Page 66 of The Dragon's Perfect Omega
"Yeah. He's taking care of me." Whatever time he didn't spend chasing his visions, he was fussing over me, bringing me snacks and drinks and even fluffing up my pillows. A few days ago, I'd nearly fallen down the stairs when a dizzy spell hit me, and now I rarely left the bed. I got the feeling Lowen preferred that, but I wasn't staying in bed to ease his mind. No, I was genuinely tired all the time. Adrian and the doctor hadn't been lying when they told me this was going to be rough.
"Is he takinggoodcare of you?" Derick asked with the sort of inflection that let me know exactly what he was thinking of.
"Get your mind out of the gutter." These days, we were both far too tired to get up to anything, which was kind of sad, really, because even though I was pregnant and these babies drained all the energy from my body, I was still kind ofhorny.How couldn't I be? I lived with the hottest dragon to ever breathe fire. We slept in the same bed, forGod'ssake.
"Chill, man. I'm just happy for you. Not about the thing with your parents, but that you found a good partner. Anyway, I do think you should let them know where you are. They're really worried."
"You can tell them," I graciously allowed. I just wasn't ready to have that conversation—or any conversation with them—myself.
"Okay. You're at Lowen's place. I'll let them know, then maybe they'll stop harassing all of us."
"All right." Suddenly, I was glad that this island required humans to apply for visa before coming here. That my parents couldn't just jump on a plane and barge in on us. Nope, I was safe here. "Thank you for the call," I told my friend.
"No problem. Don't be a stranger, okay? I want to hear from you when the kids are born. I feel responsible for getting you and Lowen together after all."
I had to laugh at that. Lowen thought fate had brought us together, but really, it had been Derick, giving me that concert ticket for my birthday.
"I'll let you know," I said, and then we ended the call. And just as soon as the phone slipped from my hand and my head touched the pillow, I was asleep again.
33
Lowen
Zim was dead. No! He couldn't be! But his face was as white as chalk, and there was that beeping in my head that just wouldn't stop. I clutched my ears, trying to block it out, but the sound pierced through my defenses.
I woke up with a start, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. What was that? A vision?
No, just a fucking nightmare.
Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. The room was still dark. It must be the middle of the night. Next to me, my mate was fast asleep. He was always sleeping these days. I was glad I hadn't woken him. He needed his rest. In the pale moonlight that fell in through the windows, he looked almost at peace. He looked beautiful.
I let myself sink back into the sheets, slowly calming down as I took in the sight of my mate, listened to the regular rhythm of his breathing in the otherwise quiet room.
Zim was alive.
And I was going to make sure that he stayed that way. I didn't care how many nightmare-inducing visions I had to endure to reach that goal. Zim was worth it. More than worth it.
My eyes traveled down the outline of his body under the covers. He was big now, nearly at the end of his second trimester. I enjoyed the sight. I'd never imagined that I would be a father—and certainly not like this—but there was something indefinitely pleasing about seeing my mate round with child. The picture appealed to the most dragon part of me. In a way, I'd claimed Zim, put my seed inside of him.
You shouldn't be so proud,a voice inside my head said.This is hard on him.
I sighed, wishing there was more I could do to make Zim feel comfortable while he was carrying my children. Before I could stop myself, I inched a little closer to him and pressed my lips to his forehead in a gentle kiss.
I shouldn't have—because it woke him.
"Lowen?" he asked, voice still heavy with sleep.
"I'm sorry. Go back to sleep. It's the middle of the night."
He seemed confused. "Did something happen?"
"No, I just couldn't resist kissing you."
He actually laughed at that. It was a short, soft sound, but I heard it. His colors nearly glowed in the dark. They'd had this sort of glittering quality to them ever since he'd entered his second trimester. Sometimes I wondered if the sparkles were the babies' energy, shining through him.
Whatever caused the effect, it was stunning.
"I don't mind if you kiss me," Zim said.
