Fight (The Aurora Marelup Saga Book 3)

February

We’re in the home stretch, and I feel as though we are walking on eggshells lately. Aurora is miserable; her poor body aches, and her breasts have started to leak on occasion. Her sexual appetite has calmed down some to where it’s manageable. The days of teaming up with my brother are over for now.

Thankfully, we are not fucking to the point of exhaustion anymore. Now, Aurora wants it slow, sweet, and gentle, but honestly, it’s because she’s afraid the baby will be born with a dick imprint on its forehead.

We all attempted and failed miserably at trying to keep a serious face when she said that to us over dinner. Poor Nicodeamus needed the Heimlich maneuver because he decided to literally inhale his chicken wing. The rest of us have gotten smart. We don’t eat or drink when Aurora is talking at the dinner table. I can say, without a doubt, you never know what’s going to come out of that girl’s mouth.

In theory, today is going to be an easy day. Jayce and I have Aurora floating around in her oversized bathtub to ease some of her discomfort. My brother and I take turns holding her head above water as we walk backward around the tub. Hell, this thing shouldn’t be called a tub. It’s a fucking small pool. It’s gotten quite interesting to watch the odd shapes Aurora’s stomach takes on when the baby moves. The freakiest thing to date was the hand. I say the hand because out of nowhere, the baby pressed her hand to Aurora’s stomach, and the outline was perfect.

We all stared in wonder as that little hand slid around the one side. Klaus decided to reach out and touch it, and immediately the hand disappeared. The next thing we know, there’s a little foot there instead. Nicodeamus and Dimitri sat there telling us stories about what Aurora was like when Anca was pregnant. I’m glad Aurora isn’t going through half of what her mother did.

Dimitri regaled us with stories about how constantly nauseous Aurora’s mother was during her pregnancy. There were days on end that she couldn’t keep any food down, which made her very angry for a she-wolf.

Nicodemus told us about how he would hunt for her to bring her back fresh meat, but she wouldn’t touch the raw food because of the way she was raised. Aurora sat there rolling her eyes because the raw food doesn’t faze her one bit. To be perfectly honest, she prefers to hunt and eat her food as her animal versus as a human.

Aurora comes over and sits on my lap, curls up, and presses her forehead to my throat. She stays snuggled like this for several minutes, and eventually, her breathing evens out, and she’s fast asleep. We’ve all noticed that she’s napping more often and for longer over the course of the day.

We know it’s getting close to time for her, and we’re doing everything within our power to keep her happy and healthy. Klaus’s grandmother has been on high alert, preparing everything that she feels she may need to deliver the baby. Little does she know, she’s going to be riding a dragon, probably in the middle of the night, to a destination we’re not telling her about.

We’re keeping everything very quiet about our plans for the swift departure when we know it’s time. Just recently, there was another attempt on Aurora’s life in the middle of the night. I’m very thankful that my brother, Jayce, had decided to remain as his wolf that night. With his heightened senses and not needing to sleep, Jayce was vigilant throughout the entire night.

Somewhere around one in the morning, someone entered our quarters through a hidden passageway that we were not aware of. The assassin did not know Aurora would have all of her mates with her. He didn’t even make it ten feet out of the passageway before Jayce was on him and ripped his head off instantly.

Jayce was so stealthy that night we didn’t even hear the body hit the floor, nor was there any evidence of the attack the next morning. He pulled us aside and told us what happened so that we didn’t concern Aurora with it. We’ve gotten rather sneaky in the last three months, things that would stress her out, she has no clue happened.

Alaric, Klaus, and Nicodemus have been running the kingdom for her. We’ve hosted several dinners with visiting dignitaries. Still, at the slightest notion she was getting tired we would give Aurora an excuse to leave the room. So far, the kingdom is unaware Aurora is unable to shift. We fully intend to keep it that way, especially for her and the baby’s safety.

I feel the baby moving within my mate’s womb, up against my stomach. The baby does, unfortunately, seem to prefer her father over the rest of us. I’m guessing it’s a dragon thing. Hopefully, it’ll work out differently for Aurora than it did for her mother. She has the advantage that her mate will be present for the birth. There’s also a lot of things different between Aurora’s birth and now her baby’s. Firstly, Aurora is half-dragon, so her body is already acclimated to the child she’s carrying. It wasn’t like her mother, whose body was hosting a tiny alien that literally burst free of her body. Secondly, we are on her like white on rice; she doesn’t sneeze without all of us being alerted to it.

From what Dimitri and Nicodemus told us, Anca’s other mates had very little to do with her during the pregnancy. They spent very little time interacting with her, and most nights she slept alone. That, by itself, would cause undue stress to the mother and child.

