Page 6 of Gemini Christmas
Chapter Two
Maxim
Driving on these strange roads in such poor conditions, I am very focused.
In truth, I am very skilled at driving in snow. I am Russian, raised in a dragon lair in the Siberian tundra, and one cannot always be on the wing.
Still, my cargo is too precious to risk.
Arms wrapped around her beautiful pregnant belly, my Zara is belted safely into the second row of seats in our SUV, tucked between Lucius and Ronin. Neo—who knows these roads, as I do not—is riding shotgun beside me, while all the others occupy a third row in the very back. Zara’s place is good for her, because she grows cold more easily while she is pregnant, and those two of our mates run hot. I sneak frequent glimpses of my sovereign in the rearview mirror to make very certain she is safe.
Currently, my Zara is very safe.
She is drowsing with her teal head resting on the wolf’s shoulder, her gorgeous Hollywood face flushed with warmth and sleep, and Lucius’ strong arm wrapped protectively around her. He and Ronin are holding hands across her lap, below the gentle swell of her belly.
At once, I am warmed and comforted.
She is safe.
Our offspring are safe.
They are surrounded by warmth and love and safety.
“She’s perfectly well, Maxim. There’s nothing to fear.” Lucius holds my gaze in the mirror with his reassuring sherry-gold stare. “She’s merely resting. Incubating an Aries wolf pup and two dragonets requires a great deal of energy.”
The subtle tension knotting my shoulders loosens its grip and falls away. The jangle of concern in my head fades to a hum of contentment.
Lucius always knows how to comfort me.
I can be vulnerable with him—my teacher, my mentor, the only man I will ever bend for—in a way I am still learning to be with others.
Now I give him a serious nod. “She is nearly six months into her breeding time. So she grows tired more easily. Still, the midwife was not concerned with her travel.”
In the rear, Vasili hums in a way that betrays his own concern for our queen. We all know exactly how pregnant Zara is, nearly to the day.
All her alphas in this vehicle.
All the mates who have bred her.
But none more than I.
Because the gestation period for dragon shifters like Zara is eleven months, we are precisely halfway to the birth. The unpleasant symptoms of her early months have vanished, while the restless discomforts of carrying late-term triplets have not yet appeared.
With Zara’s wonderful body ripening and our polycule falling more deeply in love with her and each other and even with me by the day, every hour of this pregnancy is a precious miracle.
“Zara is well. We’d all know if she wasn’t.” Lucius’ tender arm cradles my sovereign’s shoulders. His strong hand rises to stroke her ponytail. “Eyes on the road, Maxim, if you please. We don’t want to miss the turn in this snow.”
My gaze veers at once to the thick curtain of snowflakes slanting past our windshield, illuminated in the beam of our headlights. Our road burrows through a tunnel of darkness, fringed with an unbroken wall of evergreens, thick boughs heavy and sagging with snow. We have not even seen a sign, much less a building, since we left the interstate.
Truly, the Colorado night has fallen.
It is Christmas Eve. A night that trembles with hope and possibility and magic.
“Do not be afraid,” I say firmly, raising my voice so my mates in the very back can also hear. “I grew up driving in snow like this. And we chose this vehicle wisely. I will keep you all safe.”
Every word I speak is true, because a dragon does not lie. I am thankful for the four-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes and all the safety features of this premium vehicle we have rented, because this winding mountain road has not been plowed.
We know that, love,Ronin murmurs in my head, just for me.Take a breath. You’ll be tucking into honey-baked ham and a nice rummy eggnog by the fire in no time.
