Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
KELLAN
The wide-eyed blank stares from Aurin and Salem and the train of bubbles that escaped Salem would have been funny in any other circumstance.
You said the party with the faun was a winter festival, yes?
Yes. To celebrate the coming of winter, to appease the gods in return for...
Salem didn’t need to finish that.
Fertility, Kellan provided. Did you have sex that night?
Aurin was still too stunned to speak. His eyes were wide, and he paled.
Yes, Salem answered quietly. His skin rippled as if guilt shivered through him. He shook his head, his arms coiling around Aurin protectively. He’s... Are you saying he’s...
Kellan wanted to hug them both, but he needed to get the facts out first. Aurin’s body is preparing to spawn.
It felt as if the water went utterly still.
Aurin blinked twice. Preparing to what?
To lay eggs, Kellan said calmly.
Salem made a strangled noise.
Aurin stared in horror. No.
Yes.
No.
Kellan smiled at Aurin. You’re exhibiting all the markers. Temperature dysregulation, nesting instincts, abdominal pressure and distending, involuntary shifting as if your body was telling you to morph. Then he gestured to Aurin’s abdomen, which did look a little swollen.
Aurin looked down at himself and he gasped. Oh.
Did you say nesting instincts? Salem repeated weakly.
Kellan was glad he was listening. His need to get your room ready. And there were a lot of blankets.
Aurin looked offended. I was cold.
You were building a den, Kellan said.
I was not— Aurin stopped, then looked at Salem. Oh my god.
Kellan continued, professionally merciless. Cephamorphic reproduction is something many males choose to enter into, but Salem, given your lineage and the fertility ritual...
Salem changed shape very abruptly, as if burgeoning with guilt, then blinked back to himself. This is... this is my fault.
Aurin blinked, and then he was cradling Salem and not the other way around.
I seem to recall being a very willing participant.
In fact, I think it was me who seduced you.
The first time anyway. Second time was all you.
Then he caressed the side of Salem’s face.
It’s not your fault. If anyone or anything is to blame, it’s the honey mead.
Kellan snorted. No one is to blame. Salem, you did nothing wrong.
After a long moment, Salem’s eyes met his. Okay. Okay. So… He shuddered hard. Is he in danger?
Kellan’s expression softened immediately. No. Uncomfortable, yes. Vulnerable, certainly. But healthy. He’ll need to stay in cephamorphic form.
Salem exhaled for what felt like the first time in an hour.
Aurin, meanwhile, looked betrayed by the universe itself. How long? How long is this... Shouldn’t I have to pee on a stick or something?
Salem’s wide eyes landed on Aurin. Pardon?
Aurin shrugged. It’s a human thing.
Kellan actually smiled. We don’t have the same hormone indicators as humans, so there’s no need. I could order you a pregnancy test, but you can’t morph back to human until you’ve had your clutch. And as for duration? I’m unsure, given your offspring will be part old god.
My clutch... Aurin blinked again, slowly this time. I thought I was hungover. Or had food poisoning, or something.
They were both quiet for a long moment, and Kellan let them sit there with their thoughts. It was, without doubt, a lot to get their minds around. They wrapped themselves around each other, and when Salem held Aurin close, he snuggled in and let himself be held. We’re having babies.
Salem held him tighter, then moved them slowly to a rocky wall under the pier and turned his body into what looked like a part of the rock, hiding them as best he could.
Kellan was sure then that they’d be okay.
I will go tell the others. He turned to leave them in peace but stopped.
For what it’s worth, I think it’s wonderful.
Congratulations. You’re going to have one very excited and protective group of uncles up there.
Oh, and Pania, of course. Still getting used to having a woman on the team....
Anyway, I’m sure they’ll want to come see you, but I’ll tell them to give you some space right now.
He shot up to the surface, then climbed up onto the pier in human form. Dylan and Hendrix were there, waiting anxiously. Hendrix handed him a towel, and Dylan swallowed hard before he could speak. “Is he okay? Kellan, please.”
Kellan pulled them into a hug; the relief he felt at their touch was still a palpable thing. He pulled back and couldn’t stop the grin from splitting his face. “Oh yes. We need to see Ciaran.”
He dried off with the towel and redressed quickly before the three of them found Ciaran in his store, going through an inventory sheet with Sawyer.
“Hey,” Ciaran said, taking in the three of them. He put his pen down, giving them his undivided attention. “What’s up? Is Aurin okay? He’s still not well, I hear.”
Kellan was still smiling. “Well, about that. I have news I think everyone will want to hear.”
