Page 137 of Smoke and Lure

“What do you mean?As in the baby won’t come out of my vagina?”Kai stopped walking as her features twisted in disbelief.

Brenna chuckled at Kai’s expression.“No.It still comes through the standard birth canal.”

“Okay.”Relief.For a moment, Kai thought Brenna was going to tell her that someone would take a broadsword to her belly and cut it out.

Brenna had continued to walk and was now paused before the smaller suite door when she faced Kai.

“Our young are delivered in two distinct stages.”

“What do you mean?”Kai folded her hands beneath her belly.

“In a few weeks, or sooner, by the look of your markings, your youngling will be delivered.Do not fear, Drahk little ones are relatively small in the first stage, six or seven pounds, even though Aodh was eight.Drahks like space and prefer to do most of their real growth outside of the confines of its mother’s body.”

The first stage.Kai was seriously confused.But, glad to hear that she wouldn’t be delivering some fifteen-pound baby, eight was bad enough.She gulped.

“And the second stage?”

Brenna pushed open the door to the suite and entered.

Kai hadn’t been to their other suite since Morlie left.She rarely thought about it, even though she knew it would eventually be their child’s room and an attendant, most likely Tana, would assist Kai and Aodh in caring for the child.

“Hello, Kai.”Tana stood in the center of the suite's front room.

“Tana.I didn’t expect you here.”Kai looked around and saw how much the front area had been transformed before the large fireplace.“And what is all this?”

“This is your nest.”Tana set a hand on the large, bucket-style seat with a curved iron frame and great cushion, which was piled high with at least four blankets and quilts.

The seat appeared large enough to fit three people comfortably.Kai felt the urge to crawl up in the seat and take a nap before a roaring fire.

“Stage two,” Brenna clarified.

Kai looked from the nest to Brenna.“I don’t get it.”

“When you give birth to the youngling, it will still be within its protective sack.We do not do the human’s barbaric act of ripping that open or smacking our young on the ass to scream.”Brenna shook her head, and her expression was tight, full judgment on display.

“That sack protects the child.It will quickly begin to harden once it is outside your body.Allowing your young dragon to form its impenetrable shell.Well, from the outside,” Tana added.

“The dragon’s shell will remain for a couple more weeks until your little one and their beast bond fully.The markings develop through this process.If this process doesn’t happen, the child will never connect with its dragon and lose the ability to shift.”

Kai listened, but it seemed that outside of her caring for the child and giving birth to it, she would have no connection with the baby for weeks while it sat in a shell.She’d heard how important it was for a baby and its mother to connect through touch and skin-to-skin contact right after birth; how would she do it if the baby came out in a sack then sealed itself away from her?

“What do I do in this time?”Kai didn’t attempt to hide her discontent as she ran a hand over her stomach, hoping to communicate her love to her child while it was inside of her.

“Oh, Kai.”Brenna stepped closer to her.“That’s what the nest is for.Your hatchling will need you more than ever then.You will remain here, surrounding the dragon’s egg with warmth and care.Aodh will come into the nest at times with you and offer his strength, love, anddeatach glan heylto help you heal.”

“Oh.”It seemed like such a little word to express her emotions surrounding such a significant set of events.She felt overwhelmed and expectant.

She wondered if this explained what had happened to Draig and Jaseena's little one.It had been delivered and taken away not only from its mother who had passed but the father and all the Drahk kind.Her great-great grandfather had never bonded with his dragon, living an existence that was only half fulfilled.

“I’ll bring you high-protein meals here.Your body will need to be healthy and ready to provide the nourishment the hatchling needs as soon as it breaks out of its shell.”Tana’s smile was broad, and the flames in her gaze were a lovely violet.

“These blankets have been in our family for generations.They were part of my nest.”Brenna lifted the top quilt, which had various patterned squares stitched together, and sat prominently on the pile of coverings.“Once everything is done, I will help you add your own square to this from your mother’s quilt.”

“Are you sure?”Kai could feel the stinging in her eyes and knew she was on the verge of tears.

“Yes.I thought you’d find comfort in this.”

Kai watched Aodh’s mother flip back the edge of the quilt at the top.She broke into a sob as she saw what was beneath, the ragged remains of her mother’s quilt.

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