Chapter 28

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Triton kept an eye on Elowyn.

He was…circling the apartment in a slow rotation, straightening pillows and sweeping. Dusting things and sneezing occasionally.

Gods, he was half afraid that if Elowyn sneezed too hard, he would shoot the babies out.

"What is the matter? Are you all right?" Elowyn frowned at him, wandering over to the kitchen and grabbing a sponge. "What do you want for supper?"

"I don't have a preference, my love. What would you like?" Elowyn had been experiencing terrible heartburn, so he and Cerran were deferring to their hailee on food every meal now. And then occasionally sneaking down to the canteen to eat their fill of the huge meals they provided.

"I don't know. I'm not hungry. I should make something for you two, though." Elowyn opened one of the drawers in the kitchen and started emptying it.

Triton looked at Cerran. Then Cerran looked back at him.

Rowan told us about this.

Cerran nodded. He did. This means the babies are imminent. What should we do?

Watch him. He had read many things about dragons and babies and had spoken to his brother Rowan extensively. This is a time for watching.

Either the labor or the water breaking came next.

He's emptied out the drawer, and he's washing the drawer. The drawer's not dirty. Cerran tilted his head. All this is getting ready for the baby?

Yes, preparing his space in order for a new baby to come.

Two babies. Cerran's expression was pure excitement.

Two babies.

The apartment was ready for them. The nursery was huge, with three cribs, three rocking chairs, two changing tables, a dresser that was full of tiny little clothes and blankets and things. There were even books in wee bookcases already, although he was relatively sure that it would take a few minutes before they wanted books.

He supposed little Felicity liked books already, and apparently had from a very young age.

Cerran grinned. Then we watch and just make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

That's the plan. Triton monitored Elowyn's wandering while trying to look as though he was reading on his tablet. Elowyn got very irritated if he thought he was being coddled. "I think I could just make Cerran and myself a sandwich, my love. That way we don't get in your way too much."

Elowyn's gaze snapped with reddish fire. "You want a sandwich, braaken, I will make it for you."

"Of course, hailee. Whatever you wish."

"Whatever I wish." Elowyn frowned at them. "Do you mean it?"

Take care, Cerran warned. This is a trap.

He knew about traps. He was the strategist, after all.

Triton tilted his head. "Within reason, yes. Fortunately, you are an incredibly logical hailee."

"What reason?"

"For instance," he admitted, "I would do nothing to harm you or hurt you in any way because you are our most loved."

Elowyn pursed his lips, and that sent a spark of victory along his nerves.

He knew that his little hailee was up to something. Elowyn was sore and uncomfortable, and not particularly in a cheerful humor.

So he wished to spar a bit.

Triton understood fully.

"So what if I told you I wanted to make love?"

Cerran's eyebrows went up, but he tried to keep his smooth expression.

Elowyn hadn't wanted to be touched in days—he was too uncomfortable. Everything was too big. Everything felt wrong. Everything was too sensitive.

They would not fall for this particular trap.

"If that is what you wish, hailee. I have never not wanted you one second of knowing you."

Excellent play. Cerran's voice caressed his mind.

There was a moment of pleasure in Elowyn's expression, and then it was replaced by a deep frown. "You're not playing fair."

"No?" Triton opened his eyes as wide as possible, going for innocence. He wasn't particularly good at it, but that would amuse both Cerran and Elowyn. "I did say yes, hailee."

"You did, but I don't want you to say yes. I want you to tell me no. I'm too fat and that you don't want me, and then I could be mad at you, and I could throw something. 'Cause that's really what I want to do, throw something."

"Throw something?" Cerran blinked at him. "But you just got the drawer put back together."

"I have an idea." Triton smiled, quirked his finger at Cerran. "Come with us."

He led them to the bedroom and closed the door so as not to wake the baby. Then he pulled the covers back from the top of the bed and began to pass out pillows.

"Triton?" Elowyn asked. "What's this?"

"You wanted to throw things. So throw things. We can have a pillow fight."

Oh, that's very clever. Cerran admitted. Incredibly clever.

That's why I'm the strategist, remember?

