Fight (The Aurora Marelup Saga Book 3)

December

The last three months have been the craziest three months of my existence. For the last almost four hundred years, I had lost faith that I would ever find my mate. Then out of nowhere, a hybrid is born, a beautiful little ray of sunshine to call my own. Fast forward three months, we cemented our bond, and she’s expecting our first child. I’m ninety percent sure the child is mine. I felt the shift and change in her energy when the baby was conceived. I don’t want to say anything to the others; I don’t want them to be disappointed since they technically had gotten there first.

Little known fact about dragons: if a dragon is available, the female will always choose the viable dragon over any other species. So when it becomes time for the others to father their children, I’ll have to remove myself from the equation. That way they will have a chance to have their own children. I guess good old Nicodeamus forgot to tell them about that fact.

We make good time flying over to Klaus’s pack in Germany. The prevailing winds are in our favor for the entire flight. Well, that and my superior wingspan did help speed the journey along. Klaus is an interesting fellow. Aurora’s beast claimed him but did not follow through with cementing the bond as of yet. I suspect that it’s because Sebastian is still breathing, and there is always a faint echo of him in the back of her mind. Mating bonds are a funny thing, even the ones that are conceived through magic.

We spend as little time as possible with Klaus’s birth pack and urge his grandmother to come back with us to help Aurora and the baby coming. As soon as the old crone hears a baby is involved, she moves about as fast as a two-hundred-year-old can: quick, sturdy, and able. She grabs her bag of goodies, all full of medicinal herbs and supplies. She also brings along an assistant with her, which I advise against. I know my mate; she will not be thrilled that a young, viable female is riding back with Klaus and me or around her other mates. I’m almost afraid to find out if she will go into full-out battle attack mode and have this poor, innocent female die at her talons.

On the return flight, I sense that something is amiss with Aurora, my dragon roars out his agitation. Because Klaus has direct contact with my scales, I help him to use our bond to see through Aurora’s eyes. Probably one of the coolest tricks that dragonkind has: the ability to see what each other sees. Before her, we watch Sebastian, with all of his false swagger, attempt to sway her. Aurora rattles off all the facts and gathered information that she has pieced together herself. Most of it, I was not aware of. She is definitely a female to be afraid of. She’s better than half the investigative units I’ve ever seen.

We watch as the idiot approaches her and attempts to woo her yet again. Our girl is not having it. When the moment is right, she sinks her talons deep into his chest, gripping his still-beating heart. In the back of my mind, I’m cheering her on. That is what makes me so proud of her; she is a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners type of ruler. Either you’re guilty, or you’re innocent, very rarely are there shades of grey with her. Her golden rule has always stood firm with her beliefs—you don’t fuck with what’s hers. We get to watch Sebastian fall down dead, decapitated, and short of his heart. Nicodeamus comes out bearing the heads of more enemies. I know what my stewards are going to be doing later. They will be cleaning skulls to add to the growing collection.

I see the castle in the distance, its tall spires like homing beacons for me to find my way back. Klaus’s grandmother and her assistant sit all safe and snug inside the traveling case that I had brought with me. On the other hand, being the bold motherfucker that he is, Klaus is sitting in front of my wings, enjoying the view. I circle the courtyard several times before finding a place to land. I roar to announce our arrival. Ever so carefully, I lower the carriage. After several more beats of my wings, I land about fifty feet away from them. Klaus immediately jumps off my back and runs to go check on his grandmother. Aurora and the guys come running out as soon as I’ve settled.

My Aurora, as radiant as ever, is glowing with health and happiness. Her hand rests gently on the small swell of her growing stomach, and she smiles, looking up at us. I say us because my dragon is sitting here arrogantly proud of what he’s done. He’s claiming full paternity on this like I had nothing to do with it. It makes me want to laugh sometimes at how man separates himself from beast and vice versa. Yep, my dragon is sitting here, chest all puffed up, scales raised to make himself look larger, imposing, and proud as a freaking peacock. But then again, I’m proud as fuck too. My child, my heir, is growing before my eyes.

