house, somehow knowing where he’d be.

  Sure enough, she found him sitting on a bench in the garden, facing away from her, night wind whipping his robe as he sat in the moonlight.

  “Aegis,” she called out, and he looked to her. She saw the lines of stress on his face, the signs of the effort he’d put in for someone other than her or himself.

  “Hi,” he said quietly, turning back to watching the moon.

  She sat next to him. “Are you all right?”

  “I suppose,” he said. “I guess I’m wondering if I could have somehow done something differently to save my mom. If she wouldn’t have died. And then my father wouldn’t have hated me. And I wouldn’t have been sold. And I wouldn’t have met you.” He looked at her, his eyes blue-green in the darkness. “Life works out funny sometimes.”

  “Your mom wanted you,” she said.

  “She was in so much pain,” he said. “I wonder if she regretted me.”

  “Hallie was in pain,” Opal said. “Do you think she didn’t want her baby?”

  “No,” Aegis said. “And I think my mom would have loved me. I think, though I’m not sure, that despite her pain, she wanted to have me. Even at the cost of her life.”

  “I think she did,” Opal said. “She must have been an amazing woman to make someone like you.”

  Aegis smiled warily. “I suppose. Though, I haven’t done much to make her proud over the years.”

  “Your life isn’t over,” Opal said. “And look what you did tonight.” She frowned. “Wait, exactly what did you do?”

  “I helped them,” Aegis said grumpily. “I knew I’d never hear the end of it from you if I didn’t.”

  “Hm,” Opal teased. “Is that so? Is that the only reason?” She held his arm as he tried to wriggle away. “Oh, come on, Aegis. You like them; admit it.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Don’t push me. I’ve already had about all the goodness I can take for one day.” He gave her a wry grin. “Though, it did feel pretty good to be useful.”

  “You were more than useful,” she said. “You saved lives.”

  He crossed one leg over the other. “I suppose I did. I suppose they should thank me.” His green eyes were glittering, letting her know he was only playing at being the cocky douchebag this time.

  “They want to,” she said, standing as she remembered Sapphire’s words, pulling Aegis to his feet. “Actually, they need to talk to you.”

  “Have they cleaned the blood off the infant?” Aegis asked. “I’d prefer to wait.”

  “I think as much as they are going to,” Opal said. “Though, actually, I think I heard someone filling a little baby bath. We can wait a few minutes if you want to compose yourself.”

  “Well, I’m fine,” Aegis said unconvincingly. “But I’d prefer for the baby to be as pretty as possible when I go receive their thanks. I suppose I’ll feel more heroic having saved a prettier baby rather than a bloody lump of hair.”

  She laughed.
He might be heroic at the moment. Maybe he’d surprised everyone around them with his goodness. But at the end of it all, he was still her Aegis.

  She put her hand on his knee, listening as he began telling her about the birthing, knowing she wouldn’t have him any other way.

  Aegis actually waited until the next morning to go in and see the baby and hear what Sapphire had to say.

  When he and Opal got back inside the mansion, the other dragons had left the birthing room, and Aegis guessed the new couple would want time alone to rest and recover.

  So he’d taken Opal back upstairs to cuddle and kiss and sleep the way he would have if they hadn’t been interrupted.

  But his sleep was restless. He couldn’t help thinking he’d turned a corner, and it made him feel out of control. He didn’t like it.

  He was much more comfortable the way he used to be. Only looking out for himself and Opal. Life was much simpler that way. Much less dangerous.

  But as he let Opal drag him down the hall to see Hallie and Sapphire, insisting they wanted to talk to him, he tried not to think about the things that were making him uncomfortable. After all, he’d been uncomfortable ever since he’d brought Opal here, but it hadn’t been a bad thing. Sometimes change was good.

  Opal tapped gently on the door. “It’s Opal. I’m here with Aegis. Should we come in?”

  “Yes!” Hallie’s voice called out, sounding stronger.

