The Water Dragons Box Set: Books 1 - 4 (Complete)

by Charlene Hartnady

  Oh crap! Crap!

  His shoulders rose and fell quickly. Bay was upset. Of course he was. For years he’d thought he was incapable of having kids of his own and now— She could see that it was too much for him. They hardly knew one another. A vampire was having his baby. A bloodsucker. Someone he hardly knew.

  Oh god! A baby.

  Her stomach did that clenching thing again. Ceri pulled herself together. She could do this. She could! “Look, I can see how upset you are. I understand. I had a similar reaction when I found out yesterday.”

  His head was still in his hands.

  “You need to know that I can handle this.” Could she though? Yes! Her stomach clenched harder and she tasted bile. “I thought that you should know. It—”

  Bay closed the distance between them, still on the ground. He nuzzled his face into her belly. He put his arms around her. “That scent. That’s what I could smell. You are with child. My child.” He looked up at her, his eyes were glistening just a little bit, like he wanted to cry but was holding himself back.

  “You’re excited about this? Happy?” She bit down on her lip. She hoped that he would be open to being involved in this whole thing. Ceri had never expected this level of excitement though.

  “Yes!” He nodded, climbing to his feet. “I’m thrilled. How are you feeling? Are you—”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. “Okay, so you’re happy.” It was a good thing. She gathered her thoughts. “I think I must have become pregnant the last time we were together. When you were cured, I guess I was cured as well. It never occurred to me that taking each other’s blood would cure me too. Stupid though, if you think about it. Then again, the whole thing was a long shot. Curing you, that is. I don’t think I really expected it to work.”

  “Neither did I. It came as a shock.”

  She clasped and unclasped her hands before folding her arms to stop herself from fidgeting. “That makes me three months along. Although I’m not sure what that means.”

  Bay grinned, his smile was beautiful, it lit up his whole face. His eyes danced. “It means we’re three months away from becoming parents.”

  “Most likely, yes.” She licked her lips. “So far, even with cross-matings, the young tend to take the characteristics of the father. For the most part, at least. You need to know—”

  "You're having my whelp." Wonder-filled his voice. "I'm going to be a father. I can't believe it."

  She nodded, feeling her mouth turn up at the corners, his excitement catching. “Hopefully, if all goes well.” There was a flipside to this coin.

  His eyes clouded in an instant. “What do you mean if all goes well?”

  “I had the operation to remove my womb because my pelvis is too narrow. It was deemed too risky to ever attempt bringing a baby into this world. I have watched females die trying.” A lump formed in her throat, the words catching.

  “Are you at risk?” His voice had turned gravelly. Scales appeared on his chest.

  “I met with your healers today.”

  Bay’s jaw tightened. His eyes hardened. He looked pissed. “What did they say?” His voice was gruff. “Are you in any danger?”

  She was shocked by his reaction. He was probably worried about the baby. “A dragon female is pregnant for six months and a vampire female for twelve, we are hopeful this pregnancy will be shorter than a vampire one. Hoping the baby will be smaller than—”

  “A dragon whelp is small. Much smaller than human children, I am told. Surely—”

  “Vampire young are the largest of all the young. A terrible design for sure, since we have the narrowest hips.” She clutched her sides. “We have no way of knowing how this pregnancy will progress.” She shook her head. “Charlotte, a vampire female, had a similar thing happen to her. Her pelvis is also too small to have had a vampire child. She mated an elf and her womb began functioning again, same as mine did. Again,” she shook her head, “I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it. It just never crossed my mind. Not once!” She swallowed. “Anyway, she birthed a healthy elven child. A female. Elves only carry for four months though. The birth was not easy, but it was possible. And then Stephany ‒ another female with narrow hips ‒ birthed twins for the wolf alpha. She carried for three months. It was a smooth birth. No complications. This,” she pointed between them, “combination has never been tested. Even six months might end up being too long.”

  “A Fire dragon female had the whelp of a vampire male.” He sounded animated. “It was a success. The whelp is more vampire than dragon. They are happily mated. I heard the other day that Ruby is with child again.”

  “It’s all very encouraging. Like I said, I’m hopeful.” She cleared her throat, putting a hand on her belly. A slight curve. She’d felt more movement. Was already in love with this child. She prayed for what felt like the hundredth time since finding out that she was pregnant. Prayed for a healthy baby, most especially a normal birth.

  “It’s going to work out.” He touched the side of her arm, quickly pulling back.

  Ceri nodded, forcing a smile. “I will stay in touch with you and keep you informed. We should probably exchange contact information.” She giggled. It came out sounding nervous as hell and maybe a little hysterical. “We have no idea—”

  “No.” He shook his head, his eyes narrowing onto hers.

  “What do you mean, no? I thought you were happy. That you would want to know what was happening.”

  “I want more than to stay in touch. I’m staying with you, Ceri. I’m the father.”

  “That won’t work.” She shook her head.

  “It’s going to have to work. Either I’m going to move in with you or you’re moving in with me. You can choose which you would prefer.” He folded his arms.

  “Hold up.” She took a step back. “No way! We hardly know one another, we—”

  “Best we get started then. We have a couple of months to get to know each other. You are the mother of my child. We need to make this work.”

