Page 25 of Spectacle

Things should start moving quickly now, he explains as I lean down, alternating licks and sucks when a gush of fluid flows into my mouth, and I just about choke on it in surprise. It’s milky and musky but doesn’t taste bad at all, and I swallow it down.

The more you suck, the more that will develop for both babies, Cas says as fluid gushes out of the nipple he’s attending. Nik writhes between us, and I feel a roll of movement along my stomach. It won’t be long now until we greet our babies.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Nikos

My body shudders under the dual sensations of Lila and Cas attending my nipples and the rolling waves of contractions. Alternating bursts of pain and pleasure cause me to moan and thrash in their hold, but they hold on tight, not letting me go. I feel my slit start to stretch and moan in pain as another contraction just about has me curling into the fetal position again, but Lila’s tail and Cas’s tentacles hold me in place. My pecs ache as they fill with milk and stretch, allowing more room for it to gather so I can feed my babies.

I learned all about pregnancy for both males and females in school but didn’t pay too much attention. I wasn’t looking for a mate back then and had many males and females begging to take my cock. Not once was I tempted to mate any of them, so I assumed I wouldn’t be the one bearing our children. I was going to be king, after all, and kings don’t show weakness, nor do they lower themselves to bearing children—or that’s what my father drilled into me. That all changed when I met Lila, but the pain is worse than anything I’ve ever felt. It’s like someone took a trident and shoved it directly into my stomach. Red-hot waves claw at my insides over and over again, so intense I can barely catch my breath. The contractions are so close together now that I barely have time to recover before another crashes into me, stealing my breath. I’m exhausted and miserable.

You’re doing so well, Lila coos to me as Caspian strokes his fingers through my hair. You’re the best Papa these babies are going to have, working so hard to bring them safely into our lives. I want to preen at her praise, but I’m too tired, so I give her a weak smile before gritting my teeth as another wave of pain crashes over me.

Lila pulls away slightly and looks down at my stomach, and her eyes widen with surprise. I tense up, worried something has gone wrong, but she recovers quickly, blanking her face.

Cas, Nik’s slit has opened wide, and I think I can see a head, I hear her tell Caspian. Somehow, we’ve all been able to connect telepathically. The wave of pain eases, and I flop my head back on the kraken man’s shoulder, unable to hold it up anymore. His tentacles caress my body in a gentle massaging way that has me sighing as he soothes my tired muscles.

He doesn’t respond right away, and I assume he’s communicating with Link. Thankfully, one of us had the forethought to learn about Aquilian births. It’s not like I could do much from the bottom of the pool. He did share some of it with me during my checkups, but I’m embarrassed to admit I was too nervous to really pay attention.

My mind was firmly fixated on what kind of father I was going to be. I had a terrible role model growing up, and I refuse to be anything like him. When he wasn’t ignoring us, he was berating us over what he perceived as our flaws. The way he treated my mother was worse. She was such a loving, caring woman when I was small, but over the years, his treatment of her and us made her a fragile, bitter thing. It didn’t help that he paraded numerous women through his harem and sired other children with them. The crown of Aquilia was hers through her family bloodline, but once he married her, he usurped the power through cruelty and subjugation, and once he had hold of it, he didn’t let it go.

I watched my mother’s soul wither and die, and I swore I would never forgive him and that I would never become like him. I’m ashamed to admit the minute we were offered a chance to leave with the circus, both Nixie and I jumped without any other thought. That only allowed him to spread his foulness to the rest of Aquilia. I had let my people down, and now I’m not sure there is any chance of forgiveness. Even with his death, I fear my mother’s rule will be no better, her nature as corroded and unforgiving as my father’s from her own bad treatment.

I should have challenged him and taken his crown from him, but having been torn down for so long, I couldn’t see my way past the apathy I felt toward being the crown prince of Aquilia. Now, being mated to Lila, there is no chance for me to be the king my people need so desperately, and I can only hope that Nixie can be queen sooner rather than later. Hopefully my mother will see the potential in her favorite child. When she looks at me, she just sees my father and feels disdain.

