We settled in on the sofa and I rested my head against his chest as I had many times before, but this time was different. This time my past was on the chopping block and I wasn’t sure how to lay out the details.
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Jessie said as if he read my mind. “You smell nervous and I don’t like it.”
“Sorry,” I bit my lip.
“It’s not your fault. It just makes me uneasy. I want to know everything about you, but we have a lot of time to catch each other up on the details. If you’re not ready to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
“I want to. It’s complicated, though. My family, I mean,” I looked up at him.
“You think mine isn’t?” he chuckled, and a mischievous light played through his eyes. “Until the federal government finally admits it has no power anymore nothing we do is legal, but they can’t actually do anything about it. The power is in the hands of the strong and those we protect. They’re just a face for the international world. Though, most places are ruled by packs, covens, and pards now.”
“I know,” I sighed. He was right. With a shifter as president the once strong federal government wasn’t anymore. As time moved forward, more and more power fell to individual groups. As a teenager, I feared anarchy would break loose with the fall of big governments, but it’d been a peaceful breaking. Power slowly shifted from them to us and that was that.
“My parents, both of them, hunted those who trophy hunted.”
“I take it you’re not talking about antlers here,” Jessie’s arms closed around me and held me tight.
“No,” I closed my eyes. “I’m talking about those who hunt shifters and others like us for sport. There’s not many of them left, but when they do show up its always bad. Mom and Dad put a lot of them out of commission. Mom was an omega, but she was a badass. Mostly, because of her potions. I learned almost everything I know from her.”
“They died in the line of duty, didn’t they?” Jessie asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded still not looking at him.
“I’m sorry,” he pulled me closer and I reveled in the warmth radiating from his body and his comforting scent. He smelled like home and safety and everything I always wanted.
“A big group of them moved in. We weren’t a big family. Just my parents, me and my brother, Jayden. He’s an Alpha. We got the news from the local police at midnight. The next night Jayden rounded up anybody who’d been affected by them and was willing to fight. Some of them died. Jayden turned out okay. It got worse before it got better, though. Jayden sent me to work here and I fell in love with Hemlock Academy. Then, slowly, they cleaned up the territory. Our territory isn’t as big as yours, but it’s just right for us. Now, he rules with an iron fist. Those who threaten the pack die.”
“That’s normal,” Jessie said. “It really is. What do you think we’re doing with the organization?”
“I know. I just…” I didn’t know how to finish the thought.
“It’s different when it’s non-shifters. The government used to get really uptight about it, but now they can’t do anything. I mean, it’s survival of the fittest, but with so many of us working to keep everyone safe most people don’t even know how much has changed.”
“When I smelled blood on you. . .” I swallowed down the panic threatening to overtake me.
“You panicked. You had flashbacks,” Jessie finished my thought.
“I know. I know that look. Back home I helped out at the sanctuary whenever they needed an extra pair of paws. I’ve seen that look before. Not all non-shifters are bad, though,” he reassured me. “We even have a few non-shifter omegas living at the sanctuary. I think with the government fading away the good guys are more united than ever.”
“So, the bad guys better watch out,” I laughed.
“That’s right,” Jessie kissed my forehead. “You’re safe and sound and I’ll make sure you always are.”
“I know, Alpha,” I smiled up at him. “I trust you.”
“I love you, mate.”
“I love you too.”
***
We mated before bed and I waited until Jessie fell asleep to slip out of bed and head down to the cellar. Unlocking the one cabinet I hadn’t shared with him before his mission I pulled out my hand gun. It was a shifter-made piece. I only used it once before. After I only shot the intruder in the kneecap to stop him Jayden sent me here.
With danger lurking ever closer to my home it was time to clean it and have it at the ready. This time I had so much more to lose and I’d aim for the balls instead of the legs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jessie
The Omega Liberation Front scoured the woods throughout the territory looking for any sign of Lee or Jeb. Every group turned up empty handed. Our diplomats asked around covens, but no one recalled meeting a vampire named Jeb. So, it was most likely an alias taken from vampire lore about the first vampire Jedediah. This asshole thought awful highly of himself, but then again, most murderers did. They’re the heroes of their own stories.
Darian rotated who went out so that no one spent too much time in the wild away from their families, but I stuck to the campus. Logan was more skittish than ever and being away from him put me in a foul mood. He claimed he was saving Jake and me for an actual clue and didn’t want to waste our skill hunting where there was likely to be nothing.
I figured Jeb was laying low. We’d gotten too close too many times now and he didn’t want to lose. Maybe he was recruiting better guards or hoped if he disappeared for long enough we’d forget about him and he could get on with his mission of impregnating omegas against their will.
Hemlocks never forget.
Hemlocks never forgive a threat to the pack and Jeb was a threat. When we found him he was a dead bastard. Lee, if he’d let us, we would save. He wasn’t the first omega led astray by an asshole and forced to do his bidding. Vampires had hierarchy structure the same as us and an omega was an omega no matter what their family lineage. Lee was likely Jeb’s first victim.