  Aegis dragged his heels slightly as Opal pulled him into the room where Hallie was still in bed, although the sheets and covers had been changed, and she and the infant had freshened up.

  Looking closer, the baby was quite sweet, with a little angelic face that was currently pinched as he tried to find a good position in his mother’s arms. He had dark hair, and when he opened his eyes to look at Aegis, Aegis saw he had Sapphire’s striking, swirling blue eyes.

  “Lucky boy,” Aegis said quietly, stepping closer.

  “Do you want to hold him?” Hallie asked.

  Aegis bit his lip, unsure. He’d never held a baby. He wasn’t sure he liked the things. He looked at Sapphire, who nodded eagerly, urging him on.

  Well, if Sapphire trusted him. He reached forward and grabbed the little thing under the arms, lifting him up awkwardly. He held him out in front of his face as Hallie let out a little gasp, and Opal rushed forward to steady the baby.

  “That’s not how you hold him,” Opal said, reaching out, but before she could touch the baby, he let out a little shriek, and the onesie he was wearing tore as little blue wings shot up and out to the sides.

  He pulled his tiny hands in and grinned at Aegis. Aegis nearly dropped him but managed to pull the thing in against his chest, trying to push his wings down, which were flapping in an unruly manner.

  “Dragon babies come out more mature than human babies,” Opal said, reaching for the baby. She grinned and gave up when she saw Aegis wasn’t ready to let go. She took a step back. “That’s why they’re already smiling at this age.”

  “But so tiny,” Hallie said.

  Opal nodded. “That’s usual.” She looked at the baby. “All right, you, shift back.” She waggled a finger at him, but he just burbled and bounced against Aegis’s shoulder.

  Sapphire was staring at them in awe. “That’s the first time he has shifted in front of us.”

  “He probably felt allowed now that Aegis is here. After all, he’s the one that said he couldn’t.”

  “Oh, right,” Sapphire said. “It’s almost too terrible to think about how this could have gone down without Aegis around.”

  “Aegis will stay around until the others are born, then, I’m sure,” Opal said.

  Aegis was quiet, holding the baby out in front of him again. “What’s his name?”

  “Ah, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about. We’ve decided to name him after you, for what you did.”

  Aegis was flattered and a little shocked that they would want to name their baby after someone who had been a villain most of his life. “I’m honored.” He jiggled the baby, making it giggle. “Aegis, then.”

  “Not quite,” Hallie said with a smile. “Aegis will be his middle name. His first name will be Luc, for his father.”

  “Aegis Jr.,” Aegis said stubbornly, giving Sapphire a wink. “Just kidding.” He leaned in to whisper to the baby conspiratorially. “Not kidding. It’s an awesome name. When you’re older, we’ll figure it out.”

  The baby burbled, and Aegis already felt proud of the little thing. That bond that had formed when he’d been in the baby’s mind was still there. Stronger now as he held him.

  Emotion overwhelmed him, and he placed the babe back in his mother’s arms and stepped backward.

  He still wasn’t sure about this place, this new family they’d found and become part of.

  Opal would now want him to stay there, possibly forever, and he just wasn’t sure he could handle it. He liked being alone. No one could betray him that way.

  He turned away from them, folding his arms. “Was there anything else you needed? I can’t just hang around a baby all day, you know.”

  “Of course. You’re very busy and important,” Sapphire said, and Aegis could hear the teasing note in his voice but ignored it.

  “I am,” Aegis said. “After all, there are still bad people out there after us.”

  “Haven’t heard anything from Dom yet,” Sapphire said. “Hopefully, we get at least a moment of calm.”

  “Right,” Aegis said. “But when we do hear, we’ll want to be ready.” He looked at Opal. “Anyway, let’s let them get some rest.”

  “But, Aegis,” Hallie said. “You’re welcome to come play with the baby anytime.”

