Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Leo
“That can go into the living room,” I say, directing Bren as he carries a box into the house. I rest one hand on my hip, the other on my belly which is impossibly wide. Well, impossibly wide for me.
I didn’t even know my skin could stretch this much this quickly but that’s what I get for being full of an egg.
I’m not quite as round as an average pregnant person.
As a phoenix shifter, I’m carrying an egg which I’ll deliver any day now.
Once the egg is out, it’ll continue to grow outside my body before hatching a few months later.
It’s perfect timing that we’re moving into our new house now.
This place is a dream come true. It’s in a really lovely neighborhood, not far from where Wentworth and Pip, two people in our local government, live with their little one.
Everyone we’ve met so far has been really kind, welcoming us to the area.
Plus, the most important thing, I’ll have time to properly make my nest before the egg makes its way out of me.
“That one is going into the spare room,” I tell Nicolai and Gadreel as they carry a mattress into the house. That’s going to be for my nesting room. I have an entire room just for my nest! It’s incredible!
“Last few things!” Raphael lets me know, carrying a lamp inside and bringing it to the living room. Everything is a mess but there’s a warmth stirring inside of me. We have a lot of work ahead of us in order to make this properly into our home, but this is the perfect start.
We’re surrounded by our closest friends, in a place we get to call our own. My life is no longer gray and routine. There’s life breathed into every aspect of my day, every aspect of my life. I feel the sun on my skin every single day because I get to wake up beside Jin, my wonderful mate.
I feel strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and I lean back against Jin’s chest. I breathe in his scent, letting the soft smoky smell wash over me.
One of his hands rests on my belly, the other he reaches up, rubbing his wrist against both sides of my neck, scent marking me.
It makes my chest flutter with affection at the gesture.
At the same time, my cheeks heat up at being scented in front of our friends.
Usually, that’s something mates do only when they’re alone.
Bren gives me a wink, having caught the action. My cheeks flush even brighter.
“Not a word,” I grumble under my breath, making Bren chuckle.
“That’s what your mom said last night too.”
“I’m actually gonna murder you and bury your body in the backyard.”
“I ordered pizza,” Jin says to everyone as we all gather in the living room, cutting me off before I can threaten Bren further.
Thankfully, all our furniture is already here so there’s plenty of places to sit with a coffee table in the middle.
“Should be here pretty soon. Thank you again for all your help.”
“You know what they say,” Damien says as he sits down, “it takes a village to crack an egg.”
“That is not how the saying goes,” Andras hisses out, reaching over and pinching his brother.
“That’s totally how it goes! Or wait, you have to crack a few eggs to make a horse drink?"
Gadreel blinks slowly, staring at his brother. “What?”
Damien turns towards Raphael, looking for help. He just ruffles Damien’s hair. “It takes a village to raise a child.”
“Exactly? That’s what I said?”
“That isn’t even close to what you said,” Bren says with a snort and suddenly, Bren, Damien, and Andras are wrestling on the floor. Jin pulls the table to the side, giving them room so they don’t hurt themselves.
Nicolai sits down, tugging Gadreel into his lap, the rest of us just watching the action.
“Five dollars on Bren,” Nicolai says softly, making Gadreel giggle.
“Five dollars on my mate,” Raphael says, though he sounds incredibly resigned.
“No one’s gonna bet on me?” Andras calls out before Damien grabs him in a headlock, cutting the words off.
I lean against Jin’s side, watching their antics with fondness in my chest. Jin kisses the top of my head and I let out a sigh.
As much as I’m enjoying this, I’m looking forward to when everyone leaves so I can properly make my nest. My instincts are making the back of my neck prickle with restlessness.
The doorbell goes off before I can say anything to Jin. He runs off to collect our pizza. At the prospect of food, the trio rolling around on the ground call for a truce.
Everyone sits around the coffee table as Jin piles the boxes on top.
No one grabs a plate, content just to eat straight from the box while being careful not to let any sauce spill onto the floor.
Everyone’s scents mingle together, creating something altogether new and lovely.
It smells like safety. It smells like pack, or in my case, flock.
I lean my head against Jin’s shoulder, doing my best to ignore the prickling happening at the back of my neck.
