69. Dominik

CHAPTER 69

Dominik

February-

We follow Alaric into the depths of the cavern to this grand opening in the center. It is like a mini oasis hidden within the mountain. I'm guessing the Blood Queen scented the oasis or something then decided to dig towards it. There's a beautiful moss-covered island in the middle of a stunning clear water pool. Small fish swim in the water in circles around the island. I wonder exactly how long they have been here and if they naturally occur.

Jayce and I begin to work in tandem with cleaning and moving rocks and various other items, clearing Aurora's path to arrive. Alaric has shifted back to his dragon and uses his fire to remove mushrooms and various other mold spores from the walls and ceiling. Jayce and I stop to watch Alaric work; it's incredible to think that a living creature can carry and produce fire. His dragon's coloration is quite unique; he's mostly white with gold and blue mixed in. Typically, his species are not large dragons, but he's on the larger side than Nicodeamus. Alaric's guards are Black and Red Dragons. They have fire and acid weapons at his disposal. My thoughts are sidetracked for several moments watching Alaric work when my brother taps my shoulder.

"Dom, we really ought to hurry up. I don't like being away from Aurora for long." Jayce smiles at me, showing his level of concern because of our absence.

"Yeah, you're right; I think we have everything done that we can possibly do for today anyway. Alaric, when you're ready, we are!" I shout so that hopefully he hears me over his fire's roar. Slowly, his great head turns to look at Jayce and me, and he begins to head towards the entrance. "I guess he's ready to go, Jayce." I lightly nudge my brother and gather what's left of our belongings.

As we head towards the cavern, I notice something shiny sticking up in the black sand. I bend down and grab ahold of it; it's a bracelet made of gold with jewels. Nicodeamus would know who this belonged to, so I stick it in my bag and run to catch up to Jayce. He's already sitting on Alaric's back, waiting to leave. I love him. He's my brother, but at times like this, I just want to smack him. Reluctantly I climb into my spot on Alaric's back and pat his scales so he knows we're all set.

Alaric being the resident wise-ass, goes running towards the mouth and just launches himself out of the opening. We go into free fall. I'm terrified. My fucking brother is hooting and hollering like he's on a fucking roller coaster. If we didn't look so much alike, I'd be questioning if we were related or not. The flight back isn't as horrible as the ride out; I'm guessing the winds are behind us, pushing us home. We glide towards the castle, and Jayce and I shift our eyes, searching for any possible dangers. We don't see anything as we make several passes around before Alaric lands.

His guards take position so that he can return to his human form safely. Once shifted, Jayce and I head in the front door, we split off, Jayce heading straight to Aurora and I head to the kitchen. I don't even wait to look for the cooking staff. The enormous walk-in refrigerator is amply stocked with all kinds of meat. I grab a leg of lamb and a few raw steaks and set them on a platter. I then head out into the central part of the kitchen and find several types of pastries. I grab as many as I can before heading back to our suite.

Once inside the suite, I don't find anyone in the bedroom which is concerning to me. I reach out to sense Aurora; she's resting comfortably, floating in the bathtub of hers. I head to the master bathroom. Dimitri is leaning back on the stairs supporting Aurora's head and shoulders out of the water. "How are you feeling, love?" I ask softly, just in case she's sleeping as she floats.

"Dominik, I'm glad your back. I'm hungry and uncomfortable and fat and hungry. The baby won't sleep because Alaric isn't here." Aurora starts crying, and then the water starts to freeze around her.

"Love, please calm down. The boys are back. I'm sure once you've eaten Alaric will help settle the baby down so you can rest comfortably." Dimitri attempts to soothe Aurora before he's turned into a bear-cicle.

Jayce comes running in and stops dead, seeing the half-frozen tub. Jayce goes to the side of the tub and turns on the hot water and the bubbler. I move to the side of the tub, waving a pastry at Aurora, trying to draw her out of the water.

Unfortunately, Aurora almost instantly looks sick. She immediately hurls herself over the edge of the tub. She promptly vomits her entire stomach contents onto the marble floor. Alaric comes running into the bathroom; his own color matches Aurora's, and he's holding his stomach. Alaric runs to the side of the tub and slips on the vomit and falls on his ass.

I'm trying my best not to laugh at the man that can roast my ass in an instant. Nicodeamus is not as cautious as he proceeds to full belly laugh at Alaric. "Poor guy just puked his guts up out of nowhere, now he falls on his mate's puke. Priceless. Welcome to being mated!" Nicodeamus raises his arm at the last part of his statement before moving to help Alaric stand back up.

Dimitri helps Aurora out of the tub and sets her on her feet. Slowly, Aurora waddles her way over to Alaric, takes his hand and leads him to the shower. I hear Aurora say she's sorry she made him sick too. He kisses her forehead and tells her not to worry about it. Aurora leans into the shower and turns on the water for Alaric. He shakes his head at her and makes her sit on the bench close by.

