Chapter 10

Moon

"Where can I take Sweet Girl?" I ask Fen after my Grams leaves. Norma didn't put up a fight when the guards locked her in iron cuffs. Fen didn't even spare her a second glance, but Steve watched her like a hawk. We're still standing in the throne room, but now Cato is in human form once more, and the guys aren't so on guard.

"There's an area outside with a pool surrounded by trees and grass. If she wants to stay inside, there's a place–" But Sweet Girl starts trotting off. I wave her goodbye, and she huffs.

"I guess that's her answer," I chuckle.

"I want you to stay," my mother says, turning to me, and taking one of my hands in hers. "We want you to stay. At least for a little while."

"Okay, yeah, we can stay. For now," I agree, not used to being this close to her. Her presence in my life has always been peripheral, and I am not sure how to interact with her.

"I would like to get to know you," the King adds, and I nod.

"So weird," Fen chuckles, and I pat his arm.

"Maybe you can get to know Steve?" I offer, and Fen shrugs.

"Let's rest for now. Then we can all meet for dinner?" my mother asks, and I agree.

"I'll show you to my old room?" Fen offers, taking my hand.

"Good idea."

When we step out of the throne room, Arlo is there and joins us as we head through the halls. Fen is still holding my hand in his, and I squeeze it.

"You okay?" I ask quietly, even though most of the guys can hear us, I still try to keep the conversation private.

"I think so. She was never a mother to me. I'm not sad that she's gone. Maybe a little disappointed that she's still the same person. Surprised that she hardly put up a fight." Fen shakes his head. "After all she put us through."

"I know. I'm sorry. And yeah, I was expecting more…" I lean my head against his arm, cuddling close to him as we keep walking.

"I'm okay, Moon, but I am enjoying your attention." Fen smiles, and I grin right back. The rest of the walk to his room is quiet. Except for the sound of the small army walking behind me.

"How long before Crow and Lust make it back, do you think?" I ask.

"Not long, Mistress," Kili murmurs from behind me, leaning in to nibble my ear, making me yelp and giggle.

"Are you hungry?" Cato asks, as he moves in close, basically shoving Kili out of the way. "Do you need water?" He sniffs me, and then marks me with his scent, his eyes flashing to those of his Dragon. "Your scent…" he murmurs, and Daire flashes over.

"Your scent is changing, Moon…" He frowns, but I don't really know what to say to that.

"My room," Fen says, he's also frowning as he opens the door and holds it for me to enter.

"Oh…Oops." Cato starts nibbling his lip, eyes wide as he walks past me and into the room. I follow closely behind him. I'll take in the sight of Fen's childhood bedroom after I figure out why Cato is being so odd all of a sudden.

"What's going on?" I ask, as all my men minus Crow and Lust enter and give me a sniff. I'm looking at them like they're all crazy, meanwhile, Odas is grinning like a madman. Silas looks mildly concerned, and Cato… Cato starts destroying Fen's room.

I watch, mouth hanging open, as he yanks a white sheet off the bed and rips it apart. He's tying pieces together, and grabbing pillows? I really don't understand what I'm seeing right now.

"Someone start talking," I demand, hands on my hips.

"He's making a nest," Odas says. "Technically, he's making a pouch. Somewhere to put the egg when he's not in his dragon form."

"Sorry, his what now? What egg?" My eyes narrow on Odas, who's still grinning. Some of my temper fizzles when I look at his handsome face.

"The egg…His egg," Odas points to my belly, and my eyes go wide.

"You put an egg in me?! When?!" I'm screeching a little bit, but come on! He did what?

"Two days ago?" Cato mumbles like he's asking, and I throw my hands up.

"When you said you couldn't? What the heck?" I ask, and Cato winces.

"Didn't mean to." He's still mumbling, stuffing things into the ripped-up fabric of the sheets.

"Okay," I say, turning and looking at the men around me and then the bedroom. It's large, with a fireplace and doors that lead to a balcony. The bed is honestly huge, and there are two couches facing the fireplace. There's also a desk and a dresser. A smaller door that probably leads to a closet. All the furniture is white, as well as the walls, and even the bedspread.

So much white.

"I'm sorry, Moon." Cato comes over, scooping me up into his arms bridal style. As he sniffs me, I see that his eyes remain shifted. He's got the tied-up sheet slung over, so it's like a cross-body bag.

"What now?" I ask, feeling like I'm probably in shock. I feel kind of numb to this entire situation. Maybe the panic hasn't truly set in yet. "I'm pregnant?"

"Yes, and no. You have the fertilized egg. You'll…lay it…and then I will carry it until we are ready to hatch it," Cato explains. The rest of my men just remain standing around the room, eyeing the two of us with concern and an intense level of concentration. The bedroom door is still open, and Crow walks right in.

I feel relieved that he's back, but he notices the tension in the air right away.

"Why's everyone acting weird?" Crow asks.

"Moon is pregnant," Warrior blurts out, and my eyes go wide.

"He said I'm not!" I yelp.

"She has a dragon egg forming. It'll be ready to lay in a few days," Odas explains.

"But it can remain under my protection for years," Cato adds.

"So I don't need to be ready to be a mother right this minute?" I ask, as Cato carries me to the bed.

"No. But someone will need to inform your mother. Because it forms so quickly, you're going to experience some extreme hormones until you…" Cato trails off.

"Until I lay a freaking egg like a farm animal?"

"Or a snake. Or dragon…" Silas adds helpfully. As my Dragon mate lays me down gently, I keep my eyes on him. I can see the fear in his eyes that I'm upset, or that I might reject this. My heart aches. Cato is the last Dragon. Our children will be the last of their kind if they do not have children of their own.

