Chapter 2

Chapter Two

My mouth dropped open. Will, too, was frozen in place with a shocked expression on his face. He cleared his throat and somewhat recovered. “Are. . .are you sure?”

Allard chuckled. “I have been doing this for quite a few centuries.”

“But dragons can’t really have kids, right?” I asked the two more knowledgeable than me.

“They are quite rare but it is not impossible,” Allard replied.

I set my hand over my stomach and gaped at my midsection. “A. . .a baby? I’m really going to have a baby?”

“When?” Will questioned the doctor.

Allard’s eyes twinkled. “I would say in a few months. If you like, I could make a special house call and attend to the lovely bride myself. Admittedly, though, I do not have any experience with delivering dragon babies.”

Will clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You are the best doctor I know and we would be very grateful for any help you can offer.”

“Then it is a date,” Allard replied as he grinned down at me. “I look forward to seeing the beautiful baby, for it can be nothing else with such handsome parents.” I blushed at his kind words.

“Where is Lord and Lady Thorn?” the sharp female voice spoke up from downstairs.

“I believe they are still in the bedroom,” the male voice replied.

Allard lowered his voice to a whisper as heavy footsteps walked down the hall toward the bedroom door. “I recommend we keep this a secret from the others, at least for the time being.”

The door was flung open and a large woman sauntered in. She wore an old-fashioned Victorian dress with painfully high heels and a corset that made me wince. A floppy hat covered her bouncy black curls and her nose was perpetually lifted.

The woman was followed by a man half a head taller than her. He wore heavy walking boots, tan trousers, and a vest over a white shirt. His short dirty blond hair matched his clothing and he had the same disinterested expression as the woman. They were a perfect match for each other as they welcomed themselves into the room.

Raines followed behind them with a faint hint of displeasure on his usually stoic demeanor. “Lady Vargas and Lord Ware, My Lord. They insisted on meeting with you.”

“I insisted on nothing of the sort,” Vargas countered as she strolled over to the bed. She stopped at the foot and looked me over from the tip of her nose. “Hmm. Quite a pretty little thing, is she not?”

Lord Ware joined her at the foot and pressed his hands against the high board to examine me. I squirmed beneath their scrutiny. “Quite. A proper addition to our little group.”

Vargas turned to Allard and Will. “But what ails her? Surely nothing of the human sort.”

“Lady Thorn merely overexerted herself earlier and is in need of some rest,” Allard assured her.

Vargas nodded her head. “Good. Then we shall expect to see you down soon?”

“Of course,” Will assured her as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “But could you give us a moment?”

“Naturally,” Ware agreed as he pushed off from the foot. He turned to Raines. “Now what about that bath?”

“The water is warming at this moment, Lord Ware,” Raines promised.

“A bath!” Vargas mused as she looked down at herself. “What a wonderful pleasure after such a long flight!” She whisked herself out of the room and Ware tromped after her.

Raines followed behind them and cast a questioning glance at Will. He pursed his lips. “See that they’re made comfortable, and away.” Raines nodded and shut the door behind them.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I guess that interview went better than I expected.”

Will took a seat beside me and examined my face. “You still look pale. You should rest for a while.” He pressed a hand to my forehead and pursed his lips. “No fever. Thank goodness for that.”

My eyes twinkled at him. “Already worrying about the kid?”

He grinned. “Child and mother.”

Allard pressed his fisted hand against his mouth and cleared his throat. “I seem to be out of place here. If you will excuse me, I believe I will take up that tempting offer of a bath.” He bowed his head to us and slipped out of the room.

Will reluctantly stood but kept a gentle grip around one of my hands. “You’re sure you don’t want me to remain at your side? I would gladly risk their ire and be here with you.”

I laughed and wrapped my other hand around his. “I think you’d rather do a lot of other things than be with them, but I’ll be fine. I’ll probably just take a short nap and be awake in no time so we can suffer together.”

He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead. “Sleep well.” He set his hand over my stomach and his expression softened. “Both of you.”

I was all aglow as he stepped away and out of the room. That is, until a faintness fell over me. I guess I really was more tired than I thought. A sigh escaped me as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

Sleep was soon mine, but it wouldn’t be undisturbed.