Dragons of Cinderhollow Bundle

by Hawke Oakley

  “It should be any day now,” Lorenzo said. “The due date the doctor tells you isn’t always accurate, it’s just an estimate.”

  I glared at him. He immediately realized he wasn’t being helpful and grinned sheepishly.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Is there anything I can do for you, my love?”

  I sighed dramatically. “Not unless I can put this baby in you, and you can give birth to it.”

  “If I could magically turn into an omega, I would,” Lorenzo said, smiling. “Is there anything else I can try?”

  “You can give me a back rub,” I mumbled. Ever since I’d moved into the second half of the pregnancy, my lower back had been killing me non-stop. I moved over and Lorenzo carefully positioned himself behind me. His thumbs dug firmly but gently into my skin as he massaged my back, slowly working his way down to my lumbar. I groaned. “Ugh. It’s good.”

  Lorenzo hummed and kept massaging. “Just relax.”

  My eyes slipped shut as I was lost in the pleasure of his fingers. I was filled with the warmth of intimacy, even though the act wasn’t sexual. It was nice just to be with Lorenzo, enjoying each other’s company in silence, the powerful bond of fated mates running between us like unbreakable thread.

  Soon the hard knots in my back began to loosen. My body went from tense to limp, and I slouched against Lorenzo and the couch. I wanted to melt into him and fall asleep until the baby was born, so I could be free of this discomfort. Not that I wasn’t excited for my baby, of course. It was all I could think about lately. We turned down Dr. Lynden’s offer to tell us the sex of the baby, so the whole thing would be a surprise. Right now, all I cared about was that the baby was healthy - and that it came out of me soon.

  I sighed again, leaning against Lorenzo. Everything felt warm and comfortable.

  Suddenly, Lorenzo gasped.

  “Oh - Raja!”

  Not opening my eyes, I mumbled, “What is it?”

  Something warm was spreading underneath me. That sensation alongside Lorenzo’s frantic tone made my eyes shoot open. I stared down at the puddle beneath me.

  “Uh,” I said eloquently.

  “Raja, your water broke!” Lorenzo leapt up from the couch and already had one dragon wing shifted, ready to leave as soon as possible. “Come - I’ll carry you!”

  “Hang on, I can barely move!” I complained loudly. Now the heavy swelling of my belly was preventing me from being able to lift myself up. Lorenzo didn’t waste any time. He threw his phone open and made a few quick calls - only seconds each. He immediately ran to my side and scooped me up, then ran to the outdoor landing deck, where he shifted into his dragon form and took to the sky.

  I clung to him desperately, more than usual. My hands trembled with anticipation. My baby was going to be here soon. This was what I wanted ever since I found out I was pregnant, but now that it was time, I was afraid. Terrified. I thought about everything that could go wrong, which was easier to think about than the pleasant things, for some reason.

  “Please distract me,” I begged Lorenzo.

  “We’ll be there soon,” Lorenzo promised. “A distraction, huh? Well, right below us is the city. Bustling as ever. Ryu’s magic shop is there, pretty close to Dante and Gabriel’s place. Gabriel still goes there with Noah to practice his magic. He’s getting pretty good at it. Maybe if you ever wanted to try, you could go along with him someday?”

  I’d zoned out, listening to Lorenzo’s comforting words, before I realized he asked me a question. “Huh? Me?”

  “Yes. Would you like to try magic?”

  “I never thought about it,” I admitted. “But I guess it might be fun…”

  Lorenzo smiled, but then a contraction hit me and I cried out, and he frowned deeply. “Oh, Raja… We’re almost there, I promise.”

  I clenched my eyes shut and waited it out. Lorenzo was right, and soon we landed at the clinic while I was suffering through another contraction. Dr. Lynden was already waiting outside, alongside some of our friends and family. Through the blur of agony, I recognized Dante, Gabriel and Noah, Ruby and Anton. They immediately started chattering as we touched down, but I barely understood what anyone was saying to me because I was in so much pain.

  A familiar hand touched my shoulder as I was placed into a wheelchair and the other voices cut out.

