Page 29 of Flight Risk

“Thank you,” I said, finding my voice.

Hugo smiled. “My pleasure.”

Kier remained on the couch as I showed Hugo the door. I made note of when he would be arriving next and added it to my and Kier’s calendar. Once the eggs were laid, they would get regular checkups.

Kier smiled up at me when I walked back into the room.

“Three. We’re having three children. Can you believe it?”

I settled on to the couch and pulled my mate into my arms. “I’m terrified.”

He laughed heartily. “I’m excited,” he said.

“I’m that too, but this is big, darling. Being dads... it feels so much more real now.”

“What if, by some crazy fluke, there is actually more than three in there? Or maybe a set of twins! Wouldn’t that be exciting.”

The color drained from my face, giving a cold, clammy feel to my face.

Kier burst into laughter. “I wish I had my phone out to take a picture of you! This is kind of nice, being the one who isn’t worrying.”

My stomach rolled. I hated it. I kissed his cheek. “Happy to be of service.” I gulped. Really, I was starting to feel better now that I had my mate in my arms. We could tackle whatever life threw at us. Even twins.

Though, I’d pray to all the dragon gods that we didn’t have twins. Three would be enough for us.

“We should let your dad know how many we’re having.”

“That’s a good idea. Let me text him.”

Kier stopped my hand. “No, let’s do something fun. Tomorrow on the way to work let’s pick him up donuts and we can have them put something cute on them.”

“He needs a ‘World’s best Grandpa’ mug.”

“He really does. That will have to come later, though.”

I rested my cheek on top of Kier’s head and laced our fingers together while I held him. “I’m so happy, mate. Thank you.”

“Mmmh,” Kier sighed. “Me too, love. Me too.”

Chapter 17

Kier

I awoke with sweat dripping from my brow and soaking through my pajama pants. I had kicked the blankets off the bed as I thrashed around. Somehow, Tav was sleeping on about eight inches at the edge of the mattress. He looked comfortable, though. Good for him.

For a moment, it felt as if I was going through a heat again, but that was impossible. Then my hands went to my stomach, feeling the hard flesh where my eggs lay. It was a significantlydifferent shape than it had been when I went to bed. I sat upright, then looked down. My belly had dropped considerably.

It was time. Three and a half weeks after our mating, just one week after Hugo had done his exam, and I was ready to lay our eggs. We’d continued to keep the nest in the living room, where it was the center of attention for anyone who was around. Some dragons kept it in their bedroom. Some in a spare room. I liked the living room, where the sun came through the windows during the mid-morning. The eggs would be in a perfect spot to get the maximum amount of light throughout the day, and I loved that. Plus, in the evening, I could sit by the fire and watch them.

I was hot and sweaty, and I knew I had only a short amount of time before they arrived, so I got out of bed and showered. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Tav was sitting on the bed, rubbing his eyes.

“What happened to the blankets?” he asked.

I chuckled. “It was warm.”

When he finally did look at me, his eyes widened. I had pulled on a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. He cocked his head to the side in question.

“You look different,” he said. He blinked rapidly, his sleep-tousled hair an adorable mess of curls.

---