Chapter 15
Raphael
Hopefully, being away from my mate while I was on shift would get easier with time. More than once, I was tempted to have him sneak into the station and stay the night with me. I just wanted to hold him in my arms. We wouldn’t even be inappropriate at all. Promise.
As soon as my shift was over, I picked up my things and got ready to leave. If anyone asked me to work a double, I would lose my mind. Each passing moment I prayed the alarm wouldn’t go off and I’d be stuck on a call. I couldn’t bear to be away from Luca any longer.
Tyler came over, smiling like a wolf who had captured a bunny.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “I just lost a bet because of you.”
“What bet?”
“Levi was sure that you would sneak your mate into the dorm at some point this weekend or sneak over there for some hanky-panky. But no, you two had to play it cool and follow the rules. I sided with Levi, AJ bet you’d be able to make it three days.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t think I wasn’t tempted.”
“But you didn’t do it,” Tyler said.
“No. Don’t remind me that it’s been three days since I’ve had my mate in my arms. I’m barely containing my dragon as it is.”
Tyler grinned. “Listen, he can come around the station as much as he wants. The two of you don’t have to worry so much about what’s proper and what’s normal. Luca especially needs to know that everything might feel fast because he’s human, but you’re mates. This is in your biology. Don’t fight the instincts, okay? And if you need more time off, we can make that happen.”
“Thanks, Tyler. I appreciate it. It’s very likely my mate is expecting, and we’ll be negotiating some time off for when the eggs arrive and then when they hatch. So I might just save what little time off I have.” Which was almost nothing, since I had just started this job.
Tyler grinned. “Congratulations! I’m always happy to have more members of the pack.”
I held up a hand, stopping him before he could get too excited. “I don’t even know for sure. It is rather soon. We’ve only been mated a week.”
“Of course. Now get out of here. Get home to your mate.”
I didn’t have to be told twice. I slipped my bag over my shoulder and slid down the pole. Yes, we had a pole in the fire station.
There was soft music playing when I entered the house. The curtains were all drawn, and the place was dark, though it was just a little after seven in the evening.
“Luca?” I called, sensing that he was here.
“In here,” he called back. His voice came from the back of the house, where the living room was.
I wasn’t expecting what I found in the living room. Next to the large bay window, the couch had been pushed aside, and now there was an assortment of soft, pillow-like things all arranged in a nest-like form. My mate, wearing a pair of short shorts and a tank top, lay in the center. He was surrounded by colorful blankets of varying sizes. One was a plush fleece, the other a velvet material.
“I’m really glad you’re here. I’ve been busy today,” he said.
“I see that. Where did all this come from?”
“Theo and I went shopping. I grabbed everything that felt right.”
He held his hand out, a small item resting in his palm. My heart rate increased. I stepped forward, my breath catching in my throat. Already, my dragon suspected what my human side was only now realizing.
I needed to see it for myself.
I grabbed the item in his hand. “I don’t know what I’m looking at. Is this... is it a pregnancy test?”
Luca grinned and nodded. “It is. I’m sorry that I took one without you and that Theo was with me, but I had to know. This morning, I started feeling not so great. Thankfully, Theo’s mom is a miracle worker, and he brought me tea she makes. Did you know she is a doula?”
“And all this?” I gestured to the nest.
Luca looked down at the nest he stood in, and his brow furrowed. “I don’t know. Once I realized I was pregnant—and that I was going to have eggs, of all things—I thought they probably needed a place to go. Right? Someplace warm and cozy. I just… followed my instincts and got what I felt made sense.”
“Indeed, they do need a nest.” I grinned, my dragon roaring to the surface at the news of our clutch.
“Good. So I bought all of this. What do you think?”
“You did perfect, mate. I’m so proud of you.”
I was about to tug him upward so I could hold him, but instead, he pulled me down. The softness of the perfect nest my mate had put together wrapped me in its embrace. Luca draped himself over me, pulling one of the thicker fleece blankets around us. The pillows were soft, but there were enough of them that I couldn’t even feel the floor beneath it.
“Oh, wow,” I said. “This really beats the beds at the station.”
“I know, right? It might be better than the bed we have.”
“Our eggs are going to be very cozy here. Whenever they’re laid. You did so well, mate.” I kissed him soundly, putting as much love as I could into the kiss. Luca melted against me.
“Do you know how long I’ll carry them?”
I settled back into the pillows and Luca laid his head on my chest. “It varies from dragon to dragon, but definitely a month, probably closer to six weeks. You have some time.”
“Oh, good, because I really want to carry them.” He grabbed my hand and placed it over his flat tummy. “They’re in there,” he said. “I don’t know how many. I’m hoping two, but they are there.”
“They are,” I said, kissing his cheek. “I’m so excited.”
“Good. Since we have the next three days off, I did make an appointment with Dr. Quinn. He said that he doesn’t have any experience with dragon pregnancies, but he’s prepared to help in any way he can. And we can reach out to Theo’s mom about being our doula.”
“Fantastic,” I said, wrapping Luca in my arms and pulling him close. I tugged the blankets that covered the pillows over us.
“This is a beautiful nest, mate. I’m so proud of you.”
“Are you hungry at all? I lost track of time, I didn’t even make you dinner or anything.”
“Later,” I said. “Right now, I just want to be right here. I had three very long days without you, and I can’t spend another minute without you next to me.”
Luca sighed, settling into my embrace. The warmth of him in my arms caused my eyes to droop. Sleep was just within my reach.
“The bed was empty without you. I could barely sleep without you next to me.”
“Me too, love. Me too.”