by Hawke Oakley
Gabriel handed Dante their child, then practically threw himself into Raja as he hugged him. “Yes! Thank gods I finally have another omega to talk to!”
“Wow, he’s cute,” Dante said with a grin. “Good job, Lorenzo.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Ignore my mate. He’s not actually that stupid of an alpha.”
Raja smiled, blushing from all the attention. “Good to know.”
Another knock at the door made us turn around. My father, Anton, stood there with a wave. “Am I late?” he asked.
We exchanged a warm embrace and I told him, “No, right on time.”
Gabriel stood aside as my father approached Raja.
“You must be Lorenzo’s mate. Raja, is it?” Anton asked.
Raja nodded. “Yes.”
“So pleased to meet you.” My father hugged Raja, who was handling all the hugging pretty well.
“Well, I didn’t cook a nice meal for everyone to stand in the doorway and hug all night,” I announced with a playful smile. “Come on into the dining room.”
Everyone took their spots at the grand cherry-wood table, which Raja insisted on polishing earlier. It was so shiny now that you could see your reflection in it. While everyone continued to chat with Raja, I handed out the plates and dining ware before beginning the round of soup.
“I’m only learning about this recently,” Anton said. “How did you and Lorenzo meet?”
Raja paused. “Er, we met on an online dating site, actually.”
Dante snorted. Gabriel nudged him under the table.
“Is something funny?” Anton asked, genuinely curious.
“No, Dante is just being rude,” Gabriel growled, glaring daggers at his mate. I realized they didn’t know where we stood on the whole fake marriage thing anymore. Did they still think we were faking it?
“Nah, he’s not being rude,” Raja said. He shot me a grin. “It’s actually a funny story. See, where I’m from, I wasn’t allowed to leave my village, right? Rare black panther omega and all of that. Basically, my parents wanted an alpha to protect me. So I went online and found Lorenzo, we faked being in a relationship, then faked a wedding - except we realized we really did like each other, so it’s not really a fake anything anymore. That’s the gist of it, right, Lorenzo?”
As everyone’s jaws dropped, I smiled and said, “Yes, that’s it.”
“Well, damn!” Dante cried. “You two really went ahead and did it!”
Gabriel kicked his shin.
“Ow!” Dante muttered. “I didn’t mean did it as in they had sex - I mean, they obviously did that too - “
“Oh my gods, please stop talking,” Gabriel groaned.
Raja and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I meant, they faked it ‘til they made it,” Dante continued with a grumble. “Right?”
“Yeah, that’s about right,” Raja agreed. “It was just interesting that my father’s vision about Lorenzo turned out to be true.”
“Your father’s vision?” Anton asked.
“He’s the chief of Pardus clan, back in the rainforest,” Raja explained. “When I was born, he received a vision of a silver beast with me as a cub. They didn’t know what to make of it until Lorenzo showed up in his big silver dragon form. My parents said we were fated mates.” Raja caught my eye and smiled. “I guess we were fated all along and just didn’t realize it.”
“That’s interesting about your father’s vision,” Gabriel mused out loud. “Maybe that’s sort of like magic?”
“Maybe,” Raja agreed. “To be honest, it was really easy for me to believe the stuff Lorenzo told me about magic right away because of my father’s visions.”
Gabriel nodded. “That makes sense.”
“So, you said you’re a black panther, right?” Dante asked, leaning on the table.
“That’s right,” Raja said proudly, lifting his chin.
“That’s awesome,” Dante said, grinning. “Maybe with your panther form and Lorenzo’s magic, your kid will be some kind of superhero.”
My father nearly choked on his soup. “Kid? Raja, you’re pregnant?”
Raja blushed but looked more pleased than embarrassed. “Yes, almost a month now.”
“I’m surprised you couldn’t tell,” I teased my father.
“Maybe it’s because I’m used to that omega-pregnancy-smell after Gabriel’s pregnancy,” Dante said.
Gabriel shot him a wry glance. “Oh, you’re not special. I knew from the instant I walked through that door that Raja was pregnant.”
