Page 19

Chapter 19

Ash

T hese eggs had to arrive soon. Why couldn’t eagles be like goat shifters who had a knack of knowing the exact day they were going to be born? This waiting, wondering if today was the day each and every day was hard. Not as hard as growing a clutch of baby dragons.

If they didn’t come soon, I was going to burst. There might have been only two in there, but they had no more room to grow. My shirts barely fit, and moving around was incredibly uncomfortable. Even shifting to my eagle form took effort. And forget about flying. I pretty much gave up shifting at this point. Without flying, it wasn’t fun.

I don’t know how my mate didn’t laugh at me the last time we shifted together. My center of gravity was so far off that I couldn’t even lift off the ground. I looked more like a penguin waddling around than an eagle. But he didn’t laugh, and better than that, he didn’t look at me with pity. I don’t think I could’ve taken that.

Thank goodness it was Sunday and I could finally rest. It was the only day of the week that the team didn’t have some sort of practice or conditioning. And that was by my design, not theirs. I didn’t want us to suffer because I was tired. That wasn’t fair to the team. But taking Sundays off was a good plan regardless of pregnancy status.

I was beyond impressed by how well things were going on that front. The formation was turning out beautifully. We were more than ready for the competition.

Which was another reason I needed the eggs to arrive sooner rather than later. If they didn’t, then traveling to the competition in my condition would be too risky. I didn’t want to go into oviposition while I was away from home.

Sure, I could take the nest with me—and we would, if the eggs were laid. But I needed to be home to lay the eggs. I couldn’t fathom having them anywhere else.

I grabbed my morning coffee and dragged myself into the living room, then curled up in the nest. Each day it became more difficult to get inside, but I didn’t care. It was where I needed to be.

My nest was where I spent a majority of my free time. I would sleep in there, if I didn’t love my bed too much. Though, Zayne and I had spent many hours napping in the nest together.

“Do you need anything, love?” Zayne asked. He strolled into the room barefooted, only wearing a pair of gray drawstring sweatpants. My train of thought derailed.

“I don’t know.”

He smiled. “Well, if you think of anything, just say the word. You don’t need to be getting up.”

I hated being so helpless, but I didn’t have the energy to disagree with him. And the truth was, getting in and out of the nest was reserved only for bathroom breaks, and if I could figure out a way for Zayne to take care of that for me, I would’ve.

Thankfully, my mate loved to pamper. Who was I to deny him? At least that was what I told myself so I didn’t feel so useless.

Zayne settled in beside me, moving aside the numerous pillows and blankets that filled the nest. Together we created a cocoon of warmth that made me forget the uncomfortable pressure in my abdomen… and back… and when I stood, my knees and ankles as well.

He reached over to gently rub my back in slow, soothing circles, his touch expertly easing some of my tension as he spoke. “I can’t believe how close we are to the competition. You’ve put in so much work, Ash. The team’s really come together—thanks to you.”

“We’re co-leaders, Zayne. It was a team effort.” And as much as I originally thought it would be better not to be paired with someone and to show I could do it on my own, I learned through this experience that teamwork is better. Sure, being a Co-Leader with my mate was amazing, but it was a model I thought could benefit all the teams.

“They’ve all come so far. Christa and Scott. Even Jay has turned over a new leaf.” Zayne kissed my temple. “No matter how the competition turns out, I’m proud of you and the team. This has been my best year as Flight Leader.”

As his words sank in, a fluttering of emotion swelled within me. Like a dam bursting, my eyes watered. “Zayne! That’s—” I choked on my the words. I couldn’t make a coherent thought. “Thank you.”

Pregnancy was so wild. Emotion ran all over the place with just a second’s notice. Here I was crying because my mate gave me words of affirmation.

Zayne swiped at my eyes with his thumb. “Baby, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

I cuddled closer to him, my stomach getting in the way of me being able to settle exactly how I wanted. “You didn’t, I mean you did, but in a good way. I just need these eggs to—” A sudden pain rippled through my pelvis, and my eyes widened. I cried out.

It was time. Finally.

“What is it?”

“The eggs. I think...” It was as if my body morphed. My abdomen dropped like the contents inside shifted. Pregnancy was wild and surprised me daily.

Zayne’s hand rested on my stomach. He yelped as my skin fluttered with movement, dawning crossing his eyes. “The eggs… the eggs are coming?”

“They are.” At least I was 99 percent sure that they were. This was a first for me, too.

Zayne and I had a plan for what we were going to do once we knew it was time. We had everything arranged down to the second. Could I think of a single one of the steps? Not even close.

“My clothes, they hurt!” I couldn’t even explain how they hurt. It wasn’t that they were tighter or itchier or anything specific like that. Hurt was the best way to describe them.

Zayne helped me to get first my shirt and then my pants off.

I could already feel the slick building, slick that would ease the way for the eggs to exit my body—thank the dragon lords, because there was no way these eggs were coming out without help. Even with all the slick in the world, it wasn’t going to be an easy task. They were going to make my mate’s knot look microscopic and nobody would every describe his knot as that.

