Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Caspian
I watch as my mate and her mate sleep with their children snuggled between them. I know there is nothing down here that can hurt them, but I want to be here in case they need anything. I also need to leave them and go back to the surface to give everyone else an update. I told Link I was going radio silent, and we still haven’t announced the babies’ sexes to the others yet. I think if I make them wait any longer, they may try to swim to the bottom of the pool themselves. I’m sure the warlock is already trying to plot how he can spell the others to breathe underwater.
After I place a kiss on each of their foreheads, I make my way to the surface. I find most of Lila’s mates there in various states of impatience. Echo and Maxsim are both in feline form, their eyes closed as they wait patiently. Link is making notes on the tablet built into his arm. I’m sure he’s recording everything that happened in case Nikos ever has another pregnancy, though I doubt he wants to go through that again anytime soon—it was brutal. Lila’s egg laying was practically a walk in the park compared to that. I could tell by the horrified look on her face whenever Nik wasn’t looking.
My gaze slides to the pregnant omega, and I pray that his isn’t anything like that, because Maxsim will lose his shit.
Saxon and Xavier are the most agitated. They pace back and forth, growls of annoyance rumbling from their chests. They are the ones that sound like shifters at the moment, and I stifle the laughter that gathers in my chest. They both look like they would dive in and tackle me, and I know Saxon hates water.
My gaze slides to the grandpas. They have made themselves comfortable, bringing down a little table and chairs from the upper levels. They have coffee and are playing a game of cards with Silac and Tirrian. I hear muttering as the pot grows and cards are exchanged. I grimace. I’ve played cards with the Adams brothers in the past and have been lucky not to lose my shirt. They are card sharks.
Brannock and Zeydan have also brought down chairs from the upper levels, and they are sitting in a far corner, murmuring quietly to each other. I know Zeydan felt guilty about not being able to help Ghosie, so I wonder if he’s trying to work out the root of the Aaz’axian curse. Zeydan is still an unknown entity, but I genuinely believe he doesn’t mean any of us any harm. He helped Lila defeat the Madovians and get to the middle of the death forest. He claims she’s his mate, and who am I to argue with a god? The only people missing are Ghosie, whom I’m assuming is watching the other children, and Broderick, who is either manning the ship or resting.
Maxsim is the first to notice my head poking above the water, and he rumbles a purr, then everyone’s eyes swing to me.
“Well?” Xavier demands, putting his hands on his hips and glaring down at me.
“I’d like to announce the arrival of two new members of the family. Nikos gave birth to a beautiful baby boy first, followed by a gorgeous baby girl who looks just like her mama. Congratulations, Daddies and Grandpas.”
Shouting and cheering echo through the cavern as everyone celebrates the arrival of our new ones. Hugs are exchanged, and everyone is beaming like they were the ones who gave birth themselves.
“Is Nik okay?” Link asks, and the worry on his face makes my already mushy feelings for the cyborg even mushier.
“It was a long, hard labor, and the pain was great, but he is fine—exhausted but fine. When I left them, they were sleeping. Nik nursed them, and his body is recovering like you predicted,” I assure the cyborg, and he nods, relief finally gleaming in his eyes as he smiles.
“That’s great. It should take a few hours for his birthing slit to close and return to normal. The more he feeds, the faster it should happen,” he explains distractedly, making more notes.
“The babies have voracious appetites. I bet Nik will be back to normal quicker than ever.”
“Yes, multiple births aren’t common on Aquilia, so you may be right. Twice the sucking action.” He types a few more notes.
“What about names?” Saxon asks, and I shake my head.
“I’m sorry, my friend. I don’t know. We didn’t get a chance to discuss it.”
He looks disappointed. “Never mind, I can’t wait to meet them. How long do you think they’ll nap for?” He looks longingly at the water, and I stifle the smile that wants to cross my lips. Who would have thought General Saxon would be so excited to meet babies?
“I’m not sure. Nikos was exhausted. It certainly wasn’t as easy as laying kraken eggs. Why don’t we all go have something to eat and check on the children? I’m sure they are nagging Ghosie to come visit, and then we can all return. If we write a list of names that we like, maybe that will help them with a decision.”
