"Five more minutes..."
"Oh, let him sleep," Mistral said, waving a hand dismissively. "This isn't so important that he has to wake up for."
"What happened?" I asked. "Something bad?"
But I could tell by their expressions that wasn't the case. They both carried an aura of calm and relief, which squashed the anxious doubt stewing in my gut. Most of it, anyway.
"Wh's going on?" Zak mumbled, blinking the sleep from his eyes. When he saw Nautilus, his eyes snapped open. "Granddad! You--you look incredible!"
"Well, thank you," Nautilus said, proudly smoothing a human hand over his dragon's mane.
Zak scrambled to his feet and grinned, ecstatic. "Does that mean your magic is better?"
Hope flickered in my chest. That had been my first thought upon seeing Nautilus's refreshed form but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. Then again, hadn't that been part of the reason Zak and I tried to conceive a baby? To help Nautilus's powers return?
But we didn't do it just for him,I thought, warmth filling me.We did it because we wanted to start a family. Together.
When Nautilus nodded in response to Zak's question, my hopes lifted. "Yes, Zakariel. I felt it the moment it happened. A burst of energy seeping through every inch of me..." He threw his head back and sighed with satisfaction. His mane and whiskers flowed behind him and his scales glittered in the patch of sunlight beaming down on the island.
The island!I thought and sharply raised my head.
Tears filled my eyes. The sky was crystal clear. Blue. All blue. No grey clouds. There was no more storm ravaging the waters. The coast was back to normal.
"Zak," I breathed, overwhelmed with emotion. "Look!"
Zak followed my gaze and his jaw dropped with awe. "Whoa. The sky cleared up!"
I threw my arms around Zak, laughing with relief. I didn't care that Nautilus and Mistral were standing there to see our PDA. Hell, I didn't think I would care ifanyonesaw anymore. Zak wasn't something I had to hide from the world. He was my mate and I was going to lavish affection on him as much as I wanted.
This whole journey, everything we'd done... it was worth it. We'd saved the coast.
Right?
Zak suddenly went still and I flashed him a questioning look.
"Wait," Zak mumbled, staring at Nautilus. "If you got most of your power back, then that means..." He slowly turned to me.
His meaning hit me like lightning. My hand flew to my belly. It was still flat, but I was automatically protective of the life growing inside there.
"Nautilus," I said, facing the spirit. "Is it true? Am I pregnant?"
Nautilus strode over, his carriage proud now that his strength had returned, and extended a hand towards my midsection. Despite his noble presence, there was tenderness in his expression. His fingertips grazed my belly and I almost shuddered at the contact. From that small touch alone, I felt his amazing power, like nothing I'd ever experienced before.Thiswas the true Nautilus, and my mate and I were the ones who had helped restore him.
The water spirit closed his eyes for a moment and I thought it was appropriate to do the same, even though I was sure he already knew the answer and this was just theatrics. Were all spirits as dramatic as Nautilus and Mistral?
"Yes, the answer has come to me," Nautilus said with a small chuckle as he drew his hand away.
Zak sucked in an excited breath. "Well?"
"Spit it out already," Mistral complained. For once, I agreed with him.
"Yes," Nautilus announced. "Kamari, fated mate of my descendent, Zakariel. You are pregnant. Congratulations."
Emotion slammed into me like a tidal wave. It seemed like everything in my life had been leading up to this moment. All the pain, all the anger and suffering... it had all been worth it to guide me on the path to here and now.
I looked down at my belly. It looked normal as ever but it carried symbolic weight now. Our baby was in there. Our baby to love, nurture and protect.
"Zak," I murmured, looking at him with wet eyes.