He took one corner of the pillow, reared his arm back, and whacked Cerran with all of his might. Now this was incredibly pleasant. He'd have to do it again.

So he did.

Whack.

Elowyn blinked. "Now it's my turn."

Then his very large-bellied hailee spun and slammed the pillow right in Triton's face.

Bang.

"Oh, this is fun."

Cerran watched them both as if they were insane. "Well, do I get a turn?"

"Of course. This is a pillow war. Everyone gets a turn."

Cerran hit Elowyn with the pillow on the arm, the connection incredibly soft and gentle. Elowyn responded with a vicious blow, connecting solidly with the top of Cerran's head.

"You aren't doing it right! You have to play fair. Not be easy just because I'm fat."

Whack.

Cerran's eyes flashed, steam pouring out of his nose just a little bit. "You're not fat."

Then Elowyn got a rather firm pillow swack right to his butt.

Nicely played.

I thought so. Great idea.

That actually made Elowyn giggle. He wasn't very maneuverable, but he did turn around and hit Cerran right in the belly.

Cerran made a noise that sounded like an oof and blinked hard. "You really can hit, my love."

Elowyn laughed. "That's very kind, but we know that I'm not very strong."

Triton shook his head. "No, you're the strongest one we know. The strongest dragon. You did things that no one else could do and survived. How do you expect us not to admire you and love you with everything we have?"

Elowyn lowered his pillow, blinking rapidly, tears coming up in his eyes perhaps. Triton wasn't sure.

"I—I don't feel strong."

"Well, you're going to have to be," Cerran said. "You're about to have two babies."

Elowyn hit him hard right in the face with the pillow. "I know that. I know that every day. I want them out."

Triton smacked him again with the pillow on the butt. "Well. Anytime."

Elowyn stomped his foot. "Oh, gods save me from braaken. You're infuriating. It's like I could do that. Like I could just tell them to come out. That's not the way it works."

"I know Rowan said you could talk to them."

"Maybe. But Rowan's never been pregnant. He likes to think that he knows everything there is to know about pregnancy. But until you've been in my shoes—my very swollen and painful shoes—then you don't know, so Rowan doesn't get it. Just stop it!" And he smacked Triton with the pillow again, making a noise that sounded like a warrior's bellow.

The tail end of that shout stopped with this odd little squeak, a rush of water simply pouring from their hailee.

Well, that was one way to make sure that he went into labor. Pillow fight for the win.

Elowyn's eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh my."

Triton blinked, then nodded firmly. "Yes. Should we change your clothes, hailee? And then we will call Rowan and inform him that we will need him later."

Triton had spent an enormous amount of time with his new brother Rowan, and he had learned many, many things, the main of which was not to panic. Apparently, that was very common in braaken—panicking.

He had decided early on in this process that that could be Cerran's job.

Elowyn's eyes filled with sudden tears. "I don't think I'm ready."

Cerran sort of winced, pulling away and hiding his face dramatically, as if he thought that Elowyn might whack him with that pillow again. "I'm not sure you have a choice, hailee. I think this is the babies' decision."

"That seems like a fact. Babies come when they come. At least that's what Rowan says." Triton went for a bracing tone.

Elowyn glared at him. "I don't give a good goddamn what Rowan says. I don't want my brother in here right yet."

Rowan had told him that too. Some hailees wanted the midwife there immediately and to be there the whole time. Some hailees, on the other hand, did not want the midwife there all the time, and only needed him at the last possible minute.

Apparently, labor did not make for reasonable hailees. It was either one or the other.

He understood this. He thought war did not make for a reasonable braaken.

This was Elowyn's own personal war.

"Would you like something loose and open?" He slowly moved Elowyn toward the bathroom, leaving Cerran to swipe up the mess left behind. "Perhaps that red gown that looks so beautiful against your skin. It's comfortable, loose, soft, and easily washable."

Elowyn shot him a glance and then began to laugh. "I do love you, Triton. You know that I love you both."

Triton nodded. "I know. I feel as if you might have moments over the next few hours where you do not feel so loving. Please remember how much you care about us as the babies come."

"I'll do my best, but I make no promises." At least Elowyn had dropped the pillow.

"Fair enough." He could work with that.