17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Kes
“Mmm where did you get these?” I asked as I popped a handful of crispy squid and shrimp chips into my mouth, which my egg certainly seemed to approve of with the way it tickled my insides today.
“Kaika makes them,” Caspian replied.
“I love her,” I said around a mouthful as I munched on them.
“Me too.”
“I swear I’ve had something like this before,” I murmured as I took another bite.
Sometimes I hated that so much of my past was still a mystery.
The only one who truly understood what that felt like was Ronan.
It was something we only discussed when we were alone.
Little ears didn’t need to hear about worries, fears, or bad memories.
His dragon had protected him and got him safely to Dragon City, keeping his memories hidden from him until trust had formed between him and his mate.
The block that had existed between my dragon and I was both the same, and yet different too.
The separation had been forced upon us. Now that it was gone, my dragon and I were finally able to sort through fractured timelines, attempting to piece together the past.
The reason was simple enough.
As we’d shifted between forms the block had prevented us from experiencing the moments through each other’s eyes.
Removing the block was like there was a giant reboot happening at a time where there were so many new experiences that sometimes I forgot to pay attention to the old ones my dragon attempted to share.
Especially when I had something this good in my mouth.
The twins giggled and there it was, a little jiggle in my belly.
This was the first time I’d actually felt anything besides the waistband of my jeans growing tighter.
It had given me an excuse to buy more furry sleep pants with cartoon faces all over them.
Caspian had giggled at me when I’d been picking them out, because I’d bypassed every plain and striped pair I’d come across and gone straight for the fun ones.
“Why the fuzzy ones when you never get cold?” Caspian asked.
“I just like them better.”
That really was the only reason I’d gone that route. The fluff beneath my fingers reminded me of something I couldn’t fully put my finger on yet, but each time I stroked the legs of a pair, I felt more old memories come tumbling back.
Moss. Thick. Covered in tiny mushrooms. I’d lie there with my cheek pressed to it.
Warm. Summer. Sunshine.
Crumbling stones, ruins of an old watchtower of some kind.
The scent of the ocean carried along by a gentle breeze. In the distance I could see it shimmering, but the sound I heard wasn’t the waves lapping against the rocks below us. It was heartbeats throbbing from deep within the earth.
“Kes! Kes! Did you hear anything I said?”
“Uh-huh, you said, Kaika made the chips.”
Caspian laughed and shook his head at me. “That was three minutes ago.”
We were in our special place in the horde, enjoying snacks and a movie.
No lockdown this time, we’d simply come up here because we’d fallen in love with the space.
Whenever Mattias was required to be away from home, which happened a great deal, now that they had expanded their training to include comingling their powers.
Between the extra training and patrols we saw less and less of our mate.
Having been warriors ourselves, we understood completely and chose to come to the heart of our home, where we felt closest to him. He knew to look for us here first now.
He constantly stocked it with extra snacks too, including bread and peanut butter and fluff so we could have our fluffernutters whenever we wanted them.
“Sorry, I spaced off. What were you saying?”
“I’m more curious about what you were thinking about.”
“Just another memory,” I admitted. “They’ve been happening more frequently but there’s nothing helpful in them yet.”
“Soon, I’m sure.”
“I think so too. Last night, as I was falling sleep, I remembered hearing heartbeats beneath the earth and being drawn to a spot that overlooked the ocean. It was near an old watchtower on a cliff by the sea. I’ve dreamed about it ever since we built Hurley’s lighthouse.”
“He lived on land, once, a very long time ago,” Caspian said.
“Way before I was born. He said his home was by the edge of the sea and he was a lighthouse keeper. It wasn’t until I was older that he told the full story.
He wasn’t there to watch out for and warn human ships.
He lived there to keep watch for other dragons, so that he could warn us if a foe was lurking above the surface, waiting for one of us to appear.
It was a long-standing tradition among our people that a few hand selected guardians would live on land and act as lookouts in times when there was a threat to us.
Unfortunately, the threat grew too grave, and all were forced to hide deeper beneath the waves, or so the story goes.
I wonder if some chose to burrow beneath the earth instead. ”
“If I ever remember where I was, Baird and his warriors would be able to investigate further, the way they are doing with the shadow dragons,” I said. “Once again, Emerson’s maps came to the rescue.”
