by Alex DuBois
Malachai tossed Johnny a pair of sweats, which he quickly put on, and tugged on a robe himself. Once that was done, Malachai opened the door and in walked Levi, just as Malachai had predicted.
This time, without the specter of his mother looming over him, Johnny had been struck by just how strong this man’s presence was. Levi was quiet, but that didn’t stop the force of his personality from coming through.
Dominant. That was the best way to describe Levi. Dominant and quiet, maybe easier to disregard than he should be. It would be easy to ignore this man, but there was a good chance that if you did, you would regret it. Johnny looked at him thoughtfully, and Levi looked back, just as devilishly handsome as ever, with his golden eyes and his dark hair.
Strange to think that Malachai, slender and pretty, could be related to this tall, dark, handsome man with his broad shoulders and strong features. Really, Levi was a bit terrifying, and the way the man looked at him made him nervous.
It was like Levi was looking for something. It was hard to describe how he knew that, but he did. When Levi looked at Johnny, there was an edge to it, and when Levi glanced away, it was a relief.
Whatever it was that Levi was looking for, it wasn’t Johnny.
There was an odd tension in the room, and Malachai walked over to wrap his arms around Johnny from behind. That touch was very welcome, and Johnny gave him a smile and rested back against him.
“Good afternoon,” Levi said, and his voice was calm, quiet, controlled. He seemed to mean the greeting, though, and Johnny relaxed, just a little. He still hadn’t gotten over his fear of this man, it seemed, though Levi himself hadn’t done anything to merit that.
“Hey, big brother. On time as always,” Malachai chuckled. “Have you managed to talk any sense into our lovely mother?”
Levi smirked and sat down in a chair. Johnny thought that the way he sat made the chair seem somewhat like a throne.
“You know better than that,” Levi said wryly. “But I’ve talked her into not tracking you both down and murdering you, so that’s something.”
So casually, these two talked about violence. Was that just how dragons were? Johnny rested his hands protectively on his stomach, wondering just what he was bringing into the world.
How much of him would these little dragonlings have?
“We saw Doctor Summers,” Malachai said, and Johnny could feel his excitement. “Johnny, babe, do you want to tell him or can I?”
Johnny smiled a little bit at his lover.
“You tell him.” Johnny was very sure about that. Malachai clearly wanted to, and he was more comfortable with his brother, to say the very least, than Johnny was.
Malachai nodded, then grabbed the picture of the ultrasound that the receptionist had printed out for them. He handed it to Levi, and then watched as the other dragon dutifully looked at it.
“Wait. I see two. There’s two,” Levi said, and he looked at Malachai first, and then Johnny. Specifically at Johnny’s stomach, which was showing just a little bit more each day.
“Twins. And the doctor says that they’re healthy.” There was pride in Malachai’s voice, and he went back over to sit by Johnny, resting his hands over Johnny’s on his stomach.
Levi smiled, but it seemed a bit forced.
“Congratulations,” he said, and he seemed polite enough, but strained. Johnny frowned, looking at the other man. He seemed sad. Didn’t he? He didn’t know Levi very well, but all of a sudden, that was the impression that he was giving.
“Brothers. Like us.” Malachai gave Levi a fond look, and Johnny smiled. That helped. Seeing the genuine affection that Malachai had for Levi made it easier for him to trust the dark-haired man.
“Yes.” Levi made an effort to pull himself together. Johnny didn’t know if Malachai saw it or not. “We need to decide what happens next.”
Johnny spoke up, brave enough to do so for the first time, brave enough to speak directly to Levi.
“We have to stay here until the birth. Apparently twin births can have complications.” Johnny smiled a little. There. He’d talked directly to the man, and he found him far less scary because of it. Of course, he’d greeted him before, he’d said, if his memory served him right, one word. Hey. This time, he’d managed a whole sentence.
He really was going to have to get over his fear and awe of dragons. They were his family now.
Levi gave him a slight smile back, but despite the expression, there was something about him that just didn’t seem happy. Like the dragon was missing something and maybe he didn’t even know it.
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need, of course,” Levi said quietly. “I would invite you home if that were feasible.”
Malachai shook his head.
“Because of mom,” he said, resigned. Johnny rested against him, wanting to offer him comfort. Johnny didn’t always get along that well with his parents, so he could understand.
Levi nodded calmly, and Malachai sighed.
“Well, thank you. This is more than good enough,” Malachai said, looking around the room with a slight smile.
“What are you going to do, baby?” Johnny asked. “Just let your mom be mad at you?”
“I think cute babies might help.” Malachai frowned thoughtfully, tangling his fingers casually in Johnny’s long, dark hair. “It might not be safe though. Maybe it would be best to call our other brothers in.”
Johnny looked between the two brothers. It sort of blew him away that there were two of them already. Three if you counted their mother. Then they casually started to talk about two more and it was more than a little overwhelming.
“Bringing Jason in after what happened between them ... Do you think that’s a good idea?” Levi asked, while Johnny just quietly listened and snuggled with his lover. The truth was, he was still learning so much about dragons in general, and about these dragons in specific. It seemed like a good idea to listen as much as he could.
