Page 38 of Smoke and Moon

“Drahks grow big and fast, even in the womb.”

What?She gulped as her heart began to race.“Should I be preparing for some humungous infant coming out of me?”

Aodh chuckled.

Kai gritted her teeth.It was easy for a man to find humor in a discussion about something massive coming out of something tiny, even an area that could stretch to accommodate.

“No.A Drahk offspring is not any larger at the time of birth than a very healthy human baby.”

She wanted to ask him what his definition of very healthy was.Kai had seen the historical listings from when the world kept track of things in the Guinness World Records and recalled a twenty-two-pound baby born to a mother in the fifty-fifth year of the nineteen hundreds.Kai remembered feeling sorry for the Italian mother who had given birth to him.Now, that could be her.

Shaking her head, she decided to drop the conversation for now.She still had nine months to prepare for what would come from her.And even though she had been fascinated and awed at meeting his dragon, in the back corner of her mind, she prayed a small dragon wouldn’t come crawling out of her.

“You need to get into the office.I need to go see my sister.”She kissed him quickly and stepped back before Aodh could deepen it.“I’m sure she is scared and probably upset about everything that happened yesterday.”

“Morlie is stronger than you think.”Aodh grasped her hand and continued their path to the door.“Don’t underestimate how much she understands.”

Her brow furrowed as she stared up at the big man.“I know my sister, Aodh, better than anyone.Hell, until you explained this new situation to me, I was clueless about what types of things my government was doing, but I worked and negotiated in the world as it is now.Because of the length of her illness, Morlie’s ingenuous about many things in the world.”

Aodh stopped right behind the door.“Just promise me you’ll listen.Try not to be her avenging mother.”Still holding her hand, he raised it to brush the tip of his finger over her belly.

Clever, Kai picked up on Aodh’s message, clearly indicating where her child was instead of her sister across the hall.Kai ignored the tremors and her annoyance at his words and said, “I’ll give my sister all the support she needs.”

Thankfully, he didn’t press further.Aodh reached for the door handle.

Before he could pull it open, she touched his to arm to halt him momentarily.“Aodh, I want to keep our situation,” she said, placing a hand over her lower abdomen for a moment so he wouldn’t misunderstand what she was referring to.“Just between us for a while.”

“Mate, the conception of our offspring is vitally important to my Thunder.This young one will finally solve the issues that have plagued us for multiple decades caused by the devastation that humans wrought.Keeping it from them is not something I can promise you.”

Everything Aodh stated was true.Kai was aware that the changes in the world had hindered his people from growing their numbers.However, she didn’t have much in the world that belonged to her.And she wanted the small, precious moment to belong to Aodh and her for a little while.

She cupped his jaw and whispered.“For a little while.”

Aodh exhaled and looked as if he wanted to say more.She was happy when he didn’t and pulled the door open.

Kai exited their suite and saw the guard, a young man she was unfamiliar with, sitting in a chair against the wall above the stairs.She wondered how long the guards would be necessary.

When he spotted them, the guard immediately rose to his feet.He inclined his head, first to Aodh, then her.“Mckenna.Aguya.”

“Ladon.How long have you been on duty?”Aodh stepped toward the young man with his sword strapped across his back.

Kai understood the deference the guard paid to Aodh, but she was flummoxed trying to determine why the young man had offered her the same level of honor as he did to the Mckenna.But she realized that could not be the case because how he addressed her didn’t make sense, so she figured he’d still been speaking to Aodh.She brushed it away and continued toward her sister’s suite.

“Only five hours, Mckenna.Aine will relieve me in an hour.”The young Drahk puffed out his chest as he stood under the Dragon King’s regard.

“Is that the same for Alina?”Aodh gestured with his head toward the female guard before the door at the bottom of the stairs.

“No, Mckenna.Her shift started three hours after mine.Edjer informed us we are to stagger our shifts.”

“Well done.”Aodh fixed his gaze on her.“Remember what I said, mate.”

“Yes.I remember everything.”She gestured toward the door.“If one of you do not mind giving me a hand.”

Before Aodh could move around the young male, Ladon was beside her.“I have it, Aguya.”

This time, Kai was sure the guard was addressing her.She frowned, irritated that members of Aodh’s Thunder still didn’t know her name.“It’s Kai,” she corrected.

“My apologies, Aguya Kai.”The young male’s markings glowed a soft violet but seemed to darken with the evidence of his joy the longer he stood there.

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