23. Chapter Twenty-Three #2
“You’re still leaving something out,” I said. “You might as well tell me all of it since you’ve come this far. You keep saying the leeches weakened your abilities too much for you to be effective, but if that were true, we’d still be in the village.”
“It was you.”
Screech.
Blink. Blink.
“Huh?”
“Kes, you were the one who got us out of there, not me. Your dragon was still in his ice form, he carried us out, killing two more henchmen in the process, one with the ice spikes covering your tail and one with another ice spike, straight through his skull. You almost got Daigle too. He started speaking in Draconian again. I could feel your strength wavering but somehow, you kept flying, even after you clipped one of the peaks and spun out of control. Somehow you leveled out and kept flapping until you couldn’t stay in the air any longer.
You crushed several trees on the way down, dirt flying everywhere when you finally hit the ground.
You were out cold, your dragon retreated, but we were safe and had the chance to heal. ”
“All this time…” I shook my head, the weight of what he’d said crashing over me like a rogue wave. “Why did you let me think that it was your choice to leave Ronan behind?”
Upalo cocked his head, tears shimmering in his eyes as he locked gazes with me.
With sudden clarity, I knew. It was because of the connection I’d had with Ronan.
He’d hidden behind me as often as he’d run to his brother when he was frightened.
The way he’d curl up by my side, stroke and braid my hair, using it as a touchstone whenever anything worried or terrified him, had been a comfort to me too.
I’d loved him the same as if he’d been my sibling, and he’d trusted me with his life.
“After what Daigle did to you, I couldn’t let you bear the guilt of abandoning Ronan on top of everything else. If I’d been stronger, I could have done more to help you, but I wasn’t. I failed all of you that day. The very least I could do was carry that burden.”
“So I never had to,” I said, throat tight as I yanked him into a hug.
“It’s okay,” I whispered, stroking his hair as we sobbed together.
So much more than my eye was taken from us that day. Having everything out in the open now made it easier to breathe. I understood why he hadn’t wanted to share the full horror of that day and loved him more for trying to protect me from it.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you saw yourself as somehow weak or unworthy because of what you went through, I swear I would have told you the whole story sooner if I had.”
“I know now, We don’t ever have to talk about it again.”
He hugged me tighter, the surf lapping around our feet as we clung until the sudden sound of Mattias’ voice startled me.
Mate! Come to the nest immediately! We have cracks appearing in the eggs.
“Oh shit!” I blurted out loud, while mentally replying that I was on my way.
“What is it?” Upalo asked. “What’s going on?”
“Come on,” I said, catching his hand. “The eggs are hatching.”
“Hell yeah!”
We probably turned a few heads with the way we tore across the beach, kicking sand up like hooligans as we made a beeline for the nest, arriving just as a chunk of Trinity’s shell hit the blankets.
Mattias and Caspian looked up, smiling at me and holding their hands out, while Upalo sat on the opposite side of the nest from where I slid in between my mates to watch our children fully come into the world.
“Trinity. Hi sweetie. Is that your tail I see?” I spoke softly to her.
Crackkkkkkk!
This time one of the shell fragments exploded outward as she jammed her tail through the hole and waved it around.
“Wow,” Caspian said, giggling as we watched her lash that adorable aquamarine tail back and forth, breaking more of the shell away every time she did it. “Someone is coming into the world tail first.”
“And using it like a wrecking ball, too,” I said, while Mattias cooed to her.
“Look at your wings, sweet girl,” Mattias said. “One day you’re going to fly across the sky on them. I just hope you don’t fly too far away from your Papa and Daddies.”
Sweet giggles came from inside the shell as her whole bottom appeared, wiggling back and forth, tail still dancing a rapid beat that helped dislodge more shell fragments.
Crackkkkk! Crunnncchhh! CRACK!
She extended those wings and dealt the shell a fatal blow, bits flying everywhere as she emerged fully.
