Stripping down, Reif gave Nessie’s hand a squeeze, then shifted. His sea dragon, now on the grass, looked as if he’d just eaten a huge meal. Turning his head, Reif’s beast stared at his mate, waiting for him to shift.
“Brian,” Ian called, “once your sea serpent has wrapped around Reif, hold him tightly because I need to feel the eggs to make sure everything is all right.”
“Ay.” Shifting, Brian slithered over to his mate, coiling himself around Reif’s upper body, securing him in his grip.
Approaching slowly, Ian kept himself in the sea dragon’s sight, reaching out with a hand to softly stroke his neck. Reif’s beast remained still as Ian slid his hand along the skin until he reached the bulge where the eggs were. “Okay, Reif,” Ian said, solicitously, “I’m going to check you out…to make sure everything is proceeding normally.”
Watching Ian working near the two huge beasts had Colton on edge, knowing a sudden movement of one of their tails could injure his mate. Biting his tongue, he turned his attention to getting everything ready for the arrival of the eggs. Just as he finished, the back yard was flooded with light and a door opened near him. Looking up, he saw Logan followed by Kieran, Dakota, David, and Zane walking over to him. “Hey, thanks for the lights,” he said, spreading out a blanket.
“What should we do?” Dakota asked Colton.
“Once an egg has cleared the sea dragon’s body, Ian will carry it over here, examine it, then hand it to me to clean up and wrap in a blanket. It’s critical we keep it warm, so when I’m finished, one of you has to take it inside.” Then he turned to Logan. “Has Angus secured the house?”
“Yes,” his brother replied. “The house is empty except for us. He and his men are patrolling to make sure none of the human donors sneak back in.” Then, pointing to the door they’d come through, Logan continued, “There’s a fireplace in there so I started one and it should warm the room up.”
“Good. Please be very careful when handling the eggs. They are extremely fragile,” Colton warned.
Zane then piped up, “David will be on door duty so nobody has to worry about holding an egg and opening the door at the same time.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Colton saw the first egg emerge. “Showtime folks!” Kneeling, he waited until Ian arrived with it and then, reaching up, he grasped it, and slowly lowered it onto the waiting blanket. Keeping one hand on the egg until Ian knelt next to it. He then passed Ian his stethoscope and began writing down numbers as his mate called them out. Then Colton took over, washing and drying the egg before wrapping it securely in two blankets and handing it to Logan. “Inside quickly. The best place for it is on the floor near the fire. Try to make a barrier between the eggs and the rest of the room so no one bumps into them.”
After Colton handed off the last egg to Dakota, he sat back on the grass, pleased at how well it had gone. Catching Ian’s eye, Colton grinned. “Well done, doc.”
Smiling at his mate’s comment, Ian called to Brian, “You can let go of Reif now, he needs to shift.”
Uncoiling himself, the sea serpent’s long tongue licked his mate before slithering away and shifting. Then, gazing at the exhausted sea dragon, he said, “Mate, yer turn.”
The recumbent beast closed his eyes, then, summoning all of his remaining strength, shifted. Curled up on the grass, Reif lay shivering as the frigid night air enveloped him. The hours of fire and ice coursing through his body and then laying his eggs had drained him to the point where he found it impossible to get dressed.
Eager to warm up his mate, Brian scooped him up and, hugging him tight, grabbed a blanket Colton passed to him as he carried Reif toward the house.
“Brian, stop!” Ian said, following him. “I need to look at him to make sure he’s okay.”
“Ay, ye can do that, but nae out here,” Brian responded as he continued on his way. Once inside, he set his mate gently on the day bed, wrapping him in the blanket. Then he pulled the bed close to the fire, making sure to avoid the eggs.
Bending over Reif, Ian checked his vitals, noting his temperature was lower than normal, but everything else looked fine. Then he looked around until he saw Logan. “Any word from Slate?”
“It’s all arranged…the incubators should be arriving in ten minutes,” Logan answered. “What about Reif?”
“He needs something hot to drink and some food,” replied Ian.
“I can do that,” volunteered Dakota.
“I’ll go with you,” Colton said, setting the rest of the supplies he’d brought in from outside on a chair.
“Nessie,” whispered Reif. “What about our babies?”
“They’re all here, mate,” Brian replied. “Ye did so guid.”
“He’s right,” smiled Ian, “all of your eggs are healthy and in three months, five little sea dragons will emerge, ready to meet their daddies.”
“Nessie, did you hear that? Our babies are fine,” Reif murmured, reaching out for his mate’s hand. Finding it, he interlaced his fingers with Brian’s, his heart and soul filling with joy.
~/~/~/~/~
Awaking the next morning, Reif grinned, feeling Nessie’s arms around him. When the helicopters had finally arrived last night, he could barely keep his eyes open as he and their eggs were transferred aboard. Once aloft, he slept deeply all the way back to his rented cottage in Inverness, where Brian tenderly tucked him into bed.Nessie! Our babies! I can’t believe we made it…all safe and sound.Listening to the hum of the incubators keeping the eggs at a perfect 95 degrees, he could hardly wait for the baby sea dragons to become part of their world.
“Mate, how are ye feeling?” Brian’s sleep-laden voice growled.
