Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Evander galloped, his hooves barely touched the ground, and he still felt like he was moving through treacle, going entirely too slowly to get back to the house in order to help.
Then he wished he was a dragon who had wings so he could be there in a heartbeat.
Or that he was like Orion who could just open a door out of nowhere and step through.
He had heard Corbin scream for him, and he knew, with a sick certainty, that there was a vampire in the house. He knew because he felt it; the wounds on his neck, which had healed long ago and not even left scars, throbbed. It still tugged. Nausea rose up in his throat.
He got to the door and burst through just about the time everything went white-hot and so bright that it dazzled his eyes until he couldn’t see.
A great roar rose up from the other side of the house, and he knew Hawk was coming back from Lunastra. Why had they all left the house at the same time? Why?
Evander shook his head, his horns heavy on his human skull. He tried to stagger through the blindness, but he couldn’t find anything. His outstretched hands touched nothing.
Corbin! He shouted his mate’s name, needing to know that the babies were still there.
He heard Orion’s frantic, stallion-like scream and another roar from Hawk before he managed to round himself into a piece of furniture, his knees aching at the impact.
And then the light cleared out, and vision swam back into his eyes a little bit at a time, like puzzle pieces falling into place.
He saw Yarrow first staggering around, blinking furiously, his upraised hand holding a piece of wood that looked as if it had been gnawed into a sharp stake.
Aspen had been with him, and she was on his heels, her low growls making the hair rise up on the back of his neck. But she stopped with a whine when she saw her pup, Blaze, come running to her. He was safe and well, and his fur wasn’t even singed.
When his eyesight finally cleared and he could breathe through the smell of burnt flesh and ash in his nose, he found what he was looking for.
Cosmo, Cullen, and Corbin all lay in the middle of the floor, their tails twined together, their dragon bodies nearly the same size as their human ones, all slumped together.
Corbin. He ran to his mate, needing to see if he was still breathing. He tripped over some of the ash in the middle of the floor and a sick feeling of revulsion came over him as he worked out exactly what it was. Right away.
“Vampfyr,” he breathed as Hawk came running up, calling Cosmo’s name.
Elliot rolled over to land against Hawk’s foot, then uncurled, holding up his arms. “Papa,” he croaked.
Hawk scooped Elliot up, searching frantically for any injuries. Isabelle crawled over to them, her little face incredibly pale, but she hadn’t been bitten, he could tell. He’d grabbed her in his arms when Orion came running in, his focus only for Cullen and their children.
Yarrow turned and dropped the wood on the floor. “They just burned him to a crisp,” Yarrow whispered.
Orion spat, hauling Tisi and Serena into his arms. He sat on the floor next to Cullen and shifted both children to one side so he could reach out with his other arm and touch his mate. “Wake up, love.”
That was what Evander wanted, too. He wanted Corbin to wake up. He put a hand on Corbin’s belly, and he could feel the babies moving. Suddenly, he could hear them talking to him again, their tiny bell-like voices raised in concern.
“Lethean, please wake up. I need to know that you’re okay. I need to see your eyes.”
It wasn’t until Hawk added his touch to the mix, his fingers trailing over Cosmo’s face, that all three of the brothers gasped in a deep breath of air.
He let out the breath he was holding himself, his antlers shrinking back down to normal size, his body swaying because he felt utterly light-headed. “There you are, my love. Come on, open your eyes.”
Corbin’s lips parted, and he coughed a little. His belly rippled. “Is he gone? Did we kill him?”
“He’s gone. All that’s left is to get rid of the ashes.” He was fiercely glad for it, too. If the vampire hadn’t been dead already, Evander would have killed him. Over and over and over again. How dare he come into this house?
“Were there more?” That was Cullen. “He said there were more, and they were going to kill Yarrow.”
“I’m right here.” Yarrow plopped down on the floor and took Elliot in his arms because Hawk was dragging Cosmo up to hug him fiercely. “There were some outside, but I got away from them before they could grab me.”
Evander rubbed his neck, but it didn’t hurt anymore. “I’m going to go check.”
Corbin grabbed his arm. “No, please don’t leave me.” His eyes opened, the bright green almost swallowed up by the black pupil.
“I’ll go.” Yarrow got back to his feet, still holding Elliot, but he handed the little one back off to Hawk, because now Cosmo was in Hawk’s lap. “I’ll be right back.”
“No. No going alone.” Orion kissed Cullen on the lips gently and then moved him to lean against Evander and Corbin. “I’ll go with you, Yarrow. Don’t worry, my love. We’ll be back in just a moment.”
The goddess knew Orion had to be freaking out at the idea of leaving the house and everyone inside, but he was being incredibly brave.
Evander was proud of him, but he couldn’t make himself feel the same way. He was never leaving Corbin again.
A soft chuckle sounded, and Corbin patted his chest. “I think you might have to, though, my love.”
“I might have to what?”
“Leave me. I might need you to go find a midwife.”
That had Cosmo and Cullen sitting up and staring at Corbin in amazement. Their eyes so bright. The pink and the purple. “A midwife. We didn’t get one of those.” Question marks popped up over the top of Cullen’s head as he said it.
“Yeah, well, you weren’t having three.” Corbin doubled over, his hand on his belly. “I think this is happening right now.”
“You mean you think you’re having the babies?” Evander felt the skin ripple again on Corbin’s belly, the babies moving restlessly underneath.
“I do. Can someone look at my birthline?” Corbin shifted around so they could raise his soft sweater up, exposing his huge belly.
It was red and opening up, weeping a little bit. And Corbin was absolutely right. Those babies were coming.
“Can you call to your mother? Can she bring a midwife?” Evander asked. “I don’t think there’s one out there in the human world that can do this.”