Jayce removes the pasties from the bathroom and goes to set up the steaks for Aurora. I walk over to the mini fridge in the suite and grab a few bottles of juice and bring them over to offer to Aurora. "I'm so sorry; I didn't know the pastries would make you sick." I feel horrible that my decision had made her ill.

In typical Aurora fashion, she pops the top on two drinks and takes a sip from each before settling on the one she wants. The second bottle she offers to me then returns to watching Alaric's shower. "It's almost over, Dominik. I'm so tired and uncomfortable. I just want my daughter to be happy and healthy," Aurora says as she rubs her stomach. She sighs softly and scoots so she can lean back against me. Slowly she sips at her juice, and I watch her wince.

"Are you ok? Is it time?" I'm anxious and excited about the impending birth. Alaric heard my question and pops his head out of the shower.

"I'm fine. Klaus's grandmother said it's normal to have these fake contractions. As long as my water doesn't break, it's not time. From what she said, a first birth can take up to a day." Aurora shrugs her shoulders like it's no big deal. A day is a long time for something to go wrong.

Gently, I kiss Aurora's temple and nuzzle her cheek. Suddenly she sits up and waves her hand frantically at me. I assist her in standing and move with her quickly. Apparently, Tia moved and is now pressing on Aurora's bladder. I've never seen a woman so happy to make it to the toilet. I stand nearby, not really sure what to do while my mate is peeing her brains out. Dear Lord, how much did that girl have to drink? Alaric eventually joins us just in time for Aurora to finish up. It's times like this I'm thankful I'm not a girl.

Slowly, I raise my eyes to watch Aurora's stomach change into unnatural shapes then settle down. Aurora starts laughing and rubs her stomach. Alaric and I are both concerned, and Aurora is over there laughing. We collectively shake our heads at her and move back into the main suite.

There are several platters of assorted raw meat on the center table for Aurora to choose from. She waddles over and grabs her favorite chair on wheels, and rolls the rest of the way over to the platters. The rest of us are taking turns leaving the room to eat the food that may make her sick. Alaric and I decide to go last since we went first at lunchtime. Aurora is rolling laps around the table, picking at chunks of raw meat.

Klaus's grandmother enters the suite and looks shocked at what Aurora is doing. She makes the ultimate mistake of trying to take the raw meat away from Aurora. Without batting an eye, Aurora freezes Klaus's grandmother to the ground.

"Give me back my supper! I'm hungry!" Aurora's voice is the blended tone of her beasts. Her eyes are liquid mercury with the dragon slits. Aurora is mad and hungry, definitely not a good combination. Klaus runs over, takes the platter from his grandmother then offers it back to Aurora, and softly kisses her lips. It's frightening how fast Aurora can go from demon bitch from hell back to adorable sweetheart. I swear to the gods, there's a faulty switch somewhere that randomly flips.

Klaus remains at Aurora's side, calling her his angel. He gently caresses her stomach and then kisses it. You would think he would learn by now. The minute his lips touch her stomach, the baby decides to kick him. We've almost started placing bets as to how long it takes for Tia to strike. Tia is definitely her mother's daughter. The baby is already very opinionated about what she wants. She's not even here yet.

Tonight we have a surprise for Aurora; we completed the nursery for Tia. We know it's not going to be used long, but it's the thought that counts. Aurora's starting to yawn, so we decide now is the perfect time to show her what we've been working on. Since Jayce gave up his room, he's the one tasked with leading Aurora to the nursery.

We signal Jayce and he moves to Aurora's side. She smiles and takes his offered hand, following him. It now dawns on her that Klaus's grandmother is still stuck. Aurora says "oopsie" and releases her icy grip. The old crone isn't happy but oh well, she'll have to get over it. We move as one towards Jayce's room and Aurora's eyes light up. I have to believe she thinks she's going to get laid. I come up behind Aurora and cover her eyes before we lead her into the room.

Aurora hates surprises and well, as a group we decided this was one worth taking the risk. The room is painted in a soft blue-grey; the accent colors are rose and silver. We are pretty sure Aurora wouldn't want a really girly room because who knows what gender the next babies may be. We really lucked out with Aurora. She's efficient and doesn't buy too many lavish things. I slowly remove my hands from her eyes and back away. On all the walls there are scenes with each of our animals painted on them. Some would say it look like a horror emporium. I'd say it looks just right.

Slowly Aurora opens her eyes and gasps. Her hands fly up to cover her mouth. Happy tears stream down her cheeks as she slowly walks around, looking at everything. This is definitely one of our better surprises for her. Aurora turns and walks up to each of us, thanking us and kissing each of us repeatedly. Nicodeamus finally joins us and is as moved by the gesture as Aurora is. This is definitely one of the best nights of my life, and it's only going to get better from here.