Page 25

Roosting Begins

Ozyn

N othing. We got nothing from the lynx shifter. Once they were done with him, he was turned over to the police instead of the pack killing him. Part of the deal the pack had with local law enforcement was allowing them to take any prisoners. Not something any of us liked, but if it kept the police away from the pack most of the time, then it was a small price to pay.

Life quieted in the pack after about a week. Dalton decided not to risk using the moonroot until a new batch could be made. He was fully aware he could get pregnant during his heat, yet felt a pregnancy was more tolerable than the unknown effects of the plant from another realm.

Dalton was smart.

Jasper began to feel like a heat was coming on, he was also almost two years postpartum, and he trialed the moonroot only to be knocked down with a flu like illness. It took days to figure out there was a contaminant in the dried moonroot. It was likely if Dalton had taken it he would not have been ill, but still would have gone into heat with his healing ability seeing the substance as foreign and therefore to be rejected.

I found such things utterly fascinating and was granted access to the research readily. The pack was so welcoming! Dalton’s heat did end in another pregnancy, though he and Larken were happy, so that was all that mattered. Even though this baby was growing much more quickly than the ones before had. They had the support they needed and a solution should be in place when he was next due to go into heat.

Something had settled in my bond with Deke as the eggs grew within me. I was able to go longer periods without being next to him. Therapy sessions were easier, especially since I didn’t feel the need for Deke to come with me. I had lunches with Dalton, walks with Nhil who refused to go home now that he had found his mate.

Micah was avoiding him, which we understood. The idea of being a dragon’s mate was not for the weak willed. I hoped if he was to reject Nhil he would do it formally soon, to allow Nhil to return to Abrocaelum and mourn their bond. In time, he would find someone or multiple someones to make him happy once more.

Being more independent of my mate allowed me to foster other friendships and allow Deke to spend time with his friends and family. I liked them all, but being too codependent was not healthy. Now that things were better with Deke, I felt I could go to the kitchen and stay with Winter for an hour or two, letting Deke get work done. There was plenty to do as the pack responded to the legal aftermath of the attack. More petitions were sent to the council. Most of which they ignored.

The cook had become my closest friend in Sweetwater after Deke, and he allowed me to make cookies in his precious kitchen to feed my cravings. He did not appreciate my love of mushroom, lemon, and chocolate chip cookies, but gave me the space to create them happily.

If it wasn’t for the added tension around the pack it would have been a happy time. Peace would not last long. As soon as the police stopped watching, they would strike.

In some good news, the fresh moonroot batch would be ready for testing soon enough, giving hope to the omegas that they could control their cycles easily. The science Aldrin, James, ívarr and his team were doing was sound.

Understandably, the direct attack of such a significant force on the pack left everyone on guard. More elves and even a small retinue of fae were sent to bolster defenses. Thyme, the Northarbor coven leader, took time away from his busy quest to help demons to add more spellwork. Poppy was unable to help now that she was pregnant with her and her wife’s second child, depleting her magic for the time being. She and Zinna were living full time with the elves studying the similarities in their magics.

I was enjoying this peaceful interlude. I did not doubt for a second that there would be more attacks. Like Deke, I felt Blake could stand to be more offensive rather than defensive, yet, as an omega, I also saw his need to protect the children of the pack by not starting a full scale war.

After their assault while we were gone, though, perhaps that ship had already sailed. Winter thought Blake was just preparing himself, and Kade, to go to the aviary. He believed he wanted Kade’s pregnancy to be further along just in case, to give the baby a chance if it all went wrong.

With just days until I expected to roost, I looked very heavily pregnant. Almost to term, round and struggling with my mobility. I felt constantly aroused. My pregnancy with my older children I had done alone because their father had returned to the front lines. Instead, I had sought lovers when the mood struck, which was not often, however I was not constantly around my mate’s delicious alpha pheromones.

Waking Deke with kisses, I reached for his cock to stroke it.

“Hmm, this is nice. Need something, Ozzy?”

“You. Just you.” I’d gotten myself all worked up thinking about sucking Deke’s length. Shuffling down the bed, I took the hardening member into my mouth, moaning at the tangy taste of precome. Who needed breakfast when I could have this? My stomach gurgled, reminding me I was feeding seven of us, not just my libido.

Deke did not know the number of babies. He wanted to be surprised. I hoped it would be a happy surprise and not a shock.

Focusing on bringing my mate pleasure, I licked around his crown, dipped my tongue into the slit, while stroking the shaft and massaging his balls. I sank into the task, my eyes sliding closed while I shared his pleasure through the bond. Deke threw back the thin blanket with a moan. He pumped his hips, making his cock hit the back of my throat. I’d felt the movement coming in tiny pulses, so relaxed, letting him into my throat.

“Oh, fuck!” Deke cried. “I’m going to come.”

His release tasted salty on my tongue. I swallowed each spurt, licking him clean before kissing back up his body. He didn’t knot, never knotted when I sucked him to not make me feel trapped. I loved his thoughtfulness.

