Chapter 24

24

Tavi

T he cramps began just after breakfast. I already knew Allure was right. The laying would happen today. I could barely get a bite of any food down.

Alluresh carried me to the nest, then got everything we might need lined up and ready: lube, towels, some sort of numbing cream the doctor had sent over, and pain pills. He also lined up my favorite dragon plushie I liked to hug, as well as Rawrar, a happy face egg with arms and legs, and a wolf. The wolf was brand new.

"You got a wolf?" I picked it up to look closer.

"Yes?"

"I don't even have a beast, though."

"You still have wolf blood in your veins. Our child will have that, too. I want him to grow up accepting of all animal shifters, but most importantly the ones that made him."

"He won't be able to shift into a wolf, though. I'm missing that gene."

"No, but he will know you come from that stock and it's his heritage, too."

I petted the wolf's soft fur. "Thank you."

Two hours later, the egg began to move.

Alluresh helped me undress from the waist down. He lay towels out beneath me, all the while asking over and over if I was comfortable.

Aside from a bowling ball moving through my innards, I had to be the most comfortable omega who ever existed. Alluresh had stuffed our nest with soft pillows and the round mattress itself was like a cloud.

I turned onto my side because it was easier on my body. Alluresh rubbed at my lower back.

"May I check you?"

I nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. But it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

He was gentle as he pushed my cheeks apart.

"You're slick already, but I'm going to add some of the numbing cream, okay?"

I hid my face in the plush body of the toy wolf. Alluresh's fingers were soft and careful. The cream was cold at first as he spread it over my hole, then he inserted his finger about half an inch to spread it on the inside of my rim. It felt good for a moment. And then I couldn't feel his finger at all.

"It's working," I announced.

"Feel that?" he asked.

I had no idea what he was doing now. "No."

"That should help with the stretch. No burn. Oh, and now I can't feel my finger."

"You were supposed to use gloves."

His palm caressed my ass cheek.

"I feel that."

He laughed. "Good."

Alluresh held me through the contractions, which got closer and closer together, until he could finally report that my hole had stretched quite significantly.

"I can feel the egg."

"Feel? Did you just put your finger up my ass?"

"Yes. It's coming, baby. Soon I'll be able to see it against the beauty of your hole."

"What? That sounds all wrong. Don't say things like that."

He laughed. I liked the sound. It calmed me even though I could tell my powerful dragon shifter mate was nervous through our bond.

Another contraction took my breath. Sweat beaded on my forehead and under my arms. I bent my knees and rolled onto them, pushing my torso up, my butt down. The contraction took over, out of my control.

"I see it!" Alluresh yelled as I moaned.

When the contraction ended, my body went slack. "I want to be done now."

"Just a few more pushes, baby. You can do it."

"I just want to go to sleep."

"Nope. You can't do that."

Too soon, another contraction rolled over me. While I couldn't feel my actual hole, I did feel the egg pushing at the walls as it worked its way down. The pressure was intense but didn't hurt. My own slick was easing the way.

I wasn't meant to lay dragon eggs, but I was meant to give birth to large wolf humans. This was much smoother for me than having to deal with extra limbs on a live baby.

I pushed hard until the contraction ended.

"It's crowning. You're dilated perfectly. One more push should do it."

"You better be right," I snapped.

Again, the contraction. Again, I pushed.

"Is it out?"

"Half-way. One more try, baby."

"Not fair. You do it."

"The egg is gorgeous. Wait until you see. The shell is amethyst and sapphire with gold sparkles all over."

"That's what's coming out of me? Ugh." Another contraction.

I yelled this time. I think I even cussed. Words I didn't know I knew until now came out of my mouth.

I heard Alluresh calling out. "That's perfect. It's here. I've got it. It's so beautiful."

I rolled over, feeling the soaked towels beneath me and not caring. "I want to see."

Alluresh held the egg in his two hands. It was shiny from my slick. And more beautiful than he had described. My breath caught at the depth of the purples and blues, and how the gold specks glowed like fireflies. I picked up a dry towel and started wiping it down as he carefully turned it on his palms.

"It felt much bigger than that coming out of me." It was a false complaint. I was ecstatic.

"Do you feel okay?"

I nodded, stuffing more towels between my legs. "Slick is still leaking, but I'm weirdly fine now that it's over." I patted my already flatter tummy. "Whew, that was an ordeal."

"You were so strong." Alluresh handed the now dry egg to me.

I took it reverently, holding it against my chest. "It's warm." I sniffed. "It smells like sweet grass." I sniffed again. "And coffee."

Alluresh picked up the basket. "There're warming blankets in here. They need to be changed out every day."

"I know."

"Don't worry about anything. I'll do it. You deserve all the rest."

I looked up at my beloved. "In three weeks, we'll get to meet him."

"Yes, we will."

He would hatch in dragon form, then immediately shift to human form for the first couple years of his life. But unlike wolves, who learned to shift in their teens, our baby could start shifting at his whim as early as age three. That meant we'd have a baby dragon running around shedding his human clothes until he gained some sort of control.

I couldn't wait.

I placed the precious egg in its incubator basket and set it between us.

For the next few hours, Alluresh and I stared at it like besotted fools.

Our baby's egg birthday couldn't have gone better.