  “Raja, it’s Dr. Lynden,” the doctor said. Despite the pain, her voice was comforting. “You’re further into labor than we expected. We’re taking you in right away. You’re doing great so far.”

  I whimpered and nodded in reply. She smiled sympathetically at me, then donned her serious but kind doctor’s expression.

  “You’ll do great, Raja!” Gabriel cried. Even though he didn’t understand what was going on, Noah clapped his hands in support.

  “Let us know if you need anything!” Dante added.

  But somebody was missing. Multiple somebodies.

  “Wait,” I yelled, grabbing Lorenzo’s arm. “Where are my parents? And where’s Koto?”

  Everyone quickly glanced around the room. In a panic, no one had noticed that my family wasn’t present.

  “Where are they? They should have been here by now,” Anton said, concerned.

  “Did anyone call them?” Gabriel asked.

  “I did call, they said they were on their way,” Lorenzo cried. “I know they wouldn’t miss this for the world…”

  Another pang of pain shot through me, making me nearly double over in the wheelchair. “Ugh!”

  “We don’t have much time,” Dr. Lynden insisted. “Raja needs to be in the delivery room, now. We can’t wait any longer.”

  “I don’t want to go in without seeing my family!” I snapped. I clutched Lorenzo’s arm, nearly digging my nails into his skin by the force of my pain and annoyance. “Please find them! I need them here!”

  “Raja, we need to look at you now!” Dr. Lynden said.

  Suddenly the door flew open. The creature that shot into the room made me gasp. It was a huge serpent with long whiskers and a flowing blue mane. But when I saw that the serpent had four short legs and claws, I realized it wasn’t a snake at all - it was a dragon.

  And on its back were my mother, father, and cousin.

  They all dismounted and suddenly the serpent-dragon shifted into a more recognizable form: it was Ryu.

  “I’m sorry we’re late!” Ryu cried, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “I was on my way here when I saw your family.”

  “We got lost! This place is freaking huge!” Koto cried.

  My mother instantly rushed to me and made a huge fuss. “Are you in pain? Is the baby coming right now? Why aren’t you in the delivery room!?”

  “I was waiting for you!” I cried.

  She threw her arms around me, hugging me quickly. “Go, now!”

  “Where’s Eka?” Lorenzo asked.

  Walking swiftly as he could with his cane, my father reached my side. He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “We are all so proud of you. Go on, my son.”

  Tears brimmed my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in front of this room full of people, but it was getting increasingly difficult.

  “I think you should get to the delivery room before the baby is born on the floor,” Ruby suggested.

  “Yes, I agree,” Dr. Lynden added. “Can we go in now?”

  “Yes,” Raja said quickly.

  I watched over my shoulder for as long as I could before Lorenzo wheeled me past the doors and into the delivery room. Inside, nurses and other staff were already hustling in preparation. Supplies and tools lined the sterile trays, and waiting for me was a white birthing bed. Anxiety flared inside me again, but it was quickly replaced by another sharp contraction. I cried out.

  “Raja!” Lorenzo said. “Quick, he’s having another contraction!”

  Lorenzo and the nurses helped lift me onto the bed. I whimpered uselessly. The contractions were getting closer together on top of being more painful. I clutched the rails of the bed desperately. />
  Lorenzo remained by my side, patiently stroking my hair to comfort me. “You’re going to be okay. Dr. Lynden is very experienced. She delivered Noah. Hell, she even delivered Dante and I when we were born.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I grunted. That did fill me with confidence, but right now I was more concerned with how fast she was going to help get this baby out of me.

  “Start pushing,” Dr. Lynden called. “You’re already crowning. This baby is coming out!”

  I pushed, and screamed. I grabbed Lorenzo’s arm and nearly tore it off. Sharp agony shot through my body. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before.

  “You’re doing great, Raja,” Lorenzo said.

  I didn’t feel like I was doing great - I felt like I was doing horribly - but I trusted my mate. Shutting my eyes, I pushed harder.

  “Keep going!” Dr. Lynden cried.

  I screamed again as I pushed the hardest I had yet. Stars exploded behind my eyes. My head pounded from the yelling and straining, and sweat streaked down my skin. All I wanted was for this experience to finally be over, so I could finally hold my baby.

