Page 24

24

Saffron

A family beach day was the perfect way to unwind after the chaos that was the sixth Dragonfate Games. The weather was perfect. An endless blue sky stretched over the island, and the sun blasted overhead. I inhaled a huge breath, then sighed it out in contentment as I leaned back in my beach chair. The air smelled of salty water and grilled meat.

Cobalt manned the BBQ with Muzo next to him, eager to turn the skewers, while Lazuli crawled near their sandaled feet, searching for crabs. Matteo and Thystle huddled beneath a sturdy beach umbrella while sharing a pair of earbuds, and Heather slapped their dragonet paws on a colorful toy xylophone. Crimson and Taylor engaged in a heated discussion about whether rayon or pleather was the worst fabric while Ruby babbled along with his own opinions on the matter. Jade slathered Alaric’s bare arms and legs with sunscreen, then put some baby sunscreen on Mint’s round cheeks.

Beside us, Aurum and Mylo leaned towards each other. Their heads touched as they watched Mylo play a handheld video game. He smashed the buttons frantically and bit his lip in concentration. I didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed serious.

Meanwhile, Rorik and I entertained the ferret twins on the sand. Rorik and the girls had become fast friends after discovering their shared love of Ice Princess . They’d watched it at least three more times. Maybe four. I’d started to lose count.

“Sand is like snow, but worse,” Rorik grumbled as he gathered a heap of it. He and the twins were building a huge sand pile, which would eventually evolve into a castle. Desiree and Kiara added to the growing sand pile with their rapid-digging paws.

“What? No way. Sand is awesome,” I argued. “It’s warm and satisfying to run through your fingers.” I picked up a handful and let it stream through my fingers. “Mm… So good.”

Rorik grunted as he heaped a palm of sand onto the pile only for it to dissolve down the sides. “It doesn’t pack. It’s shapeless.”

“No, dude, you gotta get it wet. Here, I’ll show you.”

I grabbed a plastic pail, dashed to the shore, and scooped my fill before returning to where Rorik sat splay-legged in the sand.

“Watch this,” I said, then poured a bit of water on the pile. Rorik, Desiree and Kiara watched in fascination as I shaped the blobby pile into a vague rectangle. “See?”

Rorik furrowed his brow, absorbed in the art of sand castle making. He tried to make a spire, but it ended up looking so inappropriate that I slapped a hand over my mouth to hold back laughter.

“What?” Rorik asked innocently.

I bit back another snicker. “Never mind.”

He sighed. “Maybe building castles isn’t my thing… What else do you want to do, girls?”

The girls had short ferret attention spans and had already forgotten about the sand castle. They waddled in the direction of the shore. Rorik immediately got up to tail them. Since my amazing rectangular castle failed to entertain anyone, I followed them.

“You girls wanna swim?” I asked.

That got them riled up. They nodded enthusiastically.

Rorik looked worried. “Do they know how?”

“Nope.”

My mate raised a thick brow at me. “Saffron.”

“But you do,” I pointed out, grinning. “If you shift, they can ride on your back.”

“What if they fall?”

“They won’t. I’ll come with you, too.” I turned around to call out to my twin. “Yo, Aurum! The girls are going for a swim with their uncles!”

Aurum was still entranced by Mylo’s high score or whatever, but he flashed a supportive thumbs up.

“Green light. Let’s go!”

Without wasting a second, I jumped into the air, shifted into dragon form and cannonballed into the water. The huge splash soaked Rorik and the girls, who squealed with laughter.

Rorik shook the water from his short hair, then grinned before assuming his polar bear form. The sun bounced off his yellowish-white fur, and the water droplets made him glisten. He lowered his head so Desiree and Kiara easily clambered on.

“Hold on tight, okay?” he said. They nodded eagerly and sank their claws into his dense fur. “Here we go.”

His powerful chest broached the water, and his large paws scooped it efficiently as paddles. For such a huge beast, he moved with speed and grace.

My dragon feet still touched the sandy underwater floor, so I walked in slow-mo beside Rorik as he swam to make sure the girls didn’t topple over. But he was worried for nothing. Desiree and Kiara listened to their favorite uncle and didn’t move an inch as he gave them a joy ride.

“I’ll never get used to this warm water,” Rorik remarked.

Although our tropical sea was a far cry from the frigid tundra waters he was used to, I was glad he still had a place to swim. He clearly loved doing it—especially with a pair of giddy masked weasels clinging to his back.

“Try it at night,” I suggested. “Once the sun’s gone, it’ll freeze your balls off.”

He snorted. “Have you ever swam in the arctic? Your balls will be the least of your concerns. But they’ll be the first to go in about fifteen minutes.”

I shuddered in horror. “Geez, no thanks. Guess I won’t be having a dip at any family reunions.”

Rorik turned his boxy muzzle towards me and smiled. “You don’t need to. My family’s right here.”

My heart swelled. I nuzzled his forehead with mine.

