13. Dimitri

Chapter 13

Dimitri

" R eturning to work at the council wasn't nearly as stressful for my dragon as it had been when Caspian had gone to Madrid. As it was, he'd only been there for not even an hour before we were reunited, and then he came home with me after talking with Arturo for a little while.

When I left our bed this morning, it was to a still-sleeping mate who had yet another rough night. I felt bad for him and wondered if there was anything I could do to help alleviate his pregnancy pains.

My plan was to talk to Master Edison and see if he knew what I could do to help my mate. He himself had been pregnant four times and had five children. He should understand warlock pregnancies, shouldn't he?

I was so lost in thought that when I walked up to the door of the council building, I simply stood there and tried to remember what I needed to do to open the door. I heard laughter behind me, and when I turned, I was surprised to see Reinhold standing there.

"Thoughts elsewhere?" he asked as he approached.

"Ja."

Reinhold pulled out his badge, and after scanning it on the reader, he typed in his code. "Ready to go in?" Reinhold asked as he opened the door. I followed, wondering how the day was going to go. So far, my dragon was content knowing that our mate was at home, soundly asleep in our bed.

"Dimitri? What, are you going back already?" Slater asked from the front desk.

"It is time to return?" I asked, looking over at Reinhold. It had been a month now, and as far as I knew, it was time for me to return to work.

"Has it been that long already?" Slater asked. I wasn't certain if he realized how his question sounded but wasn't going to comment on it.

"Ja," I simply said. Slater scanned my badge and then Reinhold's before he waved to us. I started toward the hallway Master Edison's office was in, wondering if he was already at work. He was usually one of the first to arrive, as were most of the other created ones.

"How is mated life treating you?" Reinhold asked as we walked across the main foyer.

"It is by far the best experience I have ever had." I looked at the other dragon and wondered if he might have some advice for me. "When your mate was pregnant, did he have aches?"

Reinhold made a face. "Oh, is Caspian sick in other ways as well?"

"Ja. He throws up at times. He is drinking the tea, but it does not always work."

Reinhold winced. "Is it the tea that makes him sleep?"

"No. Why would we want him to sleep?"

He shook his head and pointed at the hallway where I had intended to go. "You should probably talk to Master Edison. Or better yet, go see Dr. King when he's in his office later today. Has Caspian seen him yet?"

I shook my head. "Is that something he needs to do? We did not think it was necessary just yet."

Reinhold nodded. "The sleepy-time tea will help with more than just the sickness. I hate to say it, but it sounds like Caspian will most likely need it."

I sighed. "He has almost no energy as it is anyway. It has only gotten worse as the days progress. I do not think a tea that makes him sleep will matter much in that regard. But his sleep is not relaxing. He cannot seem to get comfortable, and he is constantly up throughout the night."

Reinhold nodded. "Definitely talk to Master Edison. It sounds like the other tea will be a great help. He'll sleep a lot more, but it sounds as if his body could use the rest, and it's not getting what it needs."

"Master Edison can help me with that for him?"

Reinhold nodded. "He did with Chase. I know he has helped many other omegas and carriers."

"Thank you," I told Reinhold as we reached the hallway. I went down, and Reinhold went another way. I wasn't sure how long my discussion with Master Edison would be, but I knew I needed to talk to him before anything else.

I found him where I had hoped to: in his office. He wasn't alone though, but I didn't mind if his One was there for this conversation or not. You would often find the alpha mates or, in Master Edison's case, the alpha to the created one, in their office with them.

"Dimitri, welcome. Are you due back already?" Master Edison asked when he saw me standing in his doorway.

"Thank you. I thought I was to be back after a month. Has that changed?"

Master Edison shook his head. "Only if needed. How is Caspian doing?"

"I was talking to Reinhold on the way in. He said you had a tea that would help Caspian?"

Immediately, Master Edison showed concern. "Help how? I thought he was already drinking the tea?"

"Ja. He still gets sick though, and he is not sleeping well. He is always tired, and that is partly because he does not sleep well. It is more than that though. He aches. He often looks as if he does not feel well."

Master Edison sighed. "I will send Maxwell over to see him as soon as possible. I don't know what his schedule is like this morning, but I know he will be able to get to him soon." Master Edison shook his head. "Why did the two of you wait?"

I shrugged. "He is not that sick, and Caspian said he wasn't worried about how he was feeling. It wasn't always this way. But his symptoms have been getting worse if you ask me."

Master Edison nodded. "From the sounds of it, they will only continue to do so. If you would like to be with your mate, we will all understand."

