Page 74 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

“What’s causing Aurora’s need to sleep with our animals?” I cautiously ask the others. Nicodeamus shifts back to his human form and pulls on his robe that he had sitting nearby.

“I have several theories about that, Klaus. The first, it’s a safety thing. Her beast knows that she can’t shift fully anymore. It’s concerned for its baby’s safety. The second, I think that Ulrick being here, as well as the damage that Sebastian has already caused here, behind the scenes has her on edge.” Nicodemus begins to pace the room in front of us, pondering what may be setting his daughter off.

“Another issue is that she has no idea, exactly, where Elena is. I think if we could figure out where she’s hiding, Aurora may settle down just a little bit.” Nicodeamus taps his chin several times. “I highly doubt it though, because she is who she is. My poor daughter has been hiding since the moment of her birth. Now that she has revealed herself, she’s constantly hunted or having to battle to protect herself. It’s not the life I wanted for my child, but we couldn’t have known the level of dissension in the ranks. We couldn’t have predicted that we had enemies living amongst us that would turn on us when they did.” He stops pacing and turns to face us.

“Right now, if half my thought process is correct, without knowing exactly who here is, friend or foe, she is not going to settle down. Growing up without her mother, everything from the Ascension to now, she’s had to figure out on her own. It’s probably a terrifying journey for her, and it’s more than likely the reason why she’s always quick to shift and jump into adefensive stance.” He shakes his head from side to side, looking sad over what his daughter has been through.

“Being a hybrid doesn’t make it any easier either. As much as she looks more wolven than dragon, her tendencies are all dragon. I never would have guessed she would have taken after me more than her mother. In one way, she and I are both in the same boat, dragons unable to fly. However, she does have the advantage of a mate with wings, and for that Alaric, I thank you for being by her side.” Alaric bows his head to Nicodeamus in thanks, then he curls up tightly, making sure that Aurora is well protected.

I pay attention to everything that’s being said by Nicodeamus, and his words bear great wisdom. Being the only Lycan here, I genuinely don’t fit in with the others, except for Aurora. I do feel like the odd man out, being the last to join this ragtag bunch. There’s been so much betrayal and heartbreak for this poor woman that my chest aches thinking about it. I know it’s only a matter of time before she fully claims Dimitri and me. Once that’s been accomplished, she will be at full power, and whatever other gifts that she shall gain from Dimitri and I will only help her cause in the future.

We make sure that all the doors to the Great Hall are locked, all the windows are sealed and blocked before we get ready to settle in for the night. I have a feeling, sleeping in here as our animals will soon become routine. Aurora will need us to keep her calm and allow her to feel safe as she rests. There are only two months left until she gives birth, hopefully, less. Even though the actual holiday is still only a few days away, I spend it here with Aurora and my bond mates every day it feels like Christmas.

CHAPTER 62

Klaus

December-

~Christmas morning two days later~

Three nights in a row we’ve shuffled the sleeping arrangements so that our beasts could sleep near Aurora for her security. Local dignitaries are due to arrive again today for the actual Christmas celebration. I manage to get up before my bond mates, and sneak my way into the kitchen to gather breakfast for everyone. Just when I think I have managed to pull it off, I look over my shoulder to find Jayce watching me load the service cart.

“Morning, Jayce! Mind giving me a hand, so we don’t have to drag strangers into Aurora’s nesting area?” Learning all these dragon terms for everything is really starting to make my brain hurt. Unfortunately, it’s necessary to keep everything in an orderly fashion for Aurora’s comfort.

“Sure, man, tell me what you need help with.” Jayce comes over, and I point to the various drinks and juices on the counter that the chef has left out for us. We arrange the two trays and the carts as well. We walk back down the hall to the grand ballroom to surprise our bond mates with breakfast.

As we get closer, we notice frost lining the hallway. We pick up our pace, running as we push the carts. The doors are covered in ice, about two inches thick. I shift quickly and begin to claw at the ice. After I finally make it through, Jayce and I burst into the room to find my grandmother’s assistant Lorraine being held under Alaric’s dragon’s foot. Aurora is behind Dimitri’s bear and Dominik’s wolf. Nicodeamus has shifted back to his human form. He stands there yelling at Lorraine about the poisoned stake she has attempted to kill Aurora with. My grandmother comes rushing in, crying and screaming at Alaric to release Lorraine. I shift back to my human form and grab hold of my grandmother.

“Grandma, she tried to kill Aurora with that stake.” I point to the stake on the ground not far from Lorraine’s prone form.

