Chapter 40 #2
Trying to choke back his tears, Brian thought he heard his mate call his name but it was probably just wishful thinking…
until he felt Reif’s lips moving against his face.
Leaning back, Brian gazed at his mate’s face, searching for a clue that what he felt was real.
“Mate?” he murmured. “Can ye open yer eyes?”
Hoping his dream world wouldn’t evaporate, Reif’s eyes fluttered open to find Nessie’s light blue eyes staring at him. This is so real! Snaking his hand up between their chests until it reached his mate’s face, he ran his fingers over its contours, tracing the features he loved so much.
“Mate, ye came back to me,” murmured Brian, relishing the gentleness of his mate’s touch. But when Reif’s fingers reached his lips, Nessie craved more than just a touch. Capturing a finger with his teeth, Brian licked it—savoring the taste, before giving it a quick bite.
“Ow!” Pulling his finger from Nessie’s mouth, Reif looked at the indentations left by his mate’s teeth. “You bit me!”
“Ay. Sorry, could nae resist. Ye taste so good. How are ye feeling?”
Reif ran his hand over Nessie’s jaw, delighting in the roughness, before grabbing his mate’s hair. “You feel so real.”
“I am real. So are ye. Do ye need another bite to prove it?” Brian growled.
Raising his head, Reif looked around the room, spying the open door and his friends standing in the hall. Then he glanced at Nessie. “Where’s the man?”
“The vampires? Dead.”
Stunned, Reif asked. “Are you sure?”
“Ay. Yer really free now.”
“What about the man? The one who gave me all the shots.”
“Shots? What shots?”
“The shots to make my sea dragon’s eggs grow,” Reif explained.
“YER MAJESTY! I NEED YOU NOW!” Brian hollered, fearful of what the vampires had done.
Turning at Brian’s shout, Ian rushed back into the room, calling out for Colton to bring his bag. Looking at the sea dragon, he was astounded. “Brian, can you move so I can examine Reif?”
“My mate said they gave him something to make the eggs grow,” Nessie said. “Has it hurt our babies?”
“Reif, what did they tell you about the shots?” asked Ian.
“Something about making my eggs grow…I’m sorry, I just don’t remember everything.”
Seeing a syringe on the floor, Brian picked it up, holding it out to Reif. “Is this what they gave ye?”
Taking it from Nessie, Ian sniffed it, then asked Reif, “How many of these shots did you get?”
“I don’t know. I was out of it for most of the time because of the pain.”
“Logan,” called Ian, “Can you search the rooms and see if there are more used syringes around?”
“On it.”
“Reif, I believe they were giving you a special growth hormone to make your sea dragon’s eggs mature much sooner than they normally would.”
“How much sooner?” Reif asked.
“That depends on the number of shots they gave you.”
“Ian, we found eleven of the used syringes,” said Logan, bursting into the room with them.
Taking them, Ian sniffed each one, confirming its contents. “Twelve shots…It’s been eighteen hours since Reif was taken, that means he has had one every hour and a half. Reif, do me a favor. Check with your sea dragon and tell me what’s happening.”
Worried, Reif glanced at Nessie before doing as Ian requested. “Holy fuck! He has a huge bulge in his middle.”
Nodding, Ian said, “Reif, your sea dragon is ready to lay his eggs. I need you to shift so I can help him.”
“Now? But it hasn’t been three months!”
“I know, but the growth hormone sped up their development,” Ian explained. “Brian, can you carry Reif outside? I think that’ll be the safest place for him to shift. Logan, I need lots of blankets…the eggs must be kept warm.”
Brian gently gathered his mate in his arms and headed downstairs.
“Mate, everythin’ will be all right.” Seeing Angus and his men celebrating around the burning piles of vampires, he headed for the back of the castle, finding a place out of the wind where he gently set Reif down. “Mate, go ahead and shift.”
“I need you Nessie. Shift with me.”
Nodding, Brian asked Ian, “Is that all right? I will hold him.”
“Yes, it will help keep him calm. Now hurry!”
Logan arrived holding an armful of blankets and dropping them, said, “More are coming. What else do you need?”
Pulling Logan aside and, in a voice so low Reif and Brian wouldn’t hear him, Ian said, “After the eggs are here, they need to be kept warm so see if Slate can arrange for battery-powered incubators to be flown here and then back with the eggs to Inverness. They’ll be very fragile and can’t be taken back on your dragon.
Oh, and one other thing, even though I now have moonlight, it would help if you can find me some lights. ”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Logan said, heading for the front of the castle to intercept Slate.
“Reif,” Ian said, walking over to him. “I don’t know how long it will take for each egg to emerge, but it’s critical your sea dragon remains quiet and calm throughout the entire process.
As each one comes out, I’ll swaddle it in blankets to keep it warm.
I don’t want you to worry about them…just concentrate on your job, Okay? ”