Did I mention pregnancy was wild?
“You’re laying your eggs today,” the midwife said. “We need to get your clothes off.”
I wanted to argue, to tell them that they were ridiculous, but the pain got more intense and speaking wasn’t happening.
As my mates helped me remove my clothes and climb into the nest, they praised me for everything I’d accomplished, from feigning surprise to building a glorious nest out of items we already had. They helped me squat, flanking me and holding me tight.
The midwife was right. It was egg time. I had turned into a freaking chicken, or a dragon, I supposed. In any case, I was about to push out huge-ass eggs, ones that would protect our babies.
A half hour of pushing and being coached by the midwife later, I had two beautiful eggs in the nest. My body was wrung out and wrapped around them, holding them close, and my mates were nestled in with me, telling me what a beautiful job I’d done and what a good father I was.
I might not have been surprised by the baby shower, but my day had definitely been full of surprises, the best of them being my two beautiful eggs, our babies one step closer to joining us.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Griffith
The nest was the focal point of our life. Our omega stayed on it nearly every moment, only leaving when nature called, or we begged him to take a shower. Dad said it was normal dragon behavior, even though Kyle wasn’t a dragon.
He’d built it from just about every pillow in the house before laying the eggs and settling in for the duration. Relief had filled me when he laid them because he’d been growing more uncomfortable every day. Falkan was probably a little easier about the process, having grown up around people who laid eggs, but bears didn’t usually do that.
All had gone well, and we’d settled in, making a new routine that had us spending nearly all our time in the room with him while he kept watch over the eggs. Our omega was the best papa, but I worried that he was wearing himself out, only allowing us to take care of the eggs while he was in the restroom or shower.
Finally, the midwife told us they could hatch any day now. They weren’t sure precisely due to the mixed parentage of the eggs, but we were all watching them now for any signs of movement. I was half asleep on the floor next to the nest when Falkan, who was sitting in a chair nearby, cried out and jumped to his feet.
Kyle came flying out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. Everything is right!” Falkan pointed at the nest. “One of the eggs moved!”
“Which one?” Kyle was already on the nest, studying the pair of eggs.
“This one.” Pointing, Falkan was also trembling. “We’re about to be fathers.”
Except no eggs moved for the next hour or the one after that or the one after that. After a while, Kyle went back in the bathroom and dressed, but he returned quickly and took up his vigil again. The intensity grew with each passing moment. We’d called the midwife who said the movement was to be expected and while it was a sign that the eggs were maturing, it didn’t mean that it had to be today.
But we couldn’t look away. If we hadn’t been concerned that our omega not miss a meal, we wouldn’t have eaten at all. I went down to the kitchen and made a big plate of sandwiches to carry us over. “Anything happen while I was gone?”
“No.” Kyle looked up from where he was hovering over the eggs. “But it’s going to be soon. I know it is. And my wolf is sure of it.”
“Then it will be.” I held the plate up to him. “Eat while you have the chance.”
He took one, but probably only to please me. I didn’t care why he did it as long as he ate. Falkan and I each picked one up, too, and we all sat, chewing and swallowing and watching the eggs. Just before midnight, the other egg moved. It was subtle, and I only saw it because I was paying such close attention, but the next side-to-side was bigger. Soon, both eggs were rocking, and a tapping noise came from inside. Our babies were in there, and I wanted so much to get them out. But the midwife had cautioned against it, telling us not to do anything but watch unless they got partway out and then couldn’t finish. Something about the need to do it themselves affecting their immune systems. At least that was what I thought they’d said. But I knew for sure we weren’t supposed to help them, and it had my fists curling and uncurling in my palms.
“I can’t stand watching them struggle,” I moaned.
“I know.” Kyle buried his face in his hands. “I can’t stand it.”
“We’re doing the right thing,” Falkan said. “But I feel the same way.”
As we sat there, itching to help, the first crack appeared in the egg on the left. We collectively gasped, transfixed as each fragment and shard fell away to reveal a creature out of fantasy. She stood on the nest, flapping short, shiny wings, but the body that supported them was not covered with scales but dark fur. Like my bear. “She’s both of us.” I flung my arms around my dragon mate. “A dragon bear.”
“Or a bear dragon,” he said, patting my hand. “I’ll pick her up.” We weren’t supposed to help her out of the shell, but I agreed there was no reason to keep her standing in the shards. “What shall we call her?”
“Ginger.” Our omega’s voice was strong. “She’s Ginger.”
Falkan touched the little creature, and she was instantly replaced by a little girl with strawberry-blonde hair. Ginger. How had Kyle known?
But I didn’t have any more time to wonder because the other egg was rocking, frantically, and the tapping from inside held a note of panic.
