Chapter 15
Fifteen
Keoni
Zephyr slid lower, seeming utterly fascinated by my nipples as he lowered his head over the right one.
Just as he was about to close his mouth over it, a bang sounded somewhere close, followed by a flurry of knocks against the bedroom door.
We shared a glance, and Zephyr sat up as I leaned up on an elbow, both of us staring at the door as if we could see through it if we tried hard enough.
"What is it?" I called out.
At the same time, Zephyr said, "Don't come in."
There was a moment of silence. Then Touya said, in a slightly offended tone, "I would never!" Then he seemed to remember why he'd knocked, and added, "It's happening! Dustin's gone into labor."
My eyes widened as Zephyr shot to his feet and I rolled off the bed and onto mine, grabbing my shirt and quickly putting it back on as Zephyr used magic to quickly put his clothes on, cloak included.
Touya was already gone when we opened the door, and we raced to the Forest. Everyone seemed to have woken up, and people gathered around Khush and Dustin's apartment.
"I'll go check in with them, see if they need anything," Zephyr murmured, and I nodded, staying back as he went inside. I wouldn't be able to go up the stairs anyway, and I'd be in the way.
I walked over to Silas, who leaned against a tree with Touya in his arms. They both smiled at me as I approached, though Silas wrinkled his nose.
"Didn't have time for a shower, huh?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Obviously. And I don't stink that bad," I growled, making him chuckle.
"I'm just glad you're finally getting some," he teased as Touya smacked his arm, and I shook my head.
Zephyr returned a few minutes later, and he joined us, leaning against my side with a sigh.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, but there were too many people so I decided to wait here. Michelle will call if she needs anything."
For the next few hours, we stood or sat in a group, holding vigil outside the house as we waited for news. The silencing ward around Khush's place was active, so we wouldn't know anything until someone came out.
Just as the sun was starting to rise, the door opened, and Michelle came out with a wide smile on her face.
I relaxed instantly, and waited with bated breath as she walked over. Sofia rushed up to her, and they hugged tightly before separating and continuing toward us.
"How's Dustin?" I asked as soon as she was close enough, and she beamed at me.
"He's okay. Exhausted, but happy. Everything went well."
"And the baby?" Zephyr asked, and her smile turned mysterious as he glanced up at the house.
Because of Khush's claustrophobia, their bedroom was on the second floor-slash-roof of the house, with one way magic walls making up the room and ceiling. It kept Khush from feeling trapped while also blocking people from getting an eyeful.
As we watched, the front wall flickered, then disappeared. Khush grinned at us, and my eyes widened as I saw the bundle in his arms. I couldn't see much of the baby from here, but they were crying up a storm, which was supposed to mean they were healthy.
Zephyr sucked in a breath, and at first I thought it was because of the baby. But then I spotted movement around Khush's neck, and my eyes widened when I spotted a slim, green snake wrapped around his neck. It took me a moment to connect the dots.
"Twins?" I shouted, walking closer to get a better look. Fuck, I wanted to go up there. I had a feeling Khush wouldn't be going more than ten steps away from his mate for the foreseeable future, so there was no chance he'd come downstairs.
Khush nodded, and I'd never quite seen that mix of adoration and excitement on his face. Fuck, my best friend was a dad now.
"They didn't show up in the ultrasound, thankfully," he said, and I shook my head.
"I really, really want to hug you right now," I mumbled, then shook my head. "But Dustin probably doesn't need me trampling around right now. Later?"
"Later," Khush agreed, and I stepped back as others took my place, cooing over the babies as I turned to Zephyr, my eyes wide.
He pulled me into a hug, and I sank into his strong arms, overwhelmed. My best friend was a father. Wow.
"Why am I so shocked that Khush is a dad? I mean, I had a nine-month warning this was gonna happen," I said with a chuckle, and Zephyr hummed.
"Come on, let's go get some sleep. Touya, I'm sure everyone's heard by now, and I'm sure you're sleepy as well. Sorry to bother you, but could you spread the good news and let everyone know they can get some sleep? We can start our day at lunch tomorrow. Just let Jacinta know so food isn't wasted."
"You got it, Headmaster," Touya said with a smile, and Zephyr led me back to his room. We hadn't really talked about me staying last night, but I was glad Zephyr wanted me with him.
We slid into bed after undressing, and I wrapped my arms around Zephyr, then paused when my hand brushed the metal of his prosthetic.
