“You sure you’re okay?” Gabriel leaned against Leo and something instinctive about pressing their foreheads together seemed right.

  Leo huffed half a laugh. “No. I’ve zero idea what I’m doing half the time and just flying by the seat of my pants. I’m lucky as hell I’ve not accidentally made a preschool-aged axe murderer by being…well…I’m sure everyone’s told you stories.”

  Gabriel laughed, halting Leo’s rant as he fell out of the nest, tears watering his eyes. “Leo…Leo, you have no fucking idea… You’re as big of a nightmare as I was before they broke me down.”

  Leo blinked up. “Really?”

  “Yeah. And we can argue that you were literally raised in a zoo, and you turned out okay.” Gabriel gave Leo a hopeful smile.

  “Oh! You need to meet Greg eventually… The pups love him. But you get home and settle. Destress and visit when you can stand to. We’ll see how you do after the laying.”

  “My dragon and I may have words, but he loves you and I think we’ll be okay.” Gabriel hugged Leo and stood. The pups whined like they wanted to follow, but the invitation of a warm nest and snuggle time in scales changed their minds.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sacha

  Gabriel spent his days fervently nesting, redecorating the bedrooms, making sure the twins’ room was perfect, working with Bastien on making Sacha’s house a home. It pleased the boy to no end because Gabriel took his thoughts into consideration.

  “It’s nice to have another Dette to talk about these things.” Gabriel hummed to himself, his hand idly stroking over the forward shape of his belly. He only had a few days to go.

  Bastien glanced at Gabriel’s belly, envy clear on his face.

  “It may be rude. But do you lay blanks?” Gabriel caught Bastien’s eye, and he shook his head.

  “They don’t know if I will eventually and this is a shifter thing, or… You know, it’s kind of rare for what I am to happen. My parents had been mated for over a hundred years before I was born. Damn near broke them up when Papa found out. He thought Mom cheated on him.” Bastien grinned. “My dad is a Drake, and my mother is female.”

  Gabriel blinked and looked over, bewildered. “We can do that?”

  “Not easily, apparently.”

  “I mean, I know shifters are long lived—”

  “Tell me about it. I was hoping I could go on my own at eighteen, but here I am still locked inside three weeks a year and petering about the days before and after, hoping a stray Drake doesn’t come sniffing about.

  “Two heats a year?” Gabriel gasped. “And I thought Drakes were frantic over one. I cannot imagine. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, Bastien. I won’t force you out into that world. I won’t let you know what Drakes do to an unprotected Dette.”

  “I already kinda know. I got away, but it was close.” Bastien’s bottom lip twitched.

  “Oh, poor dear. Who?”

  “A shifter. It’s not really a problem anymore. My grandpa Felix tore their throat out.” Bastien’s upper lip twitched.

  Gabriel gasped. “Felix Dior?”

  “Mm-hmm.” Bastien bounced on his toes.

  “Which one of his pups is your papa?” Gabriel stared at him.

  “Casper. Anna is my mom. It was a bit of a scandal, but you all have gotten over worse.” Bastien beamed.

  “Then why are you acting like a servant? You’re a Dior Dette!”

  “Because I want to.” Bastien grinned and snatched Raphael as he ran by, legs treading air.

  “I keep telling him he’s not a servant, but he’s insistent,” Sacha called out from the doorway beside them. He’d been fussing with the last installation of baby gates around the house. Bastien was about to have his hands full with the twins.

  “Hey! Naughty! No running in the house.” Bastien blew a raspberry on the pup’s belly and held him like a baby. Raphael didn’t seem to mind and mrowled happily.

  “Now where’s Michael?” Gabriel glanced around.

  Bastien snorted. “He’s sitting right by your feet like a good boy,” Sacha snickered.

  Gabriel glanced down, his belly obstructing any view. He stepped back and there Michael was, blinking up at him happily. Sacha held back a laugh.

  “Oh, you little…” Gabriel grunted as he adjusted his hips and kneeled down to pick the little one up and sighed, hefting himself back to his feet. When he stood, Gabriel’s eyes blew out wide. A sensation flooded their bond and scales crawled up Gabriel’s arms as wetness darkened the fabric of his pants.

  Bastien immediately snatched at Michael as Gabriel swooned a little. “Sacha!”

