Page 43 of Bred By Fafnir

Fafnir is patient, so terribly patient as I stalk, teary and glaring.

“My mate…” he pleads. “Please come inside. I do not wish to anger you further by forcing you.”

“No!” I spit back. “I’ve done everything I needed to do, and it still feelswrong,Fafnir. I can’t stand another second of resting when losing you, losing our family, hangs in the balance. I’ve cleaned everything, over and over again. All the baby’s clothes are ready and fresh, the crib is ready, I’ve packed and repacked myjust in casebag five million times… I’ve done everything and I’m not ready!”

“Lenora, you are stressing the kit.” He tries to reason, but it only shoves me further into hysterics.

“And you think the kit won’t be stressed without a father!?”

“It is the way of—"

I turn on him so quickly my head spins, and my side cramps something awful. “If you say the way of things one more time, I swear to your gods I will—"

“What if she’s right?”

We both turn to Ogarrex then. My mate's eyes shining golden with irritation and mine wide with hope. “Exactly! At least some male in my presence sees reason.” I shoot a pointed look at Val, who refused to let me mount him and alerted his master to my escape attempt just a little while ago.

“Fafnir,” my voice breaks, and I hate the way he winces at the sound, his long hair dragging over his shoulder as he glances behind him to look at me. “Do you not want something different for your son?”

It’s a low blow, but we’ve been at this for months. For months I’ve been patient and waited before bringing anything to anyone outside of our small circle. Months of dodging Dr. Univos’s questions about getting more participants for his research, about bringing our findings to the elder council. He’s done waiting. For all their brilliance and insight, Kalzaits are a cold and unwavering race. Unforgiving. It’s either progress or abandon.

I will not let him abandon us.

My hand drops to the baby in my stomach as he gives a little kick. Faf sighs and comes to us. I know what will come out of his mouth before he reaches out, cupping and lifting my stomach. I can’t help but sag against him, grateful he’s taken some of the weight.

“The elder is at the end of her term; she’s fading and under enough pressure for my sake already.”

Ogarrex scoffs at that. “This is not just about what she can do foryou. How many more will be sent to wander while you have your mate sit on information that can save them?”

My eyes slide to Faf. Ogarrex is right, and he knows it. My mate has taken well to the therapy, very well, but Ogarrex has done so in strides. Not so much as a slip up since they started. Early intervention makes all the difference.That’swhat we’re wasting: time. As much as I want this for selfish reasons, I want to help people too. So does Fafnir, but a Bhaurnul’s pride is only second to their dedication to tradition, to theirword.He gave his that he’d take his fate with grace.

Sometimes you just can’t go gracefully.

Sometimes you have to be dragged to your fate, kicking and screaming.

And if he won’t, I will. I’m about to tell him as much when he finally speaks. “You must give me your word you will not openly argue for my sake, Lenora.”

My lip trembles.

I can’t.

That’swhyI’ve done this.

Whywe got the Kalzait doctor involved.

I can’t bear the thought of losing him, especially not like that. He’s a good male, the best. He deserves the chance at healing…at life just as much, if not more than the rest of them. Without him taking a chance on me, submitting to my silly trauma driven desire to help, we wouldn’t know what we know now. He wouldn’t be here now.

My heart drops again when he releases my belly gently, picking me up in his arms. “We will go tomorrow, but tonight you will rest. You think I cannot see you gripping your sides?”

The relief bursts from me in a gush of wind and tension. My thick hair is tied up high on the back of my head as I tilt it back, mouthing the wordsthank youto Ogarrex as I’m hauled back inside. Soon enough, I’m lying on the bed, dressed in a soft nightgown I’d had Fafnir order for me because the skimpy lingerie had stopped being comfortable very early on.

My eyes land on the bassinet in the corner of the wide room, waiting to be attached to the bed as my mate brings a pot of salve from the bedside table. I nearly laugh at the sight of the blaster there as he palms a huge glob of the balm, rubbing it into my stomach, massaging the lined, heavily stretched skin there. He pays those marks extra attention. It had bothered me at first, like he was pointing out my imperfections.

Until I realized that only I saw them as such.

He traces each one softly, his tail wrapped around my ankle. It does something twisty and warm to my heart, seeing such a big, scary male doting on me like this. I never tire of it. When he leans down, pressing a gentle, chaste kiss to my stomach, tears spring to my eyes again. His cocks are hard and bobbing behind his loincloth, but he doesn’t push for more.

Another thing I am grateful for, the further along I get, the less I feel like anything even remotely sexual. While his need for me is still apparent, he has never pushed me. For the past three weeks, I’ve spent my nights being adored and catered to before bed. He’s every bit as happy doing that as he was fucking me to sleep.

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