While his parents were speaking, Noah was busy putting his face in his safely-cooled soup. Gabriel noticed and, with a sigh, cleaned the tomato off his face with a napkin. “Anyway, Raja, I’ll be here if you ever need any help with the pregnancy or baby. I know the first one is really difficult.”
“Thank you, really,” Raja said. “I’ll probably need all the help I can get. I don’t even have a crib or any baby supplies...”
“Hey, don’t say that in front of our dad, or he’ll show up will the entire contents of the baby store,” Dante teased.
I laughed. I remembered when Gabriel was pregnant and my dad had gone way overboard with the stuffed animals.
“Hey, I’m only trying to help,” Anton protested playfully.
The dinner went on without a hitch until it was finally time for dessert. At this point my heart began to race. The box in my pocket felt heavy as lead. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Raja. Although my nerves were on edge, I was ready.
I had been ready for this for a long time.
Nobody seemed to notice that I’d taken a break from the conversation. Everyone was engrossed in Raja’s tales of the rainforest.
When a lull in talking appeared, I seized my chance.
“I have something I’d like to say,” I announced.
Everyone’s eyes were on me as I stood and approached Raja. My fingers slipped into my blazer’s inner pocket and picked up the tiny velvet box. At the same time that I pulled it out, I kneeled down. The entire room filled with the sound of sharp breath.
“Raja,” I began. “I know our relationship has been… unusual. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I don’t think either of us expected things to happen the way they did. I never got the chance to do this properly the first time, so I’ll do it right the second time around...”
Raja gasped as I opened the lid of the box, revealing the huge glittering diamond.
I met his eyes and said, “Raja Kesuma, will you marry me - again?”
Instantly, he threw himself into my arms, crying, “Yes, yes, yes!”
I could barely hear the sounds of our friends and family cheering and clapping over Raja’s tears of joy. Even Noah, who had no idea what was going on, slapped the table happily. I embraced Raja back as tightly as he embraced me.
“Come on,” I said, “let me put it on you.”
Raja jittered, barely able to contain his excitement, as I slipped the white diamond ring on his finger. He admired it from all angles with a ridiculous grin.
“I can’t deal with this,” Gabriel cried, wiping his eyes.
“Dude, Raja, that rock is blinding me!” Dante said as he mocked covering his eyes. “But seriously, congrats, both of you.”
Gabriel nodded emphatically. “I wasn’t sure about the whole online dating thing, to be honest, but I’m so glad it worked out this way. You two are gonna be so happy together.”
Anton came around and hugged us both. His happiness was more subtle than Gabriel’s tears and Dante’s over-the-top words, but he was clearly overjoyed.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have another grandchild, and so soon after the first,” he said with a smile. “Oh, come here, the both of you…”
“Raja, this is a family of huggers, in case you didn’t notice,” Dante said, grinning.
“Trust me, I’m quite familiar with those,” Raja replied. I remembered all of his mother’s tight bear hugs. “By the way, if you’re proposing,
does that mean we’re gonna have another wedding?”
“Why not?” I said. “We could have the second one here in Cinderhollow.”
“What about my parents? And Koto? Can they come too?”
“Of course! I’m not about to leave them behind.”
Anton suggested, “If they’re not opposed to riding dragons and flying for a week, I’m sure a few of us wouldn’t mind picking them up. Otherwise, there’s old fashioned airfare, which of course, we would pay for.”
“To be honest, I think they’d prefer the airplanes,” Raja said. “Flying on dragons would probably be a bit much for them.”
“Oh, tell me about it!” Gabriel cried. “I practically passed out the first time I rode with Dante.”
Dante rolled his eyes, then said, “Hey, if you guys are about to plan your second wedding, we should leave you two alone. Fiancees need their private time, you know?” He winked.
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Raja said, his eyes gleaming at me.
After saying goodbye to everyone and cleaning up the table, Raja and I retired to the bedroom. But before I could even bring up my tentative wedding plans, Raja pounced on me and pinned me to the bed with cat-like precision and accuracy.