Corbin grabbed his arm. “Mother. Yes, Mother could help.”
There was a great clatter at the door coming from the Land of Summer. And then the shouting started. “Evander, Evander, what is happening?”
That was his father bellowing for him.
He lifted Corbin in his arms and rose, carrying him to the window so that his father could see. “We need Lady Calla.”
“We heard his shout. I’ll go.” Kristofer turned and leaped into the air, running as if his very life depended on it.
“Thank you, Father.”
Corbin groaned, the sound, deep and harsh. “I don’t want the vampire to get the babies.”
“You three took care of that. He’s gone. Completely and utterly gone.” A pile of ash.
“Good.”
“Do you want to bring him out?” Father asked, and he looked down at Corbin.
“Do you want to go out? Or stay here? Where do you want to have the babies? What is it you want to do, love?”
“I want to stay with my brothers. This is our house. This is the portal. Our babies should come here.” Corbin smiled at his father. “I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
“I’m so excited to meet them as well. We’ll guard this entrance, my sons.”
Gregor nodded. “We will. You just make babies, Corbin.”
“Yeah. I think they’re made, but…” Corbin gulped. “I had to kill the vampire. He was going to hurt our Isabelle.”
“And you weren’t going to let that happen, were you?” Evander smiled, carrying Corbin back over to their home.
When they got over to the part of the house that was theirs, something was… different. Odd.
Evander turned his head one way and the other, trying to parse what had happened, what it was he sensed.
Corbin blinked, then looked at him, eyes wide, lips parted. “It’s gone.”
“I don’t understand. What’s gone?”
Corbin held his gaze. “The stain.”
“What stain?”
“The stain of Myk’s brothers, the stain of their deaths, their loss, their pain. It’s gone. Can you smell it? It’s gone.”
“I can. I don’t know what it means.”
“It means that their spirits are free to go and find another dragon form, to come together again and start over somewhere not here. It means the stain is gone.” Corbin began to cry, but he didn’t think that those were tears of sorrow.
Ev thought perhaps they were tears of sheer relief.
Finally, Corbin grabbed his arm. “It’s time to have the babies now.”
Evander chuckled. “I think you’re probably right.”
Calla glided into the room on the heels of those words, a serene smile on her face. “My amazing son. Are you ready?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. But yes, I’m ready. It’s time.” Corbin looked at his mother, his eyes wide. “I killed him. We killed him. The three of us.”
“We are safe. My good boys.” She touched his forehead, smoothing out the lines, and he relaxed. “There. That’s better.” She beamed at him. “I cannot wait to meet my grandbabies.”
Evander agreed. It was time.
The first baby seemed to come quick. He had no more than stretched out on the bed before the urge to push hit him.
And they had a daughter, lickety split, a deep brown beauty with eyes like deep pools, tiger-eye scales.
But there were two more, and the second baby didn’t want to come out.
Corbin screamed and twisted, pain racking him, but the baby was obviously frightened and didn’t want to come for free, didn’t want to meet their father and sister.
But Corbin needed them out because after this one, there was another still.
So he panted, gathering his strength, getting more magic together. Then he looked at Ev.
“Tell that baby to come out.”
“What?”
“I saw Hawk do it. You have to be able to do it too. You tell this baby to quit stalling!”
Mom was dealing with the one who had already popped out, and Cullen and Cosmo had recovered enough to be in and out. So what else did Ev have to do?
“Right.” Evander gave him this magical smile, his antlers pushing up through his hair. “Come on, now, sweet one,” Ev crooned, hand on the side of the birthline. “Come to me. I’ll protect you.”
“I’m right here; all as well. Come on, babies, one after another!
Let’s go! Your sister is waiting for you.
” Cosmo was down there humming and stroking his belly trying to encourage everything to happen.
“Come on now, I can see the head; we’re gonna need another push, and then that’s baby number two.
This little one is the color of autumn leaves, brother, a reddish-orange so beautiful. ”
Corbin pushed, his entire body focused on delivering this stubborn baby. And when it popped free, there was a crow of happiness. “It’s a little boy, a little leaf boy.”
“Ciara and Leaf. One left.”
He was more than ready. More than.
This time, he didn’t have to ask Evander to do his job. He was there, whispering, coaxing, and after another brief push, a distant pang, this little one popped out.
He was blue as the clearest sky in the Land of Summer.
Evander breathed out, “Neven, my youngest son.”
Mother brought Ciara over, handing her to him. “This is your oldest daughter.”
She looked just like Evander up to the tiny horns on the top of her head.
“She is going to be a huntress. My father will be so pleased.” Evander looked at his mother. “What do you think, Lady?”
“I think they are perfect.”
He tried to catch his breath, but it was hard, because he’d been laboring for hours. Cullen and Cosmo cleaned him up while Mother dealt with Leaf and Neven, and Evander sealed the birth line then with Hawk’s help.
Evander soothed him with a wet cloth to his brow and a kiss to his lips. “Corbin. Lethean. They’re more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen. I love you.”
“Our guardian babies.”
“Yes. Fierce and wild and wonderful.”
Mother handed him his other two babies, trusting him without question to hold them all as he had held them under his heart for so long.
“My guardians,” he whispered.
All three of them opened their eyes as one, and a light flashed, connecting the babies.
Corbin swore that he heard the house hum.
“One day.” He smiled and nodded. “One day, this will be yours.”
“Until then,” Cosmo came to him and touched one shoulder.
Then Cullen came to his other side. “Yes, until then.”
They spoke as one. “Until then, we will hold the portal.”
They would hold it, and their mates would give them strength to defend their future.
End.