Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
My eyes closed as the wind whipped around my face.
Something about flying just continued to feel so freeing.
It brought a peace that I couldn’t get even when burying myself in the books of the Archive.
The feeling of flying made me feel just how small I was in the grand scheme of things.
It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. If anything, it grounded me.
Laila had gotten much better at flying more smoothly with me on her back.
She offered the most protection from the wind and the cold air from the mountains, but they still had me wrap up in layers of clothes, jackets, and blankets to combat the icy air.
Tyson was currently flying next to us as we made our way back to the house.
We finished the request to the other flight for the translation of the Ancient Draconic scrolls after two days.
He was impressed by how far I had progressed on my own, but now he helped correct my mistakes and improve my understanding.
Speaking was rough on my throat, but reading it was getting much easier.
I enjoyed being able to fly between the Archives and the house.
Despite everyone freaking out a little when I did.
It was getting worse since we were getting closer and closer to my due date.
Eva and Candice had not been joking around when it came to my food intake.
Even though it wasn’t even food. Some of it was high-protein drinks that I choked down at every meal.
Landing in the grassy clearing, Laila waited for me to unwrap myself as best I could.
I unzipped two jackets and threw them on the ground before I felt like I could move enough to get off.
Lauren was waiting for us, and she helped me down as Laila shifted.
We found a good point for me to grab while she shifted back into human form. It just took at least one other person.
“You really shouldn’t be doing that too much anymore. Imagine if you went into labor on the back of Lai.” Lauren burst out laughing at Laila’s horrified look. “What? It could happen. The temperature difference could shock Colt into labor.”
“It wouldn’t be immediate! That’s not how it works. It’s not like the movies.” I huffed, doing my best to keep up with her as we walked to the house.
Lauren shook her head. “It might not be, but have you ever been to a dragon’s birth? It’s insanely fast.”
“I’m not a dragon. My body is still wolf.”
Half-wolf, technically, but I hoped it didn’t mean that my half-dragon side would come out specifically when giving birth. That would be insanity. I was already having a hatchling. I didn’t need anymore dragon DNA in me at this point.
“How do wolves handle pregnancy?” Laila asked as we closed the front door behind us.
I didn’t answer her right away, kissing Candice on the cheek as she gathered me up in her arms. Candice was the most vocal when it came to me leaving the house. Especially when I stayed multiple nights in the Archives.
“I was only gone two nights.” I tried to move out of her arms as she frowned.
“You’re the one who is going to give us a heart attack. How are you feeling? You seem like you have a bit more color. Did you have an episode while you were there?” Candice looked up at Laila for confirmation.
My lips thinned. “I’m okay. Feeling better today after I ate yesterday and this morning.”
Laila snorted. “Yeah, like a bird. It was so little you could say that he didn’t eat at all.”
I rolled my eyes, but it was no use arguing at this point.
She was right, but I had eaten a full breakfast this morning.
Immediately, they corralled me into the kitchen island while snacks appeared in front of me.
Taking a few bites of cracker and popping some grapes into my mouth, I moved the bowl over to Laila, who sat next to me.
“As far as wolf pregnancies go, they aren’t crazy different from dragons.” I chuckled. “Though, as I kid, I always thought dragons laid eggs. They always called them hatchlings, and so we thought they came from eggs. So I might not be the best judge of normal.”
“That is one of the most common misnomers. Though it was the case before we shifted.” Candice placed a glass of water in front of me. “When we started to shift into humans, we no longer laid eggs, but that was so long ago.”
Humming, I popped a grape into my mouth. “I wonder if there are scrolls going back that far.”
“There are, but you’re not going back to grab them.” Tyson pointed at me, his eyes narrowing. “If we can help it, I don’t want you going back to the Archives for a few weeks.”
“But!” I pleaded with him. “It’s warm and there isn’t anything wrong...”
Candice sighed and put her hand on my arm.
“He’s right, Colt. If you went into labor there, it’s not equipped for any complications that might come up.