I was relieved Rorik had no desire to return to his controlling clan. He’d agreed to air the season, not caring whether the alphas saw it or not. From what he’d told me, the leaders consisted of just two alphas. On the other hand, we were seven dragons, their predator shifter mates, and one gryphon shifter who was painful to look at. Hell, a single one of Gaius’s horrible shirts was enough of a deterrent.

Basically, Rorik was untouchable. Especially now that he was pregnant. Even if they magically showed up on our doorstep, the tundra alphas weren’t stupid enough to pick a fight with a pregnant omega’s dragon mate.

The lights were dimmed in my air-conditioned bedroom. Beeswax tea lights flickered on the bedside tables. Rorik and I cuddled together in bed, getting ready to watch a romcom on my laptop. I felt the need to broaden his movie genres so that his only anchor to pop culture wasn’t Ice Princess .

Rorik squirmed a few times. As his pregnancy progressed, discomfort plagued various parts of his body. I felt annoyed that I couldn’t just take the pain away from him.

“Are you comfy?” I asked. “I can adjust your pillows.”

“Hmm… That would be nice.” He sat up, letting me fluff his stack of pillows, then settled with a sigh. “Thanks.”

“How’s your back?”

Rorik grunted. “It’s okay. The lower half’s sore today. The pillows help.”

“Are you sure? I can massage it,” I offered, wiggling my fingers.

Rorik mulled it over. “Sure, but we haven’t started the movie yet and it’s getting late.”

“Oh, screw the movie.”

Rorik’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe a dragon just said that about his hoard,” he muttered.

“My pregnant mate is more important than watching Legally Blonde for the millionth time.” I paused. “But trust me, we’ll get there.”

Rorik chuckled as he put the laptop aside and lay down sideways on the bed. His fat and muscle rippled as I dug my thumbs into his lower back, smoothing circles against the knots in his sore muscles. I loved the way his skin reacted to my touch.

Rorik shut his eyes and released a deep hum of approval. A content expression spread over his face. He’d changed so much since he first arrived on our island. It was a struggle to catch a glimpse of him simply looking relaxed like this. He’d been so wound up, so tense. Afraid to trust. Afraid to let himself be happy.

“Say, Rorik,” I began. “If you had a hoard, what would it be?”

“I don’t hoard. You know that.”

I let out a mild scoff. “How could I forget, Mr. I-Didn’t-Bring-Any-Clothes? I said if you did.”

Rorik stared up at the ceiling for a few moments as I continued to massage him. Eventually, he said, “Food. But the hoard wouldn’t last long, because I would eat it.” He slapped a hand over his belly. “And this would get even bigger.”

I grinned at his honesty, then reached over to caress his tummy. “That’d be awesome.”

Rorik flashed a shy grin. “You’re the only person who thinks that.”

“So what? That’s why I’m your fated mate and not anybody else.”

He accepted this with a nod. He was thoughtful for a moment, then smirked. “Maybe you’re not the only person who feels that way. Aurum clearly likes Mylo’s size, too.”

The realization made me cackle. “Oh, shit, you’re right. I guess we have a shared type, huh?”

Rorik glanced at his belly. Recently the shape of it had changed, visibly rounding as his pregnancy shone through. It was an exciting reminder that he was carrying our baby—or possibly, babies .

“What’re we gonna do if we have twins?” I blurted.

We’d talked about it once before and Rorik seemed surprisingly enthusiastic about the idea, but now it all started to feel capital R real. In a few months, one—or more—new lives would join our growing family.

Rorik didn’t miss a beat. “Love them as much as if we had one.”

That was a perfect answer. My heart surged with affection that fueled my massaging hands.

“Mylo really wanted their babies to be black-footed ferrets, like him,” I mused. “What about you?”

Rorik shrugged. “I don’t have a preference.”

“Really?” I said with a laugh. “You, the dragon assassin, don’t mind if you give birth to little dragonets?”

He blushed as he shot me a grumpy look. “That’s not who I am anymore.”

“That’s not who you ever were,” I corrected.

His eyes widened, then softened as he smiled. “Yeah. You’re right.”

I smiled back at him. My poor bear had been through the wringer, but he was stronger now. Not physically more powerful, but stronger in his heart. In a way that mattered. The cruelty of his past teachers couldn’t touch him ever again.

Rorik’s hand gently touched mine. “That’s good, Saffron. You can stop now.”

“Are you saying that because you want me to stop, or because you feel bad I’ve been massaging you for so long? ‘Cause if it’s the latter, then nope. I’m your alpha, and you’re my pregnant omega. I’m gonna massage you until my fingers go numb.”

Rorik let out a bear-like chuff. “I want you to stop so we can watch the movie already.”

I stopped immediately and bolted upright.

Amused, Rorik sat up and resumed his cuddling position beside me. Lying in bed equalized our height difference. Rorik always scooted lower so he could rest his head on my shoulder. It always made me smile. He was such a big guy; he probably appreciated the opportunity to be smaller for once.

Rorik was closer to the bedside table, so he grabbed the laptop and balanced it on our touching legs. He’d never used a computer before, so I did all the work setting up the movie. My finger hovered over the play button.

“Ready?” I asked my mate.

He nodded, flashing an excited smile. “Ready.”