  He saw it and slid in behind Gabriel just in time, scooping the dripping Dette into his arms.

  “Sacha…nest. Nest now.” Gabriel’s dragon lurked in his voice.

  “Bastien?” Sacha glanced over.

  “I’m on it, sir. Calling Marc and taking care of the pups. Locking down and I will deliver towels. Leave the inner door unlocked.”

  Sacha bolted, a dribbling trail in his wake as he took the stairs with long leaps and bolted into the cellar to finagle the door. Gabriel clawed his way from his clothes, midway through his transformation, already climbing into the nest as his dragon occupied his space. His tail lifted stiffly, dripping clear fluid as he turned frantic circles and pricked at the blankets, scrutinizing them before randomly jerking a throw pillow from the side and slinging it from the nest as if personally offended by it.

  “What did that pillow do to you, Firefly?” Sacha frowned at Gabe and received a snort of smoke in response.

  No like. Hate pillow.

  “That was a gift from… Okay, yeah, I understand.” Sacha undressed and slid into the nest, transforming as he folded his body over Gabriel’s, tail winding instinctively.

  Good eggs. Happy. Mate. Help lay. Sacha’s dragon had it all under control and Gabriel’s dragon reciprocated by letting the Drake manhandle his body into position.

  Sacha easily found Gabriel in his mindscape, curled up and stroking his belly adoringly through the ripples that flowed through his muscles. He slipped in so seamlessly, holding Gabriel close and tight.

  I don’t deserve this, Sacha, Gabriel cooed happily, watching a contraction that couldn’t have been painless ripple over the front of his belly.

  Does it hurt that bad? Sacha hummed into Gabriel’s ear, stroking over the bare front of his belly.

  No. This hurts so much less than anything I’ve felt in years. Gabriel tensed for a moment and relaxed with a sigh. Good pain.

  Sacha held Gabriel’s hand and pressed his face into Gabriel’s neck. Tell me if you need anything other than this.

  Mm, I’m fine, dear. Gabriel’s breath hitched and his dragon pushed while Sacha’s kept their tails entwined and pulled back.

  You seemed fine this morning, love. Seems to have come on awful fast. Sacha peppered kisses down Gabriel’s neck and shoulder.

  I was twinging. I’ve felt that way for a day or so now, but my dragon kept telling me all was well. It’s not like him to soothe me. Gabriel pushed and winced, wrinkling his lips. That feels rather gross.

  Bastien knocked at the door and opened it a crack. He projected a weak mental image of towels and it set both of their dragons on alert. Approach slowly, Sacha warned in his mind.

  Bastien slinked in, towels in his arms. Gabriel’s dragon watched him wearily and, scenting Dette, scenting family, even if mixed with coyote, he settled.

  Bastien didn’t stop at setting the towels down. He spread them out where they needed to be, moving seamlessly and calmly. He moved like water and their dragons, while aware, tolerated his presence.

  “There we go.” Bastien walked to the other side of the nest, skirting the edge to approach Gabriel’s face. His copper-and-blue eyes focused on the boy. “Gabriel? Lemme feel your face.”

  Gabriel’s dragon stretched out his head and huffed a small whine. What do?

  Bastien smiled and sat patiently, taking Gabriel’s large head to his, pressing his head in against Gabriel’s. “Something my mom taught me, and it works wonders with dragon magic.”

  Bastien hummed a sweet song beneath his breath and soothingly stroked over Gabriel’s cheeks, a little smile tugging at his lips.

  “Take a deep breath,” Bastien whispered, humming happily.

  What’s he doing? Gabriel asked, settling into Sacha’s arms, pushing gently as his dragon worked in tandem. Every thought, fear, and worry seemed to melt from Gabriel’s body.

  Sacha tilted his head and smiled. Soothings. He’s really good at it. Once his heat pattern is settled, I am pushing him to become a midwife… MidDette… Midhusband?

  I’ve never even had blanks that felt this easy. Gabriel flinched as his dragon pushed hard. Okay. Yep…I take that back. Gabriel choked a little, his hips buckling.

  Sacha’s dragon tugged back on Gabriel’s tail and with a bleat, Gabriel spread wide, and the first egg tumbled free onto the towels.

  Bastien shushed and stroked over Gabriel’s face, ceasing his humming. “Going to go check on pups, okay?” Gabriel blinked slowly in understanding and let his face fall limp once Bastien released it and left.