Over the next week Logan and I settled back into a familiar routine. I’d go to class with him and keep security up at the Juda Hall and keep an eye on Ryan, so he didn’t blow anything else up trying to impress Leslie. We kept our ears open, but no more news of her brothers wanting to start trouble for them arose.
Despite chaos looming on our doorstep life went on and it was a good life. We dined together for every meal and went on long runs in the woods around campus whenever we had free time. Logan was a sandy white wolf with long beautiful fur that I loved to rub against and groom whenever he’d sit still long enough to let me.
Every morning, I woke up early just to lay next to him and watch him sleep. He always looked like an angel and usually wore a mischievous little smile whenever he had a particularly good dream.
This morning, he tossed and turned more than he ever had before except when he was in heat.
Please, Frost, don’t let that be what’s wrong again.
His eyes sprung open and he sprinted for the bathroom.
“Don’t come in here!” He slammed the bathroom door in my face. “I’m sick!”
“Let me in. I have a strong stomach,” I said over the sounds of him being sick, but he had locked the door.
“I don’t want you to see me like this!”
“Mate, let me in,” I growled. “I don’t like being locked out when you need me.”
“I’m okay,” Logan whined, but my wolf wasn’t convinced. “You don’t need to see me like this.”
“Pups,” I said through the door as the realization washed over me.
“Probably, yeah,” Logan whined.
“Let me in, honey,” I said again. “We’ll get you cleaned up and to the clinic.”
“I can’t move,” he whined and got sick again.
“Hold on. I’ll call Bane to come over here.”
As I dialed Bane’s phone number the realization really settled o
ver me. I was going to be a daddy. We’d have furry little minions running around and getting into everything. They’d be the perfect blend of us.
“Time to eat the threat and get it over with,” my wolf said.
“Yes, it is,” I nodded, but even thoughts of Jeb and his criminal spree didn’t break my excitement.
“Hello?”
“I’m going to be a Daddy,” I told Bane.
“Bring him in,” Bane laughed. “And we’ll double check.”
“He doesn’t want to leave the bathroom. Can you just come over here and check on him?”
“Sure,” Bane said. “I’m on my way. Don’t break down the bathroom door in the meantime.”
“How’d you know he locked me out?”
“They always lock their mate out,” Bane chuckled. “So, since he did, it’s a pretty good sign your suspicions are correct. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Logan, Bane is on the way,” I said through the door.
“Don’t come in, please. Let me clean up first.”
“Honey, you don’t have to clean up.”
“Yeah, I do. It’s yucky in here,” he whined.
“Why don’t you just come out and rest? You’ll feel better if you do.”
“Let me clean up first, please, Alpha?”
“Alright,” I said leaning against the wall next to the door just as I had the first night we met. “But I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
“I love you, mate.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Logan
“Logan, Bane’s here,” Jessie said through the door.
“I’m still cleaning up. Tell him to wait out there, please,” I said scrubbing my face. I hadn’t even started cleaning the bathroom. Every time I looked at the mess I only got sick again.
“Good morning, Logan,” Doctor Bane said through the door.
“I’m not finished yet,” I said trying not to whine.
I looked down at my flat stomach in awe. Invisible to the naked eye, but a pup growing inside me was causing all this trouble. I ran my hand over my stomach and took a deep breath.
“Nurse Barry has come with me. Why don’t you come out and talk to me and he’ll cleanup for you?”
“He didn’t make the mess,” I said still marveling that a little life was growing inside my belly.
“I don’t mind,” Nurse Barry said through the door.
“You shouldn’t have to,” I shook my head.
“First pregnancies can be very difficult,” Nurse Barry said.
“No shit, Sherlock,” my wolf growled, but I pushed him back down. I didn’t want to be a grumpy pregnant omega.
“Honey,” Jessie said through the door. His voice soothed both of us. “Come on out.”
“I don’t have any clothes in here and I’m not coming out naked,” I said.
“I’ll grab your robe,” Jessie said.
“Can you grab me yours? It smells like you,” I said and then blushed when I realized Doctor Bane and Nurse Barry heard me too.
“Anything for you, mate,” Jessie said.
Then I was sick again.
“Do you want me to come in?” Doctor Bane asked through the door.
“No! Everyone go away until it passes!” I growled.
“Is there an omega you want me to get for you? Sometimes, friends are more helpful than mates when this happens.”
“No! I just want it to stop so I can clean up!”
I turned the shower on and slid into the cool water. It soothed my head and tummy.
“Let’s just give him a minute.”
“Just let me know when you want my robe,” Jessie said through the door.
“Alright, Alpha. Just a few more minutes.”
I took a few more deep breaths too soothe my stomach. The water was a lot colder than I usually liked, but it was the only thing that helped. Once I was certain the spell had passed I turned off the shower and carefully got out afraid of jarring my stomach again if I moved too quickly.
“Can I have the robe now, Alpha?” I asked leaning my head against the door.
“Of course, honey,” Jessie said.
When he was close enough to the door I opened it just enough to take the robe. Then shut it again while I put it on.
“I’m coming out, but don’t squeeze me when I do,” I tried to laugh, but thought better of it.
“I won’t,” Jessie laughed.
