Riva.
Daughters were born so
rarely to Dracon that she had expected this reaction, which is why she had kept
the information to herself for so long. She suspected both Melly and Asha knew
and had done the same for the same reason. These dragons were already so over-the-top
protective. Knowing that their mate carried not one but two girls would have
pushed them over the edge to unbearable.
Riva elbowed the
mountains on either side of her to push them back, and received an incredulous
mental snort from her mate, a laugh from her patient, and absolutely nothing
from the two dragon warriors taking up her needed space.
She glared her
exasperation from one to the other. “If you would kindly take three steps back,
I will be handing you your daughters fairly quickly. But I need space.”
She bit out the last word and received another snorting laugh from Morgan. “And
you,” she said, directing her eyes to Morgan again, “you need to let go of the
hold you have on your body and your pain. These babies need to come out. Now. ”
That wiped the smile off
the woman’s face, and with one searching worried look to Riva, she released the
grip she had on her body . . . and screamed.
Immediately, the two
dragons beside her shoved her aside to grab for their mate. Riva ended up
hurled into Furee’s arms. His anger of her nearly being splattered against a
stone wall was the least of her problems. There was a sound at the doorway and
Riva turned to see a hallway full of dragon warriors. It seemed the rest of the
guests had tracked them down. Melly and Clare both managed to push their way
through, and Riva breathed a sigh of relief meeting Melisande’s eyes.
“Can you get them to back
off so I can deliver these babies?”
Melly looked for her
screaming sister and found only her feet and the backs of her mates. With a
sigh and a shake of her head, she sent a gust of wind flying around the room; it
bypassed Furee and Riva, though her hair and gown gushed as it sped past. It
forced itself between the pregnant mage, now screaming in equal parts pain and
anger, and her two dragon mates, who were lifted off their feet and flung back
against the stone wall with twin roars of displeasure.
Riva shook off Furee’s
hold with an effort and went to stand before the two angry dragons. Her hands going
to her hips, she glared at them. “Do you want to deliver these babies yourself?
Finally, blessed quiet.
Riva smoothed down her dress and placed her hands at her waist. “I will take
that as a ‘no.’ Melly is going to let you go. If you cannot keep back and out
of my way until I tell you otherwise, I will have her evict you from this room.”
More growls, but at least both dragons were listening. “I know you love your
mate, and you do not like her pain, but every time you react by tossing her
healer across the room, you cost your mate both time and pain she did not have
to feel. Please, control yourselves or I will do it for you.”
They both blinked down at
her, shocked either at her threats or the realization that they had indeed
thrown her, but she watched them absorb her words and the beast in their eyes
receded until the thinking men returned.
“My apologies,” Eben
Kinkaid finally said in his formal voice. “We will stay back.”
“But not leave,” Ladon
added, his eyes firmly fixed on his mate.
Riva realized that was
the best she was going to get and then turned to go back to Morgan.
“Thank the light,” Morgan
whispered, when she felt Riva’s soothing energy flow through her, blunting much
of the pain as she examined the placement of the children in the womb. She
sent a hint of power over the girls when she felt their distress, assuring them
that they would be well and with their mother soon. They settled back down.
Morgan met Riva’s eyes, her own worried. “The babies?”
“Are fine, ready to come
out and, much like their fathers, not caring for the
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