“I think with all four of us there, she wouldn’t want to cause too much trouble,” Malachai said, but Johnny, remembering those crazy eyes, had to wonder if that were true. It seemed to him that she could cause quite a lot of trouble, and she just might want to.
It seemed to him that their mother was like a force of nature. She was neither good nor evil, but what she was was wildly unpredictable. Still, having more numbers in dealing with her didn’t seem like a horrible idea.
“Do you think I should talk to her?” Even Malachai seemed to defer to Levi. It was a bit strange, because on the surface of it, Malachai seemed to be the more exuberant, confident one. Levi had a quiet strength, though, and the more Johnny was around it, the more he felt it.
“It’s hard to say right now,” Levi replied. He looked at the two of them, at Johnny resting his head on Malachai’s shoulder, and he looked a bit uneasy. It didn’t seem like he disapproved, but more like he was sad. “She’s very upset. Even before she knew about you, something was bothering her, but she wouldn’t tell me what.”
Malachai nodded.
“Can you ask her? If she wants to talk, I’ll talk, but otherwise, I guess we have to just stay out of her way.” Malachai spoke in a cavalier way, but the truth was that he was upset by the idea. He wanted his family to accept Johnny, and Johnny could feel that very clearly through the emotional link they shared.
Levi nodded, his face serene, though there was something about his golden eyes that didn’t seem quite as tranquil as he seemed to want to appear.
“Of course. It would be best if the two of you could come to terms.” Levi looked away from them suddenly like the sight of them gave him pain. Johnny, compassionate as he was, found his heart aching for the man. His brother-in-law, he supposed, in some way. Something close to it, anyway. “I’ll keep in touch.”
Maybe Malachai felt the slight melancholy from his brother, because he stood up and went to Levi. Maybe in another family, or with someone other than Levi, they would have hugged, but as it was, Malachai reached
over and gripped Levi’s shoulder tightly.
“It was good to see you, brother,” Malachai said, and that did get a slight smile out of Levi. He inclined his head and then he was gone.
* * *
“He’s sad,” Johnny said, looking at the door after Levi had quietly shut it behind him. That sadness had been very clear. Every time Levi looked at the two of them together, it had pretty much radiated off of him. Maybe Johnny had been too distracted before, but he didn’t think that it had been as strong the last time he’d seen Levi.
“Yes. I felt it too.” Malachai came over, sitting behind Johnny on the bed and wrapping his arms around him behind. His body was warm and comforting, and Johnny knew he could just relax back into him and Malachai would support him. “Maybe he wants a mate of his own.”
Johnny smiled a little bit. He was romantic enough that he liked that idea. Not the part where Levi was suffering, as he clearly was, but the part where he imagined Malachai’s brother finding a mate of his own. The brooding, Byronic Levi who pretty much seemed to epitomize the still waters running deep thing finding love, that would be beautiful to watch.
His mind was brought off of that a little by the feel of strong, hot hands lifting his shirt out of the way. Malachai pressed his thumbs deep into the muscles of Johnny’s lower back, which were a little bit sore from the unaccustomed weight he was carrying.
“I love you,” Johnny moaned softly, his eyes closing as he let himself just float in the amazing pleasure. There was the slightest hint of pain in it, but only in the most delicious way.
“Good. I love you too,” Malachai said, and every time that Johnny heard those words from him, he fell just a little bit harder for his mate. He was meant to be with Malachai and he firmly believed in that, but this felt like more than that.
He knew somehow that he would love Malachai even if they were both still humans. Even if there wasn’t any soul bonding going on at all. In fact, maybe that would be easier, because the only thing that still stood between them was what had happened in that cave. Johnny had forgiven Malachai, but he still thought about it sometimes.
Johnny just let himself bask, and it was good. Every time Malachai touched him, it was good, and it had been ever since the very beginning. Slowly, his lover worked out the knots from his back, his fingers deft and sure, and Johnny melted for him as he always seemed to do.
As his back was rubbed, Johnny couldn’t help but count his blessings. Not only did he have a lover who seemed like he honestly loved giving Johnny anything and everything that he could ever want, but he was pregnant with his babies, too. Two of them. Despite everything that had gone on between them, he was still very grateful for that.
Then there was his new family. Maybe that was a mixed blessing, since Malachai’s mother still seemed to find him repulsive, but Levi, at least, seemed like a good person to have around.
No, all in all, he was a lucky man. Johnny had never given any thought to being serious with anyone before Malachai had come along, but he was glad that had changed. It had all been about having fun, and he’d never realized just what he was missing out on.
Even in that, though, he and Malachai matched, because he got the sense that it had been the exact same thing with his lover. No one else could ever really be serious for them, because they were with each other.
Quietly, Johnny rested his hand on his stomach. He could feel the babies in there. It had been so confusing to him when he’d first realized that he could feel two. He’d felt like he must be feeling it wrong, but the ultrasound had shown that he’d been right all along.
He felt them, he let himself focus on them, and it was so very amazing to get to see how they grew every day. He left himself drift in that, and in the love of his mate, and he realized that he’d never been so happy in his life.
