“Aren’t we friends?”
“I wouldn’t stand by and let a dragon bite your head off,” Dern shrugged, “but I’m your mentor more than your friend. Believe me, one day you’re going to look back and be grateful about that. If you were my friend, I’d tell you that of course you were right and that Sharon is watching you. You should take care of that right now and then I’d probably go to your funeral after I killed her for killing you, but I’m your mentor. That means we have bigger fish to fry than shebears who are biding their time. Stick around. It’s coming soon. Well, soon for me, but then time passes differently when you’re dead. You were dead before. You know that much.”
“I don’t remember being dead.”
“That’s a good thing,” he said and patted my hand. “Go on. The pizza’s almost there.”
“But I didn’t get to order it!”
“Preston’s pregnant, not helpless,” Dern chuckled. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant. Think that’s still a ways off though.”
“Do you know how I’ll meet him?”
“No clue but it probably won’t be in a dead man’s kitchen,” he shrugged and waved his hand, dismissing me.
Chapter Nineteen
Nic
Moonscale London
Three days after the positive pregnancy test, we went to a cute little omega and baby clinic on the corner of two adorable residential streets. The front yard was covered with flowers and cute little wooden baby signs with their drawn-on babies paused mid crawl in their colorful onesies. I might’ve melted down into a puddle of goo if I wasn’t in a hurry to get the official validation of my pregnancy. Ever since the positive test my eyeballs had turned into faucets, and everything made me cry. Beal was convinced that it was my hormones. I thought it was the placebo effect. Either way, we were about to find out exactly who was growing inside me.
Inside the waiting room furniture was just as cozy as the exterior promised. Soft, purple, plush armchairs lined the walls with little tables full of informational pamphlets in between them. We’d made an appointment. So Beal popped up to the check in window while I looked around. Above the chairs were photographs of babies as if they’d taken a photo of every baby they delivered and added it to the décor.
“We can go back,” Beal said, appearing at my side while I contemplated whether a live birth or an egg was what I was hoping for. I knew I was supposed to say as long as the baby was healthy that was all that mattered but the logistics of each presented its own unique challenges.
Beal took my hand and intwined our fingers together, leading the way after a cheery nurse in bright green scrubs that smelled like plantain scented pheromone blocker spray. Whydid they all smell so yummy? It was nearly enough to give me a flashback to my recent time inside the hospital.
Inside the examination room was a plush table lined with that crinkly paper that always made me grind my teeth. With all the new innovations coming around every year, you’d think they’d have solved that problem by now. There were three guest chairs that matched those in the waiting room and of course a spinny leather stool for the midwife. There was a clean, purple robe hanging on the back of the door that I was supposed to put on but I had a sudden bout of shyness and almost put it on over my clothes. In the end, I kept my underwear on for the moment.
I didn’t climb up on the table straight away. I wasn’t too keen on being the center of attention at the moment, so I hid next to Beal. Maybe the midwife wouldn’t see me hiding in his shadow. He wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple.
“I’ll bite their damn hand off if they do one thing you don’t like,” he whispered in my ear, and I knew he meant it.
“You can’t go around eating midwives and doctors,”I said, switching to our mating link.
“I can and will if that’s what you need me to do,”Beal countered.“I am here to protect you.”
“I just need you to make sure I don’t weenie out and run away.”
“Don’t turn into a weenie or Neal will eat you,”he teased.
“That might be preferable,”I said.“I never told you how much my dragon hated doctors, did I?”
“No,” Beal admitted. “But I knew. That’s why you put it off for a few days.”
A soft knock sounded on the door and a cheerful looking woman with thick, curly grey hair pulled back into a bit of a messy ponytail came into the room holding a clipboard.
“Nic and Beal?” she asked.
“That’s us,” Beal grinned.
“Well, aren’t you the happiest sire I’ve seen in a while. It’s usually you all who threaten to eat me. Especially first timers. Oh, I shouldn’t assume that you’re a first timer. I’ve been with my wife so long that I forgot not everyone meets their true-mate their first day at Moonscale Academy. But it is your first time,” she said, turning her attention on me.
Under her messy grey curls, were bright blue eyes and a kind smile. I wanted to trust her but wasn’t sure I wanted to be touched at all. I should’ve told Beal to hold me down if I tried to run off but knew he’d never have gone for it.
“Yes,” I nodded only after Beal gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.
