Aura laughs softly, breath warm against my mouth. “I never pretended.”
The city glows beyond the glass. The world keeps turning. Businesses run. Humans live their lives. And here,in the center of it all, we gather around the woman who is our heart, our fire, and our future.
Our lives are so different now. Gone is the anticipation of magic to bind. Gone is the yearning for a mate who never materialized. Gone is the boredom of amassing more wealth for a life that didn’t require it.
We are fulfilled.
Kelan strips off Aura’s robe and her hair falls around her face in a pretty mess, only partially covering her breasts, which have plumped with pregnancy. Her nipples, which were small and pink, are now wider and darker, so tempting that my mouth waters. Kelan tugs her white lace panties from her legs and brings them to his nose, inhaling deeply.
Aura’s cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink as he growls, “I’ve missed your smell, mate. And your taste. Now spread those pretty legs.”
She lets her knees drop open a little but waits for him to yank them wider in his desperation. We all stare at her pretty lips parting, and her tiny little hole, which waits to be spread. It still baffles me how her small body can accommodate our ridged girth, but that’s how we know she was made for us. We fit despite our differences.
Kelan dips his head to flick his tongue over her clit. Aura groans, her eyes dropping closed. Her hand still rests over her belly, protective even in her ecstasy. He takes his time, making her buck and shudder. She grips his inky dark hair and tugs, then claws at his shoulders. When he slides the forked tip of his tongue inside, I take over, flicking her clit until she’s dripping and begging and finally coming with a cry.
Ronyn kisses the scream from her lips, laughing at her desperate whimpering as her magic pulses with her release,warming us all.
This time is different. She is awakened in her power, and we are conscious of our children inside her. We take her gently and separately, relishing her focused attention and the chance to show our love over and over.
After, she drifts to sleep in my arms, and I smile at my Sleeping Beauty, content and replete, and happier than I ever imagined I’d be. The truth is, she has awakened everything that is good inside us.
36
RONYN
I wake with a jolt, the awareness of something missing pulling me upright before I’m even fully awake. Aura had fallen asleep next to me, her warmth pressed close, but now she’s gone. The bed is still warm where she was. The sheets carry the scent of honey, jasmine, and the gentle magic that lingers on everything she touches, but she isn’t here.
I jump out of bed, alert and searching. The penthouse is quiet, city lights shining through the tall windows. It’s so late that even the streets below are quiet. Kelan and Darial are still asleep, so I leave the bedroom to look for her.
I hurry along the hallway and toward the light in the kitchen.
At first, I’m relieved.
Then concern follows.
She’s on the floor, on her hands and knees, her hair hanging around her face, breathing in quick, shallow bursts. Her white shift clings to her.
“Aura—”
Seeing her so small and vulnerable makes fear rush through me.
She glances up quickly. “Don’t—” Her voice catches. She swallows. “Don’t call them yet.”
I stop halfway into the room. The lights are dim but sweat gleams on her forehead. One hand is pressed to the cool floor, the other rests low on her belly.
“Is it—?” I start.
She nods once. “I think so.”
She’s in labor.
The realization hits me all at once and instinct surges through me to call Kelan and Darial, but Aura shakes her head again before I can move.
“Please,” she whispers. “Not yet. I don’t want… I don’t want everyone watching. I need… a minute. Some quiet.”
Her eyes are bright with a deep, private intensity that makes my heart ache with understanding. She’s used to handling pain by herself. She gave birth to Ahya alone. I understand what she wants, even if it scares me. I don’t know much about dragon births, and I know nothing about human ones. My friends don’t either. None of us understands what to expect.
“All right,” I say softly. I grab a fur throw and bring it to her. I kneel and gently help her move into a sitting position so her knees don’t bruise.
