Page 60 of The Monster's Mate

Knight appears down in the pit with Silence and Aline. “Sorry it took so long. I had to wait for these two to find their clothing.”

“What?” Veryn asks, his nose wrinkling.

“Doesn’t matter,” Bane says quickly.

“The timer on my tits has run out.” Aline raises her hands, and shimmery pink magic fills the air. “If you’re coming back to Haven, you best get down here.”

Charity snorts, and a beautiful smile breaks out over her face. “Someone get me down there. I’m not missing this portal.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Charity

The next several days are pure chaos. There’s much discussion about where we’ll live, along with many calls from The Den. They’ve been a little lost without me, but I do think I’ll go back at least part time once the baby is born.

With how much my mates have been hovering, a few hours at The Den might be just what the doctor ordered. The few hours in Faere seem to have had the effect of days passing in the human realm—at least on my baby bump. Then again, I only carried Veryn’s egg for a month, so a few days of growth was significant, from what I remember.

Not that I’m particularly complaining about being waited on hand and foot. It’s kind of a dream come true, considering how tired and run down I’ve been feeling.

Meena and Nadia stop by to check on me and the baby, but with how protective Bane and Eldritch are, I’m surprised they allow them into the house.

Luckily, Athos has kept his wits, because the other two have been a little over the top with their instincts to protect me and the nest.

Nadia moves back to sit on her feet as she kneels at my side, shaking out her hands. “Everything feels good to me.” Sheshrugs, and her dark hair falls around her shoulders. “Would you like to know the gender?”

Meena chuckles. “I can hear the angry dragon stomping our way. If you intend to find out, you should do it quickly.”

My eyes widen, but I nod before I can stop myself. I love Bane to pieces, and if he wants to be surprised, I will do everything in my power to ensure he doesn’t accidentally find out. But I know from experience that, once I’m holding my egg, my brain will obsess and wonder until it hatches.

Nadia snorts, getting very close to my ear. “This one is a girl.”

My heart races.

Holy shit.

A baby girl.

I’ll be able to put her in dresses and little bows in her hair. Even paint her nails once she’s old enough.

I bite my lip to keep from squealing.

The door to the room the nest is housed in flies open, and Bane barrels inside. “Woman, tell me you didn’t.”

My head shakes as I try to hold back the laugh. “I won’t tell you. Does that work?”

Bane’s head tilts, and his eyes darken. “Is the baby healthy?”

“Perfectly healthy,” Meena says.

He nods, swiping a hand over his face. “That’s all that matters.”

Athos sees Meena and Nadia out as Bane watches me carefully. His white T-shirt stretches to capacity over his strong chest as he prowls closer.

“Let me see the belly.” Bane smirks, crawling on the end of the nest mattress.

“It’s not any more pronounced than it was this morning.” I laugh, pulling my dress up, anyway. “Wait, what time is it?”

“Veryn has another forty-five minutes with Mrs. Segar,” my dragon growls, planting his palms on either side of my calves and crawling up. “He’s going to be the most educated dragon there ever was. In Faere, they barely taught us to read, but that old bat is incredibly thorough with her lessons. Which is good. It gives us a solid thirty minutes to spare.”

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