Elsa looks between Lorraine and the stake several times, then begins yelling at her in German, questioning her. Apparently, Vladimir had threatened to kill her sister if she didn’t kill Aurora. We all share a look, then Aurora moves forward, now riding Dimitri’s bear. Her eyes shift to that of her beast as she and Alaric lock eyes. We watch the black slits in both of their eyes pulse, expanding and contracting as she speaks to him through the bond.

“Lorraine, I now sentence you to death for the attempted assassination of your monarch.” Aurora looks up to Alaric and nods her head once. Alaric applies his full weight to Lorraine’s body, squishing her like a bug. Aurora finds it funny when Lorraine’s head shoots off like a cork from a champagne bottle.

My grandmother stands there in shock, crying and staring at the bloody, squished remnants of what used to be her assistant. I really look at my mate now, and that silly woman is in my sleep pants and Jayce’s sweatshirt, her hair is up in another messy bun, yet again adorned by her ruby crown. “I smell bacon, Dimitri! Tally ho!” Aurora leans forward and lightly kicksDimitri like you would a horse to get it moving. Dimitri follows his nose out of the grand ballroom and down the hall.

“When the hell did this happen?” I look between Nicodeamus and the now-human Alaric.

“Apparently, Aurora’s gut instincts were correct about Lorraine. She snuck in here shortly after you and Jayce had left. Nicodeamus and I were awake and only had one membrane over our eyes, giving the appearance we were sleeping.” Alaric smirks as he motions between himself and Nico. “We left Aurora exposed between us just to bait Lorraine into our trap. Dimitri and Dominik were awakened, using our bond to alert them to what was going on. They pretended to still be asleep until I sprung the trap.” Alaric smiles broadly as he motions towards Dominik.

“Dominik grabbed Aurora by the sweatshirt and dragged her out of the way, while Dimitri moved to protect Aurora. It was rather brilliant planning on Nicodeamus’s part, really. Being able to speak through the bond makes life a ton easier. Thankfully, not too many people know that we can communicate that way,” Alaric says as Dimitri walks closer with his precious cargo.

Aurora has the plate of bacon in her hands and a bottle of orange juice under her arm. “Best morning ever! No puking and I got to see a head go flying like a cork!” Her eyes widen, and her eyebrows raise in elation. “Oh, and bacon. We can’t forget the bacon.” Aurora nods happily, occasionally leaning forward to wave bacon at Dimitri. His long bear tongue sticks out and wraps around the bacon, taking it from Aurora. Her eyes go wide, and I can see the gears turning.

“I wonder if I can convince Dimitri to put his bear tongue for a better use? Like me?” Aurora wiggles her eyebrows and Dimitri starts choking on his bacon. His bear is coughing so hard thatDominik grabs Aurora off of his back, allowing Dimitri to shift back.

Dimitri stands there, bent over in all his naked glory, hacking up a lung trying to dislodge whatever is stuck in his throat. “Woman, are you trying to kill me!?”

“No?” She attempts to look utterly innocent as she peeks around from behind Dominik. “But seriously, you can’t do shit like that and have me not think of your tongue between my legs, for God’s sakes. I’m pregnant, not dead, you know.” She stands there with her hands on her hips, attempting to look serious. Meanwhile, her eyes drift around the room to all her naked mates, each one sporting a boner, including me. All because she mentioned licking her nether regions.

I just realized my poor grandmother is standing there, slack-jawed, looking around the room. Her cheeks are a brilliant red, but she decides to throw her two cents in. “Nicodeamus, I can see why your daughter is pregnant. Bravo, my girl, bravo!” Grandma does a golf clap then promptly exits the room.

At this moment, I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or… well, yeah, embarrassed is the right feeling for this moment. Aurora begins to look at the five of us and starts shuffling us around in a fucked up lineup. “Aurora, what in the world are you doing?” I raise my right eyebrow as she shuffles us into a line. Dimitri is first, then it’s Alaric, Jayce, me, then Dominik last.

Dominik looks up and down the line-up, then throws his hands up in the air. “Why the fuck am I last? I’m the first mate.” Apparently, Aurora’s lineup has him upset.

“Dom, baby, look down. I put you guys in order of peen size. Dimitri’s is a world ender. Look at the size of that thing; it’s freaking huge, Alaric’s isn’t as long, but it’s just as thick.” Aurora moves down the line-up, motioning to our members, describing how they appear to her. “Jayce’s is a really nice balance of length and thickness. Klaus’s is not as thick as Jayce’s, but it’s gotsome good length to it. Dominik, your dick is just right and very comfortable to ride.” Aurora managed to make Dimitri blush, Jayce, and Alaric high five in a single move, and Dominik starts to compare his dick to the rest of ours.

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