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“G ood day, Aguya.” One person after another greeted Kai when she strolled into the massive kitchen.

The place was a beehive of activities as they prepared for the evening meal in the great hall.

Along one wall were stoves and open pits where people cooked various things in big pots and wide frying pans—making the room smell heavenly.

On cue, her stomach began to growl. She shook her head. This baby would not lead her from meal to bed and back to another meal. It would wait.

As she moved deeper into the great hall kitchen, she noticed a long marble table in the center where three people were chopping potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, and other root vegetables that Kai still learned about.

Three men entered a door from the other side, carting skinned, beheaded, and gutted carcasses over their shoulders.

They hoisted each of them onto two huge stainless-steel tables before they departed the same way they entered.

Kai knew it had to be a goat since no other meat was included in Drahk meals.

As men and women hacked through and sliced off chunks in various places, Kai had to turn her face as the scent of the raw meat wafted toward her and made her stomach roll.

Kai slapped a hand over her mouth and prayed everything stayed down. How could the meat cooked in all sorts of ways make her salivate while seeing and smelling it raw made her nauseous?

She had not experienced any morning sickness with the child yet, but she now was clear that she had an aversion to raw goat meat.

“What are you doing in here, Aguya?” Tana’s voice drew her toward the kitchen's back wall, where the attendant stood before three deep sinks. She dried her hands on a towel looped through her apron, and then she started toward her.

Kai was glad Tana moved forward because the attendant’s position by the sinks put her in close proximity to the raw meat, and Kai couldn’t force her feet to go any further.

“I wanted to help,” she explained as she lowered her hand from her face.

Tana grasped her arm and pulled her further away from the smell of the meat.

Once the delicious aroma from the food on the stove surrounded her, Kai inhaled deeply and felt her body balance out again.

“The kitchen is the worst place for a swelling female. None can take the raw meat. When female workers became pregnant, usually, their duties were switched temporarily from the kitchen.”

Kai absorbed the knowledge and then asked. “Does that mean that young dragons also have an issue with it?”

Tana laughed as she shook her head. “Absolutely not. It is customary at their first shift to be fed tender portions of the raw meat.”

“So, just us pregnant women have to suffer.” Kai nodded. “Got it.”

“It will not be long, and there are plenty of other things to do within the Thunder.” Tana patted Kai’s arm.

Nine months seemed like forever to Kai to wait before she could do something she enjoyed.

“But I adored cooking. Even though there wasn’t much to prepare in recent years because we ran out of funds on our account.

” Kai blushed. “Aodh will be home soon, and I wanted to make our meal tonight before we go out.”

“Yes.” Tana nodded. “The McKenna informed me of his plans with you this evening.” She paused momentarily, then continued, “He asked me to pack items for a meal you can take. You can do this since those items are located in the storeroom.”

“At least that’s something.” Kai followed Tana down a side hall until they arrived at a door. “In here, we will find everything we need.” The older woman opened the door, stepped back, and allowed Kai to enter.

Kai tried to take it all in, looking one way and then another, and turned to see it all. Bins of all sizes on shelves around the walls and in the center packed the room. “Wow. What is all this?”

“Dried and smoked foods. Often, we use it for our patrols because they fly a distance to keep watch over all the territory and sometimes may stay for days in an area, and food on the land can still be scarce in some places that don’t have planting fields.

There are always wild berries and things, but usually, that isn’t enough to sustain a dragon. ”

Rubbing her belly, Kai nodded. She’d seen the amount of food Drahks put down. “Is there anything in here Aodh doesn’t like to eat?” Kai turned and faced Tana, standing by the door.”

“Not a one. So, pick whatever you like, and Aodh will also enjoy.” She pointed toward a side wall filled with hooks and various bags. “These satchels have straps and will work for a ride. Since you’re going with him, pick one with shorter straps to fit you, not the dragon.”

She nodded.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” Tana smiled at her before she walked out of the door.

Kai went to the wall and selected a pack that she felt would be comfortable if weighed down. She didn’t get one that was too small since whatever she placed inside of it would have to be enough for her and Aodh.

The Mckenna was massive and the largest dragon she’d seen in the territory. Kai was sure that flying took a lot of energy, and she didn’t think a few berries and nuts would do it.

She reached into a bin of dried cinnamon apples and nibbled on a handful.

An idea struck her as she walked around and considered what would be good.

She went from barrel to container and filled over half the satchel with dried meats, beans, sweet potatoes, herbs, and vegetables.

She added fruits and nuts inside the front pocket because she desired something sweet to complete their simple meal.

When she finished, she headed back out to the central kitchen.

Little flame. I have arrived at our suite. You are missing.

Kai didn’t realize how much time had passed while she had been in the storage room.

I’m on my way.

Do you need me to come to you?

She smiled. No. I’m only in the great hall. I’ll be right up.

If this mind link she experienced was only with her because of the pregnancy, she would miss it once it was gone.

It made communicating with Aodh easier and connecting to all the other Drakh made her feel like a part of the Thunder.

Once that link to them was removed after she delivered the child, she would return to being simply the dragon king's mate and the heir's mother.

They were not bad titles, but she still wanted more—to feel like a genuine part of the Thunder.

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and hoped her feelings stayed in her heart, private from Aodh. She did not want to worry him with something neither of them could change.

“Tana?” She was thankful Tana was at the stove, tending to a large pan and searing potatoes with onions instead of close to the raw meat. Which Kai noticed was almost entirely chopped up or sliced. “Is there a small pot I can take with me?”

The older woman glanced her way and frowned for a moment. However, she didn’t ask any questions. She pointed to a cabinet beneath the table with the spatula in her hand. A couple of people were dicing vegetables. “Under there, you’ll find smaller cast iron items good for cooking.”

“Thank you.” Kai rushed to the table and stooped down to peer into the cabinet. When she spotted a pot perfect in size she could use and one that would fit inside the satchel, she grabbed it. Surprised by the heft of the medium pot's weight, she became concerned that her idea hadn’t been the best.

However, she remembered she would not be walking around with it but simply having it strapped to her. When she began to remove the pack from her back, someone working at the table stopped her.

“Let me do that for you, Aguya.” A young woman with soft reddish-brown skin, round eyes, and long, straight, black hair in two plaits down her back that met her gaze.

“Thank you...”

“Chumana.” The young woman, who appeared to be roughly Kai’s age, smiled as she lifted the pot from the table with one hand before stepping behind Kai.

Moments later, the pot was in the pack and fastened tight. “Chumana, I appreciate your assistance.”

“You’re welcome. I also put in some silverware. If you and the Mckenna are flying, hopefully, you will rest beside Drago Lake, which has fresh water. It’s lovely at night. My father would take me there when I was learning to fly.”

The warm smile and the brightness of the other woman’s eyes let Kai know it was a fond memory. “I’m not sure where we are going, but I will mention it to Aodh.”

After offering goodbyes to Chumana and Tana, Kai rushed out of the kitchen. As thunder members began coming into the hall for the evening meal, Kai smiled at the greets tossed her way but continued toward the suite. She’d kept Aodh waiting long enough.

It had been a long day, and she missed her mate. However, at some point that night, she wanted to speak with Aodh about working in some area of the Thunder. She wasn’t used to being so idle.

At the suite, she pushed the door open. This time, opening the door with ease wasn’t as shocking to her as it had been when she first left the suite earlier.

At first, she thought it was due to a particular grasping technique that made the door easy for her to open.

However, it became evident to her that this child was changing more inside of her than aiding her in talking mentally with Aodh and recognizing each dragon.

Other things were changing, too, like her strength.

Hello, mate.