I try to concentrate on the conversations happening around me but all I can think about is my nest. I need to clean that room.
I need to get the bed set up. I need to get a proper nest started. The sooner the better.
“Are you okay?”
I startle, looking to my right and finding Bren watching me. He narrows his eyes. I don’t want to lie to him but I also don’t want to kick everyone out, especially after they spent the day helping Jin and I move. Instinct wars inside of me.
“I’m okay,” I tell him softly. “Just have some really heavy nesting instincts going on.”
“Ah,” he says, nodding his head. I knew he’d understand.
Bren might be an alpha but he’s still a phoenix.
Nesting is incredibly important for us, not only for comfort and mating and babies, but also because our nests are where we regenerate.
It’s the pyre with which we are reborn again and again and again.
Bren looks around at everyone, clapping his hands to get their attention. “I think it’s time we clean up our shit and head out. We don’t have to go home but we can’t stay here!”
“What?” Damien asks, looking over at me and Jin. “You guys kicking us out?”
I shake my head but Bren jumps in. “Phoenix business,” he says in explanation.
Everyone looks at each other before Gadreel shrugs. “Makes sense to me.”
As they all shuffle out, Bren stops and hands me his sweater. “Do you want it for your nest?”
“Yes, please. Thank you, Bren.”
Bren gives me a quick hug before shuffling everyone outside. I grab Jin’s wrist, tugging him deeper into our new home, pulling him into the room that will hold my nest.
“Okay, we need to get to work.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nest. Nesting time. I need it and I need it now!”
Jin grins at me. “You got it! I’ll find all the best blankets and pillows and bring them to you. You get to work constructing it.”
Before Jin can leave the room, I snag the front of his shirt. He raises his brow at me. I pull him forward and kiss him, my stomach ramming into his.
I love the way he’s always on board for whatever I have in mind. He makes me feel so many things, all of them good.
“What was that for?” Jin asks with a light chuckle.
“No reason. I just love you.”
“Oh,” Jin breathes out, his red eyes widening. “Oh. Okay. Wow.”
His reaction makes me realize this is the very first time I’ve said that out loud.
Real nice going! Instead of doing something romantic, leading up to a grand moment where I confess my adoration for my mate, I just blurted it out when he offered to help me make my nest?
I can be so hopeless when it comes to romance!
I wince, looking sheepishly at Jin. “Was that bad timing?”
“What? No! It was perfect. You’re perfect, Leo. Everything you do is perfect.”
“Okay, now you’re just being ridiculous. Just last week I burned dinner so badly we had to air out the apartment.”
“And yet I found it incredibly endearing.”
I shake my head, my face stretched into a wide grin. “I love you,” I say again, my hands tightening where they hold onto the front of Jin’s shirt.
“I love you too. I love you so much, Leo. I’m so happy that I get to call myself your mate.”
“I’m happy too.” I lean up and kiss him again. Then once more just for good measure. “Okay, now go get my supplies. I need to build a nest.”
“I’m on it!”
I make my way over to the mattress, carefully pushing it into the very corner of the room.
Then I place the fitted sheet around the edges.
Jin brings me pillows which I use to line the edges that touch the walls.
Then I roll blankets over those. I build up my nest, little by little, adjusting things here, placing other things there.
With Jin’s help, it only takes about an hour of shifting and moving and placing before I step back, my chest warm with satisfaction.
“I think it’s just right,” I tell my mate, smiling up at him.
“It looks so comfy. Can we snuggle in it?”
“Yes, please!”
We both get in, rearranging ourselves until Jin is spooned up behind me. I feel so content, and how could I not? I have my mate holding me in our nest, our baby safely in my belly, the words out in the open between us.
We love each other. I already knew that.
Jin tells me all the time how much he loves me by the way he treats me.
I show him I care about him through my actions and my affection.
Hearing it though? It’s better than I imagined.
Loving Jin is like breathing, it just comes naturally, but I’m happy the words are out in the open.
We’re on the same page and plan to stay like that forever.
“Hey, Jin,” I say softly.
“Yes, love?”
“I think our egg is coming.”
“Right now?” Jin asks, his body suddenly tensing behind me. “Shit. Should I call a doctor? Are you okay? Are you in pain? What should I be doing?”
