Tempting Treasure (Ashland Pride Book Ten)

by R. E. Butler

  “Good. I didn’t want you to be worrying over something that you couldn’t control anyway.”

  “Yeah, I’ll just worry about it being too hot on our ceremony day and my makeup melting off my face like that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

  Treasure grinned. “How about when I hold your bouquet, I’ll point a fan at you to keep you cool.”

  “Or maybe I can attach ice packs to myself somehow.”

  “That sounds like you might get frostbite.”

  “As long as I’m not all sweaty and gross when I kiss my mates.”

  “The things we do for love and good pictures,” Treasure said. As they laughed and joked about the potential issues with wearing makeup in August, Treasure felt herself relax for the first time since the spell had been cast. She’d been worried that Hope would hate her, but her bestie had once more proven herself to be a kind and sweet female who loved Treasure as much as she loved her.

  She didn’t know what might happen in the future, but she liked how hopeful her bestie was. Because who really knew what the months and years would bring? As long as Hope was happy and putting the situation behind her, then Treasure could do that too.

  After all, she was a kickass dragonfae with two sexy mates. The future was wide open.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Treasure looked down at the small hand that grasped hers, the little boy skipping and hopping alongside her as they walked away from their house and into the freshly plowed fields. Overhead, the sky was a beautiful springtime blue dotted with white, puffy clouds. A light breeze brought a chill to her skin.

  Stopping in the field, she turned to face the tawny-haired little boy, who blinked blue eyes at her, looking like a miniature version of Brian. She felt a tug on her heart and knew that she was looking at her son.

  “I’m ready, Mommy,” he said, scrunching up his face in an adorable look of concentration. Wings unfurled from his back, covered with snow-white feathers.

  She let her own wings out, glancing behind her to see the purple and pink wings of her dragon.

  “Ready, little warrior?” she asked, lifting him into her arms.

  “Yes!” He giggled as she flapped her wings, drawing on her dragon’s power to lift into the air. She rose only a handful of feet and hovered, her wings keeping her in place. The little boy gave her a loud kiss and then leaped from her arms, turning in a somersault before flapping his wings to right himself.

  “I did it!”

  “You sure did,” she said, taking his hand and pushing forward. Together they soared over the field, and she’d never been happier than to share this time with her little boy.

  “Sweetheart?” Kevin’s voice was distant, echoing in a weird way. She turned her head to look for him, and found herself in bed between her mates, staring at the ceiling. Kevin leaned over, looking worried.

  “Wh-what?” she asked.

  “You’re crying,” Brian said, sitting up and looking down at her. “Are you okay?”

  “I…” she brushed at the tears on her cheeks and sniffled. “Yeah, yeah, I am. They’re happy tears. I had a good dream, but now I’m sad because it’s over.”

  “Sorry I woke you up,” Kevin said. “I woke up and you were clutching at me and Brian and crying.”

  He opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a box of tissues, handing her several. She sat up and dabbed at her eyes. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Brian said. “So it was a good dream?”

  She tossed the tissues in the trash can and settled back on the pillow, smiling at her mates. “It really was.” She told them about their son and how he could fly at such a young age.

  “You think it was a prophetic dream?” Brian asked.

  “It felt like it. Very real.”

  “I thought fae couldn’t fly,” Kevin said.

  “Only males with feathered wings can fly. In the dream I flew with my dragon wings, so I guess I figured out how to master that.”

  The thought of flying with her own child made her want to start practicing immediately.

  “That’s so cool,” Kevin said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “Me too,” Brian said.

  She loved the sweet and wistful looks they gave her whenever they talked about having a child. “Me three.”

  * * *

  Treasure sat next to Hope on the patio behind the boarding house. The sun was setting, and the pride had their usual Full Moon Feast, which included Treasure’s favorite honey-barbecue wings grilled to perfection by Grant and Aaron. Her mates were seated at one of the many picnic tables with their cousins.

  “You haven’t had a prophetic dream in a while,” Hope said after listening to Treasure explain it.

  “Yeah. Not since I dreamed about you coming here.”

  Hope hummed. “It seems like a hundred years ago, but it was really only like two months ago. How does time go by so fast but also feel so slow?”

  “Magic?”

  “Maybe. So do you think you had the dream because of the full moon?”

  “I don’t know. It could have just been a regular, non-prophetic dream.”

  Hope gave her some side-eye. “You don’t really believe that.”

  “No. It felt so real.” She could easily remember how her son’s face had lit up when he’d flown, and the way the wind ruffled his hair. “But more than how real it felt, I just want it to be real.”

  “You’re ready for a family?”

  “Very much. Maybe because we’ve been together since I was twelve. It’s a long time to wait for your happily ever after. It feels like we’ve already been married the whole time. I know we don’t have to rush into anything, but the timing feels right, and I’m definitely ready. So are the boys.”

  “That’s a mountain lion male trait for sure.”

  “What is?” Callie asked, sitting down next to Treasure. “If you don’t mind me being nosey.”

  “Not at all,” Treasure said with a smile. “We were just discussing how much the males love to have kids.”

