Chapter Nineteen

Nelson

Waiting was an impossible task. I'd had to wait in my former life in the outer-world as a production editor. Wait for people to send me the digital video footage I needed. Wait for approval from my higher-ups. And wait for an air date from the broadcasting channel. But none of that proved as difficult as waiting for my eggs to hatch. No one knew how long it would take my babies to come out of their shells. Not even Chelone could give us an estimate of the time they needed to incubate before he left. Though he did mention I shouldn't have to sit on them like a bird, if I kept them wrapped. And I was ready for my babies to crack their way out. Or I thought I was.

The three eggs I laid were originally each the size of a large grapefruit but grew a little bigger before the shells changed from opaque to a solid white. They also hardened from the jellylike substance to a covering more solid and dry. Yet, I worried they were more delicate, more susceptible to cracking, like a chicken egg back in my world.

Because we had no idea when they would hatch, I barely left the hut. Only when Holden was there and awake to watch over them would I venture out to enjoy the sunshine, or occasionally to visit the community garden. Yet, I never left for long. Luckily, no other outer-worlders had arrived since I'd laid my eggs. Though Holden still had other duties to attend to, he remained with me as much as possible, making sure I slept and ate.

Offers had come in from others in the village to watch our eggs for us, but I refused them all. I wanted at least Holden or myself there when they hatched, so they could imprint on us. Not someone who wasn't their parent.

As I finished the last bite of the latest meal Walter had dropped off for me, Holden came into the hut, naked since he wasn't on shift. He walked over and kissed my forehead. "Okay, the tub is filled and ready for you to wash up."

"Thank you." Ever since that trough had been built to help me lay my eggs, I used it as a tub to wash up. It was easier to use than the makeshift shower that simply felt like a bucket of water being dumped over my head. Also, we planned to use it one day to hold our babies as they learned to swim. And Holden never once complained about filling it up for me. He saw it as part of his duty as my mate. I glanced up and kissed him on the lips. "You really are the best mate I could have ever asked for."

He pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. "You're wrong. Because I have the best mate."

I wrinkled my nose as he grinned playfully and rocked us back and forth.

"Wanna get dirty before I wash up?"

He slid his hand under the waistband of my boxers and cupped my ass. "I'll get dirty with you anytime. I'm already getting hard thinking about what I want to do to you."

Reaching behind me, I cleared a spot on the table, anxious for him to take me.

Holden leaned forward, kissing my lips, down to my neck, and across my collarbone.

My body buzzed with need. More focused on the eggs lately, we didn't have as much sex as we used to when we were practicing, and I had craved him inside me so much, I was dreaming about it.

With both hands under my boxers, Holden pushed them down and let them puddle at my feet. He lifted me up onto the table and moved between my spread legs.

A chill of excitement raced down my spine. I wanted him to fuck me so bad, I was sure I was already wet with slick. When he ran a finger around my hole, my suspicions were confirmed.

"Oh, you're eager for me, my love."

"Fu-uck, just take me already." I couldn't wait, everything in me craving the release I knew Holden would give me.

I rested the backs of my heels on his shoulders and wiggled my ass closer to his cock. "I need you in me."

His brows flicked up and he gave me a wry grin. "There's something about your outer-world mating language that gets me excited."

After lining the tip of his cock with my hole, he grabbed my thighs and ever so slowly pushed his way in. "But I'm going to take my time with you today."

I let out a heavy breath. He knew his long, slow strokes tortured me, yet, he kept the same steady rhythm over and over, leisurely stroking my cock in the process and rubbing his thumb across the tip. While I enjoyed every minute of our connection, it wasn't what I wanted from him.

I moved my legs off his shoulders and wrapped them around his back, keeping him seated deep inside me so I could simply feel his fullness. "C'mon. Please, I need this."

"Okay." With a grin, Holden pried my legs from his waist and held them bent against my stomach. His stroke started long and slow again, but his speed quickly increased until his balls slapped my ass cheeks. Clutching my hips, he pulled me into him as he plunged in deep. The fire in my belly grew with every thrust and my head spun with pleasure. I was so close to release.

"Mine," he grunted, slamming into me so hard, I had to grip the table to keep from falling off.

He placed one hand on my chest and spit in the other one before taking hold of my cock. "I can feel how close you are, my love. I want us to go together."

After mimicking his motions inside me with his hand a few times, he pulled out and held our cocks together. It was like our first time all over again. Only, it didn't take as long before I let go, my pleasure releasing all over his hand as I gripped the table harder. He continued to pump us both until he bellowed, shooting out his own orgasm onto my chest.

With his hair appearing damp, and his chest covered in beads of sweat, Holden looked as spent as I felt. He braced his hands on the table and leaned over me, panting. "That was... You were..."

And that's when we heard it. The first crack.

No time to enjoy the post-sex euphoria, I pushed Holden off me and nearly fell off the table in my rush to get over to my eggs. Upon close examination, I noticed one of them had a tiny fracture on its side and the egg seemed to vibrate from within. Only one though. The other two laid as still as they had for the last sixty days.

Holden came over and handed me a wet cloth. "Why don't you go wash up? I'll keep an eye on them. It's likely to be a while before any of them make their way out."

I used the cloth to wipe myself off, but I didn't leave my clutch. "Chelone said they could take up to twenty minutes to hatch, but this one seems anxious to get out. And if one started, the others will be coming soon."

"O-kay." Holden sighed. He knew I wouldn't budge.

I'd waited for the moment of their hatching for months.

"I'll go get the nursery enclosure ready for them."

Since I hadn't laid my eggs in a hole the way turtle mothers would, my babies wouldn't have the moisture and protection of the soil around them to keep them safe until they were strong enough to swim or shift for the first time. Chelone had said to keep them in a moist but not wet enclosure that wouldn't dry out their egg sacs and would keep them from wandering off. He also told me not to help them out of their shells, a command I found very hard to follow.

I wanted to break into those shells and bring my little ones out to meet them for the first time. I had to sit on my hands to resist the temptation.

After placing the prepared enclosure beside our bed, Holden handed me a glass of water and joined me on the sleeping pad. "Any progress?"

I shook my head. "The egg is still moving, but there's nothing more than a crack."

We watched and waited until, finally, the crack turned into a little hole, our little one's caruncle poking through. And the other two eggs began to move at the same time.

I gripped Holden's hand. "They're coming."

We watched and waited over the next hour as the eggs hatched. As each of our little ones came out, we carefully lifted them from their shell, making sure their egg sac remained attached. We held them close to say hello then transferred them into the nursery. They didn't move much once inside, but they'd just endured a hard journey out of their shells.

Knowing they were all safe in the enclosure, I took that time to have a bath, a temporary reprieve from parent worry since I couldn't do anything for them at that moment. Though I knew while I relaxed in the tub, Holden watched them as closely as I would have to ensure nothing happened to our little ones. I truly loved my mate.