Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

Cerran trained hard, pushing himself to run faster, fight harder, fly higher. No one had managed to identify the intruding dragon who had injured their mountain sentry, but if they were from his old keep, and they were coming for Leilani, they would have to go through him.

Elowyn was growing larger and larger in his belly, but the rest of him was wasting with worry.

Cerran and Triton kept finding him standing in the nursery, watching Leilani's sleep.

He paced back to their home after a hard workout, knowing Triton was talking with Cain, and he opened the door, expecting to see Elowyn on the couch with Leilani watching a TV show about puppies.

But he wasn't there.

Hailee?

Cerran? Braaken? Are you here? Elowyn was crying.

"Where are you?" He ran to the kitchen, then started for the bathroom.

In the bathroom. I fell, and I can't get up. I'm fine. Don't wake the baby.

He sprinted to get to Elowyn, managing not to bellow. "What happened? Why can't you get up?"

"I'm the size of a house? I'm exhausted? I don't know! Help me up."

"Gently." He didn't want Elowyn straining. He lifted, easing Elowyn to his feet, then holding him up. "Okay? Not dizzy?"

"No, but I have to pee. Scoot."

Someone was grumpy.

He scooted, letting Elowyn do his thing without him in the room. But he stayed right outside.

Triton was going to lose his mind when he found out about this.

Find out about what?

You falling. He will yell at me for leaving you alone.

Elowyn scoffed. You left first this morning.

Cerran chuckled at that. "I know, but Triton is so important."

Elowyn giggled. "You're awful."

"Are you done, my love?" He wanted Elowyn sitting. On the couch. Then he was going to call Rowan and have him come check the patient.

"Mmhmm. I need to look in on Leilani."

"Nope. I can do that. You can go sit."

Now Elowyn took on a mutinous expression. "I can do it."

"Hailee."

"Don't baby me!" Elowyn stomped his foot.

"But it's my pleasure to do it, sweet." He took his hailee to the couch. "Now I'll be right back. I'll even make you a strawberry milkshake."

"Yeah?" Oh, he did have Elowyn's number.

"Yes, but I need to see if you have any bruises from your fall."

Suddenly Triton was there, lightning crackling on the air. "You fell?"

"It wasn't?—"

Triton scooped Elowyn up, scowling. "Bed. Now. Cerran, call Rowan and then make that milkshake."

"Of course, mate." Cerran grabbed his phone to call Elowyn's brother, listening to Elowyn protest as Triton carried him away.

"Hello?"

"Rowan. Elowyn fell. Can you come take a look at him?" He headed into Leilani's room to check on her.

"Fell? Oh, dear. I'm coming. How bad is it?"

"He's exhausting himself after the alarm. I think maybe he fell asleep on the toilet?"

"Stubborn ass. His body is working hard enough, what with the babies sapping his magic."

"Yes. And he can't sleep. He keeps waking up to check on Leilani." When she heard her name, the baby started whining and kicking. "I got you, sweetie. Let's change you and then a bottle for you and a milkshake for your sofii." He picked her up.

"All right. I'll be right up. Make him sit until I get there."

"Triton has him."

Then it hit him, what Rowan had said.

Babies.

Rowan said, "babies," not "baby."

Stunned, he stared down at Leilani where he'd laid her to change her diaper. "Babies, kaiinaa. Did you hear that? More than one. Oh, we're definitely going to have to get a nanny. Maybe an octopus shifter." He grinned, and she stopped fretting to squeal at him. She was always willing to be happy right along with someone.

So his girl and not Triton's.

I heard that, Triton told him.

Mmmhmm. Did you hear what Rowan said?

No.

Babies, mate. Elowyn is so large because there's more than one.

Babies? Gods.

Babies. His eyes crossed. Goodness. More than one…

Does Elowyn know?

I don't know. We should wait for Rowan. They were all family. And Rowan deserved to be the one to say.

More than one…

He pulled out the ice cream and the berries and milk. He would make them all a milkshake. Lei cooed at him from where he'd perched her, and he laughed. "A bottle. Yes, my queen."

She preened, knowing exactly what he was saying to her. She was getting her way, and she was so happy.

"Did you know there was two, sweet?" He made up her bottle, then went back to the milkshakes, finishing up just as Rowan got there.

He opened the door, letting Rowan in. "Hello, brother. Thank you for coming so fast. Milkshake?"

"Please, thank you. Hello, sweet love." Rowan laughed as Leilani reached for him.

She bounced and sucked her bottle, but one hand still waved for Rowan, so he picked her up. It was so sweet. He got all the milkshakes on a tray, then nodded. "Let's go sit with Elowyn and Triton, hmm? I know he'd like this about now."

"Yes, and I need to see him. He's worrying himself sick, and it's ridiculous."

"He is." Cerran sighed. "So is Triton, but he's just exhausting himself with patrol."

"And you with training. And Niko with trying to get his strength back even though it's well shattered…"

"I know. We all worry."

"We're a keep. We support each other. It will be fine."

"I hope you're right. Cain was meeting with Triton. I'm curious to see what he said."

"Well, give me a milkshake and I will tell you," Triton said.

"Of course."

Rowan went to Elowyn instead, hands sliding over their hailee's belly. "Sollon, you must rest. You must. The babies need you to help them grow."

"They're huge." Elowyn sighed. "I'm trying. I am. I just—I need to know Leilani is okay."

"So we'll move her into our room for a while so you can just look up and see her," Triton growled.

"What if we want to…" Elowyn waved a hand.

"Then we get someone we trust to watch her for an hour."

Cerran looked at them all, incredulous. "Is someone—anyone—going to acknowledge there is more than one baby?"

Triton broke into a grin. "Babies, Elowyn. Plural."

Elowyn blinked. "Well, yes, I—" Then he laughed. "Yes. Oh, wow."

"Yes. Two beautiful, healthy babies that need their fathers—all three of them."

"Okay, okay." Elowyn sipped his milkshake. "Mmm. We get it, brother. We do."

"You need to. You are going to have three babies in a very few months. Two more than now. Please. Food and rest."

"Stay and sit with us a bit?" Elowyn looked about. "We can go back to the front room."

"We can," Cerran agreed. "Pillows. Blankets. TV. Ice cream."

"Yes. Family and food and rest." Rowan blew him a kiss.

Triton lifted Elowyn again easily. "Movies it is." Triton did love a plan.

He just wanted Elowyn to be okay.

No more falling. Seriously. He needed their hailee to be fine. And he would be spending more time at home to be sure it happened.