"Thank you, Annabelle," I said.
"Uh huh. Bye!"
She ran off without a care, shifting into beaver form and splashing in the water.
* * *
After meeting Cloud's family,I was happy but exhausted. The stress of our whole whirlwind adventure had finally caught up to me and I was ready to sit down and rest in a permanent location. It also occurred to me that proper rest was not only a good idea, but necessary given the fact that I was likely only weeks away from my due date.
Cloud had swooped me up into his nest, a large sturdy structure high up in an old tree. It was well constructed—it didn't make me nervous that two grown men sitting there would break it.
"I know the whole nest thing must seem odd," Cloud remarked as he spruced up the place, rearranging downy feathers and poking out-of-order sticks.
"Not really," I murmured, leaning back against the edge like it was a headrest. "I grew up in a mouse den. You saw that hole in the tree. Compared to that, this is a mansion."
Cloud laughed. "What I mean is, if you don't like it, we can find another place to live. All I want is for you to be comfortable."
"Ugh, stop being so sweet," I grumbled, though in reality I didn't actually want him to stop. Sometimes he was just so tooth-rottingly sweet that I had to remind myself that this was reality and not a dream.
"No," Cloud said simply. "By the way, did you know me and River were born in a nest like this?"
"Really?"
"Yup. I learned how to make nests from my dad."
I knew he meant Weston. Nishiki didn't seem like the handy type.
"You hatched from eggs, right?" I asked.
"Yeah. That was a given though, since ospreys and koi fish both come out of eggs."
"I wonder what our experience will be like," I murmured.
I glanced down at my belly, then gasped like I was seeing it for the first time.
When had it gotten bigger?
Cloud laughed at my reaction. "You didn't notice?"
"No. I guess I've been too distracted with all that's going on."
I glanced with amazement at my own body. The change happened so quickly I hadn't even realized. My belly wasn't massive or anything, but it was rounder than before.
My heart leapt. If my heat ending early and the mysterious nausea didn't confirm it, then this definitely did.
It was strange. After falling in love with Cloud and suspecting I was pregnant, the stolen sword fell out of my mind. Sure, I still wanted it back, but it wasn't my sole reason for getting up in the morning anymore. My budding family was. The idea of throwing myself into danger when I knew there was a fragile life inside me didn't sound as appealing anymore.
When my thoughts felt too heavy on my chest, I let them spill out. "Back when it was just me, I'd never dream of giving up the sword. But now that our baby is coming, I... I want to pass the sword on to them."
Cloud's smile reached all the way to his eyes. "I love that idea. Though as your alpha mate, I have to nag you about going on any crazy adventures while you're pregnant."
I snorted and playfully slapped his feathers. "I know. I'm not about to do anything stupid. I meant in the future, when things are calmer. Or if, by some miracle, Mistral gives up and hands it over," I added, rolling my eyes.
A thoughtful expression passed over Cloud's face, like his namesake floating over the sun. A second later he was back to his usual grinning self.
"We'll see what happens," he said, leaning closer with a sparkle in his eyes. "For now, I want to pamper my mate."
After that, all thoughts beyond the feeling of Cloud's lips on me were promptly forgotten.