The three other men stared at me when I walked out. Nurse Barry, the only other omega in the room looked away first.
“I’ll go clean up,” he said with bucket in hand.
“Thanks,” I gave in, because I didn’t feel like arguing.
“Come sit down,” Jessie said.
“Not yet. I want to move. I need to walk,” I paced the length of the hallway instead. “Walking helps. Maybe we can go for a run later. I’m really hungry too and that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Whatever you want, honey,” Jessie smiled. “This is all about you and our pup.”
“I have a theory,” Doctor Bane said.
“That I’m pregnant?” I snapped. “Awesome theory. How much did you pay for that degree?”
“Logan, honey,” Jessie wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“I know. I’m sorry. He’s just really annoying right now. Nurse Barry too. You’re the only one who isn’t annoying.”
“Do you want me to tell him to leave?”
“Don’t be silly! He’s the doctor!” I whined.
With his arm around my shoulder, Jessie paced with me. It was a tight fit in the hall, but I liked how close the tiny space made us.
“I can’t confirm anything until I do an ultrasound but given your extreme symptoms and the fact you’re carrying a Hemlock child I think you’re carrying a hatchling.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face him.
“A hatchling? What do you mean? I’m a wolf. Jessie’s a wolf. I’m carrying a puppy not a bird!”
“Dumb doctor,” my wolf growled, and I pushed him down. I wasn’t in the mood for any of his nonsense either.
“Not a bird, Logan. A dragon hatchling. Actually, a dragon egg.”
“Frost,” I whispered.
I knew the dean’s twin brother was a dragon. Everyone knew it even if they weren’t on speaking terms and Sky ran off to Juda only knows where. His runaway twin was always the talk of scandal and heartbreak for his mother and disappointment for his father.
“How does that work? I’m not a dragon? I’ve seen dragon eggs in paintings. That’s not coming out of me! It won’t work! Jessie,” I turned and looked up at my Alpha. “Tell him I’m not giving birth to a dragon egg. Tell him you won’t allow it, because it won’t work. Tell him to go back to school and get a real degree, because it won’t work.”
“Come here, honey,” Jessie wrapped his arms around me and I let him.
“Let’s do the ultrasound before he gets any more upset, Bane,” Jessie growled.
***
The examination room smelled too sterile.
“Unnatural,” my wolf muttered as Jessie lifted me onto the table and took my hand in his.
“I can’t lay an egg. It’s against science.”
“My mom did,” Jessie reminded me.
“Then she must be a saint.”
“Sometimes,” Jessie chuckled.
“This is going to be cold,” Doctor Bane warned as he gently lifted my shirt. He was right. The room was too cold. I pushed my shirt back down.
“I need to see your belly,” Doctor Bane laughed.
“It’s too cold in here. My baby will get cold,” I wrapped my arm around my stomach. I knew it was illogical, but at the time it made perfect sense. If I was cold my pup was too.
“It’ll only take a minute,” Jessie said and gently moved my arm.
“This is cold too,” Bane said before rubbing the ultrasound gel on my bel
ly.
“I should eat you! Jessie, eat him!” I cringed at how cold it was.
“I think I’m going to pass on that, sweetheart. I bet he tastes bad,” Jessie laughed and kissed my hand.
A whooshing sound filled the room when Doctor Bane put the ultrasound wand to my belly. Quietly, I watched the screen for the familiar little jelly bean shape I’d seen on countless ultrasound photos. Honestly, with how sick I got and how lousy I felt, I expected to see at least two little jellybeans.
There were no jellybeans, though. Just the tiniest little speck of an egg.
“There’s your baby.”
“How will I get them out, Jessie?” I asked squeezing his hand tightly.
“Actually, when you go into labor the egg won’t be any larger than a newborn.”
“How? I’ve seen dragon eggs!”
Countless paintings of Juda and Frost in a nest surrounded by huge dragon eggs raced through my mind. Each more distorted in size than the one before it.
“The egg will continue to grow after you birth it. The egg is usually quite larger than the actual child inside,” Doctor Bane explained. “The egg, with your beautiful child inside of it, will remain inside of you until it absorbs all the nutrients it needs to grow to its full size. Then you will give birth to the egg. It can take just a few weeks to a year. A year is rather on the long side of things, but I’ve only seen it happen once with a Hemlock cousin. The egg will continue to grow outside of the womb.”
“How was Darian born before Sky then?” I asked.
“Actually, dragon birthtime is recorded when the dragon comes out of the egg. I wasn’t there, but it’s a well-known story. His egg was safely delivered three months before Darian was born. As soon as he heard the first cries of his twin coming into the world he came out of the egg. Darian was out of the womb and into the world exactly two minutes before Sky was out of his egg.”
“Oh, okay,” I nodded. “How long do most dragon babies stay in their eggs?”
“It varies,” Bane said. “I know that’s not very helpful, but it’s true.”
“How are we going to raise a dragon?” I asked Jessie.
“The same way we’d raise a pup,” Jessie kissed my forehead. “He or she will be our baby and we’ll love them and take care of them.”
Omega Magic Page 14
