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Artek

I paced back and forth inside the waiting area of my healing chamber.

Zap was with me, sitting on one of the couches and giving me stares that warned me to sit down or she’d come over and make me.

I would’ve welcomed a cuddle with her, even if she was a little prickly to hug, but I hadn’t quite reached that level of annoyance in her yet.

“What?” I said to her. “It isn’t everyday that my mate gives birth!

” And unlike the other babies born this winter, Nala’s baby wasn’t half Naga; she was partially something else.

What if that complicated things? I knew, rationally, that it shouldn’t, I’d done checks on her every day of Nala’s pregnancy.

I knew the little girl had grown as scheduled and was perfectly formed.

Farah ducked her head through the curtains, then I hurried toward her, eager for news.

They’d kicked me out of my own healing chambers because I was so nervous, it wasn’t right.

I should be the one delivering our precious baby, not Corin, not two humans with no medical backgrounds! One of them was a pilot!

“She’s ready,” Farah said, and that was all I needed to hear.

I brushed past the small female, barely taking heed of her own pregnant belly, just beginning to show.

I had eyes only for my Shavire, lying on the nest, sweat on her brow, her eyes fierce and determined.

She was the most beautiful being I’d ever seen.

I barreled past Corin and Min-Ji, who quickly darted out of my path, then coiled onto the nest with my mate and took her hand.

I did not hear anything but the sighs of my female and her relieved exclamation that I was back.

The short break had done me good, though it had clearly exhausted her, and I felt guilty about that.

But with our little one on the verge of being born, there was no longer any time for nerves.

I fell back on my training, held my mate’s fingers with my tail, and then—there she was, our baby.

So incredibly tiny, so perfect with her ten toes and ten fingers.

Holding her tiny, wailing body in my palms was possibly the most humbling moment of my life.

And then I saw the delicately pointed tips of her ears and noted the faint golden sparkle of her skin. “Ah, Nala, she’s so beautiful.”

Later, once I’d given baby Erin a full check and made sure Nala had been healed and fed, we cuddled on the bed together, our baby in her arms. Corin let in Zap, who needed a lift onto the nest, but was happy to snuffle at the sleeping infant before settling in to guard us at the bottom of the nest. She hissed in warning at every visitor who tracked into the room then, but they kept it to short little visits, a quick peek, nothing more.

We’d celebrate Erin’s birth at Haven later, when she was old enough to make the journey.

Jasmine came by to congratulate us, as did Zathar and Vera.

I lost track fairly quickly of all the faces, and Nala and Erin were too tired to keep their eyes open for long; they slept through most of it, cuddled against my chest right where they belonged.

The only one who didn’t visit—though I was certain he’d gladly come if he could—was Levant.

After the fight at the skyship, he’d used the chaotic first night after the rescue to contact the Shaman Council behind my back.

He’d taken the blame for our unsanctioned actions, and then he’d come to me and warned me never to speak the truth to the council about what had really happened.

He made me swear to enjoy every minute with my mate and my soon-to-be-born youngling.

The council had recalled him from his investigative mission at the ship, nixing his chances of finding a mate among those humans.

And to further punish him, they’d sent him on a mission to the North Pole of Serant to investigate the increasing instability of the EM field that was bringing down more and more ships.

Now, he was in the cold, which he hated, and cut off from all humans—a most severe punishment.

When not caring for Nala or performing my duties as a Shaman, I’d been calling the council every day to get them to reverse this decision, but so far, no luck. It felt extremely unfair that I was getting everything I never even knew I wanted, while he was barred from fulfilling his dreams.

Nala was even more perfect than I could have possibly expected, because, like me, she preferred my home and its solitude over Haven’s cheerful community.

Not even the temptation of living with her friend Jasmine and the other females had convinced her.

But the truth was, the dragon made visits easy, and Corin always answered at Haven if we called for a talk.

Now, when she’d gone into labor, they’d raced to help us. We were alone, yet not. It was perfect.

A few hours later, Erin woke us because she was hungry, and I got to watch my mate nurse our baby for the first time.

Having eaten her fill rather quickly, she fell asleep almost immediately.

Nala was staring at the tiny infant’s face with awe, then turned to me and nestled her head against my shoulder.

“I love you, Artek. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, boy, am I glad I got executed by the UAR. ”

I pressed her more tightly to me, enraptured by the sight of both my females in my coils, my nest, my arms. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing with you.

I love you too, Nala.” Her smile was radiant—if a little tired—but it dimmed after a few seconds.

I knew what she was thinking, and I gave her a solemn nod.

“We will find a way to get into the ship and save the others. I promise.”

I just didn’t know how long it would take.

THE END