Chapter 42
Sitting on their bed next to Brian, Reif kept looking at the ultrasound pictures Colton handed to him after each of their eggs were examined. “Our five babies, Nessie. Can you believe it?” he asked.
“Ay, and they’re all healthy, too,” Brian replied, his voice breaking slightly as he gazed at them. After his discussion with Colton last night, he feared his mate would blame himself if something had happened to the babies, but the gods and Fates had smiled upon them.
“Have you thought about any names?” Reif asked Brian.
“Naw, nae yet. Have ye?”
“Uh-uh. That’s okay, we have time,” Reif murmured, running his finger over one of the images.
“When I first found out the babies would arrive in six months, I thought it was way too soon; I wasn’t ready to be a daddy that quickly.
But now I can’t wait to see them, and three more months seems like forever. ”
“I thought yer goin’ to fuck my brains out before they come,” Brian smirked. “If that does nae make the time pass quickly, I dinna know what would.”
“You’re right,” Reif laughed. “Three months of nothing but fucking should make time fly.”
“Sounds guid,” Nessie said. “But I think we should spend some of the time searching for a bigger house.”
Sticking his head in the doorway, Logan said, “Hey, Oracle wants to speak to you guys.”
Rising, Reif took Nessie’s hand, pulling his mate up.
“Let’s go see what she has to say.” Rounding the hallway corner, Reif was impressed with the job Kieran and Fionn had done, rearranging the living room furniture to make room for the new incubators.
Grinning at everyone standing around the perimeter of the living room, he and Nessie sat down on the sofa.
Glancing at Nessie, then reaching for his hand, Reif interlaced their fingers before looking at Oracle.
“I have a message from the Fates for you, Reif,” Oracle said. “Do you mind if everyone stays to hear it?”
Shaking his head, Reif said, “No, go ahead.”
“As promised, I related to the Fates what happened to the sea dragons and also asked my friend Mystia about it, thinking it might be a spell the witches had cast over Angelopoulos, to prevent your people from finding Fated Mates. She assured me no witch’s spell could ever block the power of the Fates, but did raise the question of whether the witches used black magic.
During my discussion with the Fates, they confirmed their power trumps a witch’s spell… ”
“But what about a black magic spell?” asked Reif. “Doesn’t that include summoning demons or other evil spirits? Is that what prevented sea dragons from finding their Fated Mates for so long?”
“Yes. The Fates tracked down a demon who confessed to his role in the scheme, and they ordered him to remove the spell,” said Oracle.
“My people will start finding their Fated Mates?”
“Yes, and may I say, much to the delight of the Fates,” Oracle smiled.
“That’s good, but something’s still bothering me,” Reif said, frowning. “How did the witches find out about us in the first place? The gods assured us we’d be safe.”
“It seems that the god who created the sea dragons…” Oracle began.
“He did it?” interrupted Reif. “But the gods told us he wouldn’t bother us again!”
“And he did not. But he was rather angry about being forbidden to use the sea dragons anymore so he began to complain about how unfairly he had been treated and, unfortunately, Eris heard him one day and…”
“Eris? Goddess of chaos?” asked Reif.
“Yes. Apparently she was bored and, when Valerian tried to steal from her, she decided to create some chaos on earth using the sea dragons. She set herself up as the new head of Valerian’s coven, giving the vampires orders to find two witches who knew the art of black magic.
Once that had been accomplished, she prevailed on Notos to create a wild storm to darken the sky over Angelopoulos, so the arrival of the vampires and witches would be more menacing when they appeared in the town square. ”
“Mom,” interrupted Slate, “Notos is the goddess of summer rain storms, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Eris was having fun for a thousand years at the expense of my people’s happiness?” Reif exclaimed, infuriated at the price he and his father had paid for her capricious act.
“Not quite. It seems she ‘forgot’ about the sea dragons and only remembered them when the Fates began asking questions,” explained Oracle. “According to the Fates, it was then she ‘remembered’ and told the vampires she was ending the arrangement with the sea dragons and was leaving the coven.”
“Was this before or after the vampires took me for my eggs?” asked Reif.
“Before. You can imagine how angry Valerian was when he realized his opulent lifestyle might come to an end, so he decided to acquire his own gang of thieves by taking your eggs.”
“But how did they find out about my sea dragon’s pregnancy?” asked Reif.
“The Fates let it slip when trying to find out who was responsible for forcing your people to steal again. Then Eris mentioned it to Valerian and the vampire seized upon it.”
