Page 25 of No Room at Dragon's Landing

“Well done, mate.”

That was the first time I felt the cramping. I bent over, wishing it was the worst it was going to get but knowing very well it wasn’t.

“Do we need to call the midwife?” What was the protocol with eggs? I was so confused, and everything I heard was no longer retrievable in my brain for some reason.

“You’ll be fine without…unless you want them here.”

“Not really, I don’t think. I only wanted to make sure the babies were okay when I thought they were in baby form. I’m not even sure what they will know what to do with an egg. In fact, I was fairly confident they won’t know what to do at all.”

“Let’s get you undressed and ready.” He was such a good mate. “Did you want to take a shower first? Because it’s going to be a while before you take another.”

“I can take one after.”

He shook his head. “Once these babies come, you’re not going to want to leave this space for anything.”

“Is that why I wanted all the water bottles?”

“Probably. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting up to get a drink.”

“Gonna need to get up to use the bathroom.” How hard would it be to hit the bathroom? I was fairly sure my mate was exaggerating, but then again, why would he?

“And trust me, the first few times, you’re going to be mad at me for making you go—at least that’s how it was with my cousin.”

Before I could ask him for more clarity, another cramp hit. It was getting close.

I went into the bathroom and did as he said, getting in the shower for one last time before they were here. He joined me, helping me clean off, washing my hair, holding me up when the cramps got worse. He was the best.

From there, everything went rapidly. And as bad as the cramps were, the actual laying of the eggs wasn’t horrible. There was an initial burning, but then it was fast for the first one. Then the second one—not so bad as even that. And the third? It was the easiest by far. Thank the Goddess I didn’t discover how different a fourth would feel. Three babies at once was one more the set of hands than we had. We were already outnumbered.

The eggs were stunning. They shimmered, a glimmer similar to the mark on my neck, and I curled around them. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t think I would feel this way toward the eggs. It was like they were calling to me, like they needed me right there with them.

“Good thing I have my books.”

“Yeah, good thing. And I have a present for you.”

“A present?”

He covered me with a blanket and then left the closet. When he came back, he had a box. He meant a present-present. I pulled the bow and picked off the lid, expecting it to be some sort of jewelry, a large piece, based on the size. But when I opened it, sitting inside was a scale, a scale the color of my mate’s.

“Explain.”

“Every dragon, on their first shift, loses the scale. The scale is to remind them of who they’ve become, and it’s their prizedtreasure. But now, my family is my prized everything, and I want you to have this as a sign of that.”

Tears flooded my eyes, my heart so filled with love, I was officially at a loss for words. But I didn’t need them. My mate knew. He snuggled beside me, whispered in my ear.

“I feel the very same way, mate. The very same way.”

Chapter Seventeen

Boen

My mate hadn’t been exaggerating one bit when he said leaving those babies was going to be hard. Just getting up to use the restroom was a struggle, and a shower? Not happening. But we had ordered tons of baby wipes, and I did have a mate who pushed me out of the closet from time to time to pee. We made it work.

Gertrude came in every day after checkout to give me a knitting lesson. I was actually at the point where I was close to being able to make a bootie on my own, which was pretty impressive. My mate spent every moment he could with us while still giving me time to be alone with the eggs. I read them every single book I purchased—multiple times. They were going to be some smart little dragons, for sure.

I’d also started sketching on my iPad. It wasn’t my favorite medium, but after my mate gave me that scale, a story for a new series popped into my head, and I had to get it out. I’d never felt as loved as I did when he told me about his scale. I ran my fingers over it anytime I got nervous or missed him, and it was like a hug—but deeper.

As much as I felt his love for me at any given time, this was even more powerful. To know he was willing to give me that piece of him… I still teared up thinking about it.

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