Page 47 of Bred By the Dragon

“The thing. The, um, contraction? I think?”

It’s like a switch is flipped in my brain. There’s a go bag for this exact occasion stashed in a basket in the main hallway, and I rush to grab it as Sammy gets out of her chair. We leave the food on the table as I scoop her up into my arms, the bag in her lap, and I leap off the ledge into the sky.

My great wings carry us quickly to the city as I fly faster than I’ve ever flown before. Every few minutes Sammy wriggles in my arms, clearly uncomfortable with her body’s signals.

“We’re almost there,” I tell her as I swoop down. The hospital isn’t far, but Sammy’s little whimpers are already escalating.

“I don’t know, Zak,” she says in a worried voice. “Something’s happening. It hurts. It hurts so much.”

I curse to myself, but try to keep my face schooled in a calm expression. “Don’t worry. The doctors will know what to do.”

I carry her right in the front doors of the hospital, not putting her down until a gurney is wheeled out for her. After we’re taken to a room, a doctor comes in—a big wolfman with a mask over his snout.

“What have we here?” he asks, immediately seating himself between Sammy’s legs. He glances at me, then at the human in front of him. “Ah, a dragon hybrid?”

“Yes, it’s mine,” I say quickly. The wolfman smiles under his mask.

“Then this might be a bit of a challenge.” He spreads Sammy’s legs to take a peek, and then his eyes get huge. “Oh. Okay. We’re going, are we?”

“Going? Where?” Sammy asks, concerned.

“This baby is coming out, pronto.” The ob-gyn hops to his feet and calls out into the hallway for a nurse. A whole team assembles around us, and now I’m starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Is Sammy in danger?

“Zak,” she moans, reaching for my hand. I encompass it in both of mine, stroking her comfortingly. “I don’t want to do it.” She sounds so miserable and helpless. “It hurts.”

“I know.” But there’s nothing I can do for her except to stay at her side. “It won’t last long.”

“For once,” the wolfman says, “you’re right. This baby is exiting stage left as quickly as possible.”

Then Sammy shrieks, and my heart feels like it might just break in half seeing her in so much pain. All I can do is clasp her hand in mine and hope everything will be all right in the end.

SAMMY

It is fucking misery, giving birth to a dragon’s baby. I want to beat him senseless for putting this thing inside me, all while I cling to him like we’re trapped in a hurricane.

There’s no fucking way I’m having any more of them. Just no way. The doctor didn’t even have time to give me an epidural, and I’ve never been so angry in my life.

I sob and cry and Zakarion wipes away my tears as my whole body tries to accommodate.

“Don’t worry,” he croons. “You can do this. I know it.”

I’m not so sure, though.

“Should have done a fucking C-section,” I mutter.

But I do survive it. With Zak at my side, I push and push, sweating and cursing, until finally...

“It’s here!” I exhale with the world’s deepest relief as, finally, I feel my baby emerge. The wolfman hurriedly calls over a nurse. “We have to open the egg sac.”

Time passes, and I’m worried when I don’t hear a sound. But Zakarion is rubbing my hand, assuring me everything is fine.

Then I hear a chirp. A nurse kneels down next to the bed, carrying a tiny, red bundle in her arms. She holds it out to me, and there are already more tears building behind my eyes as I take it from her.

“We think it’s male, but it’s hard to tell still,” the fairy nurse says. Our infant keens again. “He needs some food now. Here, let me show you.”

Zakarion watches with fascination as our toothless hatchling latches onto my nipple, and a relieved sigh falls from my lips finally feeling him in my arms. Zak leans down and rubs his nose on my cheek.

“You did it,” he says fondly, stroking my hair with one hand, and caressing the baby’s little body with the other.

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