by Amy Bellows
Daniel raises both of his eyebrows skeptically, so I stop lying to him.
“Lewis told me you gave him this huge binder filled with polar bear shifter pregnancy traditions. What he may not have told you is that we have traditions too. We just don’t share ours until it’s appropriate.”
This is connected to the virginity thing. I can feel it in my bones.
“Is it… appropriate now?” I ask, then set the tongs back into the salad.
He grabs the tongs and starts serving himself.
“I suppose it is. I’m not sure how much you know about egg laying.”
Almost nothing. I tried doing research on it, but I came across this story about a hummingbird shifter who had a baby with a whale shifter and died in childbirth. I was horrified. Turns out, there’s no such thing as hummingbird shifters, which is why Lewis forbade me from learning about egg laying on the internet. He gave me a book to read about it, but the last month’s been too busy. Between the rush of Pebble Gifting Season at work and taking care of Lewis, I haven’t had any free time.
“Not much.”
Daniel stiffens. It’s probably hard for him to have a son-in-law who’s so new to all of this.
“I’d like to learn. What do I need to know?” I ask.
He pushes the bowl of salad aside, so we can see each other easily.
“As you may know, the gestation period of a penguin egg is three months. They do most of their growing outside the womb. It’s an alpha penguin shifter’s sacred duty to help with the egg warming. An omega cannot do it alone.”
I smile. The idea of keeping our eggs warm sounds wonderful. It will allow me to care for them in a way I can’t do now.
Daniel stares at me for a long beat. “You don’t mind?”
“No.”
He considers me for another moment, then picks up his fork.
“In a month Lewis will start nesting. Which means he’ll collect items, and place them around your bed. It’s important that you not move them. That will make him feel very agitated. When he starts adding a circular structure of soft items to the top of the bed, it means he’s about to lay. I know most polar bear shifters give birth in the hospital, but penguin shifters give birth at home. We need to lay our eggs in our nest. You can keep a doctor on standby, but please don’t force my son to go to the hospital.”
Daniel and I eat his decadent salad while he explains penguin shifter pregnancy and birth, answering all of my questions patiently and giving me advice on how to support Lewis. We stay at the table for two full hours, and despite my initial reservations about coming alone, I’m glad Lewis isn’t here. I don’t think I’d ask as many questions or be as honest about my concerns.
He serves berries for dessert, and starts a casual conversation about the new cashier he just hired. I tell him about the troubles I had with my seasonal hires this year, and the conversation shifts into something else. I never thought I’d find common ground with Daniel.
I guess I was wrong.
22
Lewis
Two months later…
It started with the Wii controllers. I set them at the end of the bed before we went to sleep. In the morning Todd moved them back to the living room, but I set them at the end of the bed again when I got home from work that night because that’s where they belong. When I told Todd, he opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it again.
He didn’t move them again.
The XBox controllers were next. I set them by the Wii controllers. They look nice next to each other. When Todd saw them he pressed his lips together, but he didn’t ask me about it. Which is good, because they have to stay there. It’s really important.
Throughout the week I find things that belong next to our bed. Todd’s Pebble Gifting Portfolio. The Luigi pajamas he got me for Christmas. I even called Ansel to get the reindeer costume I wore at his half-birthday party, because I needed to put it next to my puffball hat. I place the red foam nose on Todd’s side of the bed and he accidentally kicks it underneath.
My belly is big, but I still crawl under the bed to get it.
On Saturday night Todd stands in the doorway of the bedroom, looking longingly at the XBox controllers. I know he’s had a long week and he wants to play. But I can’t let him take them. They have to stay there.
I sink the knife I brought from the kitchen into my pillow.
“Whoa! That’s a perfectly good pillow.”
I saw at the fabric, until I have a hole big enough to get the stuffing out, then push the blankets and other pillow off the bed. I’ll arrange them on the top of the stuffing later.
“Should I get you stuffing from the store or something?”