Now all of that is in the past, though, I have to focus on being the best mate and parent I can be. With the next wave of contractions, I grunt as Caspian’s tentacles release me and Lila swims backward.

Nikos, you need to swim on the spot, and your tail needs to beat forward and backward in a rocking motion, this will help push your first merling out. Caspian’s tone is urgent, and I feel the loss of their touch greatly, but I steal my spine and grit my teeth, determined to do right by my family. Another huge contraction hits, this one bigger than any of the previous ones, and I open my mouth and shout, unable to keep quiet.

Flap that tail, Nikos, now, Lila growls, her eyes focused on the gaping hole in my tail. I can see their head, and this one has your gorgeous golden hair with beautiful green streaks like your scales. Wow, so much hair. She holds her hands out as I do my best to pump my tail back and forth, my whole body twitching and shuddering like it’s covered in sea mites.

You’re doing well, keep moving. Cas has moved to the side of me, and he splits his attention between my face and my tail. That’s it, their shoulders are out now. Keep going, the next part should be easier, but the tail is going to be the hardest bit. Even though it’s curled up, it’s still a lot wider than the head. It’s going to hurt the most, but you have to bear down.

Fuck, it’s going to hurt more? I don’t think I have the strength for this. The contraction wave eases, and I pant, my chest heaving, and I struggle to catch my breath.

Look down, Nik, Caspian encourages, and my eyes go to Lila and then my tail, and I gasp in shock. Half in and half out is one of my babies, and my exhaustion just seems to float away as I stare in amazement. Lila is right, it does have my coloring, and a tingle of excitement flutters in my belly. I can do this. I want to hold them in my arms and shower them with kisses. When the next contraction starts, I grit my teeth and pump my tail back and forth, jerking around like an electrified jellyfish, but I feel the body slide out, and Lila reaches forward.

No, don’t touch them, Caspian shouts. They need to be born into the water for their tails to uncurl, and then their swimming instincts kick in. If you touch them before the first breath and stroke of their tail, you’ll interfere with the natural urge to do any of that.

Lila’s eyes widen with panic, and she swims backward out of the way. I’d laugh at her panic if I wasn’t in so much pain.

Move, Nik, they are just about here, she says, unable to take her eyes off what’s happening.

I feel one of Cas’s tentacles grip my shoulder and give it a squeeze, even though the rest of him is staying clear of my thrashing body.

Just a little more, my friend, and your merling will be here. What do you think it will be, boy or girl? he asks, and I know he’s trying to distract me from the pain. The pain eases once more, and I still, trying to catch my breath, but the water feels like it’s syrup as it flows in and out of my gills, and my lungs struggle to expand, but the next contraction rushes through my body, and I grit my teeth and pound my tail, determined for this one to be the one that brings my baby into the world.

Pain like nothing else tears through my body, and I scream loudly, the water around us shuddering with the shock wave. Both Lila and Caspian are thrust backward, but they watch on with sheer wonder in their eyes as my baby shoots into the water, their beautiful tail unfurling as they take their first breath. Their eyes open, and their tail starts to beat in tiny motions mirroring mine. I heave out a rush of relief as my eyes rake over their form. I instinctively know it’s a boy, and he has my coloring. His hair is golden with green streaks, and the scales on his tale are a beautiful golden color, with interspersed green scales, making it shimmer like a hologram. He looks around, dazed and confused, but his eyes alight on Lila, and he darts toward her, slamming into her body and snuggling his head against her breasts, nudging at her nipples to feed.

Her mouth drops open in shock, and I can’t help the blast of laughter that flows from my mouth. Caspian echoes it as we watch her try to wrangle the slippery creature. When he doesn’t get what he wants, he screws his face up and starts to cry. Yup, that’s my boy.

Ah, help! Lila gathers him into her arms and rocks him back and forth and sings to him, but she looks at us with panic in her eyes.

He’s hungry, I tell her, and she looks down at him in wonder.

He’s a boy?

I smile at the love in her eyes and nod my head.

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