Chapter Sixteen
Casey
“I need your dragon.” I turned the stove off and left the eggs I’d been cooking right where they were. “I need them now.”
“Okay, okay, let’s go outside,” he said gently.
I loved that my mate didn’t question my needs, instead seeking to fulfill them. He might ask after the fact, but in the moment, his primary goal was to get me what I needed. In this case, it was his dragon.
He walked slowly, as I waddled behind him, going as fast as I could. I was the size of a midsize car, and I’d long since given up on wearing clothes—nothing fit. The best I could manage was a robe that didn’t fully close. So be it. It wasn’t like my job had Zoom meetings. As long as I got my work done, no one cared what I wore…or in this case, didn’t wear. And even if they had an opinion on the subject, it wasn’t like they’d ever know.
If something happened, and I actually had to go into town, I had no idea what I’d do. There was nothing in this house that would fit me. No point buying brand-new clothes when it was almost time to lay my eggs. Nolan offered numerous times, but I couldn’t justify it.
My mate grabbed the rocking chair off the porch and brought it with us into the clearing, setting it down for me. If I hadn’t been this pregnant, I’d have sat on the ground. But right now? Now, there was a very real chance I wouldn’t be able to get back up again. A rocking chair, though—that I could manage.
He took his clothes off one piece at a time, doing a little dance. It wasn’t sexy—at least, not intentionally. He was being more silly than anything else. Still, that didn’t stop him from catching my eye. My mate somehow managed to get hotter every single day, and I didn’t think that was possible, but here we were.
I stood, pushing myself up and holding on for a few seconds to keep from toppling over. I was huge and aching, a waddling mess. You wouldn’t know it from the way Nolan watched me like I was the sexiest omega on the planet. “Please…my dragon…I need him.”
And when he shifted, I realized why I was begging. It hadn’t been about me at all. It was my beagle. He needed our mate.
“Mate,” I called out, finally managing to shuffle closer and wrap my arms around him. I couldn’t reach all the way, not even close, but I hugged him the best I could.
Mate, he echoed in my head.
That connection wasn’t something we usually had when I was in my skin. It was reserved for our beasts, except for today, apparently. His voice echoing in my mind calmed my beagle right down.
You look as amazing as ever, my love. He lowered his great head and pressed a kiss to my forehead, the scales smooth and warm.
“I can’t wait until I can fly with you again,” I whispered. “You make me feel so free. So loved. So…accepted.”
Because you are all those things. Do you want me to shift back? he asked. Or…do you want to watch me fly?
I smiled and lowered myself back into the chair. “Show me how graceful you are in the sky. And if you happen to spot a snack-rabbit…I could use a meal.”
My dragon loved it when I asked him to provide. There was something so primal about that. I usually went with rabbits—not just because they were tasty but because I had trouble tracking them by scent. Something about it was off to my beagle senses, which made me a pretty lousy beagle, if you asked me.
We’d also been collecting their furs. I had this notion to make a blanket once we had enough. They were small, though, so it was going to take a lot more rabbits. My mate was more than happy to hunt for them, though, so it probably wouldn’t be all that long.
He soared through the air, doing a few little tricks before disappearing over the trees. It wasn’t long before he returned, depositing a freshly caught rabbit at my feet.
“Thank you,” I said, picking it up. “I really wanted this.”
I’ll see you in a minute, he rumbled, and I waddled back inside.
Once inside, I got to work on the rabbit, only for my mate to rejoin me and offer to take over when I’d barely begun. But, as messed up as it sounded, I liked doing this. It made me feel like I was providing for him, too.
“Rabbit stew for dinner it is,” I said. We still had hours before anything was supposed to happen. We hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet, the cold eggs on the stove a reminder.
I was thinking about starting over when a cramp hit. Not bad, not yet. But enough to make me wince.
I leaned against the counter, belly-first, trying to apply some pressure, my body no longer flexible enough to bend into the pain for relief.
“No—are you sick?” My mate was suddenly right there, fussing. It was his way.
“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “Not sick. But I think we should move this to the other room.”
His eyes widened with understanding. “Is it time?”
“Yes, my love. It’s time.” At least it better be because any other reason for this pain meant it might last for Goddess knew how long.
Once we reached my nest, Nolan helped me out of my robe, and I tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing. It hurt, but it wasn’t awful yet. Was this the part where I was supposed to rest? Or walk? Or bounce on that weird chair-ball-doohickey I bought on a whim?
I had no idea and, instead of picking one, I did none of those. Instead, I wrapped my arms around my mate and soaked in his warmth, his calm, his presence.
The pain increased steadily. The midwife had said I would know when it was time to push. At the time, I didn’t believe him. Thought there’d be second-guessing, confusion. But now? Now, there was no question about it. It was time.
“Help me into the nest,” I whispered.
My mate took both my hands and helped me climb in. I squatted, awkwardly, but it felt like the right position. The pressure built and shifted, and I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. I could only feel.
I pushed. And pushed. And pushed, my mate encouraging me the entire way.
Finally, our first egg was laid.
Then the second.
And the third.
And a fourth. Where did that one come from?
We both stared at it with awe.
“I guess one of them was hiding.” I shrugged. “One for each hand.” We were outnumbered, but at least we had enough hands to hold onto them when walking through town.
They were brown and resembled ridiculously oversized chicken eggs with one exception whose color matched my fur almost exactly.
“Is this what they’re supposed to look like?” I asked, breathless, wrapping myself protectively around them.
“Eggs usually resemble the omega parent,” he said. “And have you seen your adorable beagle self? These eggs are perfect.”
“Can you—can you join me?” I needed my mate’s touch, but leaving my eggs to get it wasn’t an option.
“There’s nothing I want more.” He climbed in and settled across from me, the four eggs warm between us.
“You did so good,” he said. “You’re amazing.”
“I only managed because I had you here with me,” I said. “But I’ve got bad news for you.”
“Oh?” He didn’t sound worried, but then again, I’d said it lightly, and he knew me pretty well by now.
“You’re gonna have to cook the rabbit tonight. Because I’m not leaving this nest unless I absolutely have to. As much as I love rabbit stew, I’d rather eat stale crackers than move away from our babies’ temporary homes.”
“I get that, love. Don’t worry—I’ll call my brothers. One of them has to know how to make a decent stew.”
I learned the hard way that neither of them did. Or, if they did, he couldn’t translate their recipes to save his life.
But that was okay.
I didn’t need gourmet food. I didn’t need anything fancy.
What I needed was Nolan.
And I had him.
Forever.