I grab his arm, bringing it to my mouth, kissing his wrist where new ink lies.
I love all the ink he’s slowly adding to his body, a gorgeous tapestry he allows me to touch and kiss and mark.
His scent washes over me, leaving traces of it against my face.
“Calm down,” I say with a chuckle. “Everything is fine. Now that we’re in the nest, everything is perfect, Jin. ”
I feel Jin swallow thickly. He lets out a deep sigh, his body relaxing once again. “Okay. Sorry. I trust you.”
With a little wiggling and urging, Jin holds me the same way he held me the first time we made love.
My lower half is naked, making me shiver.
Jin’s arm is under my head, his hand over my heart, his other hand between my legs, fingering me open.
Despite the tension between my thighs, my body is alight with pleasure.
“That’s it,” I whisper, barely audible. “That feels good. Keep going.”
“Anything,” Jin says back, desperation clear in his voice. “Anything for you, Leo.”
Jin continues to finger me, pumping four fingers in and out of my wet hole.
I can feel the egg moving inside of me, descending through my channel.
It feels impossibly big but my body doesn’t tense up, too relaxed and loose from Jin’s fingers.
He kisses along my shoulder and I don’t fight against the moan that rumbles through my chest.
“Jin,” I gasp out as the egg moves lower.
“I’ve got you. You’re doing so well, Leo. Such a good omega.”
A whine is ripped from me. Jin’s praise washes over me, somehow making me relax even further. I don’t know if it’s minutes or hours of this; soft kisses, soft touches, insistent fingers, gentle praise. It’s so good. It’s so much.
Sweat drips from the side of my head. My ass feels like it’s on fire by the time Jin pulls his fingers from my hole. I can’t stop whimpering.
“That’s it,” Jin says against my sweaty skin. “It’s almost out. One more big push.”
I gasp out, pushing as hard as I can. The egg slides free and my entire body relaxes until I’m practically one with my nest. I’m just a pile of goo that Jin will have to find a jar for.
“Leo,” Jin says, his voice barely above a whisper, marvel and awe clear in his voice. “Leo, our egg is beautiful.”
I sit up just enough to grab one of Jin’s shirts from our nest, one that’s well worn and soft. I wrap our egg in the shirt, pulling it against my chest. It’s warm to the touch, but that’s not surprising, both of us being creatures of fire.
Our egg is crystalline and bright orange with diamond patterns imprinted against the shell, almost like a disco ball. It shines in the light in a way that looks like flames are dancing just under the shell.
“Wow,” I breathe out, overwhelmed by how gorgeous our baby is. “We’ll have to make sure to save the shell when they hatch. I’ve heard people can make special jewelry and mementos from the shell.”
“We’ll do that,” Jin says softly, carefully helping me to lie back down. I turn to face Jin, keeping our egg between us. He puts his hand on mine, his pinky resting against the shell.
We stay like that for a long time, just looking at each other and our egg.
“This feels unreal.”
“What does?”
“Being here,” Jin says, his red eyes gazing at me softly. “I never imagined my life could turn out like this. I never thought I would have a mate. I especially never thought about having kids. This doesn’t even feel real and sometimes I have to pinch myself to prove I’m not stuck in a dream.”
I smile over at my mate, reaching over and pinching his cheek. “I’ll always be here to offer you a pinch when you need it.”
Jin turns his head, nipping at the side of my hand playfully. “I love you,” he says, his face turning serious. “I love you so much, Leo. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to remind you of that and be the man worthy of being called your mate.”
“You already do that just by being yourself.”
Jin shakes his head. “You deserve so much more than just my existence. I want to give you everything.”
“Then give me yourself, every day. That’s all I ask.”
“I can do that,” he says, leaning over our egg and kissing my lips.
Then he pulls back but only far enough to kiss our egg.
“I love you already,” he whispers against the shell.
“I’ve never shied away from love. It’s one of those things I’ve always gotten excited about but the way I feel about you is so much different than that, Leo.
” Jin rests his head against the pillow, gazing over at me with an achingly fond smile.
“You’re my first love. You’re my first in so many ways. ”
“You’re mine too. And you’ll be my last too,” I say, squeezing his hand. Meaning every word.