Needless to say, no wedding plans were discussed for the rest of the night.
16
Raja
“Noah, no, put your claws away, sweetie…”
I watched sympathetically as Gabriel tried to herd his son back into his playpen, which was proving useless since the pen couldn’t contain a determined shifter toddler who could simply knock it over.
Gabriel sighed and picked up Noah, who was grunting and half-heartedly struggling for freedom. “Well, I can tell you one thing - parenting is a whole lot of doing this.”
I smiled. Personally, I thought Noah and his antics were adorable, but I knew that would probably change when I had my own baby running around constantly causing a ruckus.
Lorenzo and Dante had gone out with their father and a friend who I hadn’t met yet to discuss wedding plans. Meanwhile, I took that time to learn about babies one-on-one with Gabriel at his house.
“Did you feel prepared for a baby at all?” I asked.
“No, not even one bit,” Gabriel admitted. “But knowing Dante was there and willing to help? That was a huge load off my mind. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine raising a child alone. I’m not strong enough to do that. Single parents are more badass than any magical dragon.”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“So, have you felt the baby kick yet?” Gabriel asked, smiling.
My hands wandered to my belly, which was now starting to show after three months. I still had about three more to go. The wedding was planned for the next month, so that I wouldn’t have to deal with a wedding while extremely pregnant.
“I have,” I said. “It feels… weird? But good at the same time.”
“That’s basically what the whole experience is,” Gabriel said with a laugh. “It’s gonna be a lot more exciting when the baby’s actually a real, crawling person. Right now it’s a whole lot of sitting around, doing nothing except having cravings…”
“Oh, ugh!” I cried. “Those are the worst. I keep wanting disgusting food, especially stuff we never had back in the rainforest. Like hot dogs? Gross.”
“Hot dog!” Noah exclaimed, suddenly stumbling over with his hands outstretched. “Want hot dog.”
Gabriel grinned. “I know you think they’re gross, but they’re pretty popular with the little ones.” He picked up Noah and set him on his knee. “We can get a hot dog later, okay?”
“Hot dog…” Noah muttered.
“I’m guessing you’re keeping the name and sex a surprise until the baby arrives?” Gabriel asked.
I nodded. “We haven’t talked about it much. I think Lorenzo just wants to have a healthy baby.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Gabe said seriously. “Hey, don’t forget the even bigger surprise of what kind of shifter the baby’s gonna be!”
I’d completely forgotten about that. I watched Noah, who was getting better at controlling his shifts with age, but hadn’t totally mastered it yet. His hands turned back and forth between fingers and wolf paws.
“Do all kids with dragon genes turn into dragons?” I asked.
Gabriel paused. “Wait. You do know that the dragons here can have multiple forms, right?”
“Huh?”
Gabriel groaned and said, “Are you kidding me? Lorenzo’s usually so on top of things and he didn’t even explain that?”
“What didn’t I explain?”
Lorenzo, Dante, and Anton waltzed into the nursery, all carrying full bags of baby items. Alongside them were a man and woman I didn’t recognize. At the sight of his dad, Noah instantly perked up, shifted into his wolf form, and galloped towards Dante, who happily picked him up.
Lorenzo came over and kissed me. “Hello, Raja.”
“Hey, before you start making out, are you gonna introduce us?” the man I didn’t know asked. He was shorter than Lorenzo, and had a lithe body, smooth black hair and a kind face. The woman beside him had long black hair, pale skin and a collected expression.
“Of course.” Lorenzo beckoned them over. “Raja, this is Ryu and Ruby. Ryu is another dragon shifter and a family friend who trained Gabriel in magic. Ruby is - “
Ruby interrupted him. “Despite what anyone says, I’m technically a servant to the Drakinus family. Therefore, also a servant to you, Raja.”
“Yeah, and a bad servant who always butts in,” Dante teased. He clapped her on the shoulder. “She says she’s a servant but we think of her as family.”
Ruby sighed and shrugged. Obviously, there was no winning with Dante.
