Page 13 of The Dragon’s Emberlinked Mate (Dragon Flight Academy #3)

Emmen

I awoke not to my alarm, but to the sound of the bathroom door slamming closed and the toilet lid flinging open. Then the distressed sounds of my mate losing the contents of his stomach reached my ears.

My first thought as I threw myself out of bed was that my mate was sick. But it was a little early in the season for the flu. And he wasn’t a drinker, so that was off the table. Which in my mind, left one possibility.

We’d been mated for a month now. Could it be true? Could my mate be carrying our first clutch? He’d expressed how much he wanted it a few times. How I’d love to be able to give him all of his dreams.

But I was getting ahead of myself. The flu, drinking too much, and pregnancy weren’t the only possibilities.

Still, I’d been around long enough to know how things worked.

Newly mated dragons often found themselves with a clutch soon after mating, the first signs being nausea and also a change in scent.

I hadn’t noticed any such change, but had I been looking?

No. But also, I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up and acted accordingly.

I raced down to the kitchen and put the kettle on so that it would be ready once Rhythe came down. Some mates wanted comfort while they were sick… someone to rub their back or hand them a cool washcloth. That wasn’t Rhythe. I’d learned a lot about him while he was recovering.

I grabbed some crackers and a glass of water and went back upstairs with them. I knocked softly on the bathroom door

“Go away,” he moaned.

“I brought you some water and crackers. I can leave them out here if you want.” Mostly I wanted him to know that I was here for him when he wanted me to be.

He groaned loudly. “Here is fine.” At least that was what it sounded like he’d said.

I tried the knob. It wasn’t locked. I opened the door a couple of inches. “May I come in, love? Please?”

“Yes,” he said.

Rhythe had a stack of towels on the floor, resting his head on it while he lay against cool tile.

Sweat had beaded on his forehead. I’d always thought there was nothing worse than being sick to my stomach.

Now I saw there was; it was having a mate who was sick to their stomach and not being able to do anything to help them in any real way.

“Are you doing any better?” I asked.

He eyed a handful of washcloths by the sink. He’d apparently been midway through getting them ready to use.

I grabbed one of them and ran it under some cool water and rested it against his forehead.

“I hate being sick.”

I hated him being sick even more, but I knew better than to say anything.

“Do you think that you might have eaten something, or perhaps have the flu?” It all sounded wrong, but leading with my hopes and dreams to find out he had eaten some tepid seafood would only make him feel worse.

He smiled and licked his dry lips. He made grabby hands at me, and I handed him the water. He took a few slow sips.

“You know I’m not sick,” he said.

I grinned. “I hoped, but I wasn’t sure.”

“I think it’s safe to say we’re going to have a clutch.”

I couldn’t stop the grin that split across my face. “This is so exciting, Rhythe. Don’t you think?”

He nodded. “Why in the last billion years has no one come up with a cure for this morning sickness, though? Why must I endure this?”

“There are some remedies. We can talk to Vexus about it.” I helped him to his feet. “Do you want a shower or—”

Rhythe shook his head. “It’s Saturday, isn’t it? We don’t have plans.”

“Indeed, we don’t. I can see if Vexus can get us in for an appointment.” If there was a way to prevent this sickness, I wanted him to have access to it as soon as possible.

“Does he work Saturdays?”

“I shrugged. He will if I ask him very nicely, and we perhaps coax him with baked goods.” I’d make the offer as sweet as I needed to in order to get him to come. Not that I saw a reason he wouldn’t unless he had plans. And if that were the case, I wouldn’t push.

Vexus gave 100% to his job. He always had. For him, helping dragons heal or grow the next generation was his calling and purpose.

“I wouldn’t mind knowing how many we’ll have. He can tell how many this early, right? He could with my brother.”

“Indeed, he should be able to determine how many eggs you carry.” The sooner we knew, the sooner we could prepare for the little ones joining our family.

I placed a hand over Rhythe’s belly. “I don’t care how many there are, I’m just excited to start this new chapter with you.”