We only have maybe a week, possibly two at most before the new little princess is born. I’m kind of frightened right now. Let’s face it, I’ve never witnessed a birth, nor have I ever had the title of father. Genetically we know the child isn’t ours, but it’s Aurora’s and Alaric’s. As a group, every child is all of ours; paternity doesn’t matter. I motion to Alaric to come over and take our beautiful mate from me. I feel how restless her child is and I’m guessing it wants its father.

Almost instantly, the minute Alaric picks her up, the baby calms and Aurora starts making that odd hybrid noise of hers that’s a mix of dragon and wolf. It’s definitely a dragon thing. I wonder who will get to father the next child that she’s going to carry? It really doesn’t matter if you think about it. She said each of us would have our own child; it’s just a question of when. I’m kind of excited, mostly scared, but excited all the same. Only time will tell; for now, we do what we have to do. We have to make all of our preparations and wait for Aurora to say to us that she’s ready.

Tonight’s my brother’s and my turn to go out with Alaric to work on the birthing space. We’re adding our own little touches, each one of us, so that something of ours is present with her. Nicodeamus and Alaric suggested that it just be the three of them when it comes time because of the child she’s carrying. I don’t like the idea, but if we’re to maintain any semblance of control here, some of us must stay behind. After all, we don’t want anybody looking for Aurora while she’s off giving birth.

A little after midnight, Alaric gathers Jayce and me up and takes us out into the courtyard. I’m really not too keen on the idea of flying. The gods gave me four paws for a reason and not wings. Jayce looks so excited. Then again, he likes looking at Alaric naked. Alaric, like most dragons, isn’t very selective about what gender he takes his liberty with. I was, however, shocked about Klaus being bi. He didn’t seem like the type that would be on the receiving end. Hell, I’ve caught Jayce and Klaus more than once taking care of each other’s needs. Aurora doesn’t care, as long as her needs are met and no other female is ever involved.

Alaric finishes his shift and Jayce walks over to me carrying Alaric’s clothing bag. I have our bag of stuff for the birthing nest. Wow, a birthing nest for our mate. The weight of the situation hits me harder than any punch ever delivered to my body.

I’m amazed and in awe of what Aurora is capable of. Here is one of the strongest females I’ve ever known, heavily pregnant and defenseless. Aurora isn’t the type to like to depend on others, and here she is, trusting us to protect and provide for her. I can tell Alaric is getting impatient when he thumps his tail on the ground near me.

Fuck, I’m really not looking forward to this. Aurora once asked me if I’m afraid of anything and I answered with losing her. The truth is, I’m scared of heights too.

Reluctantly, I climb onto Alaric’s back where he had instructed us to sit. I have a death grip on the spine before me; I’m terrified. Jayce looks back at me and smiles at me; I force a fake smile at him and draw in a deep breath. I admit it, I scream like a little bitch when Alaric launches himself into the air. We circle the castle once, waiting for his personal guards to join us. Aurora is standing on the balcony with Dimitri right behind her, holding her tightly. I couldn’t think of a better male to entrust her care to.

We turn to the north, following the ridge-line, staying low to the ground to not attract attention to ourselves. Jayce is ecstatic, looking everywhere, making me a nervous wreck with how he’s constantly twisting and turning. Me, personally, I feel like I want to puke my dinner up. The dips and rises on the thermals make my stomach flip and flop with every beat of Alaric’s wings. Up, down, up, down…. How much fucking further is this damn place!

Out of nowhere, a mountain rises up out of the fog. The side facing us is almost perfectly vertical, disappearing into the clouds. I’m starting to panic when Alaric reaches out to me through the bond. Relax, we’re almost there now. Just a straight climb up the side of the mountain. I won’t fly straight in like I do with the others.

I roll my eyes as if that makes me feel better. Suddenly, Alaric flair’s his wings as if hitting the brakes, and he brings his body up and parallel to the mountain. Yup, experiencing terror in this moment. I can feel his dragon laughing at me, the bastard. Alaric lands, and his talons dig into the stone as he begins his climb. Several minutes later, we reach the opening and he climbs in. I look around cautiously, and my eyes widen. He flies into this opening? Yeah, I’m glad he decided to climb this time. As soon as it’s safe, I slide off Alaric’s back and begin to look around.

As I step away from Alaric and Jayce, I shift my eyes to the ones Aurora gifted me with. My mercury, wolven orbs look around, taking in the layout of the caverns. You can tell, once upon a time, that a dragon dug the cavern out itself. I run my fingers over the groves that were left behind. I’m genuinely amazed by the strength of the dragons, more than anything. Alaric comes up beside me and lays his hands on the groves as well.

“The Blood Queen dug this cavern; it’s been in Nicodeamus’s family for generations. From what Nicodeamus told me, he was the last hatchling born here. He had fully intended for Aurora to be born here, but the attack happened and well, we know what happened after that.” Alaric looks down and moves away. One of his guards lands in the cavern opening and lies down, blocking the entrance.

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, 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 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.