Page 18 of The Monster at the End of This Molt (The Monster at the End of His Pregnancy #4)

Chapter Eighteen

Weld

The dragon reunion was as celebratory and chaotic as I'd expected when Bale had described the first one to me all those years ago. It was more rewarding to see the pageantry in person. Galen and their family were magnificent as they welcomed kobolds and dragons from the continent, and even some dragons from other planes.

It was even better to have Robin by my side. He buzzed with excitement for each event, from the kobold origin play to the dire weasel and dragonet races. Odessa took second place to a young pup named Felicia, but Robin and his family treated her to a bovinji flank, ear scratches, and enough jerky to make the winner jealous.

We hadn't arrived in time to register Kermit for the races, but it was just as well. Rapture could fly circles around Kermit when they were nest mates, and Mac's dragonet took top honors for the third year in a row.

Instead of congratulating their mate in the winner's circle, Galen caught wind of us and spun on their heel. They were in their kobold alpha form for the races, and the intensity in their gaze made the fine hair at my nape stand on end.

"Congratulations!" Galen scooped both Robin and me into their arms and crushed us to their chest. "I knew you would be the first."

"Only because Tim's old-fashioned," Clementine said under her breath.

Once Galen released me, I dragged her to Robin so he could hear the good news, too. "You're with Tim? From The Meadows, Tim? Beta, yay tall," I held my hand up to my jaw, "head of his village, Tim?"

"Yeah, yeah." Clementine rolled her eyes. "He's great, but he wants me to see his home before we do the deed."

Robin tackled her with a hug, and Galen and I piled on, too.

"Tim's a great guy," I said. "You're going to love The Meadows."

"Ix-nay on the ove-may." Lark extended his claws and slashed them inches from his throat and then pointed to Galen.

"We already have an agreement," Galen said. "If she can't come to us, we will go to her at least once a week."

"I like that plan," Robin said, and sighed. "Except I'll miss you while our eggs gestate."

Lark was close enough to hear Robin's statement and whooped with joy. After he and Punky hugged their son, my former rival slapped me on the back. "Congratulations!"

"We were going to tell you first." I'd forgotten about Galen's sensitive nose. It was impossible to keep our pregnancy a secret from a dragon.

"Robin texted us that first morning." Punky grinned. "Something about wanting to sleep in as much as he could before morning sickness set in."

"Hearing him say it out loud …" Lark beamed at me. "We're so happy for you both!"

I'd figured we weren't eating breakfast at Punky and Lark's because everyone overslept during the reunion. Our mornings had been lazy, uneventful, and truly glorious. I loved waking up beside Robin. Even though I still woke with the sun, we rarely made it out of bed before noon.

"When are you going to pay up?" Robin asked.

"We stopped taking money," Clementine said. "You heard Papa."

"I paid Ernie twenty dollars last Thursday," I said. I'd found the crisp American bill in a pair of pants I'd packed in a tote before I left.

"You bet on yourself?"

"Didn't you?"

Her frustrated sigh ended on a laugh. "I'll find Ernie."

"Later," Robin said. "Let him and Lemon enjoy the reunion."

"Burt," Clementine whispered. "We should call him Burt."

"We should not!" Robin looked scandalized, a regular occurrence when he and Clementine joked with each other.

"Burt and Ernie! He even looks like Burt now that his stripes are darker!" Clementine's gestures were so big, she knocked into the beta kobolds to either side of her, though they didn't seem to mind.

"I … need to go home." Robin looked a little green between his stripes, which was definitely not normal.

"See you all later. Congrats, Mac!" I waved to the victor, and then I teleported Robin back to our cabin.

He made a beeline for the bathroom. I started the tea kettle and dug around in the cabinet until I found the lemon and ginger tea his parents had given us as part of our housewarming gift. At the time, I'd thought it presumptuous, but now, they were a godsend.

A few minutes later, Robin returned to sprawl on the couch with an arm over his eyes. "I thought morning sickness was supposed to hit in the morning."

"Everyone's different."

When his tea finished steeping, I dropped an ice cube in it and brought it to him. "This should help."

He squinted up at me. "When did you become the nurturing type?"

He sat up, and I sank down onto my knees between his legs. "We're a team," I said. "It's only fair. When you're hurting, I want to be here to help."

He took a sip, and then a longer drink when it wasn't too hot. "It's perfect, thanks."

