Page 88 of Emerald Waves
I’d never been so relaxed in all my days as when we sat out here swinging, bathed in the warm, wonderful lights that surrounded our porch. With the mountains doused in moonlight, I could see the shadow of dragon wings on the mountain again, always in the same spot, whenever any sort of light struck it.
Cade was getting sleepy, so I opened the book I’d brought out to read to him tonight while I stroked his shell. He already loved listening to stories. As he grew, we’d continue to nurture that love, introducing him to different kinds of storytelling and talesfrom all over the world, so he’d have an appreciation of different cultures and history.
I could feel him growing sleepier the deeper into the book we got. I didn’t just read him the words, I described the pictures for him too, despite knowing he wouldn’t have a full understanding of the things I described until he was old enough to see them. It just felt right to share those details with him while we rocked.
Our little egg was snoozing by the time I reached the middle, but I finished the story anyway, steadily swinging and caressing his shell until it was time to lift him from the carrier and place him in his hanging bassinet swing. There was a slight chill in the air tonight, which was perfect for getting in the hot tub, but now that I was removing him from my person and withdrawing my body heat, I took extra care to tuck the blankets around his shell until it was swaddled in warm, fluffy fleece. Only then did I strip off my clothes and slip into the hot tub to sit beside my mate and tug him onto my lap so I could hold him.
“Tomorrow, we’ll ask Odem to pop over and have some egg time with Cade while we go flying,” I promised as I snuggled him, then chuckled, as his dragon immediately perked up.
“He loves being unleashed.”
“As does mine,” I replied. “Especially when they can fly together.”
“Every time we’re in the air I can feel his confidence growing. All the encouragement you give to both of us, I feel like I’m thriving in a way I never even imagined was possible.”
“That’s how it should be between mates, my love,” I said. “That’s why I seek you out whenever I’m feeling uncertain or starting to question my place as a protector. Just sitting with you and hearing you excitedly talk about one of your discoveries puts me at ease and reminds me that it’s better to question some of my actions and decisions, than to blindly jump into situations with a cockiness that might get me hurt and ultimately hurt you.You’re my rock, Em and I aim to make sure you always know that.”
“And you’re mine,” he replied, turning in my arms so he could kiss me. As we melted together in the warmth of our patio oasis, I sent up a silent thank you to the Goddess for creating Emerson for me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Emerson
“Caro, hurry, come quick!” Calling through our mate bond probably would’ve been easier, but a panicked excitement had sat in, and words came out first.
“What is it?” He came running into our room and I pointed at the nest. “Is he?”
“Yes. Call Odem, we promised he could be here for it. Call all the brothers. Get my bestie too, please.”
Caro laughed. “This could take some time for Cade to fully emerge, my love, but I’ll reach out to everyone.”
I sat beside our egg and whispered words of encouragement. “Come on, little Cade, you can do it. Daddy and Papa are so excited to finally meet you.”
“And Uncle Odem too!” He announced as he claimed a seat beside the nest. “You’ve got this, sweet boy.”
One by one, the Denarius brothers filled the room. Caro sat beside me while the others formed a circle around us, Alex being front and center across from Caro and me. Each whispered encouraging words to our sweet boy, quietly cheering each time a new piece of egg fell to the blankets.
“I see you,” I smiled to the beautiful emerald eye that matched his Papa’s as it peeked out through the cracks. “Come out, come out and hug Daddy and Papa.” Cade’s giggles trickled out and filled the room with smiles.
“Silly boy,” Caro said as another chip fell.
So badly I wanted to reach out and finish the job for him so he could hurry up and get here. But I knew that wasn’t the way the process was meant to unfold. The dragonet had to free themselves and in their own time. But the excitement at finally meeting our son sure made it hard not to help.
A tiny claw slid through a crack, the eye we’d previously seen in awe as it watched the opening widen.
“You have quite the audience, dear nephew,” a smiling Ionus told him.
“Ooh, ooh,” Cade chirped.
“Maybe he’s part monkey,” Odem teased. “Are you a monkey boy, Cade?” More giggles erupted and another piece fell.
Quint, the quietest brother, was in awe. “This is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed.” With each mate and offspring, the remaining brothers became more anxious waiting for their mates. “Thank you, for letting me, for letting us,” he gestured to the group, “be a part of this.”
Pride filled me at our choice to include the family in this monumental event. I understood why Alex and Ionus hadn’t, being the first to not only go through this, but with having four do it at one time it was a lot to handle. There was much uncertainty given the eons the brothers had waited, and initially it was better to be safe and limit the amount of bodies aroundthe new dragonets until the comfort level with the process was there. For Caro and me, we wanted to share this with them and I’m glad we did.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way, brother,” Caro assured him. “Oh, there’s another eye. I see two beautifully faceted emerald eyes.”
“Are you playing peek-a-boo with us, Cade?” Caro teased him. “Peek-a-boo, we want to see you.” Caro mimicked covering his eyes then removing one hand at a time. Cade’s happiness flowed through our connection and soon more chips fell.