"Thank you, Master Edison. I would, but I know there is nothing I can do for him, and Caspian will push me to come to work rather than watch him sleeping." We had already had this conversation more than once.

"Very well. If you wish for time off to take care of him, you only need to ask."

"I appreciate it." I was about to leave but remembered a question I wanted to ask. "Will this last the entire pregnancy?"

"It depends. Sometimes, pregnancy sickness lasts the entire length of the pregnancy. Other times, it is only for what is considered the first trimester. And what happens this pregnancy might not necessarily be how the second or third pregnancies are. There is a whole lot that happens, and we simply do not know all that goes on during pregnancies."

That made sense. I'd been around a few pregnancies before but had obviously never experienced them in such a close way.

"Thank you. I am going to go talk to my grandfather. I appreciate your input."

"Of course."

I left the doorway and immediately headed toward Dedushka's office. I was curious about what Yéye's pregnancies had been like. Was it possible that Caspian was so ill because I was a dragon and he was a warlock?

I found Dedushka alone in his office and had to wonder where Yéye was. It was unlike him to not be with Dedushka.

"Dimitri, it is so good to see you. Come in."

I grinned as I did as instructed. "Tell me how you are getting along with your mate. Are the two of you happy?"

I smiled while shaking my head. "Do you need to ask such silly questions? Do mates not get along?"

Dedushka's smile lessened. "It doesn't happen often, but it has occurred before in the past. It is a sad day when it does. Sometimes, those couples are able to work through the issues. Others, they live a long and miserable life."

I couldn't imagine such a thing.

"Tell me what brings you to my office. Not that I am not happy to see you. Chin will be upset he wasn't here to see you this morning."

"Where is Yéye?"

"He is at the college with Longwei. Nothing to worry about, just a simple thing that needed to be seen to this morning."

I sat down on the sofa that Yéye usually occupied.

"Is everything all right?"

I nodded slowly while staring down at the floor. "As far as I am aware," I told him. "Caspian has the pregnancy sickness. I have just been to see Master Edison. He said he would send Dr. King to the cabin to see him. Hopefully, the other tea will help with the random sickness as well as the other aches and issues he's having."

"How bad is it?" Dedushka asked.

"Not too terrible. He's been having aches. They are causing him to have issues sleeping. He cannot find comfort. He is also having the upset stomach issue."

Dedushka made a face. As paranormals, we didn't get sick. But when omegas and carriers were pregnant, it was absolutely possible for them to become ill.

"I hope he feels better soon. I do not know of the tea personally, but I know a lot of omegas have benefited from it greatly."

That was a relief to hear. "That is good. I hope that Caspian has a similar experience."

"We noticed the cabin had someone in it. When we went to check on it, we were able to scent that you were there. Does that mean you have decided to move there instead of to mated enforcer housing?"

"Ja. Caspian felt as if the cabin was much more home to him than the house beside his brother. I did not mind where we lived. I just wanted him to be happy."

"Chin is happy that the two of you seemed to have moved into the cabin."

I grinned. They might be my grandparents, but they were like so much more. "It is where we will be raising our family. At least for the next several years." I had no doubt we would be here for decades to come. I knew that Caspian had been upset about his father deciding to sell his law firm, at least at first. But he'd also mentioned how they had all been in Madrid for too long, and more than once, someone had commented on their appearances.

"And the enforcers? You will be staying on?"

I raised an eyebrow at the question. There had been a lot of going back and forth in the beginning. Dedushka, although I knew he loved me a great deal, had conveniently lost my application for some time. I knew he had only been looking out for me and that he didn't have any true issues with me or my character, but he had fought a bit about me joining the enforcers. We had moved past that now though, something I was grateful for.

"I will, yes. At least for the time being. Caspian has no issues with me continuing with the council. His brother is an enforcer, and we learned that the other brother was considering joining as well."

Dedushka furrowed his brow. "I have heard that Benedict will be joining Edison's committee, but I did not know of Sebastian's other brother joining in any capacity."

"It is what his omega father shared with us. Perhaps he has since changed his mind. I cannot be certain. I have not met Lorenzo as of yet nor Benedict. I had the pleasure of meeting Arturo though. I very much like him."

It took but a few seconds for Dedushka to start chuckling. "Then I am certain Chin and I will as well. Might I ask how you met one parent and not the other?"

