Setting up for the Future

MADDIE

The sun was shining bright as the car pulled up to the orphanage.

I stepped into the warm air and stretched my limbs.

Last night had been absolutely amazing. For the first time in awhile, Loch and Hael had actually asked for ~my opinion~.

And this time, it seemed like they actually might give a damn…

I watched as children ran and played in the strikingly green grass. Others were reading books or eating snacks in the warm afternoon.

What would it have been like living in a place like this?

Back at Greensward, I had none of the luxuries these children had. Hell, our idea of fun and games was to see who could pocket the most swag without being caught.

Here, I would have had an actual childhood.

There was fresh food, an exercise regimen spearheaded by Adara, and a beautiful view of the countryside.

Not to mention the backing of the wealthiest men in Requiem. With Loch and Hael on your side, it was nearly impossible to lose.

The future was bright for these children, and I couldn’t be happier.

But things could change in the blink of an eye. If Xander and his army had won, where would these kids be without Loch and Hael’s finances?

Yes, they were wealthy men. But if something ever happened to them, where would the orphanage get the funding?

I stopped myself before entering, and sat at a bench by the front door.

If my mates were serious about my idea, the casino could be a considerable boost in money. And not just for the Dobrzyckas…

With only a fraction of the casino’s profits going into a trust fund, the children would be set for life!

But would Loch and Hael agree with my plan?

I couldn’t see why not. Dragons loved children, and this would ensure that the children had something to fall back on.

After all, everyone needs a little help now and then. Even Loch and Hael…

LOCH

I spread out the documents on the mahogany table in our office.

Even with the mansion converted into an orphanage, we kept a few rooms for ourselves—just in case we needed to get away from the hustle and bustle.

“The city’s giving us a lot of hell for buying up an entire neighborhood,” I said. “We still need proper permits and insurance before they even let us begin.”

Hael chuckled, and I shot him a look.

“Everything’s in place,” he replied. “After a few ~payments~ to the right departments and a late-night visit to one city official, construction is set to begin by the end of the week.”

Hael poured two glasses of whiskey and handed me one. We inhaled the whiskey's heady aroma, tasting the bittersweet liquid before it even hit our tongues.

In the room down the hall we could hear the children preparing for another exercise class with Adara.

“There will be plenty of time to strategize and plan,” Hael said. “But there’s one thing we’ll need to get out of the way first.”

There was no need to finish that thought; I already knew what he meant.

“Maddie had a great idea,” I replied. “She’ll expect to have some input in the way we run the casino.”

“Input is fine,” Hael said, taking another gulp of whiskey. “But we just need to make sure that she doesn’t think she’s in ~control~ of the damn project.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. What Hael was suggesting would be a difficult task. Maddie was her own woman, and that’s what made her such an amazing mate.

But it also made her a pain in the ass when she went against our wishes. And Maddie would most definitely go against our wishes.

“What are you two doing?” Adara called out from the doorway. “Plotting and colluding…”

“Of course,” Hael replied. “It’s what we do best.”

Adara moseyed over to the wet bar and poured herself a glass of the most expensive whiskey we owned.

She downed it in one large gulp.

“Don’t you have to teach the kids?” Hael questioned.

“Not today,” she said with a wink. “Maddie said she’d take over today’s exercises.”

“How about you, sister? Do you want in on this new casino venture?” I asked.

Adara belched and then poured herself another glass.

“Hell no. I’d rather enjoy the free drinks and the VIP lounge ~without~ all the work.”

ZAYDA

Another morning, another torrent of excruciating pain.

I sat in a dimly lit bathroom in the laboratory under Xander University. Some of the ceilings had caved in, but the stall I always chose was clear of debris.

I’d heard of morning sickness, but this was fucking ~ridiculous~.

First of all, nausea and vomiting weren’t just centered on the morning cycle. They came and went whenever they damn well pleased.

And the pain…

I knew from reading books and watching movies that carrying a child would be difficult. The images of people doubled over in pain were enough to scare some from ever having sex.

But this was different. I couldn’t explain how or why… I just knew that it was.

My pains didn’t just bother me; they incapacitated me for hours on end.

When the first waves of affliction washed over my body, my vision would tunnel and darken, leaving me helpless.

After the initial waves passed, I would have time to regroup and drink some water or nibble on a cracker.

Then the second wave would come…

These moments left me disoriented and scared. Sometimes I would wake up hours later, starving and yet unable to stomach anything.

I was slowly deteriorating in this underground lab, and I didn’t know what else to do.