"Zephyr, you need to take your arm off."
Zephyr sighed, but didn't move, and I leaned up on an elbow to look at him.
"You know I wouldn't look at you any different without it, right?"
He hesitated, then nodded, and I pressed a kiss on his temple. "If you still don't feel comfortable, how about I put on a blindfold? I won't look. I just want you to be comfortable."
Zephyr grumbled under his breath, then sat up with his back to me. He reached up with his right hand, and fiddled with the prosthetic, though I couldn't see it from this angle. The prosthetic clicked, whirred, and came away in his hand.
He placed it on the nightstand, then lay back down and quickly pulled the blanket up to his shoulder. Since he didn't want me to see, I didn't try to catch a peek either. I hoped he would trust me with all of himself one day, but I could be patient.
I wrapped my arm around his waist, tugging him back against my chest, and he sighed in contentment.
Letting my own eyes fall shut, I drifted off quickly, exhausted after the night's events.
I'd given the first blowjob of my life to my first crush, and then my first and best friend became a dad.
Wait, that sounded weird in a single sentence.
Zephyr
The next day, or later that day, to be accurate, the Sanctuary was in full celebration mode. Jacinta cooked up a veritable feast, and we spent the time from lunch to dinner in the Dining Room, though people kept dipping in and out to check on Dustin and Khush.
Michelle had insisted Dustin stay in bed for at least a few days to regain his strength, and Khush was taking her words as gospel, if Dustin's irritated shouted "I can piss on my own, dammit!" was anything to go by.
The other humans had decided to take up the job of keeping Dustin from killing his mate from sheer annoyance, and Touya and Liam were especially good at it.
"Let me go, you shadowy asshole!" I blinked as Khush pulled away from Shade, who'd just appeared in the middle of the Dining Room with Khush and Diego in tow. He quickly sank into Diego's shadow, probably more to get away from Khush than the lights.
"Dustin said Khush needs a break," Diego said with a strained smile, and I assumed the words Dustin had used were a lot less genial.
"I don't need a break. I need to be with Dustin," Khush growled, but before he could aim for the exit, Keoni threw his arms around him.
"Finally! I've been wanting to hug you since yesterday. Hey!" Keoni cried out as Khush pushed him back, and I stepped forward. No matter how annoyed Khush was, I wouldn't let him harm Keoni.
But then a small green snake slithered out of his tank top and around his neck, and I realized Khush had been trying to keep his kid from getting squished.
"Oh my God! They're so cute!" Keoni exclaimed, completely sidetracked. "Have you named them yet?"
"This is Aspen," Khush said, patting the little snake's back with a finger, "and the other one is Reign. I think you can guess who named whom."
Since Khush had long since given up his last name and everything it signified, the babies would be called Reign and Aspen Harvell. They were good names.
As more and more people wanted a peek at baby Aspen, Khush relented and hung around for a while, which I imagined was what Dustin had wanted. He may have acted annoyed when he sent Khush away, but I was pretty sure he'd just wanted his mate to take a break.
Khush had been focused on Dustin non-stop since he got pregnant, taking care of his every need and ignoring his own.
He'd lived in a cramped apartment for Dustin's sake, stayed up watching over him who knew how many nights.
And I imagined they both had many sleepless nights in their future, though we'd try to help out as often as possible.
They both needed to take any time off they could get.
Pulling my phone out, I texted Touya to make sure Khush and Dustin weren't added to the chore rotation for at least the next two years. They needed to focus on their kids, and I didn't think anyone in the Sanctuary would mind picking up the slack.
"What are you up to?" Keoni asked as he sidled up beside me with a plate stacked full of bite-sized finger foods.
I showed him the text I'd sent, and he smiled, then fed me some of the food.
By the time we returned to my bedroom, it was past midnight and I was exhausted. Who knew celebrating and being happy could tire you out too?
Like last night, we curled up together in bed again, and I removed my arm and pulled the sheets up like yesterday too. I'd woken up before Keoni this morning and put my arm back on before he woke, and I planned to do the same this time.
Maybe some day, I'd feel comfortable letting him see the scarred remains of my left arm, but I wasn't there yet.
Keoni tugged me into his chest, and I sighed happily, soaking in the warmth of his skin. I smiled when he kissed my temple, and turned my head to share a sleepy kiss with him before I drifted off. I hoped I'd get to do this every night from now on.