Xavier has been quiet all this time. I could tell he was still trying to figure out how he could get to the bottom of the pool. I’m sure if we were much longer, he would have conjured a bubble of air around his head and teleported into the pool, but my suggestion has him swinging his attention back to everyone.
“Caspian is right. We are excellent at naming babies and should definitely write a list of suggestions.”
One of the grandpas snorts indelicately, and Xavier scowls in their direction but can’t figure out which one it was. I’m almost certain it was Eric, but I decide not to drop him in the shit. I do wonder if Xavier will be so open to “suggestions” when it comes to naming his offspring.
William plays a card, and the rest of the men at the table groan loudly. He smirks and pulls the pot closer to him then starts to shove his winnings into his pockets. “Sounds like a great idea to me. I’m ready to eat something,” he announces.
“Of course you are,” John grumbles. “You just took us for all our money.”
I climb out of the pool, staying in my half kraken form, and Link tosses a towel at me so I can dry off. I’m eager to go back to our suite and snuggle with my own children and tell them about their new brother and sister. “Maybe the kids might have some name suggestions as well,” I say, tongue-in-cheek, knowing that if they had their way, our new babies would definitely be named after one of their favorite cartoon characters.
“It won’t hurt to have a list. With as many mates as Lila has, I’m sure there will be many more children,” Eric says gleefully, rubbing his hands together. “Lots and lots of grandbabies to spoil, not to mention many Adams to help with the circus. Maybe one day we will have enough that we won’t ever have to hire any acts. Right, brothers?” He slaps John on the shoulder, who nods his head.
“Wouldn’t that be lovely?”
Everyone makes their way up the stairs and back to the suite. There are a lot of names being tossed around, and I feel a small amount of pity for Nikos, but not too small, because I had to deal with the same thing, although it all worked out in the end.
T wo hours later, Tirrian and I return to the Aquilian pool with three excited little kraken babies who are just about jumping out of their skin. The rest are going to follow in an hour or so, but they decided we should have a swim first so as not to overwhelm the new ones. I’m not sure if it’s the right decision, but Jack, Cordy, and Cally wouldn’t take no for an answer. Tirrian also has a list of names on the tablet tucked under his arm.
We leave it on the card table in the bottom cavern before the babies shift into their kraken forms. They don’t have a half form yet, but I caution them to be gentle with their new siblings and tell them that they are their protectors. I’m not sure if it will work, but thankfully the new little ones seemed quite sturdy when they were playing with my tentacles, so I’m hoping it won’t be too much for them. The four of us enter the water and wait for Tirrian to shift. He strips off his clothes, and before I can blink, he shifts into his water dragon form. I haven’t seen it before, and I know he is usually much bigger, but he has taken a smaller size so he can swim around the pool. Unlike his air dragon, this one is turquoise green, but his eye color is the same as his other dragon. His body is long, like a serpent, and his four legs don’t look like they could hold him up on land. This form doesn’t look to have wings, but he has webbing between each of his toes, and long, mustache-like tendrils draping down on either side of his elongated snout. He slithers elegantly into the water, barely splashing, and swims toward us, using his legs to propel himself through the water. The children swim around him, and their cries of delight are loud in my head.
Look at Daddy Dragon. He is so pretty , Cordelia says, brushing her body against him. So shiny.
He blows out a breath, and bubbles encase the children, who squeal with delight. I wince at the piercing sounds rattling my brain. They frolic a little, but then I remember that the others are sleeping, so I caution them to be quiet.
We need to be quiet now. We don’t want to give the new babies a fright. How about you jump on Daddy Dragon’s back, and we will go meet your new brother and sister?
All three of them suction onto Tirrian’s back, and the five of us swim downward. It’s not far to the bottom, and when they see the anemone, I can feel their curiosity, even though they stay silent.