All of your things are here. Plus, if you did have her there, would you feel comfortable flying a newborn from the Archives, through the snow, in order to come back to the house? There is no nursery there.”
“My mother was in labor for nearly twenty-seven hours with me. Longer for my brother and my sister. Wolves don’t have quick labors. Even if this little hatchling does come early, I don’t think it’s going to be as quick as you seem to think labor goes.”
Laila’s eyes widened. “Wait? A whole day? More than a day? That’s crazy!”
Lauren laughed, rubbing my shoulders, and I melted under her touch. “That’s normal for grounders. It can be faster, but you can be in labor and have contractions for a while. We are far closer to humans than you are.”
“How long does it take dragons?” I hadn’t looked it up because it didn’t seem relevant to me.
“Usually it’s about five to six hours from when the first sign of dilation.” Candice chuckled at the shock on my face. “We are dragons after all. Though, Omegas of our kind are even faster. Their recovery time is also only a couple of days.”
Groaning, I put my head in my hands. “This is insane. I’m not ready for any of this.”
As if on cue, my little hatchling kicked and shifted.
Wrinkling my nose, I pressed my hand into my side.
My body would not take much more of her growing.
I was too small for this. At this point, I was already convinced that she was going to be my only child.
There was no way I was putting my body through this again.
Lauren wrapped her arms around me, and her chin rested on my head. “You’ll be just fine, Colt. You’re much stronger than you know.”
“I don’t want to be.” My fake cries made everyone laugh.
Maneuvering out of the stool, I pulled off my sweatshirt and everyone but Laila’s eyes widened. She was used to me not being in a sweatshirt. Sometimes she had to help, or we would eat breakfast and I’d just been sleeping in a shirt and boxers.
“Colton!” Candice came over and put her hand on my stomach. “You’ve been hiding all this under sweatshirts?”
“Yes?” I reached up on my tiptoes and grabbed a few spices from the cabinet. “I promised I would make Beau her favorite dish when I got back.”
Tyson gave me the look that I had seen more often lately. “You sure you should be on your feet like that?”
“It’s not that bad! I’m home, so if I do go into labor, it’s fine.”
Candice wrapped her arms around me. I didn’t know what I said as she kissed the side of my head, smiling brightly. Everyone else had a soft smile on their faces. I raised my eyebrow at them.
“You called this home, Colt. It’s the first time I’ve heard you call it that.”
I opened my mouth before shutting it. When was the last time I called any place home? I didn’t really consider my parents’ house or even my old apartment home. It might have been a slip of the tongue, but that meant I felt like this was home without thinking about it.
“Don’t overthink it.” Lauren laughed. “I’ll text Beau that you’re making dinner. She’ll hurry her work.”
It was easy to drop into cooking. We kept the conversation light, on silly things like favorite foods, things we would want to try again, or the festival foods that happened for summer solstice.
Apparently, there was going to be a huge festival in their flight’s territory.
Keith put Candice in charge of planning, and she was making him regret that decision.
When I finished melting, blending everything together, and putting it in the oven, I felt a cold windchill on my back.
Standing up from my squat in front of the oven, I glanced up at Eva.
Her hands were on her hips, a frown on her face.
Today, she had an Iron Maiden shirt and a skirt, with her usual platform lace-up boots.
She also looked as if she were gearing up for a lecture.
“I was just making dinner.” I put my hands up after I closed the oven. “I promise. Nothing crazy.”
“Did you put your feet up at all today?”
Laila betrayed me by answering. “For about an hour.”
“Colton Alford.”
I rolled my eyes, but she slapped me upside my head.
“Don’t you sass me, pup. You have given me more than enough reasons to put you on bed rest. Is that what you want?”
Shaking my head, I leaned against the counter. “I enjoy being able to help. You know that, Eva.”