  And soon, it was over.

  I gasped as I felt the warm weight fall out of me. Dr. Lynden caught the baby and instantly she and the nurses took it away to inspect it. I whined and clasped Lorenzo’s arm.

  “Are they going to bring it back?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course! Don’t you worry about that,” he reassured me. “They’re making sure the baby’s healthy and breathing.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be breathing!?” I asked, panicked.

  “Oh, Lorenzo, shut up! Stop scaring your mate,” Dr. Lynden growled. Her scowl turned into a smile as she handed the baby to me in a soft pink blanket. “Here you go, dear.”

  My eyes widened as I saw the color of the blanket, and then my baby’s face - my daughter’s face.

  “Oh,” I breathed. Then I grew speechless. I took my daughter, bundled up in her blanket, and pressed her gently to my chest. I glanced up with teary eyes at Lorenzo, whose face had lit up with joy. In silence together, we leaned in closer, appreciating the beauty of our child.

  “She’s not crying,” Lorenzo murmured. “Is that normal?”

  “Yes, she’s fine. She was crying a bit earlier, so her lungs are clear. She’s just a quiet one, is all,” Dr. Lynden said, smiling. “Maybe because she’s half cat.”

  My hands trembling with delight, I pressed my nose to my baby’s forehead and inhaled her scent deeply. My chest filled with love and warmth.

  “Can my family come in?” I asked Dr. Lynden. She nodded and sent a nurse to fetch them. When they arrived, my mother immediately began crying silently. Tears streamed down her face as she approached our daughter.

  “She is perfect,” she said, her voice wavering. “Eka, look.”

  “I see,” my father said. His eyes were wet and his voice, too, was cracked. I’d never seen my father so emotional before. “Perfect.”

  Koto, who stood by the door, asked in a harsh whisper, “Can I come in? Can I see?”

  I nodded at him. He flitted over, eyes sparkling. When he laid eyes on our daughter he gasped softly and covered his mouth with his hands. “Wow… She’s really… Real.”

  My mother laughed. “Of course she’s real. You were real, too, when you were born.”

  “It’s just so weird! My cousin went ahead and just made a baby!”

  “Do not call my baby weird,” I growled at him.

  “Hey, I didn’t call her weird, I just meant - “

  “Koto, I think that’s enough,” Lorenzo said, noticing that I was pretty close to clawing his nose off.

  Koto ducked his head and mumbled, “Sorry…”

  “What shall her name be? Have you discussed names?” my father asked. As he spoke he brushed her forehead gently with his finger, moving the stray hairs across to the side.

  “Yes,” I said. “But I think I see some stragglers outside who would like to hear the news as well…”

  In the tiny window in the door, Dante, Gabriel, Ruby and Ryu were waiting, all shuffled around to get a glimpse of the action.

  “Can, uh, someone let them in?” I asked.

  “I usually don’t allow so many people in the delivery room, but…” Dr. Lynden sighed and opened the door. Our friends came streaming in, their faces bursting with joy. Gabriel nearly squealed and started crying at the sight of the baby.

  “Oh my gods!” he exclaimed. “She’s so small!”

  “Wow, she’s really cute,” Dante said, a smile stretched across his face. “Way cuter than Lorenzo. Must be Raja’s genes.”

  Lorenzo rolled his eyes, grinning. “Well, I won’t argue with that.”

  “Congratulations, you two,” Ryu said. He gave Lorenzo a quick affectionate clap on the back. “You did good, man. That is one beautiful baby. Almost makes me wish I had one.”

  “Thanks, Ryu.” Lorenzo smiled at his friend. “And I’m sure one day you will have one of your own.”

  As they spoke, I suddenly remembered the massive favor Ryu had done for me earlier. “Oh, Ryu! Thank you so much for helping my parents. It really meant a lot to me”

  A small blush crossed his cheeks. “Oh, it was no problem at all. A pleasure, really. I knew your parents wouldn’t want to miss this moment.”

  “So that was your dragon form, right? The serpent dragon?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “An eastern dragon, to be precise.”