  “Oh yeah,” she said, nodding. “I got pregnant right away. It wasn’t intentional, but it was really perfect timing. I love our family, and my guys are the two best dads on the planet. Just don’t tell James I said that.”

  Hope snickered. “There’ll be a ‘best dad’ contest if they hear that.”

  “For sure,” Callie said.

  Treasure told Callie about her dream. “So either it’s going to happen or my subconscious really wants it to. Either way, I’m ready.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Sweetheart?” Kevin called.

  “Yeah?”

  “Ready to hunt?”

  She stood and stretched, her dragon rolling under her skin. “You know it.” To Hope and Callie she said, “See you out there.”

  Joining her mates, she accepted hugs and kisses from them.

  “I think you promised you’d be able to beat us in hunting,” Brian said.

  “I will totally kick your boots.”

  “Boots?” Brian asked. “Oh, butts.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “Of course, sweetheart,” he said with a chuckle, kissing her cheek.

  “Hey, everyone!” James called out. The noise of the crowd died down as he stepped up onto a picnic bench. “We just want to wish you all a happy hunt. It’s the last hunt with the panther clan, who are leaving in a week to head on their journey. We just want to say that we’ll miss you guys.”

  Jilly, standing with her mates and their kids, blew James a kiss. “We’ll miss you guys, too.”

  The pride and clan dispersed, mated groups heading into the woods for privacy as they stripped and shifted. A few pride members stayed behind with the kids who were too young to shift. Treasure glanced at the children, her mind flitting to the little boy she’d dreamed about. Kevin gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Someday, sweetheart.”

  “Yeah.”

  She headed into the woods with her mates by her side. They
walked far enough away from the others that they were hidden in the shadows and trees, and then they started to strip. She always enjoyed watching her mates get naked, as much as they assured her they loved to watch her. She looked upward at the night sky through the trees and reached for her dragon.

  But nothing happened.

  She cleared her throat and called her dragon. She felt a hum through her bones, followed by a tightening of her muscles for a moment, and then nothing.

  “You okay?” Kevin asked.

  “I’m not sure. I can’t seem to shift.”

  Brian’s brows rose. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.” She shook her head. “Let me try again.”

  Once more she tried to shift, but while she could feel her dragon under her skin, she couldn’t change forms. She frowned, and then clarity washed through her. “Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.”

  “What?” Brian and Kevin asked at the same time.

  “I think that’s why I can’t shift. I remember reading in one of my dad’s books about how dragons don’t change forms once they’re pregnant because it can be too traumatic for the baby. I think she gave me the dream so I’d know why I can’t shift.”

  They said nothing for a long moment, simply staring at her in surprise.

  “Guys? Say something.”

  They whooped out a cheer and hugged her, Brian spinning her in a circle and kissing her before Kevin claimed her lips.

  “We should go get a test,” Kevin said.

  “I don’t think I can take one until the morning,” she said. “But we can go to the pharmacy on the way home after you guys shift and go hunting with the pride.”

  “What? Hell no, we’re not leaving you,” Brian said.

  She picked up her clothes from where she’d set them on the ground, and got dressed. “It’s okay, I promise. You should hunt and hang out with your family. I’ll go wait on the patio with the kids and the adults who stayed behind. I don’t want to leave without talking to our family members and Hope, anyway.”

  “If you’re sure,” Kevin said.

  “I’m positive. This is good news! We’ll get confirmation tomorrow, but I think my dragon knows what she’s doing by keeping herself out of reach.”

  “Love you,” Brian said, giving her a long, sweet kiss.

  She smiled. “I love you, too.”

  He shifted as she turned to Kevin, kissing him and exchanging I love yous. “Have fun.”

  Kevin nodded and shifted, and she knelt in front of her mates. She loved how soft their fur was, and the way their whiskers twitched in interest whenever they saw her.

  “Go find something fun,” she said, kissing both of them on their noses and rising to her feet. They walked with her to the patio and then darted off into the woods in search of game.

  Lisa was sitting at one of the picnic tables with several of the younger kids, playing a board game. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you shift?”

  Treasure sat next to her adoptive mother and gave her a hug. “I think I’m pregnant.”

  “Because of the dream?”

  “Yes, but also because I tried to shift and my dragon wouldn’t come out. I think she’s protecting the baby. I read about it in one of my dad’s books.”

  “Oh honey,” Lisa said, giving her another hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

  “We’ll get a test on the way home and check in the morning, but I’m pretty sure that I am.”

  She thought back to the date of her last period, aware that she didn’t keep good records on her cycle, and thought she was a few weeks late. She’d just been really busy and hadn’t paid attention. She joined in the game, but her mind really wasn’t on moving her plastic piece around the colorful board. Instead, she was thinking about the dream. She wasn’t just excited with the prospect of being pregnant; she longed for it. Perhaps because she’d lost her mother at a young age, she’d always wanted to have a family. Lots of kids to love and support each other. If she’d had a sibling, she wouldn’t have felt so alone when her parents died. With the pride, she had a lot of family now, and she was grateful for their acceptance and love. But she didn’t want her son to be an only child, no matter how many cousins he might have.