Deke shared the taste of himself with me in a deep kiss. “Your turn,” he whispered when he pulled away.

Already on edge, it didn’t take long for me to hit my peak. Deke’s grin was smug and satisfied. I could feel his cock hardening once more.

“Gonna work you open. You want my knot, don’t you?”

“Please.”

He turned me onto my side where I’d be more comfortable. I put a pillow under my belly to support the weight.

Already aroused, I was leaking slick, my rim soft against Deke’s fingers. He eased them inside me slowly, allowing me time to adjust. Kisses along my neck and shoulders gave me shivers. When had I been treated like I was a precious jewel? The way Deke took care of me was everything I hadn’t known I needed.

By the time he sank his cock into me, I was desperate to feel him properly. Fully seated, Deke wrapped me up in his arms. I’d grown to feel it was love not a prison. I was never constricted in his arms, only protected. Always loved.

We moved together, me rocking my hips as much as my large belly would allow, trying to work him deeper inside me.

When his knot began to fill, I came with a shout. I slumped against the mattress, sweaty but completely satisfied.

Deke’s orgasm was long. His teeth nipped at my mating bite, almost forcing another spurt from me.

“Sleepy,” I murmured into his pillow he’d graciously given to me.

“Then sleep Ozzy, we’ve got nowhere to be any time soon.”

Later I would wonder if he cursed us.

I woke up desperate for the bathroom. When in there, I decided it needed a quick tidy up, which I did. Then I showered, stripped the bed, and organized some laundry.

Deke’s amusement filtered through our bond. He thought I was nesting in preparation for roosting. Had he forgotten I had to do that outside? Thankfully it was late summer so I wouldn’t have to waste much magic on controlling the climate inside the bubble I would make for the eggs.

Once I thought about preparing our roosting spot, it was all I could think about. I abandoned the dishes in favor of gathering all we’d need. Nhil could stand to help out, he could finish the dishes instead of moping over Micah.

The nest was far more important than some dishes. First there were waterproof sheets for the ground, a mattress, so many blankets of all sizes, colors, and descriptions. We needed a tub filled with clothes for when Deke was shifting between forms. Snacks. All the snacks. Our friends and family had already offered to help keep us fed.

We couldn’t move the eggs for the first day after they were laid. Their shells would be too fragile. I would have to replenish my magic after. For the last week I’d been rationing it, cycling it into my reserves. I believed Nhil was doing something similar. It was helpful he was still around just to have him help me through the process.

Once I had everything gathered, the nesting process really began. Not only did I need the blankets, they all had to be covered in our scents. Then I also wanted treasures, I was a dragon after all. Except I required not only things we treasured, but things from our pack.

“You want me to call our Alpha and ask for a trinket?” Deke stared me down after my request.

“Yes. Kade, too, please.”

Deke sighed and rubbed his face. He was sitting surrounded by blankets to get his scent all over them. It made for a rather ridiculous picture. My fingers itched for my phone to snap it.

Got it Papa, Nhil said from the kitchen.

Thank you, sweetheart. He really was a good boy. Alright, he was nearly three hundred years old, he was hardly a boy. He would always be my baby.

Drakon help me! Papa, concentrate. Is this that baby brain thing?

I didn’t answer, pulled to the present and Deke by him sighing once more.

“Anyone else?”

I thought for a moment. “Winter, Chase, Dalton.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “Larken, Aldrin, James, oh and probably Axel and Teárlach because we shouldn’t leave them out.” An extensive list for sure, but we had a large family in Sweetwater. I really wanted scents from my boys, too. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to go back to Abrocaelum to get what I needed.

“Right. Are you sure?”

“Yes. Safi will be back soon with his item.”

Our future nanny was already living with us. He had gone hunting at the lake for the perfect stone to add to my collection of things for the babies. I liked having him in the house. His scent lingered in places, reminding me he was part of our chosen family, therefore he should have his scent on the blankets.

“Alright. I’ll go make some calls.” He got up to leave the room then changed direction towards the front door. “Actually, I’ll go see them. Do you need me to do anything else?”

“No. That should be it for now.”

He returned to my side to kiss me. His handsome face was lit with a smile. The light made his eyes more silver than blue. I loved looking at him.

“This means the eggs are coming soon, right?”

“In the next day or so.” I already felt my stomach tightening with the early practice contractions. Once they increased I would go outside to shift.

“Nhil is going to watch over you while I’m gone. Make him do any lifting, please,” my alpha ordered.

“Of course.”

My son waited until his new dad was out of the house before he appeared beside me. “I like him for you. For us, too, of course. Shifter culture is very accepting of children outside of the alpha’s.”

“They are. You should hear Dakota talk about Kade. It’s as if he raised him, not that other alpha.” I spoke of them fondly. As a dragon, we were slightly apart from shifters, but we did not see them as lesser. Quite the opposite. They were more tightly bonded in some ways than dragonkin were.