By now, Reif had calmed down and was once again sitting next to Brian. In a subdued voice, he asked Oracle, “Will Eris or the demon be punished for what they did to me and my people?”
“While I cannot tell you exactly what was decided, suffice to say, yes, they will,” replied Oracle.
“What about the witches?” asked Logan.
“Mystia is tracking them down and they will be dealt with accordingly,” Oracle answered. “I understand the vampires have been killed, is that correct?”
“Yes, they won’t be bothering the sea dragons anymore,” replied Logan.
Then Reif remembered, “Their representative is still out there. Will he try to take our babies?”
“No. While I cannot tell you about him, you have the word of the Fates he will never harm another sea dragon,” replied Oracle.
“Well, that’s guid to know,” Brian said, smiling at his mate.
“It is,” muttered Reif, “but I’m still angry about a god thinking it’s all right to do that to my people, not to mention that the vampires nearly killed our babies.”
“I agree with you, Reif,” said Oracle, “and that is why I’ve decided to right a wrong, or at least part of it.” Picking up an envelope next to her teacup, Oracle handed it to the sea dragon. “Go ahead, open it.”
Glancing at Nessie who nodded at him, Reif removed his hand from his mate’s and tore open the flap. Looking inside, he found a bunch of documents, one of which was a photograph of a large, stone house, overlooking a body of water, which he passed to Brian.
“Do you like it?” Oracle asked.
“Of course. It’s stunning,” Reif murmured.
“Brian, do you feel the same way?”
“Ay.”
“I am so happy,” Oracle smiled. “I bought that house for you and your babies. It is isolated on Loch Ness so Brian will be close to his business. However, if you would rather have a different house, please tell me, and Maximus will take care of it.”
Shocked, Reif exclaimed, “No, no, this is too much!”
“Ay, Oracle, thank ye for yer gesture but ye did nae wrong my mate,” said Brian.
“I well know that,” Oracle replied. “But please hear me out.
In this paranormal world of ours, I have seen and heard of so many horrible acts of cruelty committed by both humans and other paranormals.
Why it happens, I cannot say, but my husband and sons have spent their whole lives fighting it, trying to right the wrongs others have done.
At times I envy them, because their lives are enriched so much by the simple act of giving.
And although my job as an oracle is rewarding, still, I am only a messenger bearing gifts from the Fates.
“When I heard what Eris had done and, what the vampires tried to do to your precious babies, I saw an opportunity to step into my husband’s and sons’ shoes to right the wrong…
at least a small part of it…that had been done to Reif.
I know nothing can ever make up for the pain and suffering you, your father, and the rest of the sea dragons have experienced for the last thousand years, but I am hoping that by giving your babies a place where they can grow up, safe and secure from harm, it might help a small bit.
So you see, it would give me the greatest of pleasure if you would accept my gift. ”
Reif exchanged glances with Brian and, when he saw a short nod, turned to Oracle and said in a voice filled with emotion, “Thank you on behalf of Nessie, myself, and our babies.”
“You are welcome,” Oracle said. “I understand Ian has proclaimed all your babies healthy.”
“Yes, he has,” replied Reif.
“That is certainly good news and, to make sure everything goes well during the next three months, my husband has asked a friend to be Ian’s successor as the babies’ doctor until they are a month old and have completed their first shift.
Dr. Juan Luna will arrive tomorrow and Ian can brief him then,” Oracle said.
Tears came to Reif’s eyes when he heard another doctor would be taking over after Ian left for California.
He hadn’t mentioned anything to Nessie, but he’d been afraid that if something happened to the young sea dragons, medical care might be impossible to find.
Now that fear was gone. Looking at his mate, Reif grinned through his tears, seeing Nessie was relieved, too.
“Oracle, we dinna know what to say. All I can tell ye is knowing a doctor will be there to help with our babies if they need one has taken a big worry off us,” Brian said.
“Maximus will be pleased,” Oracle said. “Now, would you like to see your new home? I have a car waiting to take you there. The house comes furnished; however, it doesn’t have a nursery so if you’ll open the small white envelope…”
Shuffling the stuff in his hand until he found it, then passing it to Nessie, Reif said, “Here, you open this one.”
“It’s a check,” Nessie said, astonished.
“It’s for you two, to use for anything you want, including making the house a real home for them,” Oracle smiled. “Now, ready to go?”