At last measurement, Dr. Vexis said they were above average in size but that there was nothing to worry about. I loved being above average in school, speed, and looks. Having my eggs size above average? Yeah, that wasn’t an area I had wanted to excel in, that was for sure.

Pressure like I’d never felt before wracked through my body. In my mind I thought it would build slowly, that I’d get used to one small step and then another. My mind lied.

“Oh shit. This is going to happen fast.” I clutched at the air, hoping to find something I could grab onto so I could bear down. For the first time, I truly feared that I wasn’t going to be able to do this.

“Should I call the doctor?”

Wait, wasn’t that first on our list? Why didn’t we write it down? We were so sure we had everything all set. Gods, how foolish we’d been thinking we’d be able to retain a single thought once it was go time.

“Maybe. I don’t—it might be too— Ahh!” I gripped my mate’s hand while I pushed. There was no way to hold back long enough to finish my sentence or decide if it was actually time to push. My body commanded it, and I was no longer in control.

I could feel the egg coming, it wasn’t going to be long at all, and that unlocked a whole new fear. What it they came out, dropped too far, and cracked all because we didn’t remember the stupid plan.

“Help me!”

“Tell me how.” I’d never seen my mate so unsure, so scared.

“You’ve got to catch the egg.”

Zayne reached between my legs, just in time. “Oh my goodness. It’s there. I feel it. You’re doing so great, baby. Keep going!”

As if I could stop. My body had completely taken over. The doctor said it would, but it wasn’t until it actually happened that I finally understood what they meant.

I pushed again, gripping the edge of the nest with all my might, a couple of the spoons jingling as I did.

“Just a little more,” Zayne said.

I ignored the pain and pressure as best I could as I bore down. I wanted nothing more than to meet my eggs. The pain was just the last barrier in the way. My body stretched and my hips felt like they were being torn in two, but I kept on pushing.

Zayne squeezed my hand, anchoring me. Then it was like the pressure vanished. Our first-born egg released from my body.

Zayne held it in his hands. I blinked away the tears in my eyes. The shell was golden, flecked with fiery-red speckles over its large scales. It looked massive in my mate’s hand.

“Look, Ash. It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Oh, my precious.” I held my hands out, and Zayne placed the egg carefully in them. He grabbed the blanket we had picked out for the first egg and wrapped it up.

“Are you ready for the next one?”

The next one. His words snapped me out of my euphoria and back into feeling everything.

Thank our lucky feathers I was only having two eggs. I didn’t know how others did more than that. I still wasn’t completely sure I was going to be able to handle this one.

I barely managed to nod, the pressure already building at the base of my spine, letting me know it was time. Even as I gathered my resolve, the pain grew more and more intense. I was ready for it this time, though. Knowing what to expect went a long way.

Unsure I’d be able to hold my sweet egg without letting it fall to the side, I set the egg next to me and gripped the edge of the nest once more. My jaw clenched as I bit down so hard that I feared I might break a tooth.

Zayne concentrated on the task at hand. His brow furrowed as he focused, his worry very close to the surface. “Come on, baby. Give me a good push.”

I whimpered and I pushed again. My body was sore and tired. Sweat dripped from my brow, and my hair was matted against my head. But my mate believed in me and my dragonet needed me. I knew I could do this.

When the next push came, I cried out as I put all of my might into it. My body stretched and the pressure reached a point where I was sure I was going to burst. Then suddenly it was gone. The final egg slipped from my body with a gush of liquid.

Zayne lifted this egg to show me. “Amazing, mate.”

This egg was the exact compliment to our first one. Instead of golden scales, it was red, and instead of red flecks, they were gold. We wrapped this egg in its blanket and set it next to the other one.

“Holy scales. That was intense. And quick. Is it always that quick?” My breath came in heavy pants. The insanity of the past few moments hitting me. Our eggs were here.

“I... I…” Zayne couldn’t seem to take his eyes off our eggs. He held me close and ran his finger through my sweat-soaked hair. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I was an absolute mess. The slick that had eased the eggs out of me clung to my legs.

“I need a shower, but I don’t want to move, and I need to shift, I think.”

I threaded my fingers through his hair. His face was a kaleidoscope of wonder as he gazed down at our eggs.

“Go ahead and shift, mate. I’m here.”

My eagle needed to meet our eggs, and my body longed for the healing a shift would bring.

Zayne helped me out of the nest, assuring me he’d stay in there with them as I took my feathers. My eagle felt like himself for the first time since I became pregnant. He hopped up on to the rim of the nest and plucked one, then two feathers. It hurt like a bitch, but watching them flutter down to our eggs made that momentary pain worth it.

“Fly, mate. You need it.” Zayne encouraged me to take to the air, and I did, but only in the room. Leaving my eggs, even for a few seconds to soar high above our home wasn’t going to happen.

My eagle circled the nest, taking our eggs in with from every angle. They were perfect. Absolutely perfect, and I didn’t think there was a better view than seeing my mate wrapped around them, protecting them.