"Tell me what to do," I whisper, as I cup his cheek in my hand. I stroke his skin, admiring my handsome mate. This wasn't something I would have wanted to do right away, but with the Queen out of the way, there's nothing to fear now. His face instantly lights up with my words.

"We'll take care of you. Help you through the next few days. Keep you, um, comfortable…" Cato blushes, and I frown. It's not like him to look so bashful.

"When you say my hormones get a bit extreme, what do you mean? What are you leaving out?" I lift my brow, and he clears his throat.

"You're going to need a lot of um…cum…" Cato clears his throat as my eyebrows go up.

"From you?"

"From all of your mates. It will soothe you. And spare you from the cramping that will start probably in the next few hours." Cato presses a kiss to my head, and I let out a sigh. "Your temperature is already rising. The orgasms and cum will help with this."

"And that only lasts a few days?"

"Correct. Then you will birth the egg, and it will be mine to protect."

"Okay." I nod, sitting up and looking at my mates. Kili and Tristan look a little green. The rest of my men look perfectly content. "Kili, can I talk to you out on the balcony?" I ask, moving to climb off the bed. Cato's hand snaps out and snakes me around the waist, hauling me back into him. He growls for a moment into my ear before clearing his throat.

"Sorry about that. I might be more possessive than usual during this time. I'll explain to your mother the situation while you speak with Kili." Cato releases me, and then quickly makes his way out of the room. I watch Kili mechanically make his way out of the room, and I chuckle as I follow him onto the balcony.

"So…" I say as he leans forward, resting his arms on the balcony railing. "You doing okay? You looked ready to pass out in there."

"I'm fine," he grunts, and I smile.

"We're all fine. Our enemies are dealt with, and I'm about to push out an egg," I tease, and Kili nods his head slowly. "Tell me what's bothering you. Is it the thought of being a father that's got you so bothered?" I ask, tilting my head as I watch him.

"I killed my own father. What if I'm just like him?" he whispers, and my heart cracks a little. My poor sweet mate.

"Are you like him now? Have you ever been like him? Did you treat your siblings as poorly as he treated you?"

"No!" Kili whirls around to face me, eyes wide, looking betrayed that I would ask him these questions.

"Then why would you think you'd suddenly change when it came to our children?" I step into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You'll be just as good of a father to this little Dragon as you were to Crow," I say gently, looking into his eyes so he can see how true my words are. How deeply I believe them.

"I love you," Kili says, claiming my lips in a kiss so consuming it steals my breath. My heart races, and I lean into him fully. Getting lost in the kiss.

"I love you too," I say when we finally break apart.

When we make it back into the room, Tristan is standing there waiting for me.

"I made you a bath. Can I bathe my mate?" Tristan asks, and I nod, taking his hand, and following his lead.

"Oh, wow, Tristan…" I whisper as I take in the sight before me.

Around the massiveclaw foot tub that takes up the majority of the space, candlelight flickers cast dancing shadows on the white tile. Looking down, I spot a trail of rose petals that lead the way into the water, where they drift in the steam.

"We haven't had a moment together in so long. I want you all to myself before your hormones take over," he chuckles, but I can hear the tension in his voice.

"I can tell you're worried, or at least nervous about this, um, egg?" I can't help but giggle, because laying an egg just sounds ridiculous.

"My father was an evil man, and I killed him myself." Tristan shakes his head, sighing heavily. He turns away from me, and I move so he can't hide his face.

"Kili said something similar. You're not your father, Tristan. You're one of the best men I've ever known. Do you know how much I love you?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist, before resting my head on his chest.

"I'm just nervous, but I'm not running away, Badger. How could I? There isn't another woman alive like you. And as scared as I am, I'm ready for what comes next. I'll love this child with everything I am, just as I love its mother." He kisses the top of my head. "Now let me pamper you and get you ready for all the sex you'll soon be having," Tristan teases, stepping away from me but not taking his hands off my body. He pulls my shirt off first before helping me out of my pants.

I take the chance to pull the pebbles out of my bra, placing them on the counter before removing my bra. When I tug my thong down my hips, I bend over with my ass toward Tristan.

"Fucking hell. You're stunning." I preen under his praise and the clear admiration in his voice.

"Your turn," I say, helping Tristan lift the shirt over his head, then kneeling to slide his pants down his legs after he kicks off his shoes. He's not wearing boxers, and I bite my lip when I see he's already hard. "Are you going to wash me?" I ask, turning away from my mate, so I can step into the bath. The water is the perfect temperature. I sink in deep, moaning.

"You're like a siren, calling to me to drown in your tempting waters."

I giggle at his cheesy compliment and rest my head back against the edge of the tub, closing my eyes. The water moves and rises as Tristan climbs in with me. I can't hold back my smile when he parts my legs, moves between them, and pulls me into his lap.

My eyes pop open when he takes my nipple between his lips, sucking hard. I gasp, pushing my hands into his black hair. His magenta eyes draw me in.

Just like when we met, I grind against his hardness, making him groan. The friction against my clit is electric, my pleasure doubling from the feel of his mouth on my nipple.

"I was planning to wash you. Take my time cleaning your body and massaging your hair before this…" Tristan says when he releases my nipple.

"I like this better," I whisper, continuing to grind against his length.

"I wanted you to feel how much I care about you, all of you," he says in a deep tone, his arms wrapped around my waist as he pulls me close to him.

"I think I can feel it pretty well." I grin. "So well…"