I shook hands with both of them. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“I think Lorenzo did pretty well for himself with this cutie, don’t you think?” Ryu asked Ruby with a grin.
Ruby smiled kindly at me. “Oh, absolutely.”
I blushed. Wanting the attention off me, I asked Lorenzo, “Hey, is all that stuff for the baby?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, when we go shopping with our father, we can never just come back with a few things…”
Anton shrugged, showing no remorse that he purchased half the store for his grandchild’s sake.
Lorenzo continued. “So, what’s Gabriel saying I didn’t tell you about?”
“Uh, the whole hybrid shifter thing?” Gabriel said, exasperated. Then he paused. “Wait… Come to think of it, Lorenzo, I’ve never seen you shift into anything besides a dragon.”
“Wait, wait, slow down!” I cried. “Can someone explain what’s going on?”
“Yes, sorry,” Lorenzo said. “Many families in Cinderhollow tribe have more than one shifter form. The Drakinus family is one of them. For example, Dante can shift into both a dragon and a wolf.”
Dante took the opportunity to demonstrate. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a black wolf. Noah giggled and, following his dad’s lead, did the same. He growled playfully and bowled into Dante, who pretended to be knocked over with an over dramatic flair.
“Whoa,” I said.
“Ruby has two forms, as well,” Lorenzo explained. “A raven and a wolf.”
“That’s so cool!” I exclaimed. “Lorenzo, can you do that, too?”
Suddenly, all eyes were on Lorenzo. “Well, yes… I just prefer my dragon form, is all.”
“Is your other form a wolf, too?” I asked.
Lorenzo paused. He seemed slightly embarrassed. “Yes, but not quite. You see, I haven’t shifted into my wolf form for such a long time that it’s difficult to accomplish. And I’m afraid it doesn’t look quite right, the way Dante’s wolf does. It’s more like - “
As Lorenzo spoke, Noah sneezed so loud that everyone jumped. Before he sneezed, he was in his human toddler form, but the sudden jolt caused him to shift halfway between a dragon and wolf - a furry, scaly creature that looked confused and comical.
>
“Like that,” Lorenzo finished, flustered.
Gabriel bent down to scoop up his child, who smoothly shifted back to human form. “Wow, I didn’t know about that, Lorenzo.”
“I don’t bring it up frequently because it’s rather embarrassing for a grown dragon not to be able to shift properly,” he mumbled, avoiding anyone’s eyes.
“No way! That’s not embarrassing!” I cried and tugged on his arm. “Hell, I can only shift into one thing. The fact that you can even do more than one is awesome!”
Lorenzo smiled timidly. “Thank you, Raja.”
“Yeah, man,” Ryu added as he gave Lorenzo a friendly squeeze on the shoulder. “I only have one dragon form, and that’s it. Don’t sweat it.”
Lorenzo smiled at him as well.
“Huh… I wonder what that means about your baby, though?” Ryu asked, crossing his arms in thought. “If Lorenzo can’t shift all the way into a wolf, then the baby probably won’t be a wolf either, will it?”
“Who knows?” Lorenzo said with a shrug. “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.”
* * *
“So, uh… Have you thought of any baby names yet?”
Lorenzo stirred in bed and peeked an eye open at me. After considering my question, he hummed in thought and crossed his arms over the comforter. “Maybe.”
“Really?” I leaned in. “Gabriel asked me about them earlier today and I said we hadn’t thought of anything yet.”
Lorenzo smiled. “Well, I wanted to hear what your suggestions were before I told you mine, but if you really want to hear them…”
“I do!” I exclaimed. I laid over his chest, resting my chin on his sternum. “Come on, tell me.”
“If you insist… For a girl, I was thinking about Charlotte. For a boy, how about Robert?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Robert? What is he, middle-aged?”
Lorenzo pouted. “Hey, it was just a suggestion!”
“Charlotte… I like that one,” I said. “I’m sure we can think of a better name for a boy, though.”
“Why don’t you think of one from your culture?” Lorenzo suggested. “I’m sure it would be more interesting than any name I can think of.”