Page 59 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

Mac frowned at me. "You do most of the heavy lifting to clean your cave," he said. "And Tuft and Axel wouldn't have dared to build the pavilion outdoors if not for your word you wouldn't burn us all on sight."

Right. I had been the reason the kobolds had feared the outdoors for over a century.

"See?" My paragon huffed their smoke at me. I'd forgotten how calming their scent was. "I knew it. This was your doing. I worried we would return to a war, or worse, to mass extinction of both species. Instead, I find you thriving here. I am so glad, Galen. More than you will ever know."

I bowed my head, unable to think of a response.

"We will see you in three days," Mac said with finality. He always knew what to say when I was at a loss for words.

"Yes," Paragon said with a cheerful tone. "Three days. You'll have two eggs in your nest by then, I'm sure."

Gods, I hoped so. My balls ached something fierce. There was no fluid left between the hard shell and my skin. It chafed with every movement as I settled back into my nest.

Mac approached with the burlap sack almost as tall as he was. It left a wet streak of red on the floor, since it was too heavy for him to lift.

"I know you prefer these cooked, but there would be more nutrients if you ate them raw."

I nodded, too tired to argue or complain. Organs were my favorite, no matter how they were prepared.

Mac dumped them out without ceremony. One of the bloody treats rolled under my snout, so it was the first into my mouth. Even uncooked, they tasted wonderful. I made a few uncouth noises while I ate.

"Better than my cooking?" Mac grinned, and I knew he wasn't upset.

"Everything you cook is wonderful," I said around a mouthful I'd snagged from the pile.

I'd neglected our egg in my haste to eat. Mac curled himself around the nest of blankets with our unseen egg in the middle.

His grin widened the more I ate. When I finished, I swore I could see each of his sharp teeth.

"What?" I asked.

"You've got … something." He circled his face with a finger.

That was easy enough. I licked the remnants of blood and gore from my lips and snout.

"I want that tongue wrapped around me again."

Mac's words surprised me. I didn't feel sexy with my balls swelled to twice their normal size. I carried the egg in my right, but the left seemed to be overcompensating for lack of eggs and swelling in sympathy.

Mac meant what he said, though. He thought my tongue was sexy. He wanted me to wrap it around his cock. He was thinking about sex, now? "Hush. Our little one can hear you."

He pressed his ear to the shell and whispered, "She's sleeping."

"Sleep sounds glorious right now." I licked the drying blood off the floor, grateful the reflective stone was less porous than in my cave. I didn't get nearly as much from the exchange, but the floor was far cleaner when I finished.

My quest to lick up every drop led me from my nest. Returning to it and trying to get comfortable was another challenge. Mac carried our egg a safe distance away and watched while I grumbled and whined my way through the torture of circling and finally lying down.

When he settled against my chest with our egg in his lap, I remembered it was all worthwhile. Yes, carrying our egg was painful, but Mac and our two precious little ones were worth it.

At least, that's what I thought before the real pain began.

ChapterTwenty-One

Mac

I never wantedto be the guy who received bedroom advice from his lover's parent, but that was my life now. Galen's paragon informed me I wasn't performing my mating duties for Galen.

"You must have made them come at least once, or you wouldn't have gotten pregnant," they said. "Do that again, and the egg will do the rest."

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