Page 5 of Mated in the Stars

“Teddy’s too much like me in some ways,” Fred sighed. “When he meets his mate, he’ll follow them to the end of time itself. I know that. So, I’m letting Minter have as much of him as he can now. That’s the problem with having kids so far apart. There are good things too, but I don’t need the Omega Sight to know that Teddy’s probably going to move away one day.”

“Can I have that nap now?” I asked. “I’m too tired to go around in circles with this one. I’ll get a sonic in the morning or even a photo shoot with Izora if you want. I think I just need some sleep and –--” my words were cut short as Fred scooped me up and carried me off to the bedroom. Once upon a time, he carried me off to romp, but now, I really did want to conk out for the night all wrapped up in his arms with his heartbeat thrumming against my back. It was the place I was the safest that I had ever been.

Chapter Three

Fred

A two second sonic confirmed what it took me too long to realize. Elio was carrying our next egg. I should’ve realized when he asked me such a weird question. I should’ve realized when he was so emotional about my response. Big emotions and dragons aren’t strangers, though. Most of the time it involved burning shit down or knocking shit over.

“I’m sorry,” he said as we stepped out of the clinic. “I should’ve known something was up. I didn’t know how to tell you what I felt because I couldn’t explainwhyI felt it.”

“Emotions aren’t logical. Believe me. I know. I tried to burn you down when we met,” I chuckled, wrapping my arm around his waist from the side and stepping closer to him. “If you can tell anyone about the irrational parts of your brain it’s me and if it’s not me, we’ll find you a therapist or you can tell Marsin or--- I don’t know. It doesn’t have to be me, but I don’t want you to feel alone in anything and feeling like you wouldn’t be safe in a pinch is something I definitely need to know about.”

“But you didn’t do anything. Not really,” Elio sighed. “You told me the truth. I didn’t ask if you’d save me because that felt too mean. Maybe asking about Lotus was meaner than that but---”

“It wasn’t mean. It felt a bit like asking if I’d save Minter over everyone disguised in a different sort of question.”

“Shit, Fred,” he sighed. “No wonder you looked so confused. You gave an honest answer that would’ve even made sense for that question, and I was still pissed off.”

“Yeah. I let it go because sometimes emotions are weird and I wondered if you were picking up on the fact that I still have dreams that piss me off because I couldn’t save her and maybe that pissed you off because it pissed me off,” I confessed.

“I always wonder if that will go away when she comes back,” Elio said and bit his lip.

“If she comes back. If we find her in this lifetime, you mean?”

“Yeah. That and I feel like an asshole when I miss her because you knew her for so long and I had some time with her in the Other World and---”

“Stop. I’ve told Teddy to stop comparing balls to tits too,” I told him. “I missed Lotus before I knew her. I missed her back when she was my only mate, and I didn’t know her yet in this lifetime. I didn’t remember meeting her in the Other World and I still missed her. We all feel that gaping void until we meet them, I think. Maybe not everyone. Plenty of people live with it but I felt it. So, I think you do miss her. You just say it differently than those waiting on tenterhooks for their mates to come into their lives.”

“Thanks for not calling me a weirdo.”

“I’m the weirdo here. Don’t take my title,” I teased him and he hip bumped me. “But one day, if this gateway thing works out, I’m going to take you to Glitter Bomb and we’re going to dance the whole fucking weekend away.”

“Not while I’m egging,” he shook his head.

“Not while Minter’s so young either,” I added. “So, probably no time soon but one day.”

“One day, you’ll finally cover me in glitter for good,” he laughed.

“That’s been my plan all along,” I nodded and leaned over to lick his earlobe.

“Do you think Teddy would be angry if we went home and were home for a little bit before we told him we were home, and he could bring the baby back?”

“He won’t even notice we took longer than he expected. If he does, he isn’t gonna comment on it. Though, I will remind you that this is how we ended up in this situation in the first place.”

“Not like you can put another egg in me right now,” Elio laughed.

“I can try,” I leaned over and whispered in his ear as his face turned bright red. “And I plan to.”

***

Teddy kept his baby brother for the weekend. He didn’t even ask why we needed the free time. Maybe he knew that Elio was pregnant or maybe he figured out we were playing second matingmoon. Perhaps he was just happy that we trusted him enough to watch the baby while we took time to ourselves.

We fucked like I was trying to put another egg in him despite biological barriers that his body provided since we already had an egg growing inside him. I kissed him each time like he was my oxygen and in some ways he was. Elio was the dragon who saved me from myself. I spiraled after Lotus died and the kids declared they were okay. I slept and smoked and smoked some more. Hell, sometimes I still missed the taste of ash and fire dancing on my tongue. I enjoyed licking his slick, tangy arousal more than smoking, though. So, I stayed away from them. Elio saved me from all that by sending a calling card across space. He fought for us before I understood what we were to each other. Now I savored all the small moments we shared – mundane, magical, or something in between. I needed him to know that I would destroy whole worlds for him. I’d burn down empires to save him and our kids and they wereallour kids. I’d cut the throats of---

“Do you always think such deep thoughts while eating my ass?” Elio laughed into the pillow, and I bit his ass cheek. “Ouch! Fucker! Omega butt abuse! Go back to thinking of destroying empires. Didn’t mean to interrupt your kink, alpha.”

I bit his other ass cheek, taking my time to ‘sink’ my teeth into him. He pressed back against my face and let out a sexy littlegrunt that came from deep within his throat. Pushing myself upright, I slapped both of his ass cheeks while admiring the imprints of my teeth in his flesh. I’d marked my territory all over again. Tiny orange scales popped up, surrounding the bite marks as if they were decorations.

---