“Me too,” he said. “Although that might put my plans with Ollie a little behind. I mean, not that I have that much else going with my day. It’s not like I have a job.”

I cupped his cheek, brushing my thumb over his skin. “Stop that. All the things you do are important. If you don’t have a job, what is it you’re doing every day? Visiting the school, working with the teachers, the students, the staff. That is your job. Everyone loves you.”

He shook his head. “It’s not—”

“It’s important. It’s no different than what Ollie does with the rest of the clan.”

In the distance, I heard the whistle of the kettle. I helped my mate up off the floor and down the stairs to the kitchen. I made him a cup of tea and handed it to him. There were probably better choices than the black tea I had on hand, but it would have to do.

“Am I not allowed to have coffee?”

“I figured your stomach wouldn’t be settled enough for coffee. I can make a pot.” It was the very last thing I wanted if my stomach had the slightest discomfort. But this wasn’t about me.

He grimaced and shook his head. “No. I’m not even sure it’s ready for tea, either.”

“I’ll brew a second cup and make it weaker.” I was pretty sure weak tea and toast were stomach go-tos. A few minutes later I handed him a new cup. “Here. Sip it slowly.”

While he had his tea, I texted Vexus to let him know that we were looking for an appointment.

Rhythe looked better after he finished his tea. He excused himself and went upstairs for a shower. He came out dressed simply in his robe with a fluffy pair of slippers fifteen minutes later looking like his normal self.

“Pip gave these to me after the accident. He meant them as a joke, but I think they’re quite comfortable.” He held up his left foot.

“Whatever makes you happy,” I said.

Rhythe settled on the couch. I sensed a dragon nearby and looked out the window to see Vexus landing in the backyard. He carried his medical bag in his talons.

I shook my head. “That man can’t sit still.” He hadn’t even let me know he was coming yet. He literally dropped everything and flew here.

“Who?”

“Vexus. He’s here to do an exam, I’m assuming.”

“Oh, good thing I showered.” Rhythe sat up straighter.

Vexus came in a few minutes later. He had far more equipment than I had originally thought.

“How did you get that all here?” Rhythe’s eyes went wide.

“I made two trips.”

How had I missed that?

“Let’s get you all checked out.” He set his medical bag on the coffee table and unzipped it.

“Do you think we can know how big the clutch is today or will Emmen and I need to come to you for that later?”

“The box I left by the door should help us get those answers, but first, tell me how you are feeling.”

The first part of the exam consisted of many questions and taking vitals. Not much more. When he was done, Vexus gave my mate something to help with his morning sickness along with a prenatal vitamin. The man came prepared, I’d give him that.

“Are you ready to find out your clutch size?” Vexus stood up and crossed over to where he left the ultrasound. He already knew the answer.

My mate grabbed my hand. “We are.”

It took a few minutes to set up, but once it was ready to go, Vexus wasted no time. Vexus moved the wand around my mate’s lower abdomen, clicking a handheld remote of sorts as he did.

My heart began to pound in my chest. This wasn’t the first time I’d witnessed my mate getting an ultrasound.

When he was in the hospital, they did a few on him, to make sure things were healing the way they needed to.

The machine had been very different, larger and probably more powerful, but that didn’t stop those memories from flooding back to me.

I held them in the best I could, not wanting to ruin this moment for my mate. But he knew. Of course he knew.

“Do you want us to stop?” He gave my hand a squeeze.

“No. This will be a good memory.” I kissed his forehead. “I was just remembering the last time you had one of these.”

“I thought so.” He closed his eyes tightly. “This will be a better memory, for us both.”

Vexus waited for us to give him the go-ahead before he shared the news with us. “Do you want to know how many eggs or how many babies?”

His question caught me off guard, but not my mate. “Twins?”

“Three eggs, and I think four babies. The twin gene runs strong in your family.”

Vexas wiped the gel from my mate’s belly, and Rhythe sat up and wrapped his arms around me. “Sounds like it's a good thing I’m working on my new project.” He giggled into my chest.

“It really does.”