I lower my massive head down so that I am eye level with Aurora. She carefully comes over and caresses the scales on my cheek. Just to be a complete ass, I stick my forked tongue out and wrap it around her waistline ever so gently. Yeah, a little bit of dragon saliva never hurt anybody, especially not that babe in her womb. She’s laughing hysterically at me, lightly slapping my face. I know she doesn’t mean it; she’s just being silly.

Dimitri is slightly panicked; he’s still worries my dragon will harm her. Nico tries to calm him down, like usual, because that big old bear is just overly protective of our girl. Can’t really blame him; he’s been around her for over two hundred years, watching her grow from infancy to the queen that she is now. One more throne to take, and everything will be in place. Though, that last throne will be a tough one to take back.

My steward comes out, bringing yet again, the changing blind and an outfit for me. When will they get over the fact that when we shift we’re naked and don’t care? It’s not like it’s nothing my mate and my bond mates haven’t seen before. However, there’s that sense of propriety—that being a royal—you must maintain. Completely sucks the fun out of everything. I shift back before they have the chance to get them lined up, and I rip the clothes out of the man’s hands. I start walking back into the castle with Aurora on my arm.

We make it inside, and I head off into the study to quickly throw on my trousers and shirt before Klaus brings his grandmother and her assistant. Aurora sits on the desk, smirking while watching me get dressed like I am a hunk of chocolate. It’s great to be home, yep, I know what I’m going to be doing later, and it’s sitting right in front of me. Eventually, the boys catch up and enter the study.

A cautious knock sounds at the door; Dimitri opens it slowly. Behind the door stands Klaus with the two women with him. I move myself to stand in front of Aurora; she places her hands on my shoulders and tries to peek around me to see who’s here. The grandmother enters first, Aurora just watches her as she lightly strokes my shoulder blade. Next, the younger female enters; Aurora’s whole demeanor changes instantly. I quickly send out a warning through the bond to the other guys that she’s getting ready to go into attack mode and that I don’t know what to expect. Klaus comes forth quickly after my warning and attempts to introduce them so that there wouldn’t be any blood on the floor.

‘Aurora, my angel, this is my grandmother Elsa and her assistant Lorraine. My grandmother has come to help you through your pregnancy and make sure that we keep you and the baby as healthy as possible. I’ve already updated only her as to what’s been going on. So far, everything that we’ve already been doing for you has been the correct course of action.’ Klaus nervously moves aside and lets his grandmother approach Aurora and me. I can feel the waves of energy coming off her: a slight bit of agitation, apprehension, or whatever you want to call it. She’s not comfortable right now. Aurora looks around the room rapidly and decides that she is trapped.

‘I don’t want to be in here. You have to get me out,’ Aurora states loudly, her eyes the liquid mercury of her beast, those black dragon slits eyeing and sizing everyone up, trying to decide the safest course for her to go to protect herself and her child.

I was once warned by my mother that a female dragon with young could be the most dangerous creature on the face of the Earth. Having a front-row seat to this is quite scary. I’m very concerned, and I’m starting to fear for my own life. The room pretty much parts like the Red Sea did in the Bible. Aurora jumps down off the desk and toddles her happy ass out of the room.

We watch her as she heads into the main hallway. There’s plenty of escape routes; she’s not confined and constantly eyeing everything up, making sure she has options. Elsa tries again to approach Aurora; she has her palms flat and facing up, showing that she is no threat. I still haven’t figured out how an almost four-hundred-year-old Lycan female could be a threat to a very young Dragon-Lycan hybrid.

Eventually, Aurora stops pacing and allows Elsa to approach her. I can scent the fear coming from Klaus. He’s quite concerned for his grandmother’s life as well as her assistant’s. I know in my heart that the grandmother’s not a threat, nor would she be seen as one. It’s the assistant that I’m concerned for. All of the guys stay away from the assistant, ensuring we keep ample distance between her and us. Aurora’s watching our movements and keeping her eyes on the new girl in her castle.

