Chapter 14
Luca
At least right now, my schedule aligned nicely with Raphael’s. I worked three days of twelve-hour shifts while he worked three days of twenty-four-hour shifts, then we each had three days off. Although it was only day two, I missed him.
He was across the street from me all day, unless he or I were out on a call. Sometimes, I saw him in the window and waved. Sometimes, around mealtimes, if there wasn’t an emergency going on, I would sneak across the street and see him. For the most part, I tried to get through my days without being too attached to my mate, which seemed silly. It shouldn’t be this hard to be separated from a man I just met. Maybe that was too much of a human mindset. As far as I could tell, it was perfectly normal for mates to be incredibly attached to one another.
In fact, now that I knew about shifters and mates, I could see it in the world around me—like how Mrs. Benson and her mate, Gerald, ran the hardware store together, and how Olivia and Sue were always seen together, never apart. The two of them ran the bar in town, and it was quite famous for its 80’s nights. I had never gone, though Theo had begged me to a few times.
So it was perfectly normal for me to want to be near my mate all the time. Except the two of us had jobs to do. Both of us were relatively new to town, and I wasn’t going to jeopardize our positions because I was feeling clingy.
Unfortunately, this particular shift was going agonizingly slow. I missed my mate, and my stomach was rolling. I had barely been able to keep down a cup of coffee this morning. Sleep had been restless.
For years, I had lived without sleeping next to a person. Suddenly, Raphael was in my bed for just a couple of days, and now I couldn’t sleep without him. I needed a dragon-sized pillow to cuddle when he wasn’t there. Thankfully, online shopping had proven quite fruitful in that endeavor, and I had two different ones arriving this week. They weren’t actually dragon shaped, though when I’d found a fluffy green one, I’d been tempted.
My phone pinged with a text, and I opened it up. It was Theo.
Theo: Any special requests? I’m stopping by for a visit.
As far as I could tell, Theo worked whatever hours he wanted to, and apparently, today was one of the not-want-to days. On those days, he tended to visit—which I loved. He was the bestest best friend I could’ve ever asked for. It must have been agonizing for him not to be able to share his full self with me. But now he could.
Me: Ginger ale?
He replied with a question mark.
I sent back: Yes.
Twenty minutes later, Theo walked in the door. He held a large thermos and a brown paper sack. The smell that wafted off of the thermos was sweet, and my mouth watered.
“That is not ginger ale,” I said.
“It’s something better.” He hesitated. “Now, this is not an appropriate question, so slap me if you’d rather I not ask… but—”
“Yes, I do suspect I’m pregnant.”
He squealed and jumped on his toes, running in place while he clapped happily. “Oh, I’m so happy! Listen, ginger ale is not going to do jack shit for a shifter pregnancy. Especially a dragon pregnancy or whatever it’s called when you are carrying eggs.”
I raised a brow.
“So I brought you some of the stuff my mom swears by. You know she runs that little apothecary shop, right?”
“The place that sells the special teas?”
“Exactly. Everyone comes to her when they’re expecting because she’s got the best stuff for morning sickness. She even has good stuff if your blood pressure goes wonky later on.”
“Fingers crossed that won’t happen.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that for you, sweetheart. You’re carrying dragons . You’ll be laying eggs, not little cubs or pups, right?”
That was terrifying to think about.
Any time I had thought about having children before, it was always a baby, a nine-month pregnancy. But now, I was having eggs . And how long was that gestation, exactly? I had no fucking clue.
“Here.” He set the thermos down, then grabbed a coffee mug from the little kitchenette. “I told her you like sweet things and cinnamon, so this should taste almost like a cinnamon roll.”
It sure smelled like one.
“Now, you can only have a cup in the morning. You don’t want to overdo it, or it won’t work as well. It’s meant to ease the suffering, not take it completely away—which sucks, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I’ll take it,” I said. “I can’t imagine doing a few months of this.”
“Oh, dragon pregnancies are way shorter. You’re going to lay eggs in a couple of weeks.”
“How do you know all this?”
He shrugged. “My dad’s a historian. I started asking some questions right after you and Raphael mated. I had to pass the time somehow since my best friend was occupied.”
“Maybe I should ask him some questions.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea. Or talk to your mate. Perhaps his family can clue you in.”
“I will,” I said. “We’ve just been busy.”
Theo smirked. “Busy? I know what it means for mates to be busy. Ya’ll just couldn’t keep it in your pants.”
I grinned, because he was not wrong. I sipped the tea slowly. He was right, the flavors were just perfect, and it was like drinking a liquid cinnamon roll. The temperature was also just right, making it easy to drink.
Already, the tea was starting to help. My stomach calmed, and the thought of eating a little something didn’t send me hurtling toward the bathroom.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “This stuff is amazing. I still don’t know for sure if I’m pregnant.”
“Don’t you have, like, pregnancy tests here?”
“Um… maybe? We have those little strip thingies, I think. We were sent them by accident with our supplies last month, and I didn’t know what to do with them.”
“Well, let’s grab one! Let’s do it!”
“Shouldn’t I do this with my mate?”
“Wouldn’t it be way cooler to do it right now with your best friend, and then you can find a super special way to show him later? Besides, don’t you want to know as soon as possible?” Theo’s eyes danced with excitement, and he was bouncing again.
I groaned, because he was not wrong. I did want to know right now. And I would find a way to tell Raphael later.
“Fine, fine.”
I gulped down the rest of the tea, my stomach finally settling. Already, it was like my stomach evened out, and my skin felt better, no longer clammy and tight.
“Oh, wow. Your mom is a miracle worker.”
“She really is,” he said. “You don’t know the half of it. She’s also a certified doula. Obviously, she’s used to bear pregnancies, but I am sure she would love to help you with yours.”
Theo disappeared into the supply closet.
I suppose I should be concerned about a non-employee going through our things, but, well, he did work for the town, so I guess that wasn’t the same as a random person snooping.
“Perfect! We’ve got one.”
Theo began to follow me toward the bathroom.
I turned to him. “I think I can manage this part alone.”
He smiled so big.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m just so happy for you and Raphael. Selfishly, I’m also happy for me. I spent weeks crafting an argument for Tyler about why you should know about us. He was just about to give in. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m really glad I have you too, Theo. Soon to be Uncle Theo.”
He squealed and hugged me tight. “Exactly . Uncle Theo! Now go in there. Get this done.”
Minutes later, two lines stared back at me.
Positive.
Raphael and I were going to have little dragonets.