“LUFF!” She announced as her Papa scooped her up in his arms.
“Love you too baby girl,” Mattias said, rubbing noses with her while she giggled, babbled, and waved those wings and that mighty tail of hers.
By then, Caspian was making grabby hands itching to hold her. Wise dragon, he immediately passed her over.
“We have the official first word for her baby book,” I said as I watched, cheeks aching from how hard I was smiling. Maybe I should smile more so my face muscles got used to it.
“Wh-what’s happening?” I asked as a layer of ice slowly began to cover Leif and Leim’s egg. “What’s wrong with their egg? How are they going to hatch if they’re frozen. Mattias, we have to help them. We have to, please.”
He caught my hands in his firm grasp when I started to reach for their egg, and tugged me close to him until we were eye to eye.
“Breathe with me mate,” He murmured, our noses practically touching. “Trust me and trust them.”
I’d never thought I’d be a helicopter parent.
Hell, I never thought I’d be a parent. I’d never even believed myself worthy of love and yet it shimmered in my mates eyes every time they looked at me.
Mattias never let go of my hands as we turned our attention back to our double egg, the sides of our heads touching, cheeks pressed together as the ice layer grew thicker.
While I was almost certain that it wasn’t physically possible for a dragon to have a heart attack, I felt like I was on the verge of one by the time the shell exploded, sending ice and shell fragments everywhere.
How Mattias extended a wing as fast as he did to get it between Caspian, Trinity and any flying bits was anyone’s guess, but he did. When the ice cleared, there sat our grinning cerulean and arctic scaled boys, identical down to the brilliant white of their hair.
And they had my eye color.
However were we going to tell them apart?
“Luff,” Leim declared. How did I know it was Leim? My heart told me. The love I’d felt for them expanded more at seeing them for the first time, which I never would have believed possible but I was practically drowning in what I felt.
A sob caught in my throat, and tears made everything shimmery around the edges. Then Leif piped up, reaching for me with arms and wings.
“Luff.”
I swept them into a hug, holding them against my chest, getting them wet with my tears as I cuddled them.
“Luff.”
“Luff.”
“Luff.”
One by one our dragonets sounded off, waiting, encouraging that final luff that would complete the hatching.
Papa was eagerly and patiently waiting to hold his boys and should wait no longer.
I passed them to him with tears still dripping down my cheek, kissing each one as I passed them over.
Not that my arms stayed empty long, as Caspian, wet cheeked himself, passed me our little Trinity over to hold for the first time.
“Welcome to the world, sweet girl,” I said as I kissed the top of her head.
Crackkkkkkkkk!
A jagged line split one side of Sapphire’s shell, her egg wobbling.
Caspian gasped, then sat on his hands to keep from making the same mistake I almost did, while we held our collective breaths.
Craaaaaaccccckkkkkk!
Another jagged split, but still no missing pieces.
I stroked Trinity’s hair, eye glued to our final egg.
Then the front flew off, powered by two adorable sapphire dragon feet.
She’d literally busted the door down in order to enter the world.
But was she hatched? She still sat in the shell with the back and dome over her head.
Caspian squirmed. I bit my lip. Her eyes shimmered like sunshine glittering off a calm sea, before she threw her arms and wings wide.
The dome, the sides, the back, everything crumbled but the piece she sat on.
“I can hold her now, right?” Caspian asked, turning to look at Mattias with a pleading look. “Sitting on a shell fragment doesn’t count, does it?”
“Nope, I don’t think it does.”
The words didn’t fully leave Mattias’ lips before Caspian had her in his arms, squeals of joy coming from him as he hugged her.
“Luff.” Sapphire said, completing the sound off.
“Love indeed,” Upalo said, wiping a tear from his eye. In his hand he held a camera, having captured this precious moment for us. “I couldn’t be happier for you. Thank you for sharing this moment with me."
“Luff you,” I said, grinning at him.
He had to wipe another tear away after that. “Luff you too.”