Page 26

Rumi

L ife settled into a new routine with surprising speed.

For what they considered too long, my and my brothers’ mates had given their time and effort to matters in my father’s world rather than focusing on their duties in the magical world.

As soon as Osric returned to his kingdom, assuring us all that a new era of peace and prosperity had begun, Emmerich and the other dragons were able to return to their lives and occupations from before.

“We’re fortunate that the magical world doesn’t require half as much governance as Osric’s world,” Emmerich said as all twelve of us and our eggs enjoyed a balmy summer afternoon in one of the gardens of the dragon castle.

“I’ve had several petitions to review and a few minor disagreements that needed resolving, but other than that, the people of this world have been supportive of our efforts in the other world. ”

“Even the ogres have been quiet of late,” Gildur said with a fond smile for Selle, who sat cuddled against him as he watched our eggs.

The eggs had all been placed in the large, soft, nest-like cushion that I somehow knew they preferred to be in.

They liked being out in the sun, and they definitely liked being together.

The seven of them were beautiful when placed together that way.

They all glittered and shone like the precious things they were.

My and Emmerich’s egg had been strangely quiet so far that morning. Their cousins had mostly been quiet, too, like they were resting and gathering their strength.

“It’s summertime,” Azurus said with a shrug, stroking Misha’s hair with one hand as my brother lay against him, a happy smile on his face. “Who would want to cause trouble when the world is so verdant and beautiful?”

Misha opened one eye and looked up at his mate before closing it again and breathing out a sigh. I’d never seen my timid brother look so contented or relaxed. Misha’s joy alone was enough to make me think that everything we’d been through had been worth it.

All of our struggles and strife had most definitely been worth it. As miserable as the six of us had been for so long, we were all happy beyond all previous imagining now.

“Has anyone heard anything from Osric since last week?” I asked, leaning against Emmerich while watching our egg, my heart feeling light.

“Only that his work to rebuild the kingdom continues,” Argus said. “He’s granted an unprecedented level of immunity to the noblemen who were once loyal to your father but who have switched their allegiance to him. ”

“Cousin Osric is far more generous than I am,” Leo grumbled. “I would have every one of those lascivious alphas castrated and banished if it were up to me.”

I lost my smile for a moment as old, dark memories of my stolen heats tried to rise up in my mind. Every one of the alpha noblemen who had taken advantage of me and my brothers like that deserved what was coming to them.

I forced myself to take a deep breath. Those black deeds and that miserable life were very much behind me now.

My father couldn’t hurt me now, and neither could any of the noblemen who had taken my heats.

Not only was I no longer a part of that world, I had Emmerich with me now.

My dragon would protect me from anything and everything that dared to even try to hurt me.

As if he could sense my thoughts, and I knew he could because of our bond, Emmerich slipped his arm around me and leaned in to kiss my forehead. I tilted my face up to him so I could kiss his lips.

“All will be well,” Emmerich said. “Osric will be a good king, exactly the sort of king your world needs.”

“My former world, you mean,” I said.

“I have no qualms at all about never going back,” Selle added, even though the conversation was mostly between me and Emmerich.

“I don’t think any of us will ever need to go back,” Tovey said with a shrug. “Our lives are here now.” He smiled at his eggs, then up at Rufus.

“Our lives are very much here,” Obi said, glancing around at all of us. “This is where we belong. We all have magic running through our veins, after all. Which reminds me,” he went on with a mischievous look, “shouldn’t we all spend some time practicing our magic? ”

“I’m up for it if you are,” I said, grinning at my youngest brother.

In the last week, we’d made an effort to learn more about what sort of magic we all had, how we could wield it, and how we could work together to make it stronger.

I’d had more fun playing around with my brothers as we did so than I’d had in a long time.

It was a wonderful thing for the six of us to be able to spend time together doing something fun instead of just keeping each other alive and sane.

“You could try using your magic to close up all the remaining doorways between our world and Osric’s,” Emmerich suggested with a smirk. “Mother wants them all eradicated as quickly as possible.”

“You should have seen the way she chastised us for those soldiers that stumbled into this world from the castle dungeons,” Argus said, laughing.

“Queen Gaia was angry with you?” Misha asked, looking deeply worried.

“Well, no,” Argus said. “Mother never truly gets angry.”