Elsa comes over and starts speaking to Aurora in German. I have no fucking clue what that old lady is saying to her. Klaus, on the other hand, is giggling. Aurora surprises me by answering her back in German. Son of a bitch, she’s fluent in a language I don’t speak. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nicodeamus pointing to himself and smiling. Ah, I get it now, she learned from him during one of their dream walks. That sneaky old bastard has tricks up his sleeve that I haven’t even thought of yet. I’ll have to sit down with my father-in-law at some point and have him teach them to me; it’ll be quite useful in the future.

Aurora calls for the twins and me to come up to her suite, along with Elsa. The assistant attempts to follow Elsa, and Aurora instantly spins on her heels, shifting almost completely into that of her beast. She’s three-quarters of the way shifted, and that’s about as far as she goes. I’m not sure if it’s because of how far along she is in her pregnancy that she can’t or doesn’t feel the need to complete the shift. If it’s the pregnancy thing, then I’m starting to get concerned that she will become vulnerable very soon.

We make it up to the suite, and Jayce helps Aurora out of her gown, then she slowly lays herself on the bed. I swear to the gods that her stomach has almost doubled in size. She is about the size of a woman who’s about three months along, thus further confirming that I am the father. Elsa sits there and goes over Aurora from stem to stern. She listens to her stomach then lays her hands on it. I can see that my mate is quite uncomfortable at the moment. Dominik and I go over and grab her hands. Oh, it’s not really for comfort, it’s more to protect Elsa if Aurora just reacts on instinct.

Once the exam is over, Elsa sits back and smiles, then kisses Aurora on her forehead like a good grandmother would. “Congratulations, my Queen, your child is healthy and growing steadily. I’m guesstimating that within the next two months you’ll deliver. Considering that time frame, I’m guessing that the child is King Alaric’s. Only a dragon’s child grows this quickly, and with you only being a hybrid, it would take a pure-blood to accelerate this process.” Elsa smiles and bows her head slightly.

“Congratulations, my Lord, on the birth of your future heir. My lady, I am at your service and wish only to serve and protect this child of yours.” Elsa’s eyes shine with a hint of tears threatening to break at a moment’s notice.

“Thank you for allowing my grandson to bring me here to witness this momentous event. It’s also brought our family great honor learning he is one of your mates. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask or call me at any point in the night.” Elsa lightly bows to Aurora and then to Alaric. She walks over to her grandson and gives him a hug before departing the room with Jayce to find her suite.

Against her better judgment, the assistant remains in the room. As Aurora stares at the assistant, her beast starts that rumbling growl deep in her chest that vibrates the entire bed. I can feel the shift in power, the pull on mine, and by the look of Nicodeamus, the pull on his as well. Dimitri feels the room’s shift and quickly ushers the assistant out before we end up with a bloodbath.

Almost immediately, Aurora settles back down. She looks over at Dominik then back at me. Well, I guess that solves that mystery, now, doesn’t it? She carefully slides off the bed and goes into her closet. Son of a bitch, I see all different size sweatshirts, and none of them are hers. She rifles through the collection that she apparently swiped from each of us at some point and pulls out my favorite sweatshirt. I’ve been wondering where the hell that one went. Well, another mystery solved: it’s on her now. Aurora finds her fuzzy socks in a drawer, and she has her most comfortable leggings on. Aurora throws her hair up in a messy bun then proceeds to put that ruby crown back on her head. I guess she does love her great-grandmother’s crown.

It’s kind of concerning that her great-grandmother’s nickname was the Blood Queen. Come to think of it, that name would be very fitting for my mate as well. She has bathed in the blood of her enemies for the last four to five months along her journey. Hell, she recently bathed in the blood of a deceptive mate. Now I’m kind of curious: since Sebastian’s dead, I wonder how soon she’ll wait to complete her bond with Klaus. I’m almost betting it will be sometime after the baby is born and she has a chance to heal. But who knows, I could be very wrong with that assumption.