There isn’t enough fluff in my pillow to line my nest. I’ll need another pillow. I grab the knife, and bend down to get Todd’s.
“Wait. Let’s talk about this.”
I stab into his pillow.
“Okay, cool. So, we’re not going to talk about it. I’m assuming this means that you’re nesting.”
That should be obvious. I can’t lay eggs without a nest. We need someplace safe to keep them warm.
“More pillows,” I say, tossing the shell of the pillow off the bed after I’ve pulled all the stuffing out.
“Right. Are you going to tear them open, because—”
I glare at him.
“Okay. I’ll go get you more pillows. Do you want the decorative pillows in the front room too? Because those are expensive—”
I continue to glare at him.
“Of course. Coming right up.”
He dashes out the door. It takes him a very long time to find me pillows. I hear him talking to someone. Maybe he’s called a pillow man to bring us dozens and dozens of pillows so I can harvest their insides for my nest. That’s it, my mate is talking to the pillow man. I will have more pillows soon.
For now, I need to take my clothes off. They mustn’t get in the way.
Todd appears at the door with four more pillows just as I sit back down on the bed.
“You’re naked now. Wow. Things are developing fast.”
I hold my hand out. “The pillows. Have you secured more from the pillow man?”
He narrows his eyes. “The pillow man?”
“Well, I assume that’s why you made a phone call. Obviously, I need more pillows. Tell the pillow man that a dozen should be fine.”
Todd covers his mouth, but I can tell he’s smiling. Why is he smiling at a time like this? He needs to get back on the phone with the pillow man.
“Well, hurry. Call him,” I say.
Todd slides his phone out of his back pocket, and presses a few buttons. I underestimated my mate. He has the pillow man on speed dial.
“Hey, Ansel. Lewis is nesting. There isn’t any chance you could bring over twelve pillows, is there? They’d have to be pillows you’re not going to miss, because he’s going to tear them open for the stuffing.”
Ansel is a pillow man? How convenient.
“Thanks, man. See you in a few.”
I tear open the first pillow, and stick my hand deep within its belly, pulling out its insides. After going through the next four pillows, I’m not sure I’ll need a full dozen. Perhaps six more would be fine.
Oh well. It never hurts to be prepared.
I lie down at the center of my nest. While I wait for the pillow man, I will rest. I’m so tired, and my stomach hurts. If I can just take a nap, I’ll feel better.
23
Todd
Lewis is curled at the center of a nest he’s made entirely of pillow guts, surrounded by the odds and ends he’s collected over the last week. At first I didn’t understand what was happening with the Wii controllers. But when he added the XBox controllers and the hat he always wears when we have semi-public sex, I realized it was his nest—the collection of things that make him happy.
They’re all mementos of things we’ve done together. That made my heart grow three sizes.
Daniel told me that alp
ha penguin shifters have instincts that guide them during an egg-laying. He walked me through the process, step-by-step, because he assumed I wouldn’t have those instincts. Alpha polar bear shifters don’t normally help their mates nest. But now that Lewis has laid down to rest, my inner bear insists on taking over. He covers Lewis with a blanket and goes to the kitchen to fill a water bottle for Lewis. When Ansel shows up with bags of pillows, my inner bear takes them, and shuts the door again, without so much as saying “hi.” There’s a part of me that understands how rude that is, but my inner bear insists we don’t have time to say hi to Ansel. We must help Lewis build his nest.
Lewis left the knife on the nightstand. I use it to tear open the other pillows, and add their insides to padding Lewis has already collected. Building the nest reminds me of metal magic. There’s the same deep, pulsing connection to my bear. Only instead of creating a necklace, I end up with an enclosed circle of padding around my beloved. Once it’s finished, I cover it with blankets, undress, and join him in our nest.
We’re both cocooned in the center now, my little penguin shifter curled into my lap. His naked skin is warm against mine. He stirs, opening his big, brown eyes.
“Todd?”
“Yes. I’m right here.”