“Her disappointment is as good as a tongue lashing, though,” Azurus added, making an exaggeratedly wary face for Misha.

Misha smiled and buried his face against his mate’s shoulder.

“Fortunately, she was able to alter those guards’ memories and send them back into Osric’s world without much fuss,” Emmerich said. “But she does want all the doorways closed.”

“What about our doorway?” Tovey asked. “The one under Rumi’s bed that brought us into the magical world in the first place.”

I glanced up at Emmerich, wondering what he felt about that special doorway .

Emmerich glanced back at me with a thoughtful smile. “That one is different,” he said, his words reflecting my thoughts. “It might be interesting to leave it right where it is for a future generation of curious young omegas to discover.”

I laughed. “I can see it now. In twenty years or so, we’ll all receive a visit from our curious and baffled omega cousins as they discover all the things their father hasn’t told them about themselves.”

“I can’t wait for those days,” Obi said, bright with excitement.

“Do you suppose Queen Gaia would allow young dragonkin to find their way through that door?” Leo asked.

“I bet she’d love it,” Diamant answered. “In fact, I’d wager she?—”

Whatever Diamant wanted to say was cut short by a small but distinct cracking noise.

In an instant, the conversation was forgotten.

We all turned to the eggs in their sunlit nest. My heart beat double-time in anticipation as I jumped forward off the blanket where I’d been seated with Emmerich and scrambled to the nest. My brothers all did the same, and within seconds, the six of us circled around the nest, reaching for our eggs.

“Wait! Stop!” Tovey said, pulling back his outstretched arms. “Look!”

I touched my egg before drawing my hands quickly back. Another crack sounded, and I saw a small hole appear in the side of one of Tovey’s eggs.

“Look at that!” Obi gasped.

We all looked. We watched as the hole slowly grew bigger as the dragon inside it chipped away with its egg tooth .

More cracks sounded, and with a start I realized it wasn’t just Tovey’s one baby that was hatching.

Both of Tovey’s babies were fighting to break out of their shells, but they weren’t alone.

As if desperate not to be outdone, Leo’s glittering diamond egg had cracked as well, and Selle’s gold one was shuddering and rocking as a small hole appeared in its shell.

But most exciting of all, even though it had only been birthed just over a week before, my and Emmerich’s emerald egg was cracking and trembling as well.

“I think they’re racing,” Selle said, laughing.

“Leave it to our eggs to be competitive from hatching,” Tovey said with a broad grin.

“My diamond baby is going to beat all of yours into this world,” Leo said smugly, smiling brilliantly at his egg.

“I don’t think so,” I laughed, then said, “Come on, baby! You can do it! Your papa and daddy are waiting for you.”

“They’re really hatching now?” Rufus asked, looking more than a little nervous as he and the rest of the dragons came over to join us at the nest.

“They really are,” Tovey said, reaching for Rufus’s hand. “We’re about to be parents.”

I shared my brothers’ excitement as we watched our babies fight to break through their shells, but along with my excitement, I was worried.

What if the pausing spell Emmerich had cast on me when our baby was conceived had hurt it in some way?

By all normal standards, it was far too soon for our egg to hatch.

What if all our good intentions had somehow damaged the tiny life that was about to come into the world?

“Oh! Look!” Obi called out as Leo’s diamond egg cracked loudly.

As seemed entirely fitting for any egg of Leo’s, ahead of all the others, the diamond egg split apart and the most adorable, sleek, glittering white-blue baby dragon burst from its shell and rolled sideways in the nest. A moment later, though it was a bit shaky, the baby pushed itself to its feet, spread its leathery wings, and made a sound that was probably supposed to be a ferocious roar, but that actually turned into the most adorable hiss.

“Baby!” Leo shouted, reaching for the newly hatched dragon.

The diamond baby knew its papa at once, and with an endearing screech, it bounced toward Leo and Diamant, then leapt into Leo’s arms.

“It’s a boy,” Leo said, cuddling his baby as the baby dragon nuzzled him frantically in return. “Just like I knew he would be.”

“I name you Ferox,” Diamant said, reaching around Leo to stroke his son’s head.

I was so happy for my brother, but I quickly returned my attention to my own egg.

“Look at them!” Tovey gasped a moment later as his and Rufus’s twin eggs burst open at the same time.