“I do. That’s not the issue. The issue is that you aren’t resting, Colt. You need rest. You need to stop pushing yourself so much. I know with everything going on…”
My lips pursed, and I shook my head. “I don’t…
I don’t want to snap at you, Eva. I’m about to, though, and I don’t need to be reminded of what I’m going through.
I know exactly what is happening. I need distractions.
I need to be doing things. If I sit still…
or rest, as you call it…I will implode. I will get worse.
Doing things like this is the only thing keeping me afloat.
So while I understand, I need you to understand that I am toeing the line, but I am only doing it because if I don’t, I’ll crumble. ”
All the fight Eva had been building up left her.
She pulled me into a tight hug, and I wrapped my arms around her.
She was different. Her scent wasn’t as strong as an Alpha’s, but she smelled like a garden.
Apparently, she tended to a garden at her home every day.
It was earthy and the closest thing I would think an earth witch would smell like.
“It will be alright. We will take care of you. Your mate will be back before you even realize it.”
I didn’t believe her, but I was tired of fighting everything, including myself. I just smiled and backed up, putting on the timer before I forgot.
After that, they ushered me into the living room. Candice promised to pull my dish from the oven, and she was going to use my recipe for the naan. Falling onto their couch, I pulled up my feet. Laila didn’t let me tuck them under me, though. She pulled them on top of her.
Putting my head back on a pillow, I closed my eyes. “You’re getting so much practice, when Peter gets pregnant, you’re going to be ready.”
Lauren, Laila, and Tyson laughed. Exhaustion was hitting me hard, and I wanted to fight it.
The moment Laila started massaging my ankles, I knew I was a goner.
They were talking about things for the flight, upcoming talks, and recent additions.
Things I didn’t really understand, but their voices were soothing.
I was home. I felt safe here. If Mike and Sabrina were here, it would almost be complete.
I needed to call them. It had been a few days and usually I tried to check in with them.
Everyone was busy trying to get classes done.
Finals were starting Monday, and it was a mad dash.
So much so that Mr. Davidson’s history class had an emergency study session last week, and Sabrina brought me in on the session through her laptop.
Apparently, they were all struggling more this session than the last one.
I didn’t even register for the class anymore.
It was easy, and I was struggling more with my other classes.
My grades hadn’t dipped too much, and I didn’t know how, considering how terrible I’d been feeling the past few months and after everything that had happened.
While I had missed quite a few classes, I made them up and had caught up now.
A harsh ring roused me from the light sleep I’d fallen into. Tyson got up and frowned. He answered, but headed out of the living room to take it. Beau, at some point, had joined us along with Candice. They were still talking flight business, and I shut my eyes again.
“Alright, we’ve put it off enough. We need to eat,” Eva ran her hands through my hair. “Come on, up we go.”
Groaning, I stretched and got up. All I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep fully, but I knew better than to fight Eva when it came to food. She pulled me up, and I winced, rubbing my back. Eva replaced my hand, kneading into the spot harder, and I hummed.
“You shouldn’t be sleeping on your back. She’s going to settle hard, and she weighs enough now that it can hurt.”
I nodded. “I don’t normally. Not anymore.”
“Good. You hungry?”
Nodding again, I smiled sheepishly. “Starving, actually.”
“Alright. Once you eat, I want to check you out and then you can go to bed early.”
“I wanted to finish up a chapter in the book I am currently researching. Then I will. I promise.” I wrapped my arms around hers, and she patted me, helping me sleepily into the dining room. “We need to find him before she comes. I’m not having this hatchling without him next to me. I refuse.”
Eva said nothing. She didn’t need to. We both knew that probably would not happen.
I was trying to convince myself more that there was hope because I couldn’t imagine being alone while having her.
That hurt too much. My fingers touched my mark, the only thing that was telling me that Marcus was currently alive.
The only hope I could allow myself at this point.
Slapping on a smile, I pushed past the pain in my heart and the quiet whimpers of my wolf. We weren’t going to go there. Not right now. I had time. Not much, but I had a few more weeks.