I wiped my mouth and stood on wobbly legs.

With tired steps, I made my way to the kitchen for a glass of water.

As I drained the glass and refilled it, I noticed my cell phone sitting next to the sink.

I didn’t have anyone to call, but I couldn’t do this on my own. Not if I wanted to survive…

I searched through the contacts until I came upon the name I was searching for.

~Summer.~

She wasn’t a close friend, but then again, those were hard to come by these days.

What Summer had was the ability to heal. And I needed that now more than ever.

Zayda

Hey

Zayda

I know we don’t know each other that well…

Zayda

But I really need your help

***

Within half an hour, Summer was with me in the bathroom, staring at me, concerned.

“How often do these symptoms occur?” she asked.

“Every few hours.”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

“You nearly pass out every few hours?” her voice shrieked, not hiding the worry. “How long has this been happening?”

“A few days,” I hesitated. “I’m not really sure. I experienced a few before the battle. But ever since then, it’s been much worse.”

Summer placed the back of her hand on my forehead.

“You’re burning up,” she said.

“Well, I do have a dragon living in my belly.”

Summer shook her head at my bad joke.

“But at the same time, you’re cold as ice. I can feel your temperature fluctuating.”

“That doesn’t sound normal.”

“It isn’t,” she replied. “But then again…what the hell is these days?”

She helped me to my feet and gave me a gentle hug before coaxing me to take a few crackers.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, ashamed.

It was hard enough to face my weaknesses, but to talk about them with another person was downright terrifying.

“That’s okay,” Summer assured me. “Bringing a new life into the world is always scary. The fact that it’s a dragon is definitely not helping…”

Summer wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. She gently placed her other hand on my stomach and spread her fingers as wide as they would go.

I could feel something between us—an energy that was warm and inviting. As her hand rested on me, my nausea subsided and my pain retreated.

It was a wonderful feeling to be free from agony, even if only for a moment.

I leaned on her as we walked down the hall, heading toward a room that had a cot for me to lie down on.

Summer helped me to bed and gave me a pill for pain and nausea. She promised it would help if I could keep anything down.

I swallowed the pill and rested my head on the pillow, feeling a deep desire to curl up in the covers and never emerge.

“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“This is going to be extremely difficult,” she said. “But don’t you worry. I’m going to help you every step of the way. Right now, just get some rest.”

Her smiling face was the last image I saw as I closed my eyes and let sleep overtake me.

SUMMER

I emerged into the cold night air.

The university still showed signs of the battle that had taken place only days earlier.

Bodies had been cleared off the battlefield, but the buildings, statues, and walls marking the boundaries of Xander University had all been left behind.

A reminder of the terror that had nearly befallen all dragonkind…

I looked up at the stars and sighed.

I’d told Zayda what she wanted to hear. But the truth was she was far from fine…

In fact, Zayda looked like she was on death’s doorstep. And the baby growing inside her…

Well, it wasn’t a normal baby by any stretch of the imagination.

When I placed my hand on her stomach, I could sense the life-form inside. It was a horrible mixture of human and dragon—a mutation from some bad B-movie horror flick.

But this was no movie. This was real life. And Zayda was paying a heavy price for her love of Xythor.

***

Back at the Dusk encampment, I made my way to the library.

When Dane and Aneurin had first envisioned a place to grow a horde, a library was the last luxury on my mind.

But as more dragons moved in, more and more books arrived. Soon we had enough volumes to open a small library.

I entered the tent and looked at the rows of books. I scanned the titles until I found what I was looking for…

~A Brief History of Dragons and Humans.~

I cracked open the book and scanned the chapters, finally settling on one detailing the differences in anatomy.

At first, the images of cute babies made my heart warm for Zayda… Then I saw something that caused me to nearly drop the book.

An illustration showed a dragon baby growing inside of a human woman…and it was almost too much for me to handle.

The fetus’s scales rubbed the inside of the mother’s womb, while its little tail stuck out like a dagger, ready to impale.

A footnote beneath the illustration caught my attention.

“A normal human woman’s body is ill-suited for the rigors of dragon childbirth. But a real mate will survive without any lasting effects.”

It continued: “However, if the woman is not the dragon’s true mate, things will be much worse. If she is not under medical care from start to finish, her body will be ravaged from the inside out.”

The final line turned my blood cold: “The pain alone could be enough to kill a mortal woman.”

Zayda was in trouble.

And even a healer had limits.

Could I really help Zayda give birth to a dragon child and live to tell the tale?