Aurora grabs my hand, then Dominik’s, and drags us out of the room and back down to the dining hall. Kind of figured this would happen, especially after the display of power that she just put on. We’ve concluded that if she doesn’t eat with that kind of power exertion, it leads to her collapsing. It’s safer to keep Aurora fed than to let her health be at risk. Out of the corner of my eye, as we walk through the halls, I catch Klaus running around with a Santa hat on, darting in and out of the throne room. I begin to wonder just what the hell is he up to. I pass Aurora off to Dominik so I can go and investigate.

I tiptoe my way into the throne room. Even as king, sometimes I just enjoy getting the drop on people. Klaus is going through the room singing ‘Oh Tannenbaum,’ decorating it in very festive Christmas decorations that he must have brought from home. I watch our little elf, yeah total joke there, he’s definitely over six foot. He has brought a bit of his home here so that Aurora doesn’t miss out on a traditional Christmas.

“Hey, Klaus, do you need any help with that?” The poor man practically jumps out of his skin hearing someone behind him, until he realizes it’s me.

“If you don’t mind? It would be greatly appreciated. I want our mate to experience what Christmas would be like in my home. It’s a big deal for my people. Granted, we missed the first part of the celebration which is Krampus, around the seventh of the month. But a little bit is better than nothing at all, don’t you think?” Klaus looks so hopeful and exceptionally pleased with all that he’s accomplished so far.

I smile and start to laugh. “Yeah, I really don’t think having a six foot, demon-looking creature running through the castle would put Aurora at ease at this point. Somebody would end up getting hurt and or killed just because she didn’t realize who it was.” I tilt my head to the side and raise one eyebrow, looking at Klaus to see if what I’m trying to get at sinks in.

“Oh shite, I didn’t think about that! Thanks for saving my ass, man.’ Klaus had utterly forgotten how defensive our mate can be. Then again, he’s known her for less time than I have.

We work together for a few hours setting the room up. My lieutenant returns with the perfect Douglas fir Christmas tree. The blasted thing has to be twelve feet tall and about eight to nine feet wide. I have to admit, he did pick a stunning tree for our first Christmas as a family. I know I still have family living, but my mother and sister are not exactly the warmest people to be around. When he was alive, my father was more concerned about war and treasures that he may acquire from those that he thought he was going to conquer. I now have a mate that’s my wife, a child on the way, and bond mates to share the rest of my life with.

Who knows how many children are going to be born in this union. I can guess at least one for each of us. I watch Klaus run around the room, decorating every little thing with ornaments that he has brought from home. I send a couple of the girls who poke their heads in to grab some of the decorations I have in my private chamber. It’s stuff that came from my grandmother and my great-grandmother that hasn’t seen the light of day since they died.

The girls return quickly with the boxes in tow that I have requested. Most of the ornaments brought down are either made of crystal, glass, blown glass, or rare stones that I have found along in journeys. The ones that are the most special to me are what my grandmother and great-grandmother had made themselves.

We think we’re pretty slick being here, with the door closed but nope, not that slick. A few hours must have passed since I came in, and Aurora became curious about where I had gone. I see her poke her head in the door and smile broadly. Through the bond, I reach out to her only. My love, please don’t let Klaus see you. He wants to surprise you by decorating this room with things from his homeland. It means so much for him to be able to do this for all of us. I’m just here helping him so that he doesn’t feel like he’s doing it all alone.

Aurora smiles, lightly waves at me, then ducks back out the door again. This is what I love about you, Alaric, your heart is as big as your dragon. I am truly blessed to have you as my mate.

I can sense Aurora walking away from the throne room. I see Klaus looking towards the door nervously, almost expecting her to come walking through. I shake my head at him, letting him know that she’s gone. He smiles, nods, and goes back to hanging his decorations, then begins to trim the tree. He’s back to singing his German Christmas carols, that for the love of the gods, I don’t understand a single word that he’s saying.