He bent over the cup clasped in both his hands. I stretched to kiss his forehead, and then I got up to fix us both dinner.

"You don't have to baby me," he complained when I dished the mixture of beans and rice onto his plate.

I placed the serving bowl on the hot plate in the middle of the table and sank into my chair. I took a deep breath, thinking through what I wanted to say.

"Tuft didn't want me to help him, either."

Robin nodded. "I can see that. He's really independent."

He was, but that wasn't my point. "I need to do things differently this time. If you're too sick to work, I'll stay home and nurse you back to health. When you go into labor, I'll be there every step of the way. I won't let you go through it alone."

His eyes widened as he met my gaze. "I didn't know it meant that much to you." He pressed his hand to his heart. "As long as I'm not a burden …"

"You could never be a burden." I clasped his hand in mine. Unfortunately, it was the one holding his fork. I released him so he could eat. "I wasn't the most attentive alpha in the past, but I will be here for you. I promise."

His soft grin made my heart melt. "We'll do it together."

* * *

Thanks to our dragon bond, I could sense Robin's bouts of nausea and discomfort along with him. I still didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse. While I was grateful to experience his emotions alongside him, I felt like a complete asshole for blocking them when they became too overwhelming. I couldn't take care of him if I also succumbed to his pain.

He insisted on returning to work after the dragon reunion. I made him tea during our homeroom announcements and brought him a bottle of ice water every afternoon break. As the weeks went by, my beautiful omega's body changed. By the time the eggs dropped into his balls, the slit in his cock looked more like a Phillips head screw.

Lark pulled me aside that afternoon, a Friday, after our final class was dismissed. "I don't expect to see you next week. Even if Robin doesn't lay your eggs this weekend, it's time for you both to take leave."

"You'll be all right without me?" I asked.

Lark rolled his eyes. "I was all right for twenty-some years."

"Tell me you gave me this job out of pity without saying?—"

"It's not pity, Dumbass." There was no heat in his tone. He almost sounded like he was fond of me, which was impossible. I'd put a notch in his ear, after all. "You're a great co-teacher and a good friend, but now's the time to be my son's alpha mate and protector while he feeds your eggs."

"I can do that." I offered my hand, and he shook it. "I'll see you soon, then."

"Very soon, if I know Punky. We’re both fond of our only omega son."

"I've gotta ask." I swallowed hard, knowing how crass my question would sound. "Why did you stop with one clutch? Coz and Grindl had three. Axel and Tuft had two."

"That's easy. We had a Clementine." Lark barked a laugh, and I laughed with him. When he could breathe again, he said, "Pretty sure the others would have stopped at one clutch, too, if they had a daughter on their first try." He sobered. "Life around here won't be the same without her."

"The Meadows isn't that far away." I felt like an ass for saying it after I'd spent over two decades there without visiting my old home. "She won't be like me," I added.

"I'm sorry if you thought … we didn't mean to push you away."

I shook my head. "It wasn't you. I couldn't have lived with myself. I didn't want to influence Robin's every decision."

"I'm pretty sure you did, anyway." He gripped my shoulder and squeezed. "Punky's adopted mom was super religious. She taught the kids this saying, 'What would Jesus do.' Robin didn't know who Jesus was, so that didn't take. Instead, he walked around the house whispering, 'What would Weld do?' It was the cutest thing."

"That's actually really fucking embarrassing, Dad." I'd felt Robin approach through our bond, but I hadn't realized he was now standing at the door behind us.

"What kind of parent would I be if I didn't embarrass my adult son at least once a week?"

Robin looped his arm through mine and entwined our fingers, tugging me toward the door. "I'm about to lay some eggs here. Can I have a few months off?"

Lark grabbed him from behind and gave him a bear hug. I braced for impact, thinking my alpha instincts would be on overdrive now that Robin was pregnant, but nothing happened. Even my claws stayed retracted into my fingertips. As with the first time I'd recognized Robin as my fated mate, I no longer saw Lark as a threat. He was my omega's dad, and my friend. After considering him an adversary, it was a relief to leave all that baggage firmly behind me.

* * *

I couldn't resist teasing Robin when we arrived home. "'What would Weld do,' eh?"

He was so pretty when he blushed. He already had his shirt off, and he tugged at the button of his khaki pants. "It helped."

"What would I do now?"

He swallowed hard. "Well, I hope you would get down on your knees and kiss my swollen balls, because they ache something fierce from being squeezed into my compression shorts all day."