"I was with Caspian when he went to Madrid to get some of his things. Arturo had been at the condo to help pack it up." I thought back to that meeting, and although it hadn't been a terrible one, it still upset my dragon that our mate had been so upset about the news that had been shared. "Arturo shared everything going on with Caspian's family. We did not stay long, though, because Caspian had become upset." My dragon had started to become on edge the longer we were there, and I had finally put my foot down and made sure my mate rested when we arrived back at the cabin.

"I will not pretend to know what all is going on in the Ainsworth family. I have not heard any news from Sebastian, but I haven't asked. How is your mate doing now?"

"Good. He will be seeing Dr. King for his pregnancy sickness. He has little energy, so I hope the meeting with the doctor helps him to feel better," I said. "I wanted to ask if you thought that perhaps Caspian is ill because he is carrying a dragon baby? I have been around a few of my brothers' mates when pregnant, and sometimes they were ill and others not."

Dedushka shook his head. "One never knows what a pregnancy may bring. I hope he feels better soon though. I do know that if Dr. King is going to be taking care of your mate, he will improve. I have seen, firsthand, cases where the carrier has become incredibly sick and weak. With constant care, they have pulled through quite well." Dedushka tilted his head. "Caspian is not that ill, is he?"

I shook my head. "Just a bit. He is tired, no appetite, throws up at times when he does eat, but it's mostly aches and pains. He hurts for no reason." I wish I could take his pain for him. It wasn't possible though, and I hoped that Dr. King was able to do something for him.

"You should go back to your mate," Dedushka said. "Take care of him for the day, perhaps the next week." I wanted to argue, but Dedushka held up a hand. "Nyet. When he is under care and is feeling better, return. You will be brought up to date about the Venice coven then and how and where we are going with that. You will get to meet the new enforcers as well."

That caught my attention. "We have new enforcers?"

"Yes. There is a new gargoyle named Vaughn. He is quiet but seems to be fitting in well. Then there are the fae. They aren't nearly as quiet, but I'm also told that the alphas that have joined the council aren't as troublesome as some of the fae omegas that have come over in recent times."

It seemed as if the council was truly finally becoming much more rounded. "That all sounds like good news."

"Yes, quite. But enough of that now. Go home and take care of your mate. He will need you, and we are still at a standstill when it comes to locating the Gallo cousins. The Vittone family is helping, despite Ambrosius's objection."

It took me a moment to place the names, but when I did, I remembered the meeting that fateful day. I'd met Caspian that afternoon, and my life hasn't been the same since. No, it had been so much better. I hadn't realized I could be as happy or love someone—my mind froze at that thought. Did I love Caspian? It didn't take much thinking to realize that I did. Deeply.

I abruptly stood. "Thank you, Dedushka. I'll go home and see to Caspian's care. I will be sure to let you or Yéye know how the appointment with Dr. King goes." I needed to get home. I had a mate to not only care for but to tell him I loved him. I should have already said those words. It was true, Caspian hadn't said them to me as of yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling much the same as I was.

"Is something amiss?"

"No. I simply wish to get home to Caspian. I appreciate the talk," I said. Dedushka was standing now, and after I gave him a quick hug, he squeezed my upper arms before letting me go.

"I will not say I understand the very sudden shift, but if you feel you need to be with your mate, then you should go. I will see you in a week if I do not hear from you beforehand."

I nodded before I turned and left the office. I checked in on Caspian through our bond and found him still sleeping. That was good because he was most likely going to become ill once he woke. I knew he could very much take care of himself if that were the case, but that didn't mean I did not wish to be there with him.

I knew that, logically, it didn't take me any longer to leave the council than it had to arrive, but it felt as if it took a great deal longer to make it out of the council building. I quickly checked out with Slater and then left the building.

I knew Caspian was still asleep, thanks to our bond, but that didn't change the fact that my dragon was pushing me to return to him. What did that mean for my position in the council? Would I have issues with simply going a fifteen-minute walk to the council building? Was it because we were so newly mated?

I made a mental note to ask Reinhold if his experience with his own mate was similar. Once I was out of the building, I took off toward Dragon Falls and the cabin I now called home and shared with Caspian. That act alone helped to calm my dragon on some level. This was all new to me, and although I could admit that I loved my mate, I hoped that the inability to be apart subsided some in the future. Not that I had an issue with being with Caspian. Nothing could be further from the truth. But even I understood we needed to ensure we both still were individuals as well as a joined unit as a mated couple.

I made it almost completely home before I felt Caspian wake. Moments later, I felt the familiar sensation he got before getting sick and did what I could to rush home to him. If my mate truly did need me, I wanted to be there for him.