Kellan stood at the front of the room. Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, and utterly silent.
Until Fray burst out laughing. “What the fuck?” he cried, then he snorted. “Pregnant?” Then he threw his head back and laughed. “Oh holy...” Then his eyes somehow got larger, as did his smile. “Is he... is he having a clutch or a litter?” Then he looked at Tobin. “What if he has kittens?”
Tobin swallowed back a laugh, glancing at Kellan before taking Fray’s hand. “I don’t think it works like that...” Then he turned back to Kellan. “Does it work like that?”
“I, uh... I don’t know. I’ve never encountered the direct descendent of an old god having offspring, so...
” He shrugged. “There’s a lot of unknowns at play here.
But,” he said, with emphasis, “his body needs to be cephamorphic. He will definitely lay eggs, so I think we can safely assume it’s not kittens.
Though, given Salem’s lineage also includes a Mimic, I think they will be in octoform in the clutch, but we don’t know exactly what abilities the offspring will have. Or what they will be when they emerge.”
“I hope it’s kittens,” Fray whispered, and Tobin shushed him.
Ciaran stood beside Kellan. “We need to be on the same page right now,” he said, giving Fray a pointed look.
“Aurin is vulnerable. He cannot be in human form, and Salem will be extra protective. I think it’s safe to assume he won’t be leaving Aurin’s side anytime soon.
We need to protect them both. We will take shifts to guard them and to bring them food. ”
“Of course,” Tobin said.
“Gonna be an uncle,” Otis said, grin wide. “Hell yes.”
Pania held Otis’s hand, her joy matching his. “What does he need from us? What can we do?”
Ciaran looked at Kellan to answer that.
“I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “This is new for all of us, and especially for Aurin and Salem. Keeping them safe and fed is a good place to start.”
Otis gave a serious nod, his smile now a threatening glare. “No one and nothing is getting near them.”
Kellan put his hand up, trying to pacify the big guy. “We should ask Aurin and Salem what they want first,” he said. “They’ve had an intense few weeks, so the last thing we want to do is stress them out.”
“Sawyer and I will go up and speak to Cern,” Ciaran said. “He may be able to shed some light on what we can expect.”
“Aurin will be okay, though, right?” Dylan asked.
The worry in his eyes, the way he wrung his hands, turned Kellan’s gut sour. Hendrix pulled Dylan closer and murmured something in his ear before he kissed Dylan’s head, and Kellan was so grateful for him.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Kellan said gently. “They have us, and Cern, if needed. If Aurin needs anything, he’ll help, I’m sure of it.”
But then Tobin turned toward the door, eyes narrowed. “Shit,” he said. Then Kellan could hear it too.
A boat.
Tobin had always had an ear for hearing approaching boats, so it was no surprise, and Kellan rarely gave passing fishermen a second thought.
But it was different now.
“I’ll see what they want,” Fray said, giving Tobin’s thigh a quick pat. “Go, babe. Go do your thing.”
Tobin shot up and out the door, racing across to the water before the boat had any chance of seeing him, and he dived into the water.
Everyone was standing now, facing the sound of the approaching boat. “It’s probably just a refuel or a quick mechanical fix,” Fray said, walking with a casual pace across to the pier.
“What’s Tobin doing?” Hudson asked. “Is he doing his shield thing?”
“Yeah,” Ciaran replied. “Let’s just hope Salem doesn’t mind.”
TOBIN
Diving into the cove to protect Aurin and Salem had been an instinctual reaction, and his best intentions wouldn’t count for anything if he couldn’t find them. Kellan had said they were hiding down near the sea floor, and seeing Aurin’s golden shimmer should have been easy.
Had they moved?
Tobin skimmed along the bottom of the wall. Aurin! Salem! Where are you?
Just in front of him, a craggy part of the rock fell away and before Tobin could blink, it spun around and then a small black shark snapped at him, the sharp teeth missing him by a whisker.
Holy fuck! Tobin pulled back, his protective shield ballooning instantly—what little good it would have done against the shark’s teeth—but then Tobin recognised the yellow eyes at the same time that he saw a flicker of gold behind the shark.
Salem, it’s me, Tobin said. Christ, you scared the life out of me.
The shark rippled back into Salem’s cephamorph form. Sorry, I...
It’s fine, Tobin said. Aurin, how you holding up?
His timid eyes peered out from behind Salem. I’m okay, he said, but then golden arms wound around Salem, pulling him closer.
We have a boat incoming, Tobin explained.
Yes, we can hear it, Salem murmured.