  Her head spun. She took another step back. “No. Forget it! There is no ‘us’.”

  “I’m not forgetting anything and there soon will be an ‘us’, if I have anything to say about it.” His eyes seemed lighter.

  “You almost rutted another female last night.” Okay, that came out sounding jealous. “Not that I’m judging you, because I’m not. You were free…are free to do whatever you want. I didn’t and certainly still don’t have any hold on you.”

  “You do have a hold on me, a huge hold, you’re carrying my whelp,” he growled.

  “That doesn’t mean anything!” she yelled.

  “It means everything!” he yelled back.

  “You know what I mean.” More softly delivered.

  He nodded. “I know exactly what you mean, and it’s bullshit.”

  “We don’t love one another. I do not plan on holding you in a loveless mating because of this child. We can still be good parents to him or her.”

  His chest heaved. His eyes had lost their sparkle. “Fine, we can live together as friends then. See where it goes.”

  It hurt so badly to hear him concede ‒ essentially that’s what he had done ‒ to not having feelings for her. “How is that going to work?” Her voice was shrill. Why was he being pigheaded about this? “And I would just wave goodbye every six months while you go off on your Stag Run. Then one day you’ll bring someone home and you’ll mate her. We’ll all live together as one big happy messed up family? What if I want to bring someone home?”

  He snarled like he was jealous at the thought. His eyes were definitely lighter, glowing a little under the deep shade of the forest. He walked a few steps in the opposite direction before turning back. Bay pulled in a deep breath. “We’ll figure it out. I won’t be separated from my child. I’m going to assume you won’t be fucking around while with child. I can promise the same. I need to keep an eye on you, to make sure nothing happens and that you are both safe. We can talk again once our child is born.�
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  Ceri was happy he cared so much about the baby. It hurt that it seemed like that’s all he cared about. “Don’t hold yourself back on my account.”

  He made a noise of frustration. “It wouldn’t be on your account.”

  “On the baby’s and my account then.” Shit! This wasn’t going as planned. That was an awful thing to say. “Please forget I said that. I didn’t mean it. Let’s give this some thought.”

  “I don’t need to think about it. I’m taking a leave of absence. I’ll move in with you.”

  Her heart raced. She loved the idea of this. Loved it way too much. It scared her as well. He was doing this for their child. Only for the baby. They may never have seen each other again if it hadn’t been for this pregnancy. “I don’t have a spare bedroom.”

  “You have a couch and I’m taking it. We’ll move to my lair when we are closer to the birth.”

  “Don’t I have a say in any of this?” She knew she was being difficult. This was such a mess.

  He took her hand in his. It was big and warm and comforting. “Of course you do. I want you happy and comfortable. Being in your own space will afford you that. Then I want you safe. Both of you.” He glanced down at her belly. “You are carrying a dragon whelp. We should be here for the birth. We have human doctors and dragon healers. Again, it is something we can discuss.”

  For a few moments, she felt like she was struggling to breathe. Not so long ago she thought that she could never have a baby. Now she was a couple of months away from giving birth. There were no guarantees on how any of this would turn out. Could she live with a male she had feelings for? The father of her baby. Could she live with Bay knowing he more than likely would never return her feelings? While, at the same time, there was a good chance her feelings would deepen.

  “You are not alone. We will do this together.” He squeezed her hand. Why then did she feel loneliness so acute it hurt? She swallowed back tears and nodded. “Does that mean you agree?” His beautiful eyes lit up.

  “Yes.” The word sounded choked. “It’s the hormones.” She shook her head. At least she still had Drago.

  Chapter 20

  His fist slammed against the desk, rattling the wood. Papers scattered. “I asked you not to fuck it up and you did,” Torrent raged. “You fucked it up royally,” he snarled. “You rutted a vampire. What the fuck were you thinking? How was it even possible? We all thought you…you were…”

  “Blood,” Bay muttered. “That’s how.”

  “What?” Torrent frowned.

  “I won’t get into the details, but—”

  Torrent seemed to realize what he was referring to and put up a hand. “Don’t tell me. You were with a vampire. I can guess. I don’t want to know the details.”

  Not that he planned on divulging any. It was between him and Ceri. “I’m happy about this.” Bay couldn’t help but smile. “Thrilled at the prospect of being a father.”

  “Once she cured you, you could have moved on and had a nice human. Like my Candy.”

  The thought left him cold. “I don’t want a human. I want to try to make things work with the vampire.” It was a long shot, but one he was going to take.

  “It doesn’t sound like she wants the same. Brant said she was very apprehensive about you living with her.”

  “I want to be there for the child. I need to ensure this pregnancy runs smoothly.” If nothing else, this was his top priority. “I will insist on being there for the birth.”

  Torrent made a face. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I have done some research and it is not frowned upon for vampire males to attend the births of their young.”

  “You are a dragon!” Torrent boomed.

  “This is a high-risk pregnancy. Many things can go wrong. I will be there! I will insist!”

  “Let’s see what the vampire has to say about it. I know our healers will be against it.”