  “Wow, that’s so cool. I didn’t know there were so many types of dragons, but I guess that makes sense, given how big the world is and all - ”

  “Um, hello?” Koto interrupted. “Did you forget that you were gonna tell us the name of the baby? No offense, Ryu, but I care more about that than your whole life story.”

  Ryu just chuckled good-naturedly. “None taken. I care more about that, as well.”

  Leave it to Koto to rush things along. But I knew he was right, too. Everybody watched Lorenzo and I, all waiting on bated breath, excited to hear the name we had chosen. Even Noah went still and quiet in Gabriel’s arms.

  “Well, Lorenzo and I had two names picked out,” I began. “One for a boy, and one for a girl. So, we’ve decided to name our daughter Charlotte Kali.”

  My mother gasped. Emotion swept across her face. “Oh, Raja…”

  “That’s a wonderful name,” my father added. He placed a comforting hand on my mother’s shoulder as she failed to hold back her tears.

  “So, what was your name if it was a boy?” Koto asked curiously.

  Lorenzo and I exchanged glances. He was the one to reply this time. “Anthony Eka.”

  Both of our fathers perked up. Anton smiled, wiping a tear from his eye, and my father nodded solemnly with a smile of his own. Even though our baby had been a girl, I was glad they learned of our name for a boy anyway.

  As if reading one step ahead, Koto said, “Who knows? Maybe if you have another kid you can use that name after all.”

  “Hey, I just pushed a kid out of me,” I growled at him. “I’m nowhere near thinking about another one, thank you very much.”

  Gabriel sighed and scoffed at Koto. “Betas…”

  19

  Lorenzo

  “She’s doing what!?”

  I couldn’t hide the shock in my voice when Dante delivered the news. A few months after Charlotte’s birth, Raja and I had taken a night off for ourselves and left Gabriel and Dante to babysit. They assured us everything was fine, and that Noah and Charlotte were getting along quite well, so when I got the call later that evening that Charlotte was climbing the walls, it was one hell of a surprise.

  “Exactly what I told you,” Dante said. His voice was half surprised and half ecstatic. “I think you and Raja better come see this.”

  I glanced at Raja, who shot me a concerned glance. The comforter was up to his chin and his nose was buried in a book, but both of them were quickly forgotten at the news that his daughter was up to something. “What ha
ppened? Is she okay?”

  I held out the phone so Raja could hear Dante as well. “Oh, she’s okay, alright. Trust me when I say you guys have to come over and see.”

  Raja and I quirked a brow at each other.

  “This better be good, Dante,” Raja growled as he kicked his pajamas off.

  * * *

  “How is she doing that!?” Raja shrieked.

  Currently, our daughter was in the middle of climbing a curtain. Halfway off the ground. When we first arrived and saw her clinging to the fabric, we both panicked, assumed she would fall and get hurt.

  “It’s okay, I have a safety net right beneath her,” Gabriel had quickly reassured us. Then I saw the glint of clear magic - there was a thick layer of it right beneath Charlotte. In addition, Dante was standing right beside her, ready to catch her at any time.

  Dante grinned at us when we walked in. “Look! Isn’t this awesome?”

  “No, seriously, how is she doing that?” Raja asked again. “She’s in human form - she shouldn’t be able to hold herself up like that!”

  “Not quite,” Dante said, beckoning Raja. “Look closer.”

  We huddled around Charlotte and realized what he was talking about. Charlotte might still have been in human form, but her hands weren’t. They were, very clearly, the paws of a black panther - and coming out of them, jutting into the curtain, were sharp claws.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” I muttered.

  Raja gasped. “So, she’s like me? She’s a panther?”

  “Obviously her transformation isn’t complete and she can’t really control it yet, but yeah, I’d say so,” Dante said. “She certainly isn’t a wolf, that’s for sure.”

  Charlotte grunted and slapped another paw against the curtain. As she did so, she lost her balance and fell backwards a very short distance onto the clear magic net beneath her. It wasn’t a hazardous situation at all, but it apparently surprised her. As her back touched the magic, two small silver wings popped out of her back.

  “Whoa!” Raja cried.

  “Holy shit,” Dante muttered.

  Noah, who was crawling around on the floor, pointed to Charlotte and said, “Dagon!”