Eventually, the door opens again, and I turn to find his grandmother and her assistant coming through, closing it behind them. ‘Klaus! I’m quite concerned for my assistant’s life. Your mate does not like her and is continuously growling at her. You must speak to her. I don’t want my assistant living in fear being under this roof. We have at least another two months before that child is born and to live in fear for that long is never a good thing.’ For a wrinkled old sprite, that woman has a commanding presence to her. Then again, to be an elder as old as she is, in a pack as large as she lives in, you have to be tough as nails, hard as steel, and take no shit from anyone.

Klaus audibly exhales, and his shoulders lower. I can see the defeated stance he’s currently taking. This is not a battle that’s going to be easily won by either side. Do you go against your mate? Or do you go against your grandmother? It’s a lose-lose situation no matter how you shake it. The old crone stands there tapping her foot as if she believes her word is law under my roof. I look over at her after laying my hand on Klaus’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

‘Ma’am, my mother has instructed me that female dragons and dragon-kin tend to get extremely possessive and hostile when they’re pregnant. I’m sorry that my mate’s temperament is making your assistant uncomfortable.” I shake my head from side to side slowly.

“But you have to look at it from Aurora’s angle. You bring a young, unmated female into her nest, while she’s pregnant, around her mates. Actions like this never bode well for the invading female. As long as your assistant stays away from Aurora’s mates, she should be perfectly fine.” Slowly I steeple my hands in front of me in a power move.

“Let me define staying away for you. It means do not touch, do not be alone in a room with them, and absolutely by no means get your scent anywhere on them.” Smirking, my eyes focus their intense gaze on Lorianne. “You can ask Dimitri what happened the last time Aurora scented another female on him. They weren’t even mated yet and she shredded that woman into thousands of pieces. It took them several hours to gather up all the remains.”

A slight chuckle escapes my lips before I continue. “Her beast’s sick sense of humor used the woman’s intestines as Christmas garland on Douglas fir trees in the middle of the forest.’ I cross my arms over my chest, watching the range of emotions flitter over both women’s faces. There are moments of horror and fear, understanding, then back to fear again. The assistant looks back to the old crone and then states she will be in her room and will not be coming out until absolutely necessary.

While this doesn’t please the old crone, she understands that this is the safest bet for her assistant to live. Eventually, the old crone leaves the room, closing the door behind her. I look over at Klaus, and the amount of relief I see on his face is immeasurable. You would think I just waged the greatest battle of all times, won, and saved him by the look on his face.

‘Thank you so much, Alaric! I have never in my entire life ever won a battle with my grandmother. That old she-wolf will keep attacking until she wears you down, and you just don’t care anymore, you just want her to shut up. To be perfectly honest, I’m more frightened of Aurora being mad at me than her these days.’ Klaus and I look at each other and then bust out hysterically laughing.

We return to finish decorating the throne room, putting up the candles and lights. Klaus even thought this plan through enough to have table decorations. He wants to be able to put the different cookies out that he was having the pastry chef make for tonight. I know Christmas is two and a half days away now, but according to Klaus, it’s never too early to start celebrating.

Out of the five of us, Klaus and Jayce are the most similar in temperament and thoughtfulness. While as Dominik, Dimitri, and I are battle-hardened warriors prepared to fight at a moment’s notice. I leave Klaus to finish his decorations, and I head back to my suite. In the middle of the floor, Jayce, Dominik, and Dimitri are all shifted in the central living space, lying curled up with Aurora in the center, sleeping soundly.

Dominik lifts his head, and his golden eyes lock with mine. Her beast was unsettled after eating. When we started shifting one by one, she calmed down and went to sleep. I have a feeling we will be in for a rough few months.

Dominik turns his head to look at Aurora, who has her head resting on Dimitri’s bear’s ribs. Dominik and Jayce are curled around Aurora tightly. Jayce has his head laying on Dimitri, right beside Aurora’s, and Dominik resting his head on her hip. Shit, I can’t shift here and join in. My dragon is way too big to fit. I move to the corner of the room and climb into the recliner so I can watch over my sleeping family.