He looks around at the nest we made together.
“Ohhh,” he moans, and tucks his head under my chin. “So perfect.”
Daniel told me that penguin shifter alphas feel no greater pride than in the moment when their mate approves of a finished nest. The omega may start the nest, but the alpha has to complete it. Even though I’m a polar bear shifter, I still feel pride from Lewis’s approval. But the nest isn’t quite done. It’s still missing one last thing.
“Our scents,” he whispers into my chest. “We must add our scents.”
I can already smell his pheromones rising and the thick, heady aroma of his slick. His cock is hard against his stomach. Mine is hard too. Ready. I can give Lewis and our babies what they need. It doesn’t matter what kind of shifter I am.
I adjust Lewis in my lap, and guide one of his knees to the side until he’s straddling me. He leans forward and presses his forehead to mine. Our cocks brush against each other.
“Please. We need to…”
“Shhhh, love. I know what our nest needs.”
I run my fingers along our slits where there’s plenty of precum. I coat my fingers with it, so they will glide easily up and down our shafts. I squeeze our cocks together, and Lewis’s breath catches. I’ve never frotted with Lewis. I was worried he might be self conscious about how much bigger my cock is. It’s at least twice as thick and a full three inches longer. Secretly, I like the way we look next to each other. It’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
“Is this okay?” I ask.
“Oh, yes.” His voice is breathy—full of lust.
“Your cock is perfect,” I say, just in case he needs to hear it.
His lips quirk into a smile. “Perfect with yours.”
All this time, I’ve been worried about being too strong or too feral or too big for Lewis. That I might scare him or make him feel small. And here he is, eyes half-closed with desire, staring at us with the same arousal I feel.
“You like to push your small cock against my big one?” I ask.
He lets out a loud breath. “Yes.”
“Rock into me, love.”
He rolls his hips, fucking his cock into my hand. “Ugh. You’re huge, Todd.”
“That’s right. Can you take me? All of me?”
“Oh, yes.”
His hips become frantic. The friction from his cock and my fingers, along with the glorious smell of him is too much for me. My balls tighten, and my body moves with his as I come over our hands. There’s so much of it. Daniel told me that penguin shifter alphas instinctively produce more semen when their nest needs to be scented. I guess polar bear shifter alphas do too.
Lewis groans and comes with me. His slender body shakes as he spurts and spurts, adding to the pool of cum on my hand and our bodies. He slumps against me and gasps for breath.
“It’s okay, love.”
I spread the cum over the nest with one hand, while holding Lewis to my chest with the other.
“I need some of your slick too, okay?” I say.
He nods against my sternum.
With one tentative finger, I slide between his crack and feel for his entrance. It’s already drenched and puffy with arousal. To my relief, I can easily sink one finger inside of him, so I try pushing in two.
He whimpers.
“Is this okay, love?”
He grabs for my shoulder. “Yes. So good.” He’s already hard again.
Penguin shifters rely on their alphas to get their birth passage ready, and that process is very sexual. Nesting isn’t just about creating a soft place for the eggs. It’s about opening Lewis up for their arrival.
I push my fingers in and out of him. The squelching sound of his slick is encouraging. There’s plenty to spread around the nest. He whines when my fingers leave him.
“Shh, love.”
As quickly as possible, I spread his slick on the blankets around us. Then I push inside him again, with three fingers this time.
“Mmm, Todd. Please.”
“Do you need to come?”
His head bobs up and down.
I curl my fingers, pressing against his prostate. He bucks his hips against the pressure and digs his fingers into my shoulder. “Oh, please. Please!”
“Squeeze my fingers, love. C’mon.”
His ass clenches on me hard.
“That’s it. You can take more, can’t you?”
He doesn’t respond except to rock his hips more desperately. He’s too far gone. So I piston my fingers inside him, ramming into his prostate with every thrust.