  Gabriel panted softly, lifting his head to stare at his first egg. He winced at the size of it, but what should have been a solid gold egg of pebbled texture bore swirls of glittering white.

  What the… Gabriel blinked with a huff in Sacha’s arms.

  Marc did say to expect it. Like damn ball pythons, we’re out here making some pineapple-ripple-albino-het-cross clown pups. Sacha shook his head.

  I didn’t understand like any of that. Gabriel groaned, another contraction rippling through.

  Yeah, neither do I. We make the worst Dior pups ever. Sacha laughed. His dragon nosed along Gabriel’s neck and licked over his face anxiously.

  Well, we’ve got a track record for Dettes that are excellent layers. They lose points on submissiveness and etiquette, but I think his lack of refinement is charming. Gabriel sighed happily.

  We can hardly consider one a track record, but 100 percent is 100 percent.

  Mm, I’ll take it. Gabriel sighed and his breath hitched. His dragon yowled, body shaking as another egg made its descent. Ow! Gabriel swore beneath his breath and struggled in Sacha’s arms. Bastien made his way back in with Marc following him.

  “The pups are down for a nap. One second. Gabriel, gimme your head.” Bastien came to a stumble on his knees in front of Gabriel, much to Marc’s bristling surprise, and resumed his soft use of magic, the sweet hum of song.

  Gabriel whimpered and pushed, his dragon shivering as the contraction came to its peak and from the pain that went through their bond, an egg must have pressed against his opening.

  “What are you doing, boy?” Marc blinked anxiously at Bastien.

  “Soothing him.” Bastien chuckled before slipping back into his soft humming song and guided Gabriel through another contraction, a shivering push, and a second egg entered the world. The shells swirled gold and silver.

  Hopefully, that egg would be another little Leo, a tiny silver pup.

  “That is some gift,” Marc muttered, eyes widening in awe. “Your magic is different.”

  “I’ve been told.” Bastien soothed Gabriel through another contraction as it ripped through his belly, squeezing until a third egg gushed freely amid a splatter of clear fluid.

  Gabriel’s neck lost support, muscles giving out as he collapsed, panting weakly. “Need a break?” Marc asked, and Gabriel bleated.

  “Okay. I’m going to go check the pups.” Bastien stood and slipped out, avoiding Marc’s questions.

  “This discussion isn’t over, mister!”

  Sacha gave Marc a warning look.

  “What? You see healing like that once in a century. The boy has talent and I’m going to capitalize on it. Thank you.”

  Sacha huffed angrily.

  “We’ll talk later, then.” Marc approached a growling Gabriel and gently peeked at the eggs.

  “Never seen marbling like this before,” Marc muttered quietly, rubbing his chin before feeling over Gabriel’s belly for the one egg. It was already low and moving in peristaltic twitches.

  Bastien returned a few minutes later, resumed his soothings, and lent to Gabriel his power that culminated into a final jerking twitch and a gush of fluids. A large silver-and-gold streaked egg joined the other three and Gabriel struggled, shifting into a sweaty and disheveled version of himself. He was naked, sore and dribbling, but otherwise near sobbing with delight to see the four eggs.

  “No bleeding,” Marc muttered, observing the eggs and Gabriel as he slipped on a pair of gloves. Sacha growled at Marc, but Bastien shushed him and he obediently settled, nosing at Gabriel.

  “What are you doing with th—” Gabriel screeched, and Sacha bristled. Marc pulled back, removing his gloves nonchalantly.

  “I think we’re good here.” Marc stood and dusted his knees off, eying Sacha wearily as he shifted and clutched a trembling Gabriel who couldn’t keep his eyes off of his beautiful clutch.

  “We did it, Sacha!” Gabriel sobbed quietly as he curled his body around the eggs and rested his cheek on the warm surface of a shell. “Now, everyone fuck off.”

  “Even me?” Sacha blinked in surprise.

  “You can fuck off until you can come back with a few acetaminophen.” Sacha gave Marc a questioning look and received a nod of approval.

  “Alright, then.” Sacha slipped free of the nest, shoving on pants as he slipped back into the main house, Marc and Bastien in tow.

  “Give me a call when you start hearing them scratch at the shells and I’ll come stay nearby until they’re ready to hatch.” Marc waved himself off and left.

