Chapter 18
Luca
The crunching of metal and screeching of tires, the smell of burnt rubber—these were all things I would never forget. The blinding white pain that rocketed through my bones when the side of the vehicle hit me was indescribable. The pain had been instant and unbearable, almost to the point where I couldn’t tell where it started.
I lost consciousness for a while, but even in that state, I had desperately tried to wrap a protective arm around my abdomen.
Protect my eggs. Protect my eggs.
That was the only thing I could think. If it wasn’t for my newly acquired healing abilities thanks to my dragon mate, I would not be in good shape.
Now I was moving—though where, I didn’t know. Raphael’s calming embrace wrapped around me.
“Everything’s going to be just fine, Luca. We’re going to the doctor.”
“Home,” I said. “I want to have my eggs at home.”
I was in labor now. The stress of the accident was too much for my body. My breaks and cuts had healed thanks to my dragon mate, but that didn’t take away the stress my body had endured.
These eggs wanted out. Now.
The pressure in my abdomen was absolute torture. It was as if all the muscles in my body were conspiring together and squeezing all at once to get these eggs out.
“We are closer to your house than the clinic,” Tyler said. “We can have Quinn meet us there.”
“Yes,” I said. “Do that.”
The ride had been bumpy at first. I didn’t know how Levi had gotten us out of there, I was just thankful that he had.
I was in the back seat of the fire truck. Oh goodness, I could not have my eggs in a fire truck. They needed to be in their nest, snuggled safe where they belonged. I didn’t want to give birth in the back of a truck. I needed my nest. My perfect, beautiful nest.
Raphael and I had spent weeks perfecting the nest, and we were proud of it. The plan had been to have a quiet, comfortable birth there.
“Raphael, I’m scared. I’m so sorry.”
“Hush. It’s not your fault,” he said. He brushed the hair from my forehead and kissed me. His lips lingered on my forehead, and he continued to murmur encouraging words to me while I rode out another contraction.
The truck came to a stop, and as much as I wanted to get out and go into my home, there was no time.
“They’re coming,” I said. “Holy shit, they’re coming now.” The pressure built to a point of no return. I could feel the eggs now. They had to be close.
Raphael’s eyes widened. Scales erupted over his neck and down his chest.
“Calm, dragon. I promise everything’s gonna be okay.”
I had no idea if that was the case. Sure, I had inherited—or rather, gotten—his healing ability once we were mated, but there were some injuries you couldn’t come back from. What damage had been done to my eggs in this mess? I couldn’t bear it if something happened to them.
The back door opened, sunlight streaming in.
“Raphael, I’ve done this before. I can deliver your eggs,” Tyler said.
Oh shit. This was happening. I was going to give birth in the back of a truck. A fire truck, no less.
Raphael nodded and squeezed my hand. “Luca, you can do this. okay? Just breathe with me.”
Tyler used his strength to remove my pants. The rip was barely audible over my loud moaning. I could barely tell what was happening—all of my focus was on pushing the egg from my body. Tyler positioned me carefully, his hands gentle. We didn’t have a ton of room to work with in the cramped backseat. Tyler stood outside the truck, while my feet were propped on the door frame. My head rested in my mate’s lap.
“Okay, we’re ready, Luca. Go ahead and push.”
I bore down, squeezing my mate’s hand as he whispered encouraging things in my ear, assuring me that our eggs were going to be perfect.
Then the first one slipped from my body.
I had always imagined having my child placed in my arms. I would hold their tiny body against mine and see their eyes. Instead, it was an emerald egg that was placed against me, shining brightly in the sun. Its scales matched that of my mate. I hiccupped a sob as I held it against me. It was smooth and warm.
“One more,” Raphael said. “Just like this one. He’s perfect.”
Raphael took the egg from my arms so I could concentrate on delivering the second egg.
I nodded. “Okay. Okay. Next one.”
The second egg was smaller than the first, or maybe it just felt that way since my body was used to it. Tyler carefully held it out to me, and I held it in my arms. This egg was also green. The smooth scales were warm against my skin.
Tyler stepped away. “I’ll give you two a moment, and then we need to get you inside.”
Raphael kissed my forehead while I held both eggs in my arms. They were no bigger than a gallon of milk. They might not have been squirming babies, but there was a bond forming between us. Inside these precious shells were my children.
“They’re happy,” I said. I didn’t know how I could sense it, but I could. These were my babies.
“They are,” Raphael agreed. “I can sense them—our son and our daughter.”
One was just a little bit lighter than the other, but they were of similar size now that I could compare them. I sensed the same happiness from them that Raphael did.
“Are we sure they’re all right?” I asked.
“They are. I can sense it. A little stressed, a little scared after that whole ordeal, but they’ll be just fine and happy. Once you’re ready, we’ll get you and them into the nest. How do you feel?”
I laughed. “Like I was hit by a truck and then gave birth.”
Raphael laughed too, but it soon turned to silent tears that streamed down his face.
“I was so scared, mate. So incredibly terrified.”
“Me too. But I knew you would come.”
He kissed my cheek and pressed his forehead to mine. “Let’s never do that again, okay?”
“Deal.”
Raphael got out and carefully swept me into his arms. I held our eggs while he carried me into the house. We went straight to the nest. Raphael set me down so I could place the eggs in their spots. I had two quilts ready for them.
Raphael switched on the lamp and the two of us snuggled close to our clutch.
I marveled at the two tiny emerald eggs. They looked small now, they definitely hadn’t felt small when they had been in me, nor when they had come out of me.
Their presences filled the room with a sense of rightness. Our family.
“Will their scales match the color of their eggs?” I asked.
“Yes. They will be green like me.”
“Hmm. Hopefully their human forms look like me then,” I said.
Raphael chuckled. “Indeed. They will be a wonderful mix of both of us.”
“You two are going to be strong dragons. Daddy’s sorry for the chaotic way you were brought into the world. But wasn’t your other daddy amazing? He was our hero.” I stroked each of the eggs as I spoke to them.
A hum came from inside them, so faint I could hardly feel it.
“Was that...?”
Raphael nodded. “They hear you.”
I gasped. “Oh, my babies. I love you so.”
Raphael’s hand covered mine. “I love you, mate.”