Page 29 of Iced Heat

“Do you want to double check with a healer before we tell him?” Xav asked.

“Yes,” I nodded. “We should know for sure before we get their hopes up. I mean, I’m starving all the time and this test is positive. That’s probably enough. Hey, wait! Let me ask you a question.”

“What’s that?” he blinked at me.

“If I stripped from the waist up and laid out on a table for a stranger to touch my belly what would you do?”

“Is this a kink question?” Xav arched a brow.

“No. I guess we won’t know until it happens. It’s common lore that sires react badly to that situation if their mate is pregnant.”

“Well,” Xav thought about it for a long moment. “I don’t think I’d attack them because if we go to see a healer I’m fully expecting an ultrasound or sonic or whatever they use these days here. Since they’re a doctor – which I don’t understand really – unless you didn’t want to be touched, I’d probably let them do their job.”

“What don’t you understand about doctors?” I asked him.

“All of it. I mean, I’m just ice. I’ve been to doctors, obviously,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “But they still don’t fully understand how my genetics work. So, I guess, I don’t get them in that way.”

“I’m still lost,” I laughed.

“It’s hard to explain but how would you examine ice? How would you know if ice had high blood pressure? Are you questioning ice cubes? Are you doing peer reviewed studies on icebergs to know what their baseline pressures are? They don’t even have flesh forms.”

“No, they’re not, but I want to see a healer examine an iceberg now,” I laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. “I’m just glad the doctors were able to do what you needed them to.”

“Me too.”

“That’s why you trust them, huh?” I asked.

“Probably. That and those particular doctors smelled trustworthy. They were also excited for the opportunity to be the first to work with someone icy like me.”

“So they know about that?” I asked.

“Yeah. But those dragons over there are huge on privacy. They were more than a little understanding once I said I didn’t wantit getting around because I didn’t want my family to track me down. I mean, I know there are other types of elementals but my mom knows my abilities and I really don’t want to deal with her. I don’t want her coming in and melting everything that makes me happy.”

“Is she fire?” I asked. “You don’t talk about her a lot.”

“Mostly,” he nodded. “Let’s change the subject, okay?”

“Sorry,” I frowned.

“No, don’t be,” Xav shook his head. “I get it. You want to know about me and where I come from. I’d love to show you the actual world but the people suck. At least the rulers do. So, what’s our next step? Where are we getting our healer from?”

“Since my pregnancy might reveal clues about who you are do you want to call over one of your doctor friends? I know, this is a totally different field of medicine, but…” I trailed off.

“I’ll find someone we can trust,” he said and kissed my temple.

Chapter Fifteen

Xav

Sequin knew more about me than literally anyone else did but I was still nervous on letting him into particular parts of my life. Truth be told, in Starscale medicine doctors who aided me in my transition also took care of egg carriers. It was ‘family medicine’ like any other branch of family medicine. You could get an ingrown scale removed and open-heart surgery by the same person if you were on the flight link.

Still, two days later, we made a secret trip to Starscale 2 where my doctor was currently making their rounds. Riz was a good three feet taller than either of us and had recently dyed burgundy streaks in their long blonde hair to match the star-shaped scale on their chest. They hugged me in the lobby, and I introduced them to Sequin. Their gemstone green eyes went straight for his belly. They knew why we were here, but Riz had a sixth sense about some things or perhaps they just used the flight link better than I ever would.

“Let’s go find out,” they said, leading us down the familiar winding hallways.

Sequin kept hold of my arm as if someone might jump out from the shadows and snatch him up. His discomfort kept me on high alert and frosty ice danced on my fingertips. Unless I was on a really magical world, I worried that little ability might give me away but it wasn’t uncommon magic here.

Sequin sighed with relief when Riz led us into a room that looked more like a living room or study than an examination room.

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