Jade

JADE

I am so hot, and my clothes feel like fire next to my skin. I pull at them, wanting them off and to be free of anything.

“Are you sure you don’t have anything for the pain?” I pant at Blynda. “Humans have gas and air, also epidurals…”

I’ve been asking for pain relief forever. Mostly, Blynda ignores me.

“Humans choose not to enjoy the birthing of their young?” she queries this time around.

“Enjoyment is the completely wrong word.” I shift around. Even without a contraction, everything hurts, and I am exhausted.

But my baby doesn’t seem to want to put in an appearance. Not yet, despite my desire to get it over with. I should be pleased. It might mean Drekkan can get here in time.

I am not pleased, and I want pain relief, especially as the contractions are closer together and yet another one ramps up inside me. I cling onto the bed as the pain gets worse and worse, as if something is trying to tear its way out of my body.

“Birthing is a natural process,” Blynda says, but this time she’s made the mistake of being too close.

I grab hold of her clothing and drag the iridescent grey female close to my face.

“I don’t care. I want pain relief, and I want it now ,” I growl at her.

“Yes,” Blynda says, finally looking terrified.

“That’s my heartsfire, fierce to the last.” A deep, sinful voice comes from behind the Haalux female.

“Drekkan?” I release Blynda, but the contraction slams into me, and I’m screaming in pain, wanting to push but knowing I can’t push, not yet.

“Little one.” Drekkan is by my side in an instant, one arm around me, rubbing at my back, the other swirling over my belly, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you.”

He is all days handsome, even if there are dark circles under his eyes and his scales are not as bright as I remember. I lean into him, inhaling his spicy delicious scent.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say through gritted teeth.

“It does. I didn’t steal the power supply, I give you my word.”

“I know you didn’t, Drekkan.” Heat rolls from him and it infuses into me. I can take strength from my not-so-bad dragon.

“You do?” he says with some surprise. “How?”

“Because I believe in you. If you say you didn’t do it, then you didn’t….ah!”

The contraction ramps up to eleven, taking my breath away, blood rushing in my ears as all I can think about is the pain, the desperate need to push.

“Breathe, my heartsfire. I’m here for you. I am always here for you, and I can’t wait to meet our sarkarnling.” Drekkan’s velvet voice is in my ear.

His hand is enclosing mine, encouraging me to cling on to him. He is centering me, helping me concentrate, simply being here, like he has been all this time. I didn’t know how much I depended on him, needed him, until here and now.

“I love you, Drekkan,” I murmur as the pain subsides.

“And I love you too, little snack,” he replies, sliding into the bed and lifting me gently onto his lap. “I should have told you everything, long before now.”

“That you lost your ship, and you got yourself marooned here? Like me? That all you wanted was to get away…like me?” I ask him.

“Not like you. You chose to come here.”

“I chose to run away from everything. I should have faced up to what happened to me a long time ago.” I lean against Drekkan, and he gently pushes the sweaty hair off my forehead before pressing a kiss there.

“As I should have done, my . Instead I hid away from everything.” He rubs a circle on my bump, so gentle for such a huge male. “And it did me no good. But then I found you.” His voice is quieter now. “And I’ll always have you.”

His hand slips from my stomach, and as I turn, his head lolls to one side.

“Drekkan?” I lift his hand to my face, but it slides away. “Drekkan!” I cry out. “Help!”

My voice cracks as I call out, and Blynda comes running, along with a couple of burly blue orderlies.