There were still things to work out, and things that Johnny didn’t know how they were going to work out. It would, though. He had the most beautiful, calming sense of that, that somehow, everything would be fine.
Which was odd, because there was a very powerful, very old dragon who didn’t at all approve of their union, but he figured even that would work out somehow. Clearly miracles existed, after all. He was carrying two of them in his stomach.
Chapter Eleven
Malachai
The next few months passed almost in a blur for the two of them. Malachai had lived for so many centuries, but he’d never felt the pressure of time like he did as he watched Johnny’s stomach swell and grow.
There was a lot to do, too. They attended parenting classes, and they’d helped. It was strange for him to be in a room with so many other shifters, and at first, there was a bit of hostility from them toward him.
Remembering Peter the bear shifter, Malachai could understand. His kind did not enjoy the best reputation, and Malachai, with Johnny at his side to temper his natural heat, found that he was able to be patient and let them come around slowly.
Which they did, more or less. They were all in the same boat, which he thought helped. Malachai was there with his pregnant mate, and he was there to learn how to be a good parents. So were they.
The class didn’t talk about what to do with your baby that has just shifted into a dragon form that likes to nibble and shoot fire, but both he and Johnny were fireproof, right? Other than that, it taught him useful skills.
As those months passed, Levi came by fairly often. He brought word that their mother still wasn’t interested in talking. In fact, she apparently never mentioned Malachai at all, like he didn’t exist.
Though that wasn’t entirely unexpected, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
There was very little point in forcing the issue, at least at first. Johnny’s stomach got bigger and rounder and fuller with the babies inside, though, and Malachai got nervous. He didn’t want the world to be so hostile, he didn’t want their grandmother to hate them.
So he called his two brothers, Noah who went to school up in Toronto and Jason who spent his time terrorizing Mexicans across the border to the south. Jason had always been a little bit insane, as was evidenced by the fact that he was the only one of Malachai’s brothers that had ever been brave (or stupid) enough to attack their ancient, powerful mother.
They promised to come, and Malachai prepared himself. He was going to be glad to see his brothers, of course, and to introduce them to his mate, but once they got there, he knew that he was going to have to face his mother down.
It wouldn’t be easy. He’d have to be firm without challenging her too much. He’d never done that before. Even when he’d left, following the example of his big brother Levi, he had simply packed up and gone. There had never been any confrontation. The fights he’d had with her growing up had been about much more minor matters.
So he tried to prepare himself, knowing that, by the roundness of Johnny’s tummy that Malachai just couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of, it wouldn’t be long. Soon his babies would be ready to be born, and Malachai was determined that they would, if at all possible, be born into a world where their grandmother at least accepted them.
It was only a week after the conversations on the phone with Jason and Noah that a knock came on the door. It was Levi, of course, though Malachai had to roll his eyes a little as he realized that.
If his big brother would only get a damn phone, he wouldn’t have to come in person all the time. In some ways, Levi was so old fashioned that it actually sort of hurt. Still, in a way it was reassuring to know that some things just never changed.
Malachai had a little stash in this room, enough that he felt like it was a bit of his territory. It meant that he could feel Levi coming, and he had an idea what he was coming about.
Malachai pulled the door open and smiled at his brother. The truth was, he was very fond of him. Levi was fussy and old fashioned, yes, but he was also his brother, and it had been nice to spend some time with him over the last few months.
“Good evening,” Levi said, nodding to bot
h of them. Malachai wanted to embrace him, and would have, if his brother had been a different sort of man. As it was, he wasn’t sure how such a move on his part might be taken.
“Levi,” Malachai greeted him. They hadn’t been all that close before, but Levi accepting and supporting him and Johnny had changed that, had deepened their relationship quite a bit. It stood in stark contrast to their mother’s reaction.
“Malachai, Johnny,” Levi replied. He was so damn proper all the time. Malachai was sort of in awe. He knew that he himself was far more tempestuous and less controlled than his oldest brother. “I’ve come because our other brothers have arrived.”
Malachai had sort of thought that might be the reason, but he couldn’t be sure. He was surprised by the relief that went through him. His conversations with his brothers hadn’t been that long, and Noah had been unsure if he could come because of finals. As far as Jason went, who knew what he would do from one moment to the next? Probably not even him.
“Both of them?” Malachai checked, and Levi chuckled softly. He knew how unpredictable Jason was as much as anyone.
“Yes. Jason just got in, and Noah came this morning,” Levi answered. “They’re here to meet your mate.”
Malachai turned to look at Johnny, who was smiling but who clearly, to Malachai at least, looked nervous. Who could blame him? While Levi had responded nicely to the whole thing, not everyone in Malachai’s family had.
“It’s okay. You’ll love them.” He paused, and then frowned. “Or you’ll love Noah, anyway.” Jason could be a lot for anyone to handle.
“You may come to my house, if you wish,” Levi offered. “Our mother has promised that she will not attack you, and I very much doubt that she would try it with all four of us there.”
Maybe so. Four against one wouldn’t be the best odds for her. She’d probably still win, of course. Malachai had never even heard of a dragon as old and powerful as she was. They could make it difficult for her, though, and Malachai very much doubted that she’d try.