We’re almost to the formation when Lila swims out with a huge smile on her face, and she opens her arms wide. My babies, I missed you. Come give Mama a cuddle , she calls to them. She looks radiant as the three krakens swarm her, giving her tentacles kisses. I can hear them chattering inside her head, asking question after question. She just laughs and does her best to answer them before swimming toward Tirrian and giving him a kiss on the nose.
Hello, beastie. I missed you too. I haven’t gotten to see you in this form since the mating dome , she teases him, and I remember the story of the large, horny water dragon and chuckle.
He blushes adorably, obviously able to hear her in his head too, and sticks out his tongue, slowly dragging it over her body. I see her shudder and wonder if it’s in disgust or a lustier feeling.
The children are impatient, and Jack tries to swim into the anemone but stops as soon as he brushes against one of its tentacles and it stings him. He starts to cry, and Lila quickly gathers him into her arms, soothing him.
You can’t swim in there, it will sting you. You have to wait. Daddy Nik will bring the babies out to you, but remember they are smaller than you, so you have to be gentle , she tells our children, and Jack stops sobbing and promises to be gentle.
How is he doing? I ask our wife, and she beams at me.
He’s wonderful. The babies have nursed every half hour or so, and his body has mostly recovered. He slept through most of it, but I have been watching over them. They have big appetites.
Have you named them yet? Tirrian asks, his eyes not shifting from the anemone. I can see the longing in his gaze. I think his dragons are as desperate as my kraken was for Lila to lay their eggs. He may get a chance sooner than the others too, because he will share the job of sitting on their nest. Lila won’t be solely responsible like she was for most of our pregnancy.
No, not yet. Nikos would like everyone’s input . Lila screws up her nose slightly. Not that I think that’s such a great idea, but he insists.
I chuckle and feel a rush of love for our merman. He has certainly lost that selfish streak, and I’m proud of him.
That’s lucky, since everyone definitely has their opinions. There is a list on a tablet back in the cavern if you would like to read over it , I tell her, and she rolls her eyes, laughing.
Of course there is.
Before either Tirrian or I can respond, Nikos pokes his head out, and a smile lights up his face when he sees Tirrian and the children. He turns back the way he came and calls, Come on, little ones, come and meet another daddy and your brother and sisters .
He swims farther out, and I scan his body. Lila is right, his tail has mostly closed up. There’s still a slight line, but even that’s not as long as it was during labor. He still looks a little tired, but that’s to be expected. My attention soon swings to the two beings following him, and a smile creeps across my lips. They are perfect, miniature versions of their parents, and it seems like they may have inherited their boldness too, because instead of waiting for the dragon and our other children to come to them, they dart around their dad faster than any of us expected and swim directly in front of the smaller yet still intimidating dragon. Our little krakens leave their mother’s side and swim over more cautiously than the merlings, and I can feel their curiosity and nerves. Instead of being their usual bulldozer selves, they wait and watch.
Nikos quickly gets over his surprise and swims over to them. This is Daddy Dragon , he tells the two little ones, rubbing a hand over Tirrian’s snout. I watch with amusement as the water dragon leans into the affection. And this is Jack, your brother . He points to my son before gesturing to each girl in turn. And Cordelia and Calypso are your sisters .
The merlings study their new family members seriously, and I hold my breath in anticipation. Tirrian huffs a breath of air that creates a multitude of bubbles that swirl around the little ones. They giggle and swat at the bubbles with their hands, which is enough to jolt the krakens into action. They join the fun, and the five of them zip in and out of the bubbles and around the dragon like they are playing a game of tag. Once the merlings are capable of speech, they will all be able to communicate inside their heads like we do, but that won’t happen until after their first shift. Link said it takes about two weeks for them to shift for the first time, similar to my babies. He thinks they will probably be human-sized toddlers as well, with advanced speech, unlike human babies.
Well, that looks like it’s going well. Shall we go to the surface and look over the list so we can finally give our babies names? Lila asks, putting her hand around Nik’s waist and leaning her head against his shoulder as we watch our babies play together, the delighted dragon blowing bubbles for their enjoyment.
I would love nothing more , he replies, no sign of the ditsy airhead he portrayed so effectively.