  Aegis couldn’t help but feel a tiny ripple of excitement at the thought but pushed it down, acting formal. “Ah. Splendid. When I’m looking for the company of a drooling half pint, I’ll come seek you out.”

  And then he turned on his heel and left the room before he could make a fool of himself by asking to hold the baby again.

  He had other things to do, like continue winning over his mate.

  Chapter 14

  The next few days flew by for Opal. The whole house was buzzing with excitement over the new baby, who was now old enough to come out of his room with his mom, who was well enough to walk.

  There was a feeling of calm amongst everyone now that they knew more about how to have a successful dragon birth.

  But what if Aegis wasn’t willing to stay and help? He’d been quiet lately, helping around the house and then retreating to his room with her for quiet, loving moments. When they made love, he was also quiet, thoroughly involved, intent on her pleasure, yet somewhere else in his mind, like he was worried about something.

  She wished he would tell her about it, but she also didn’t want to hear.

  She didn’t know how he was feeling about staying there long term. He was getting along with people, which had been the idea originally, but she’d never made him promise to actually live amongst other dragons. She knew he was a solitary dragon and didn’t love the idea.

  But maybe now that he was bonding with people, he would.

  She walked down to the nursery where Aegis had taken to hanging out when he wasn’t with her.

  He liked to hide it from the others, but when no one was watching, he’d ask Hallie and Sapphire to play with baby Luc and take him down to a room he’d set up as a nursery, with toys he’d gone out to buy.

  Something about the infant seemed to soothe Aegis, even if it was barely capable of crawling. Yes, dragon shifter babies were quicker at getting around physically, and the little baby was able to sprout his wings and crawl around the ground, burbling and growling in an utterly adorable way as he chased Aegis.

  She opened the door quietly and looked in, seeing Aegis on the ground, gesturing for Luc, who was standing on wobbly legs, toddling forward, his wings flapping awkwardly as he put out his chubby hands, falling forward.

  Aegis was there to catch him un
der the arms, giving him a stern look as he sat him back on his butt. “You can do better than that, Aegis Jr.,” he said, folding his arms. “You just have to focus.”

  The baby tilted his head and then fell over on his side, arms flailing. He began to cry, shocked by his own loss of balance, and Opal swept forward, gathering him up.

  “There, there,” she said. “Is Uncle Aegis pushing you too hard?”

  “It’s not too hard. From what I hear, I was apparently walking by two weeks. Which just made it all the more disappointing when my powers came far too late. But anyway, he needs to be tough. Who knows when we’re going to be in trouble here?”

  “Have you heard anything?” she asked, sitting with Luc in her arms, stroking his downy hair, nuzzling his silky baby skin.

  “No,” Aegis said, scowling as he watched her with the baby. “Are you going to want one of those things?”

  She nodded. “Several, actually. Besides, we’re going to be the only two-dragon couple. Wouldn’t it be a crime if we didn’t take advantage of how easy it will be for us?”

  Aegis shook his head. “I don’t know. There are still risks. There always are. I don’t know who decided to make childbirth such a scary thing.”

  “A wonderful thing,” Opal said, raising Luc and kissing him on the forehead. “A magical thing.” She gave Aegis a look. “And you need to stop calling him Aegis Jr. Sapphire won’t like it.”

  “I just do it to get a rise out of him,” Aegis said. “Okay, and maybe because the egotistical side of me, which is large, likes the sound of it.”

  She laughed, setting Luc down again so he could crawl around. “All right. Do as you like. You did save him.”

  “I think it’s amazing,” Aegis said. “That a dragon can come from a human. Every time I see his wings, I do think it’s a little bit of magic.”

  “Do you imagine what one of ours would look like?” she asked.

  “I try not to think about it,” he said.

  “Why?” she asked.

  He leaned back on his hands and looked out the window at the grounds. “Because I don’t know if I can stay here. And I know you want to. And I don’t want to let you down.”