  “You’re pretty quiet,” Lisa said, rolling the dice.

  “Just thinking.”

  “You’re going to be a great mom.”

  “And you’re going to be a great grandma.”

  She gave Treasure a sweet smile. “I never thought I’d get to be one. I love being an aunt, but when I couldn’t have kids of my own, I thought being a grandma was closed to me. Then you came into my life. You’ve changed so many things for the better with your presence. I’m so glad you’re in our lives.”

  Treasure was touched by Lisa’s sweet words. She’d known how much Lisa valued being called mom, because she’d never had a chance to have a baby herself. The pride had given her a family when her own had closed their doors to her because they didn’t like that Rhett was a shifter.

  “I’m glad I’m here, too. You’ve been a wonderful mom, and you’re going to be a stellar grandma.”

  By the time her mates returned to the patio, Treasure had shared her hope with Rhett, Grant, Aaron, and Sam. Brian and Kevin were beaming as if she’d given them something precious.

  “Let us know,” Lisa said, giving Treasure another hug.

  “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  After saying goodnight to the remaining pride members, she and her mates headed to the pharmacy in town. “How was your hunt?” she asked.

  “Good. We caught some rabbits,” Kevin said. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

  “You didn’t get to shift. We were wondering if you might be feeling antsy because you couldn’t change forms.”

  She shrugged. “My dragon’s content.”

  Brian pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine, and the three of them walked into the all-night pharmacy together. After a chat with a helpful pharmacist, she picked out a pregnancy test and grabbed a bag of strawberry licorice. Once they were home, and she’d eaten the licorice and also half of both candy bars Brian and Kevin had bought, she changed into a sleep shirt and laid the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter.

  She walked into the bedroom and smiled at her mates, who had left a space between them on the bed. “Have you guys ever had prophetic dreams?”

  “Nope,” Kevin said.

  “Nah,” Brian said. “We leave all that magical stuff to our beautiful mate.”

  “Well, I am pretty good at it.” She kissed her mates and snuggled between them. Although she hadn’t been sure if she’d be able to sleep with her mind spinning with the thought of taking the pregnancy test, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

  When she woke in the morning, her mates were waiting for her, their eyes gleaming with excitement. She’d never been nervous taking a test before, but this one had her hands shaking. She took the test and put the cap back on, calling through the closed door for her mates to set the timer. She washed up and brushed her teeth, then opened the door and greeted her mates with hugs and kisses.

  When the timer beeped, she inhaled deeply and tried to calm her flying pulse.

  Brian kissed her temple. “Sweetheart, if you’re pregnant, then we’ll be thrilled. If you’re not, we know it’ll happen eventually. Whatever the outcome, it’s a beautiful day today because we’re together.”

  “You’re so sweet.”

  She walked into the bathroom and closed her eyes, tilting her head down and listening to her excited dragon in her mind. Then she opened her eyes slowly and saw the word in the little window.

  Pregnant.

  With a happy cheer, she turned around and showed the test to her mates.

  They whooped happily, hugging and kissing her, talking over each other with their words of joy.

  Brian’s kiss turned decidedly sexy, his chest vibrating with the happy growl of his cat. She pushed him away with a c
huckle.

  “I have an idea for a name for our son,” Kevin said.

  “Oh?” she asked.

  He looked at Brian, who nodded in agreement. “We were talking last night after you fell asleep,” Brian said.

  “We want to name him after your father,” Kevin said.

  “And Rhett for his middle name,” Brian added.

  Her eyes stung at the sweet gesture. “Valor Rhett Fallon. I love it.”

  “We love you,” Brian said. He reached for her, but she swatted his hands away with a laugh.

  “I have to call Rhett and Lisa, and also Hope. And Sam.” She knew Rhett would be tickled to pieces to have his first grandchild as a namesake. She couldn’t think of anything sweeter than honoring both of her fathers. Valor Rhett was a perfect name – strong and honorable, just like them.

  “Talk fast, love,” Kevin said, handing her phone to her.

  “Very fast,” Brian said, his eyes flashing to amber.

  She watched her mates stalk to the bed, stripping as they went, their muscles highlighted by the morning sunlight peeking through the blinds. For a moment, she considered joining them first and then making the phone calls, but she decided to do as her mates requested and talk really quickly.

  The calls didn’t take long. When she was done, she put her phone on ‘do not disturb’ and joined her mates on the bed, where they waited for her.

  “I just want you to know that I love you both,” she said as she pulled her nightshirt over her head and tossed it aside. “Like even more than I can ever really put into words.”

  They held out their arms to her, and she climbed onto the bed and into their embrace.

  “Love you,” Brian whispered in her ear.

  Kevin kissed her until she was breathless. “I love you, too, sweetest Treasure.”

  Much later, when she was blissed out and deliciously exhausted, snuggled between her sweethearts, she felt like it was the most perfect start to the newest chapter of their lives. Everything she’d ever dreamed about had come true – from the moment she met Jilly at her aunt’s home to the reality that she was going to be a mom in about eight months. She was the happiest she’d ever been, and she knew it was only the beginning.