“I love that Mattias still shared all the details they uncover at their meetings,” Caspian said. “Wanna know what I love more?”
“That we don’t have to go too?” I replied, “’cause I do. I’d be so afraid of falling asleep in the middle of one and waking up to Ionus scowling at me. As soon as the urge to take a nap hits, I’m done. I was never a napper before.”
“I loved taking long naps wrapped in a bed of kelp,” Caspian replied dreamily. “Do you think Mattias could grow a kelp bed somewhere close to our beach?”
“You know he’ll do his best as long as conditions are favorable for it,” I said. “I know absolutely nothing about growing things though.”
“I think the waters here would be favorable,” Caspian said, “but Kaika would know for certain.”
“Do you think it’s possible to weave the kelp into a hammock?” I asked, already picturing myself rocking beneath the sea.
“Why don’t you try and then we can figure it out together,” Caspian offered.
“I love that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, tugging him closer so I could hold him now that we’d killed off our latest bowl of snacks. “Remember when Mattias asked if there was anything else we’d like to have added or changed while Donovan was doing the renovation.”
“I never understood why,” Caspian said. “The house is perfect.”
“That it is, but there is something that caught my eye when I was scrolling through streaming services the other day. I got so distracted I forgot which cartoon I’d been looking for.”
“Is that when I came in and found you watching that renovation show?”
“I wish you’d come in sooner. The part they were working on was utterly adorable and would be perfect for us, especially once the dragonets come.”
“Quit keeping me in suspense and tell me what it is!” Caspian shrieked, shaking me, though not as hard as he probably would have if I hadn’t been carrying an egg.
“A wide, enclosed, wrap around porch, with rocking chairs and shelves in a corner where Mattias can keep his paints and an easel.”
“Ohhh, I caught a glimpse of what you were talking about when the show did it’s flashback scene at the end. That would be amazing. Imagine rocking the babies and watching the sunset.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking about. We could have rocking chairs made. And double cradles so we could rock the babies while they’re sleeping too.”
“When it rains, we can sit outside and watch it fall. Does it snow here?” Caspian asked.
“Sometimes, but I can always make it snow.”
“That would be so pretty. Yes, we will have rain and snow and treats and sunsets and Mattias can paint to his hearts content since we’ll all be right there together.”
“Sounds perfect, we can tell him when he gets home.”
“I wonder if he ever gets bored patrolling?” Caspian asked.
“Better to be bored than to encounter dragons who shouldn’t be here,” I reminded him.
“True,” Caspian said. “It’s going to be so amazing to see the porch built, and the nursery, but I have a question I haven’t been able to ask anyone yet since every time it pops up in conversation another one happens so fast that I never get a chance to.”
“I’ll answer as best as I can.”
“When Mattias talked about the furniture he was having built, the one thing he didn’t mention was the nest I keep hearing about. Is Jacob going to build that too? I don’t want to wait until the last minute, like Emerson joked about.”
“I wasn’t here for that,” I replied, “but the stories I’ve heard paint an extremely chaotic picture that resulted in Odem leaping in to try to help Caro and Emerson threatening to bite both of their tails off if they didn’t do it just right.”
“Let’s avoid that, shall we and go ahead and ask Jacob to make the nest.”
Giggling, I nuzzled the back of my mate’s neck, licking over his skin just to taste the lingering salt from his morning swim. We tried to make it to the shore as often as possible, so he could spend time with the other Seadragons and slip into safe waters to enjoy himself.
“We make the nest,” I explained. “With soft blankets and pillows and anything else we’d like to add, much like this one.”
“Can this be our nest?”
“I’d like that, but we will need more blankets, and another layer of round, fluffy pillows so we can sink down into it and build railings along the edges, in case the eggs wobble.
That’s what Ronan said, anyway. I got to spend time with him in his nest. He had a giant one that covered the whole floor of the nursery.
I think I’d rather be in here though and if we nest here, we won’t have to carry the eggs up and down the stairs. ”
“Yes, lets, where is the app Mattias uses when it is time to order things?” Caspian asked, making grabby hands for my phone.