Page 97 of The Magic of Destiny
I slipped away from Bram and headed for my best friend, giving her the hug treatment next as the guys continued talking to each other, making plans. I'd go along with whatever they wanted; they were the strategists, not me.
“Hey babe, you look kind of sad,” I murmured quietly, patting her back.
“Yeah, and worried. You're all going and I'll be here left in the dark again, wondering if you're coming back or not…”
I pulled back and held onto her slim shoulders. “We will be coming back, Miranda.” The towel I'd wrapped around myself was coming loose so I removed it and slung it over a chair to dry. I'd cleaned up my bathing suit in the lake after the sextivities and it was mostly dry now. My hands raked through my tangled hair; I hadn't had any time to run a brush through it yet. I’d just stopped at a big tangle when Miranda gasped.
“What? Oh my gods, is there a dead fish on me?” I panicked, looking down and frantically brushing my legs and arms. Once, a few summers ago, I'd dove into the lake and found a tiny dead fish in between my tits hours later when I showered. It still grossed me out.Also, poor titty fish.I glanced back to my friend to find her laser focused on my abdomen. Her eyes slowly lifted to mine, and they shone with unshed tears.
“You... You're…”
I looked down and let out a gasp of shock myself. My belly had grown considerably since this morning. Like,a lot. “What the fuck?” I whispered.
A whine was all the warning I got before Kai was spinning me to face him. “What's wrong, Cub? Are you hurt? Is it the... oh my stars,” he breathed, his eyes widening. “Guys,” he called, still focused on my very pregnant belly. Guppy's head shot up from the other side of the island but the others were still focused on planning. “GUYS!” Kai shouted, and everyone shut up.
“What's the problem?” Sloane asked as he strode over to us, his face stormy over the current situation. I was sure being a dragon shifter and seeing that laboratory must have triggered his PTSD. “Oh holy hell, you're so pregnant right now. Like... what?” He and everybody else in the room gawked, and I shrugged because I had no idea how to answer his question. He seemed to pull himself together because in the next beat, he was frenzied. “What in the name of Jupiter's cock are we standing around for?! Somebody get this woman a chair!” He swept me off of my feet and carried me to the table, placing me gently on a chair. “Red, when did this happen? Tell us everything.”
“I don't know. We went swimming and... stuff.” My face flamed at the memory of the stuff we'd been up to. “I wasn't like this earlier.” I glanced around, looking for Gran. I needed her. She must've sensed it because by the time I took my next breath, she was there, handing me a glass of water and starting to rub my shoulders.
Kai whined low in his throat. “I mean, we noticed you were showing a little bit, but it was nothing like this.”
Khol looked stricken. Rick seemed confused. Miranda was speechless.
“The babies are coming!” Faris shouted with glee, and all hell broke loose.
“What do you mean they're coming?” Cam.
“I haven't finished reading the labor books yet!” Fischer.
“I think I'm going to throw up. I'm so nervous.” Kai.
“Would you fools just stop?!” Gran bellowed, and everyone froze. A loud clang made me jump in my chair and I whipped around to see what the hell had happened.
“Faris, what the fuck are you doing with the toaster?” Fish demanded as Faris placed the appliance back on the counter.
“I don't know! I panicked and thought it might've been useful for heating things! Don't judge me, brother. If we left it up to you, all we'd have is a bunch of fucking books to get us through this delivery!”
“ENOUGH!” I shouted. “Everyone needs to calm down. I am not in labor. The babies are not coming right now. Just... stop. Please.”
Gran continued rubbing my shoulders, and started directing everyone to take a damn seat.
“Babies?” Khol's voice was quiet behind me, and I turned to find him there, wiping a lone tear from his cheek. “I'm going to be a grandpa?” His deep voice cracked and my own eyes filled with tears as we stared at each other. This was the man who had fathered me and then been denied that role in my life. Wasn't it strange that he was the parent who was with me now, looking like I'd just pulled the sun and the moon from the sky and gifted them both to him?
“Y–yeah,” I replied, my voice breaking unintentionally. “Twins.” I smiled and held up two fingers. “They're girls.”
Khol grabbed his chest, and I could hear Gran and Miranda both sniffling at the touching moment. “I'm so happy for you, wild one. Congratulations.” He walked over, not hesitating to throw his arms around me and embrace me tightly. “This is the best news. I can't wait to see their precious faces.”
I laughed at his enthusiasm, wondering if his wish to see them would be happening sooner rather than later. This sudden increase in size was a little alarming. I’d thought it would be a gradual process, not this.
Khol released me, shaking his head in disbelief before making a direct path to Miranda and wrapping her up in his arms next.
“So, any thoughts on why this is happening?” Bram asked the room. His horns, wings, and tail had popped out—probably during all of the excitement—and his long tail swished through the air like a whip.
Kai paced through the room, Napoleon now perched on the top of his head with a mousey scowl on his tiny face. “I've got nothing,” he muttered.
“Perhaps this is normal for this type of pregnancy?” Rick added, taking a sip of coffee.
“That's the only thing I can think of... We know that demon and dragon gestations are both much faster than human or witch pregnancies. And you've got two in there.” Sloane patted my thigh. He was now sitting on the floor between my legs, his hands never leaving my body. “What do you think, Fish?”
