They lay quietly for several minutes, just breathing together. Then Ewen shifted slightly.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“How did this Simon person end up birthing an egg?”
Lamont blinked at the ceiling. Of all the questions he’d expected, that hadn’t been one of them. “Why do you want to know?”
“I’m more curious than anything. Consort Ali mentioned it at dinner, remember? How Kolton was in the Underworld, apparently, and Simon was birthing an egg.” Ewen’s voice held a careful neutrality. “Is Simon a bird shifter? Is that how come he was laying eggs?”
“A single egg,” Lamont said quickly. “He gave birth to a single egg, and no, Simon isn’t a bird shifter, he’s a gargoyle, much like our new friend Redford.”
“But how did that happen? Is male pregnancy something that gargoyles do? Or was it something to do with Kolton being a hellhound?”
Oops.They hadn’t had that conversation yet. Lamont tightened his arms around Ewen, choosing his words carefully. “Hellhounds are part of the god line. We’re not quite gods ourselves, but we carry enough divine power that certain...rules apply differently to us.”
“What kind of rules?”
“The kind involving children.” Lamont pressed a kiss to Ewen’s shoulder, just above his claiming bite. “We can get our male partners pregnant. Or we can become pregnant ourselves.”
Ewen went very still. “Oh.”
“But,” Lamont continued quickly, “it’s not something that happens by accident. Mother Nature put safeguards in place.”
“Safeguards?”
“Yes, it has to do with intent.” Lamont stroked a hand down Ewen’s arm. “Male pregnancy can only happen if one or both partners actively want children. Not just a passing thought, but genuine intent. Thinking about it during sex. Wanting it. Planning for it.”
Ewen relaxed slightly. “So, it has to be deliberate.”
“Exactly.” Lamont felt relief flood through their bond. “You can’t accidentally get pregnant from me. And I can’t accidentally get pregnant from you. It requires conscious desire from at least one of us.”
“That’s...actually pretty reasonable.” Ewen huffed a quiet laugh. “I was half-expecting you to say it just happens randomly and we’d have to be careful forever.”
“No random pregnancies.” Lamont nuzzled Ewen’s hair. “Though if we ever decide we want children, I should mention that the form those babies take can vary depending on species.”
“What do you mean?”
“As I said, Simon’s a gargoyle,” Lamont explained. “And all gargoyles are born from eggs, although usually from female gargoyles. But, because of the Mother’s ruling, his body adapted to carry the egg. I think Kolton mentioned one time it was Simon who wanted to be pregnant, and I have to admit I’m surprised Consort Ali didn’t know that Simon actually gave birth to that egg at least, in his stone form. I think Kolton just about had a heart attack when he found Simon in stone form, perched above an egg. But they worked out their differences, and everything’s fine now. They’re not the only couple with children, so when we do go to a Sunday dinner, be prepared to see lots of pictures.”
“Huh.” Ewen processed that. “So, if I got pregnant...”
“You’d carry like any other shifter.” Lamont’s hand drifted to rest on Ewen’s stomach. “A regular pregnancy with a regular birth… Well, regular for shifters. You’d probably shift less toward the end because it gets uncomfortable, and because we’re not exactly comparable size wise, your pregnancy might be shorter than a typical fox.”
“And if you got pregnant?”
“Same thing. Though I’d probably shift into hound form more often because it’s easier to carry weight on four legs than two…or so I imagine. I have to admit I don’t really know, but I could ask Cain about it. He gave birth to the daughter he has with Ollie.”
Ewen twisted in Lamont’s arms to face him. “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
“I never thought about it because until very, very recently, I didn’t expect to meet my mate.” Lamont would never lie to his mate. “So no, until you, I never let myself think about children. It seemed pointless to want something I never believed I’d have. Males from the god line can’t go around making babies with any other male apart from their mate, so it wasn’t an option for me.”
“And now?”
“Now I have you.” Lamont cupped Ewen’s face, thumb brushing across his cheekbone. “And if you want children someday, we can talk about it. But there’s no pressure or anything. It’s not like we haven’t got time to figure out what we want in terms of family.”
Ewen’s expression softened. “I never thought about kids either. I always figured I’d be alone, married to my work. But now...” He looked over his shoulder, his eyes searching Lamont’s face. “Yeah. Someday. Maybe.”