Gaining my son’s approval on my mate was important to me. I loved my children dearly, and valued their opinions, too.

“I have something for you,” Nhil said, a tinge of nerves in his expression.

“Ooh, what is it? Is it your item for the nest?”

“Better. I knew you would be missing the others, my brothers and yours. I sent a message to Laer and to Rez. They sent some things for the nest back through the portal. I have them outside waiting for you.”

Following him outside, I found a large box. Inside was a blanket or item of clothing belonging to each of my family members. They had also tucked a precious item, be it a rare coin, an old book, a flower, into the box with a note from each of them.

Deke found me a couple of hours later in our nearly finished nest, crying over the notes. Each of them had heartfelt messages of support, welcomes for Deke into our family, and wishes for the babies.

“Ozzy, you’ve done such a good job!” Deke praised. He circled the nest, helping me adjust each layer. He moved the cooler closer. “I’ve got the things you asked for.”

The things in question? They were baby clothes, stuffies, little toys. Many of them had seen a lot of use. These were things they had used with their own families. As such they were filled with the scents of not only our friends, but their children, too.

Tears ran down my cheeks at their thoughtfulness. They dried as the first contraction hit.

“It’s starting! Let’s get these in place.” They surrounded the nest where I could still smell them but they wouldn’t be damaged during my shift or labor.

“Do you want Michaella? Aldrin?”

“No. Let them know I’m in labor. You better tell Blake, your cop friend, and the enforcers. I might get loud.”

Deke got out his phone. “On it.”

Once the items were in place, I stripped, unable to bear wearing clothes any longer, and shifted. It took me a moment to find a comfortable place to rest where Deke could also be close. It took barely a thought to construct a dome to protect us from the elements and provide warning of people approaching. It covered the entire house, so Nhil was trapped until the eggs arrived.

Thanks for that, Papa. Not like I had anywhere to be.

Do you want to leave? I can open—

It’s fine. I want to see my siblings when they arrive. I’ll be here, but not outside. Enjoy this time with Dad.

Deke fidgeted in place, looking torn. I felt his anxiety over my suffering. “Would you like me to shift, to help with your pain?” Deke was simply adorable. It took my mind off the pain I was experiencing briefly.

Thank you. That’s not necessary. Hands might be better. Alpha power doesn’t work on me like it does shifter omegas.

With the pain of each contraction, I began to wish Deke’s alpha power would work on me like it would a shifter in labor. Being able to take someone’s pain was a thoughtful gift. Perhaps The Luna had some of the balance wrong, but in this, she was right.

“Ah. So do you want me to rub your back or your belly?

I’ve never had someone rub my stomach in this form. It might be nice.

Finding the right position was hard. Exposing so much of my stomach was contrary to my nature. I needed to protect it. I huffed and panted, getting into place. Deke’s side of the bond pulsed with affection. He tried to hide his grin at my irritation.

Deke’s hands were warm as he stroked along the softer scales of my stomach. His touch, as always, was gentle, adoring, as he tried to soothe my pain away.

Strangely, it worked. With every pass it was easier to deal with the contractions as they pushed the eggs down my body to enter the world.

Deke was perfectly attentive, ensuring I had a bowl of water to drink from. Nhil checked on me a few times, adding magic to my bubble and feeding me some jerky.

It was peaceful under the sky. A perfect place for a baby dragon to be born.

On and on the hours passed, the sky grew dark around us. The tightening pain came closer and closer, ramping up in its intensity, until I felt the need to bear down.

The first one is coming!

“Dad, get in place to catch the egg!” Nhil shouted from the safety of the patio doors.

My mate shuffled around the nest. “Oh, I see it! The shell is a pale blue in this light.” We had lanterns lit all around the nest.

He took a blanket, one from Rezoth, I was sure, to catch the egg when it slipped free of my body. Wrapping it tightly, he placed it in the spot I’d picked out for the eggs, surrounded by their parents’ scents.

One by one, six eggs were laid in the next hour, until I was done. Deke picked blankets from my boys and brothers to wrap them in tenderly, his face awed.

Truly, I felt the same. Birth was a wonder. I was exhausted but exhilarated over it.

They’re here! Hello little ones. I dipped down to breathe a wash of magic over their shells, helping them harden now that they were out of me.

“Six!” Deke squawked. Automatically he brushed a hand over each of them in turn. “Welcome to the world, babies. I’m your daddy!” His baby voice needed work, yet it was also perfect at the same time.

“Ozzy, you did it. You made us a family!”

I returned to my human guise. “No, we were already a family. We just made it larger.”

He took me in his arms, wrapped me in a blanket saturated in his delicious scent, kissed me soundly, then pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you so much. And the babies. All six of them. The boys, too. Even Nhil.”

“I heard that!” Nhil called dryly. “Well done, Papa. Those are beautiful eggs.”

They truly were. All of them were in shades of silver, white and blue. Each of them the size of an emu’s egg and utterly perfect.