  “Does this mean that you will let me go and live with her?” Bay had already decided he was leaving whether Torrent granted him permission or not. His place was at Ceri’s side. He only hoped he could convince her to mate him before the baby arrived. He wanted a family. He wanted Ceri.

  “For the record, I think you are making a mistake. You do not have to live with her. You can still be a good father,” Torrent echoed what Ceri had said.

  Thing was, Bay didn’t care what Torrent thought. This was his decision and his decision alone. He had already made up his mind. Bay couldn’t say any of that, so he let his silence speak.

  “I can see that you have made up your mind.”

  Bay nodded. “Yes, I have.”

  “Do I have a choice but to let you go?” Torrent’s eyes blazed.

  Bay looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting his king’s gaze. “My place is with my unborn child.”

  Torrent nodded. “As your king, I am angered by this. As a male who is a father, I understand. I am giving you permission to leave. I am putting Beck in your place…temporarily. Flood will take second.”

  “They are bound to clash.” Shit! It was never going to work. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be his problem, not right then. Not with so much at stake.

  “They need to sort out their shit. You must know though, that if you leave, you will forfeit your leadership role. I will not reinstate you.” Torrent shook his head. “I am not punishing you, because I didn’t technically forbid you from rutting. I didn’t think I had to,” he muttered the last.

  In the end, it was almost a relief to hear. Bay was not a male to back down from a challenge. Nor was he a quitter, but he did not enjoy his role as leader. Beck or Flood were far better suited. It was the main reason the two of them butted heads as much as they did. They were very different in some ways but exactly the same in others. “I understand.”

  “You are leaving anyway.”

  “I must.” Bay nodded.

  Five days later…

  There was a knock on the door and she almost jumped out of her skin. This was it. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her heart to stop going nuts.

  “Coming.” She walked to the door and opened it.

  Bay smiled as soon as their eyes met. Why did he have to be so darned gorgeous? Tall, dark and delicious. His scent enveloped her. Even though she didn’t drink much blood anymore, her fangs sharpened anyway. She was thirsty again for the first time in weeks. Not like before, but still—

  She realized she was gaping. Who could blame her? He wore a pair of those cotton pants. They were white. Holy cow! White! His skin was golden against the fabric, his abs were…well, they were perfect. He’d been working out even more since she had last had sex with him, that much was clear. Why was she thinking about sex? It had to stop immediately.

  His smiled turned to a grin. “Can I come in?” He glanced over her shoulder and into her apartment for a few seconds.

  She blinked. “Sorry! This is a bit weird.”

  “I guess it is. Look, we’ll get to know each other and then it won’t be so…” He let the sentence die.

  Stilted. Awkward. Ceri knew he didn’t say those things out loud, but it was what he was thinking. There was also an underlying tension between them. Ceri was still attracted to him. She wondered if he felt the same.

  She held his gaze a moment longer and then nodded once, reminding herself why Bay was really there. For a moment, just a few seconds, she’d felt possibilities. Not very intelligent of her. Just the other day Bay had attended the Stag Run. He had almost rutted another female. She wasn’t sure why he had changed his mind. Make no mistake, it was he who had rejected the human and not the other way around. Sure, Ceri had felt relief when she hadn’t been able to scent the other female on him, but she couldn’t shake the fact that he had been there in the first place. It was a weekend designed for mindless rutting. One he had felt the need to attend.

  More importantly, he was there for the baby. That was all! He had made it clear that he was going to try to win her. It would be for a
ll the wrong reasons though and she had to keep reminding herself of that. “Is this my bed?” He pointed at the couch.

  She’d put a pillow, a sheet and blanket in a neat pile on the armrest.

  Ceri nodded. “Brant is organizing us bigger accommodation. I would prefer two units next to one another—”

  His jaw tightened. “No, we need to get properly acquainted. It would be better if we were under the same roof.”

  “Okay, well then, this is it for now, I’m afraid. You can use that dresser,” she pointed at the piece of furniture in the far corner, “for your things. Can I show you around?”

  “Sure.” He shrugged, pulling a bag from his shoulder and placing it on the floor next to the sofa.

  “Through here,” she opened the door, “is the kitchen. I’m afraid it’s probably smaller than you are used to. I saw the apartments in your lair and—”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “It’s comfortable but certainly not as lavish as what you’re accustomed to.”

  “Such things are really not important to me.” Bay shook his head.

  “I place a weekly order for groceries. Let me know what you like and I’ll order it for you. We have two restaurants on the property as well. One in the castle. The other one – you already know – it’s in the hotel.”

  “Perfect. Sounds good.” He smiled, following her back into the lounge area. There was a small four-seater dining room table to the one side.

  “This is the guest bathroom.” She opened the door. “It’s literally just a toilet and a sink. We’ll have to share my en-suite bathroom, which has both a bath and a shower." They walked into her bedroom. She pointed at the closed door on the far side.

  “We’ll manage.” Bay shrugged like it was no big deal.

  She felt the now familiar thump, thump inside her tummy. Her son or daughter making themselves known. Ceri felt her heart squeeze. She put a hand on her belly.

  “What is it?” Bay frowned. “Is everything okay.”

  “The baby is kicking.” She smiled.