“So the prophecy was never referring to the demons. It meant the dragons,” Guppy breathed, his eyes lighting up as he grinned at Sloane. They were such nerds sometimes.
“Vaeryn, I propose that the three of us return to Emerald Lakes and get everyone else updated with what you’ve shared. We can plan to meet here again in, say, a week's time?” Sloane offered, and the large dragon nodded.
‘I will share the news with the last of the free dragons. We will be ready for anything,’Vaeryn vowed.
“Thank you for seeking us out. It was an honor to meet you, Vaeryn,” I said, staring up at his huge body. He chuffed and lowered his head so we didn't have to strain to talk.
‘It is I who should be thanking you, and the honor is all mine, my queen. Be safe.’He gently nudged my stomach with his snout.
Fish and Sloane were already gathering up the rest of our things so we could leave.
‘Do they know yet, my queen?’Vaeryn asked and I startled, looking behind me. The guys were still occupied so it was clear to me they weren't privy to this conversation.
“Know what?” I replied.
‘You're going to be great at many things... lying though, is not one of them.’
My hands dropped to my belly where the large dragon had just had his snout. My eyes watered before I could stop them.‘No,’I whispered through the mental connection.
‘You must tell them. Him, especially,’Vaeryn told me firmly. Before I could ask who, he added,‘Dragons are particularly protective of their young and their pregnant mates. Don't be surprised if you see a change come over him once he realizes. His daughter grows strong within your womb, my queen.’
I choked down a sob.A daughter. Sloane's daughter?
‘But you also need to tell the prince. You're going to have two overprotective mates to deal with very soon,’he told me, and my brow furrowed.
‘Bram? What do you mean?’
Laughter floated through the link, and my heart began pounding.
‘Why, the other daughter is his, of course,’he declared.
‘The other one? Wait. Vaeryn! You mean... You mean I'm—’I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth. Or head, whatever. This whole talking through a mental link was confusing to say the least.
‘Yes, my queen. You will be giving birth to two princesses. One demon, one dragon.’
I stifled an audible gasp, remembering what the Seers had said about the stars being loud about a demon and a dragon. My babies... They were referring to my babies. I swallowed roughly.
‘Be prepared. This type of pregnancy has never happened before. Their genetic make up will most likely mean they will develop at a much faster rate than a human or witch.’
‘How long do I have?’
‘At most, four months. Though you are a rarity, and there’s more at play here than meets the eye,’Vaeryn rumbled in my head.
My eyes widened as a thought filtered into my shocked brain.‘I’m not going to lay an egg or anything, right?’Great puffs of air came from the dragon as he laughed his scaled butt off at me. I narrowed my eyes.‘Fine. No egg laying. Got it. But four months is so soon. What if we’re not ready?’
‘Nobody is ever truly ready to embrace their destiny, but your time is near.’
‘I'll tell them soon. Thank you for telling me this,’I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his face. He seemed to like the attention, a loud rumble coming from his chest.
“Are you making that big dragon purr, Red?” Sloane called out, and Fischer chuckled.
“She could make any creature purr. She's that sweet,” Fish added. “Let's get going, sweetheart. Your other men are waiting.”
‘One week, my queen,’Vaeryn said in parting, backing up a good distance before leaping skyward, wings spread wide. The wind whipped around my head, blowing my hair in every direction. Sloane whooped an encouragement to his kin and it wasn't long before Vaeryn was just a speck, disappearing into the night.
“Let's do this,” I said to my mates. I'd have to tell them about the pregnancy as soon as possible. I didn't want them to find out any other way. As I threw my magic toward the clearing and created the portal, the picture that was in Annie's notebook kept flashing in my mind.
I'd die before I ever let that come true.
