Page 161 of Smoke and Lure

Liekki scowled.He didn’t like seeing how his offspring was hurting her, even the slightest.

He dropped his gaze from the sight of her lovely breasts to the area of her belly where their newly developed offspring would be growing.

“Well, fuck me.”

“That better not be an invitation right now.I’ll have to pass this round.”Avalore gave him a disconcerting stare.

He would have chuckled if he wasn’t stunned and knocked onto his proverbial ass at what he was seeing.Liekki had never seen his brother's mate naked, but everyone in the Thunder had seen her proudly displaying her markings because of the clothes she wore like those of pregnant Drahkelles.

But he was sure Aodh would have told himthis.

“I want to see it, but you’re making me nervous, Liekki.”She clenched her hands at her sides and hissed again.“How does it look?”

“You have two scales.”Which meant twins, which made sense to Liekki since they discovered how the scientist had altered their blood with rabbit DNA, if that was all he saw.“And some on your thighs—”

“My thighs?”She snapped her head down and stared.“Oh...My Great Spirit—”

Avalore launched herself away from him, scrambling over the huge mattress to get off, then dashed to the bathroom.

That’s when Liekki saw that the scales hadn’t only spread to her thighs but covered her entire back with scale markings and angry red welts as they burned onto Avalore from the inside out.

Shit!He got up and rushed behind her.

He stood in the mirror, watching as the pattern of scales was now halfway to her knees.Her features a mask of shock or horror, he wasn’t sure.

“They’re on your back, too.”

She winced as she twisted left, then right, trying to take them all in.

“What’s happening to me?”

Before he could answer, he heard it.

Avalore’s intake of breath was loud, signaling she heard it, too.

His dragon was roused from its contented slumber, raised its head, and stood at the sound.

He and his dragon recognized it for what it was, not an offspring.It was too early for any young one, rather ones, to start to chortle.

The faint call of a female dragon came from Avalore’s core, not her womb.

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