Page 15 of Not So Stranded (Delaney’s Sea Monsters #3)

Though it was easy to forget about real life on that incredible island, Kit remembered that he did actually have a job to do.

He’d happily donated his supplies to everyone and left the boat docked because he could hike around from there to the beach to observe the turtles.

So far he’d found three nests with zero predator evidence.

He was hopeful all of them would be successful, but he would keep coming back to watch for evidence of hatching.

And then he’d help them make it to the water, protecting them from the birds, and even dig the ones on the bottom out himself if he needed to. He was very into babies at the moment.

As he reached the dock to hike back up the hill for the lagoon, he heard someone say his name.

“Kit.”

He turned to find Zenori bobbing in the water beside the dock. “Hey. What’s up?”

They held out a snorkel and goggles. “Can you use these? Jonah is giving birth.”

Excitement seized him, making him smile. “Oh, wow! Yeah, I use those. Are you taking me around to the gate?”

“I am. It will be the fastest method.”

Kit left his notes and shoes on the dock and jumped into the water, eager to find out what a sprint around the island with Zenori would be like. And being there for a birth? He was nervous and excited already.

Zenori held onto him protectively while Kit got the snorkel and goggles on.

Then they really did sprint because Zenori was off like a shot.

Even with Kit acting like a whole lot of extra drag, Zenori propelled them through the water just below the surface.

And good thing they weren’t any deeper because Kit gasped with that first burst of speed but the snorkel was up enough to save him.

Going by the reef on the outside of the island was fascinating, and Kit wanted to remember to come back—maybe with Larkin to check on the abalone.

They went by so quickly, Kit could barely register that he’d seen anything.

But then they were at the gate, and Zenori motioned that they needed to go deeper.

Kit took a deep breath and nodded, then Zenori took them down to the door they could use.

Kit swam through the door and aimed for the surface, but then Zenori was there to propel them both up that much faster. Taking off the goggles and snorkel, Kit let Zenori steer them over to Blowjob Rock. Hiaka was sitting on top of it and helped Kit join them there.

“It’s the best place to watch without getting in the way,” Hiaka whispered.

“Thanks,” Kit said as he sat cross-legged beside them.

Zenori sat on the other side of Kit just as Jonah cried out.

“The eggs secrete a chemical that tells the body to start pushing,” Hiaka said. “I’m told it’s like having contractions? Totally involuntary.”

Kit gulped but nodded. He’d wondered how he’d know when it was time for the eggs to come out. That it was automatic made sense and eased his worries, but oh, he wasn’t looking forward to the pain Jonah was clearly experiencing.

Jonah hollered again, and Primus ducked underwater. Interestingly, Jonah slouched in one of the Adirondack chairs with Primus positioned between his spread legs. Those chairs were good for everything, apparently.

“That’s the first egg out,” Hiaka whispered.

“And Primus is breaking it open, right?” Kit asked quietly.

“Yes. Contact with the cooler water will make it crack, so they’re just finishing the job.”

Zenori shifted a little closer, and Kit took their hand. His fingers got a squeeze.

Primus’s head appeared above the surface again as Jonah grunted and clenched. That happened six times before Primus pulled Jonah into a hug. Were they done? Were all the babies out? Kit’s heart was pounding anxiously.

Primus turned to look over at everyone. “Six new hatchlings!”

The whole crowd cheered. Kit put his hands in the air and whooped, relieved and excited for the new family members.

Eric ran down from the land behind Jonah to give him a hug, while Ty swam over to Primus and embraced their oldest child. Kit saw big smiles and maybe some tears, which was when he realized he’d shed a few, too. Hiaka wrapped their arms around both Zenori and Kit, and Kit heard Zenori’s big sigh.

“What do you think?” Kit asked Zenori. “One pregnant mate or two?”

Zenori whipped their head around to stare at him.

Kit chuckled. “We could, right? Me and Hiaka knocked up at the same time?”

“I mean, technically…” Hiaka said.

“I… I do not know…” Zenori swallowed audibly. “I have no memories of supporting a mate through hosting and delivery.”

And they seemed a bit panicked about that. “Oh, then never mind,” Kit backtracked. “Hiaka can go first, like you always intended. We can learn about supporting them together.”

“Wait, though,” Hiaka said. “You have memories of it all from the parent’s perspective, right?”

“Yes,” Zenori said warily.

“They supported whatever animal was hosting for them, didn’t they?”

“But that was not a mate.” And from the sound of it, that mattered to Zenori.

“True,” Hiaka said, “but the things that were done to make the host comfortable are the same things you’d do for a mate.”

“Um,” Kit said, “the elixir makes human hosts…” Since there were kids nearby, he simply pointed to what they were all sitting on. “And I assume that’ll be the same for cecaelia hosts?”

“Okay, not the sexual part,” Hiaka amended. “That definitely did not happen with the animal hosts. But that’s the only exception. And I think it’s a good one because you definitely know how to handle horny mates.”

