Page 39 of The Dragon's Flamebound Mate

“Maybe. I don’t—it might be too— Ahh!” I gripped my mate’s hand while I pushed. There was no way to hold back long enough to finish my sentence or decide if it was actually time to push. My body commanded it, and I was no longer in control.

I could feel the egg coming, it wasn’t going to be long at all, and that unlocked a whole new fear. What it they came out, dropped too far, and cracked all because we didn’t remember the stupid plan.

“Help me!”

“Tell me how.” I’d never seen my mate so unsure, so scared.

“You’ve got to catch the egg.”

Zayne reached between my legs, just in time. “Oh my goodness. It’s there. I feel it. You’re doing so great, baby. Keep going!”

As if I could stop. My body had completely taken over. The doctor said it would, but it wasn’t until it actually happened that I finally understood what they meant.

I pushed again, gripping the edge of the nest with all my might, a couple of the spoons jingling as I did.

“Just a little more,” Zayne said.

I ignored the pain and pressure as best I could as I bore down. I wanted nothing more than to meet my eggs. The pain was just the last barrier in the way. My body stretched and my hips felt like they were being torn in two, but I kept on pushing.

Zayne squeezed my hand, anchoring me. Then it was like the pressure vanished. Our first-born egg released from my body.

Zayne held it in his hands. I blinked away the tears in my eyes. The shell was golden, flecked with fiery-red speckles over its large scales. It looked massive in my mate’s hand.

“Look, Ash. It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Oh, my precious.” I held my hands out, and Zayne placed the egg carefully in them. He grabbed the blanket we had picked out for the first egg and wrapped it up.

“Are you ready for the next one?”

The next one. His words snapped me out of my euphoria and back into feeling everything.

Thank our lucky feathers I was only having two eggs. I didn’t know how others did more than that. I still wasn’t completely sure I was going to be able to handle this one.

I barely managed to nod, the pressure already building at the base of my spine, letting me know it was time. Even as I gathered my resolve, the pain grew more and more intense. I was ready for it this time, though. Knowing what to expect went a long way.

Unsure I’d be able to hold my sweet egg without letting it fall to the side, I set the egg next to me and gripped the edge of the nest once more. My jaw clenched as I bit down so hard that I feared I might break a tooth.

Zayne concentrated on the task at hand. His brow furrowed as he focused, his worry very close to the surface. “Come on, baby. Give me a good push.”

I whimpered and I pushed again. My body was sore and tired. Sweat dripped from my brow, and my hair was matted against my head. But my mate believed in me and my dragonet needed me. I knew I could do this.

When the next push came, I cried out as I put all of my might into it. My body stretched and the pressure reached a point where I was sure I was going to burst. Then suddenly it was gone. The final egg slipped from my body with a gush of liquid.

Zayne lifted this egg to show me. “Amazing, mate.”

This egg was the exact compliment to our first one. Instead of golden scales, it was red, and instead of red flecks, they were gold. We wrapped this egg in its blanket and set it next to the other one.

“Holy scales. That was intense. And quick. Is it always that quick?” My breath came in heavy pants. The insanity of the past few moments hitting me. Our eggs were here.

“I... I…” Zayne couldn’t seem to take his eyes off our eggs. He held me close and ran his finger through my sweat-soaked hair. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I was an absolute mess. The slick that had eased the eggs out of me clung to my legs.

“I need a shower, but I don’t want to move, and I need to shift, I think.”

I threaded my fingers through his hair. His face was a kaleidoscope of wonder as he gazed down at our eggs.

“Go ahead and shift, mate. I’m here.”

My eagle needed to meet our eggs, and my body longed for the healing a shift would bring.

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