We stood there for a moment in silence, each of us thinking about the course of events. Devin abruptly pulled away and rushed to the bathroom. I followed him, hearing the retching. I entered the room to see him tossing his cookies and clinging to the porcelain god. I took a washcloth and ran it under some warm water, wringing the excess out before kneeling beside Devin. I gently wiped the back of his neck. He turned and looked at me.
"I guess morning sickness has begun, ugh," he groaned.
"I'm sorry, love. The good news is that it should go quickly. Remember Ben? It only lasted a few weeks for him," I said as I continued to care for my mate.
While I was wiping his neck, I froze. It couldn't be, I thought as I quickly lifted Devin's shirt entirely. Devin stared at me, asking without words what was wrong. I looked at him full on and tears filled my eyes. The caste markings had appeared.
"We're going to have twins," I said, full of emotion.
His eyes rounded, and his mouth dropped. He glanced down to see what I was seeing. There above his belly button were two scales, one red and one gold. The caste markings told what caste the dragon was going to be. Each caste had a different affinity. The Red caste had fire affinity, and the Gold caste was the ruling affinity and held all other affinities that dragons had. One of my sons was in line for the throne.
"No, no, no. I can't have twins! It could just mean that our son is just like you, Red with some Gold. You know, a mix," he said, hoping that I'd agree with him.
"It means you're having twins. My dad told me about how he found out about my brothers when three caste marks appeared," I explained softly.
"Damn, I forgot you had multiples in your family. I should have been prepared for you to knock me up with more than one kid," he quipped.
I smiled at him. "It's not just my family. Most dragons have multiples," I said. "Dragon births are very rare. I'm over eight hundred years old, and I'm the youngest of my family and circle," I continued.
"Here, help me up, and you can explain why that is in bed," Devin said, holding out his hand.
I immediately grasped his hand and helped him to his feet. We walked to our bed, and he lay down while I sat by his side.
"Dragons can only be born through fated mates. Chosen bondmates won't produce a dragon. With that said, it's challenging for a dragon to find its mate. Look at Krispin; he's over five thousand and just found Ben six months ago," I said, pausing for a moment. "Another reason it’s common to give birth to multiples is the mating heat usually only happens when first bonding. It rarely happens again. My parents were shocked when the mating heat hit again, and they got me."
"Wow, so it's weirder that Ben only had one rather than more than one? Huh?" he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, but that can also be because he birthed the next king. So, they could end up having another heat."
Devin looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "One mark is Gold. That means he would be in line to rule, right?"
“Yes, it would, but only if something happened to Krispin and Callum and any other Goldens that Ben and Krispin have.”
"We’d better make sure nothing happens to them. I want our sons to be and do whatever they want." Devin said firmly.
I nodded my agreement. The thought of leadership curdled my stomach. I wanted a simple life, just me, my mate, and my children. I lay down behind Devin, grimacing slightly as the dull ache in my stomach surfaced, reminding me I was still healing from the stabbing. Devin turned and looked at me.
"You're hurting." He said it as a statement, not asking a question.
I nodded. "It will be okay. I just need a bit more time before the wound is well and truly healed," I said as I pulled him close.
He mumbled, "You’d better be careful."
We lay in silence, and my brain would not shut off. I noticed Devin's breathing change, and I matched his. Finally, my mind stopped running, and I shut my eyes and fell asleep.
Golden Caste Grows
Devin
Iwoke up from the nap refreshed. My upset stomach was gone, and I felt pretty darn good. It was amazing what a little rest could do. I turned to see Roarke was gone. I must have slept longer than I’d thought if he wasn't there. I heard a sound from the bathroom, and then the door opened.
“You're awake. I was going to let you sleep a bit longer,” Roarke said.
"No, I'm feeling better. My stomach isn't upset anymore, and I think we should get up. How are you feeling?" I asked, remembering his grimace of pain from earlier.
“I'm doing okay. It's still sore, but really, I'm okay.”
"I wish we could hide away up here forever, but we’d better head downstairs. I don't know what happened to my brothers, and we must make plans to head to Scotland," Roarke said, changing the subject away from his injury.