  Epilogue

  Gabriel

  Five months later

  Leo pushed into the vault doors, in his arms the tricolored egg, all gold, silver, and black. Raphael and Michael peeked up over the edge of the nest, mewing in greeting. Leo waved and Gabriel bristled.

  “Hey, Dad.” Leo slid into the nest, adding his own egg to the four that Gabriel jealously guarded. “You going to come out of scales today?”

  Gabriel didn’t leave scales unless to use the bathroom or barely eat. Leo had those days, too, but he was getting better, more adventurous. He was staying tired though. Between nesting and caring for the pups, naps were few and far between. Hallr did everything he could, but eight demanding pups who loved their papa very much always wore heavily on Leo. He talked about it often during his visits.

  “No? Okay. That’s fine, too.” Leo wilted, a little disappointed, but snuggled in against Gabriel all the same, staying in his skin. The idle feelings of all the pups filtered through their minds, a soft song of contentment and warmth.

  Part of Gabriel proudly puffed up. All my pups.

  But he knew that wasn’t true. One was missing.

  Leo’s breathing evened out as he leaned against Gabriel. Flesh won out and with a careful movement, Gabriel shifted into his skin and calmed himself enough to tuck Leo in, stroking over his hair carefully as Raphael and Michael joined him, snuggling in happily. “Thank you, Leo.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Leo tucked his knees in, and Gabriel adjusted him to curl with all five of the eggs to keep one another warm. With Leo there, Gabriel’s dragon relaxed enough for him to leave the nest occasionally.

  He slid from the nest, showered, and slipped from the vault, searching for Sacha. A surprised Bastien led him out back, where Sacha and Hallr watched Leo’s pups fight and dig in the yard.

  “Morning,” Gabriel spoke through a dry, cracking voice. Sacha looked up, and the expression wasn’t pleasant surprise but slight alarm.

  “Hey, Firefly. You’re up.” Sacha cleared his throat and smiled.

  “What’s going on?” Gabriel scratched over his belly.

  “Good news and bad news. Which first?”

  “Good news.” Gabriel’s pups were fine. He had Leo, grandbabies, happy pups. Nothing could shake him today.

  “Don’t get your hopes up, but the Lochs think they found our other pup.”

  Gabriel gasped. “What… How? What’s going on?”

  Sacha cleared his throat uneasily and glanced over at Hallr.

  “We don’t have all the details yet, or any details really. Powel found a Dette and has been rather secretive about him, and Gaelin said something about him being small and smelling like Leo, and we put two and two together.” Hallr stared at Gabriel nervously.

  “Well… Let’s go meet him! I want to see my pup,” Gabriel whined and squirmed in Sacha’s lap in such a way that made him bite his lower lip.

  “Sure, once he’s out of heat,” Hallr huffed. “Powel didn’t say who the nestblossoms were for, but he got some yesterday and paid for a bunch extra. Gaelin said he looked really harassed.”

  “It’s too late for a heat… Not this time of year.” Gabriel’s brow furrowed.

  “We’ll learn in time, I’m sure.” Sacha kissed the side of Gabriel’s face. “But for now, we think we know he’s alive and well enough to be courting.”

  “I need to be getting home though. Leo’s been anxious and exhausted these past few days.” Hallr yawned and stood, a strange look on his face.

  “Sacha…Gabe…I’m sorry, but can you let me in the vault? Something doesn’t feel right with Leo.” Hallr briskly walked inside and downstairs, leading the charge as Sacha keyed his way in and found a sleeping Leo curled around the eggs. Michael and Raphael pawed curiously at Leo’s egg as it rocked and twitched.

  “Leo,” Gabriel called out, crawling up into his nest. Grudgingly, he invited Hallr. “He’s not going anywhere for a while now, I guess.”

  Leo opened groggy eyes as Gabriel stroked over his head and pointed to the twitching egg.

  “Luka,” Leo cooed, pulling the egg into his lap as it twitched and rocked ever so gently.

  “Dette or Drake. Any bets?”

  “Drake,” Leo said confidently. “There’s no way a Dette could be this big.”

  The pup struggled and flitted in the shell until a little black foot pushed free, and Leo smiled proudly until a soft, glittering-silver underbelly exposed itself.