"I like this game." I dropped to my knees before him and shoved his hands away, undoing his pants with the reverence he deserved. I looped my thumbs in the waistband of his shorts and pulled both layers down to his knees. His cock head had split further open, with the four corners opening like the most precious flower. I kissed each petal before shifting my attention downward. His balls were swollen to three times their usual size where they nestled between his legs.

"First, let's get you somewhere comfortable." I helped him out of his pants and led him to the bedroom. We'd converted our bed into our nest a week ago, complete with walls of blankets and pillows. The only opening faced south so the sunlight could reach our eggs at all times of the day. I led Robin around the bed to the opening and shoved a few pillows between his ass and his heels to make it easier for him to kneel in place.

Finally, I had him where I wanted him. With both hands, I tugged on his ball sack, kneading the taut flesh. Inside, I could feel the magic placentas around each egg. There were two on each side.

True to my word, I kissed, nipped, and licked every inch of his sack until it was as wet as his slick channel. Then, I rolled them in my hands, taking some of the weight off.

"That feels wonderful."

Robin flexed his hips, and his cock brushed against my cheek. I couldn't resist any longer. I sucked one of the petals into my mouth, letting my tongue glide along the smooth inner lining.

Robin's moan sounded primal as he thrust his hips again. If I'd learned anything in the last quarter-century, it was patience. I continued my slow trek, teasing and tasting each of the four petals until they were dripping with saliva and precome.

"Please, please, please," Robin mumbled above me.

"What would Weld do now?" I asked, letting my breath wash over his moist cock.

"Suck me?" The words came out as a plaintive wail.

"Gods, yes." I eased the petals closed with my thumb, teasing over the sensitive edges. Robin shouted my name when I sucked the whole head into my mouth and thrust my tongue into the middle opening. I leaned against the bed, taking him to the back of my throat.

"Oh, fuck. I'm gonna come."

I ran my fingers over his balls again, counting the eggs. All four were still in the sack, though they had drawn up closer to his body than when I had first started sucking him. Content I wouldn't be swallowing an egg, I slurped his cock all the way into my mouth again and slipped two of my fingers along his slick taint. He moaned as I glided them inside him, and he shouted my name when I curled them against his prostate.

"Fuck! Weld!"

Spurts of hot cum filled my mouth. Even after he finished, a steady stream of precome leaked from his gaping cock, ready to ease our eggs along their way.

I kissed each of the four petals, and then I helped him onto his side in the nest. It wouldn't be long now, and I was still fully dressed. As I stripped out of my clothes, I glanced around the room. We'd had plenty of time to prepare, but I wasn't ready yet. I hadn't baby-proofed the kitchen cabinets, or dug a latrine outside, and where the hell would our babies sleep? I should have taken Axel up on his offer to expand the house sooner.

"Stop worrying and come to bed," Robin called. "I think they're coming."

I slid into the nest behind him and gripped the base of his cock. Sure enough, one of the eggs had shifted up into the channel.

"How do you want me?" I asked. "Fingers, cock …"

"All of it."

I gripped him against me and thrust my hips, dragging my cock along the crease between his ass cheeks. He moaned when my cock head caught on his rim, but we had four eggs to go, and he was already dripping enough slick to cover the layer of towels over the bedsheets.

"Yes," Robin hissed when I shifted lower and kissed a trail down his spine. I nibbled his delectable ass cheeks before delving my tongue between them to lick up the excess slick. Our eggs would be the best fed in all of Ignitas when they arrived, but first, I would take my share.

I speared my tongue into Robin and held his hips steady to drill into him with even strokes. I couldn't get enough of his sweet taste and the scent of musk. When I'd gotten him loose and wet, I slid two fingers inside. He moaned as I fucked him with them, widening his tight hole a little more with each pass.

"I'm already so close." He took his cock in hand, stroking over the bulge of the egg, which was now lodged in the wide opening. "I'm gonna …"

I pressed against his prostate and licked over the mating mark on the top of his shoulder. He came with a full-body shake, dislodging our egg onto the soft towel below. Its smooth sheen faded and hardened into the thick protective shell.

I lifted my slick-covered hand from Robin's body and gave our little egg their first meal. Immediately, the shimmery wetness evaporated as the eggshell absorbed the nutrients.

I melted against Robin's back and kissed his nape as relief flooded through me. Our egg showed signs of life. I hoped the other three were as healthy when they arrived.