Zenori huffed a laugh and grinned a bit.

“We could do both of us at the same time,” Hiaka said, “but it’s your choice, Zenori.”

Giving Zenori a chance to think about that, Kit watched Eric and Ty with Primus and Jonah.

They were the only ones going over, which he thought was a good thing.

A little parental support without an overwhelming crowd of visitors.

While they were in a spot that was away from the main dock, it was still out in the open.

But it seemed like that side of the lagoon was for babies and their parents, because Larkin’s family was also nearby.

Then Kevin came down to the lagoon from the cabin.

He carried a playpen like the other one, but this one was at least twice the size.

Clearly wanting to present his gift without intruding, he let Eric see it on land, gave his twin a kiss on his cheek, and walked away.

Maybe Larkin’s week-old hatchlings and Jonah’s newborns were going to share the space?

Suddenly, Kit was itching to see that many adorable babies in one spot.

“We can do both of you at once,” Zenori said.

Hiaka gasped and wrapped their arms—and a few tentacles—around Zenori before peppering their face with kisses. Kit chuckled and waited his turn, leaning in to kiss Zenori properly when he got the chance.

“You’re going to do great,” he encouraged. “I’m pretty sure you just have to make sure I don’t drown. Hiaka will be way easier to manage since they can’t drown.”

Zenori rolled their eyes and pulled Kit into a hug.

Tangled up together while sitting on the rock none of them had used yet for its name, Kit started getting ideas for changing that.

But before he could act on them or say anything, Hiaka pulled them into the water and swam for the other side of the lagoon.

Not for privacy, though, because they were heading right for Michael and Serion.

“We’ve decided,” Hiaka said as they let Zenori go and plopped Kit on the little beach beside Michael.

“Decided what?” Michael asked.

Hiaka squinted at him. “Only the one thing you’ve asked me every day since we got here.”

“More than once on some days,” Zenori added.

Kit snickered but then pretended to cough into his fist when Michael eyed him.

Serion asked, “What have you decided?”

Hiaka tilted their head back like they were going to issue a challenge. “Kit and I are both going to host at the same time, while Zenori watches over us.”

Michael clapped his hands and whooped before throwing his arms up and yelling again. Kit was already blushing from Hiaka’s announcement, but then he really felt his face heating when Michael grabbed him into a bear hug.

“Ah, this is excellent,” Michael said while holding onto Kit’s shoulders. “If you have any questions, just ask me.”

“Oh, well, we’ve been talking already.” Kit cleared his throat.

“Will you be donating,” Serion asked, “to both of them?”

“I think I should,” Zenori said. “It seems like the best method to increase the number of hybrids while diversifying our ancestral lines.”

Kit hadn’t considered that part of things, but it seemed like a fair assessment. At some later time, he could donate to Hiaka to really expand their lineage. Assuming, of course, that he wanted to do it again someday.

Oh, damn, he did have a question. Did he really want to ask his father-in-law, though? He could ask Larkin or even Steve. It probably wasn’t something one forgot.

“I can see your wheels turning in there,” Michael said with a grin. “Just ask. I stopped being shy about butt stuff after my second set of hatchlings.”

Kit made a wheezing noise before clearing his throat again. “Um… Well… Oh, god.”

“Rip the bandaid off,” Hiaka suggested.

Kit winced but said, “What’s Jonah feeling like right now?”

Michael chuckled. “You mean, how’s his ass.”

Groaning, Kit covered his face.

“Stretched, open, empty,” Michael said, “but there’s not much to recover from.

Everything goes back to normal fairly quickly.

We haven’t done a study or anything, but I’m going to credit the elixir for making sure there’s no sort of prolapse or paralysis.

Jonah there will probably have a normal shit in a day or so and be just fine. ”

Prolapse or— Kit sucked in a breath, having not considered anything like that. And, really, he didn’t need to consider it, according to Michael. So that was good. But oh, dear god…

“Just so you know,” Hiaka said, “my eggs’ll come out through my cock.”

“Oh, fuck! Seriously?” Kit couldn’t stop himself from reaching down to cover his.

Hiaka shrugged. “It’s way stretchier than yours, of course. But, yeah.”

“And you’re…okay with that?”

“I mean, I’m not looking forward to it exactly, but I’d already talked to my siblings and cousins. It sounds kind of similar to what you’ll experience.”

“Will the eggs stay in your— There?”

“No, they’ll be inside,” Hiaka said and patted their belly. “It’s the traveling out that’s the issue.”

“But afterward…” Michael said with a smile as he put his hand over his heart. “You have babies. Babies you made. You remember what you went through, but to have them?”

Kit nodded. “Worth it.”

Michael pointed at Kit and winked before he reached over and briefly cupped Hiaka’s cheek in his palm. One of his babies…

Worth it. Yeah, Kit understood that. To go from no family to all of these people and his own mates and children? No complicated adoptions or surrogates? It was a miracle and it was home and it was worth anything he had to go through to get and keep it. Totally worth it.