Page 27 of The Fall Before the Heat

“That’s what I saw,” Lee added. “The numbers usually average out somewhere in the middle when it comes to days. Even after years of practically living in the lab we barely understand how it happens and the why is still elusive.”

“I’ve always been curious on why there aren’t more people who can shift into two animals,” I chimed back into the conversation.

“That’s really uncommon,” Lee said. “I always joke it’s because we don’t have enough room inside our heads for the extra one. Now, let’s find out if we have a lion or a lioness.”

“Lion,” I said. “At least part of my intuition has to be spot on. My carrier will never let me live it down.”

Rex let out a soft chuckle and squeezed my hand as Lee started moving the wand again. I counted my breaths as the image changed on the monitor.

One. Two. Three. The wand passed the cord. Four.

“I was right! Well, half right!” I laughed and instinctively went to put a hand on the crest of my pregnant belly. I stopped myself just in time from getting a handful of ultrasound jelly.

“Yes, you were,” Rex grinned and kissed my hands without taking his amber eyes off the screen. “Dad’s going to be over the moon.”

“He’s already there,” I teased him. “He might land on the rings of Saturn with this one.”

“Maybe he’ll find the Starscales up there somewhere,” Lee laughed.

“I hope not, if they’re anything like the Moonscales,” I laughed.

Chapter Twenty

Rex

It was practical to move to Heartville. It was logical even. The rest of my brain was just slow to catch up and agree. I grew up on the outskirts of London at Moonscale Manor, but as kids, Lost and I didn’t get to participate in most of London. Part of me would always hold that against the past. Only now my inner kid needed to shut his mouth, because I was about to be a father.

“I want our kids to see the world before they run away to a far-off university campus,” I told Del one night as we both lay awake unable to sleep. The baby was close and turned head down for delivery.

“Which parts of the world?” Del asked, entwining his fingers through mine.

In his other hand he held a copy of his teaching certificate. We’d both managed to graduate on time despite the two-week break we took for his first heat.

“I don’t know. I want to say all of it,” I chuckled.

“Do you want the kids to see the world, or do you want to see the world?” He asked me.

“Can’t it be both, mate?” I groaned, trying to dodge the question about myself.

“I’m sure you’ll have time off. We can go on vacations. Just no war zones,” Del grinned.

“Don’t you want to see it?” I asked him.

“When you say it like that I want to say, ‘How do you think I got into this position, Rex’?” He chuckled and then he shrugged. “I figure most of it is the same. Different languages, foods, flat or mountainous – maybe, but people are people.” He took a deep breath, huffed, and laid the certificate aside and laid back downfacing me. “Maybe you have some secret lion in you who wants to travel.”

“Maybe,” I chuckled. “Lions only ended up in London because of human occupations and colonization.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way before,” Del whispered.

“Well, it’s done. So don’t think about it so hard now,” I shook my head. “I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Del shook his head. “I’m tired. I’m excited. My back hurts. I’m starting to think my parents really aren’t going to move to Heartville with us, but I’m not upset about you wanting to see the world. Hell, we might have to see the world just to see our parents again.”

Del’s sire had come out of the war mostly unscathed but had fallen into a draconic sleep as soon as he was reunited with his mate. Part of Del believed his carrier would just crate him up and move to Heartville with us. Okay, maybe he didn’t believe it, but he thought it could work if only he could convince his carrier.

“I just don’t want our kids to feel less than, you know?” I said and kissed the back of Del’s hand.

“They won’t. We won’t let them,” Del yawned. “I mean it. We won’t let them.”

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