“Oh, Todd!” He comes apart in my arms, pulsing hard on my fingers and crying out. He sobs as his orgasm goes on and on, the slick gushing out of him in a wet, messy pool underneath us. I smear some of it on the nest, but use the rest to slick up my fourth finger. Daniel said artificial lubricant should be avoided, if at all possible.
“You ready for four fingers?” I ask.
He’s boneless in my arms, but his cock is still hard, so I know he needs more stimulation.
“Please.” It’s barely a whisper.
The fourth finger is harder to squeeze in. I’ve stretched Lewis plenty of times before. My knot is certainly bigger than this. But my knot never has to pass through his rim. The eggs will.
I sink my fingers in to the knuckle. “Relax, love. I need you to take more, okay?”
He shakes his head.
“Are you too full?”
He shakes his head again. He doesn’t know what’s happening.
Then his inner penguin takes control. He rolls his hips against my hand, pushing it in further and further. Past my knuckles. My palm.
He squeezes me hard, and I think he’s going to break my hand in half.
“Todd! I can’t!” He’s in a panic. His consciousness is resurfacing. I need to figure out how to let his inner penguin take control again.
“Shhhhhh.” I stroke my hand up and down his cock, trying to relax him.
“Oh, God. I’m going to come, and it’s going to tear me apart!”
“It’s not, love. Relax. Let yourself feel good. C’mon. I’ll take care of you.”
He screams, and his ass clenches me tight, but his cock doesn’t ejaculate. That means the eggs are descending. I need to get my hand inside him to create a pathway.
Lewis is wiggling in my lap again. He’s still so tight, I’m afraid to push any further.
“More. Oh, please, more,” he whines.
I let him wriggle for a little while longer, until he gushes all over my hand, then I tuck my thumb inside his tight rim. It barely fits. He bears down, and I thrust my hand inside. He wails, as his ass swallows me down to the wrist.
He shakes his head, his breath quickening, h
is hands clawing at my skin.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” I say. But he thrashes his legs, and he bears down again, trying to push me out. That’s when I feel it. The solid, smooth weight of an egg against my fingertip.
“Oh, you’re doing such a good job, love. I can feel our chick. C’mon. Push my hand out. You can do it.”
His hands shove me down onto my back. I have to be quick to maneuver my body, so my fist doesn’t rip out of him. He kneels over me, and begins rocking back and forth, squeezing my hand and moaning.
“That’s right. You can do this.”
He sobs, and pulses over my hand again, so I put pressure on his prostate, and his whole body tenses.
“Todd! Oh, Todd!”
“I’m here. Push me out.” I keep rubbing his prostate. He clutches at my chest, his fingernails sinking into my skin. I increase the pressure, and I start to inch my fist against his rim, like when I thrust shallowly with my knot.
He throws his head back. “Fuck! So big!” Then he relaxes his neck and bears down, pushing out my hand with a violent strength. “More,” he whispers. “I need more.”
My little penguin shifter sets his jaw, and bears down, until the widest part of my hand is stuck at his rim. He contracts around me, moaning, and orgasming again. I have no idea how many orgasms he’s had at this point. I slowly ease my hand out, but he snaps, “Stop!” Then pushes again. My hand slips out and a white egg peeks out from his pink, swollen hole.
While I can’t be sure from this angle, that egg looks bigger than my fist.
“You’ve got this,” I say.
“Shut up, Todd,” he snaps. Then his eyes cloud over with lust, and his body goes taut. He sinks his fingers so deep into my chest, I have to stop myself from yelping.
“Nnnnggg!”
The egg protrudes out further, only to be swallowed again by Lewis’s hole. His body is coated with sweat now.
“I can’t. It’s too big,” he sobs.
“It isn’t. I’m big, remember? You can handle me.”
He slaps his hand over my mouth. “Don’t. It’s your big cock’s fault, oh!” His body tenses. “Oh, oh, oh!” The egg slowly pokes out, and I think it’s going to slip back in, but then Lewis lets out one last cry, and it drops onto my stomach.
