by J B Black
The warlock sleepily smiled. “Well, what does it feel like?”
Closing his eyes, Athanasius stretched as far as he could, and the world shimmered bright and strong around him. “It reminds me of when I met my stepfather.” He frowned, opening his eyes to meet Castor’s concerned gaze. “I hated him. My father threw me aside at his request, and then he punished me for the time he didn’t have with my father as a result of his decision to push me aside.”
“I don’t get why he didn’t just bring you back into the line once his children seemed uninterested,” Castor grumbled, brushing a strange of black hair from his love’s face. “He’s an idiot.”
With a sigh, the taller man shrugged. “My father came to dismiss me from the line with his husband. He was pregnant with my first godly half-sibling, who became a forest god. I believe my stepfather never fully forgot how my brother was less powerful despite his pureblood than I was.”
“Death and life - you’d think he would realize they cancel each other to a degree,” the warlock joked, and Athanasius smiled.
“Honestly, I was more frustrated that my godly father could bear children than anything. My life - I’ve always been surrounded by death and destruction. I thought it connected me to him, but to see him round and full of life…” Athanasius curled forward, pulling Castor closer. “I hated how he could have both.”
“But now you do!”
Brows furrowing, the black-haired man huffed, “I don’t. I have you and the baby, but I can feel that I’m no longer tied to death or the underworld.”
Grinning, the blond pressed their foreheads together. “Maybe you’re the god of fertility. Wouldn’t it just serve him right if your stepfather lost his territory to you?”
The pair laughed, neither believing it to be true, but when they awoke the next day, crowns of flowers were in both their hair. All around their home, blossoms grew and newborns gathered despite the season. A vixen pranced with her kits as a herd of deer grazed with their sweet fawns.
With a hand on his pregnant belly, Athanasius gaped. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Is that a triple rainbow? How can there be three rainbows?” Castor wondered, gazing up at the sky above their cottage.
From the sea, a wave came, rising and standing tall with a man with black hair and bright blue eyes. “Brother,” the god greeted. “I bring amusing news.”
“Nereus?” Athanasius called in confusion, and the other nodded, jumping to land upon the grass as the wave receded. “I haven’t seen you in centuries.”
“It’s rather difficult to get inland as a god of the sea,” Nereus explained. His bright eyes traveled to Castor. “And you must be my brother’s husband.”
“Warlock Castor, at your service,” the blond greeted, thanking the heavens his training kicked in when he could only gawk in wonder at the flowers blooming out of season outside his home.
Nereus pressed a hand to his chest. “When you were cursed, I and all our siblings protested, Athanasius, which is how we convinced our dam to block our father from the underworld; however, a rather clever human emperor by the name of Lydos convinced him to request Father make it up to you by bestowing his title upon you.”
“Lydos…” Athanasius could have wept at the sound of his human half-brother’s name. “I don’t...I don’t understand.”
Nereus chuckled. “Brother, you are now the god of spring. Well...gods, technically. The whole bride system is rather archaic, isn’t it? Better to say joint gods of spring.”
Despite hearing the situation so plainly stated, Athanasius could only look to his mate in astonishment. Castor grinned, wrapping an arm around his pregnant husband.
“I think you make a wonderful god of spring, my love,” Castor proclaimed, pressing a kiss to his mate’s cheek.
“But then -”
“If our shared parent couldn’t retire, it makes sense for Father to do so. They can spend their eternities in the underworld together.” Nereus sauntered forward. “Now, let me greet my nephew or niece. I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally have a sibling settled on the coast!”
Athanasius smiled brightly, hugging his brother. This was a life far brighter than he had ever expected, and as he learned of what became of the rest of his godly half-siblings, the pregnant god smiled in relief to hear Lydos was happy and well with his wife in the underworld. It would be even longer than he had ever dreamed before he would see his human half-brother again, but when he did, he knew he could finally tell Lydos that he had found the happiness his brother always believed he deserved.
Chapter Seventeen
Having settled in the cottage and gotten in contact with his friends and family, Castor brought Athanasius to a festival to introduce his mate to the pair to whom they both owed their happily ever after. The demigod flushed, shy and sweet as he kept close to the blond warlock’s side.
They were hardly in the crowd long when Castor spotted his red-haired friend. “Radek!” He reached back, pulling his mate closer to his side. “This is Athanasius! Isn’t he gorgeous?” Castor tugged the cloak aside, revealing the gravid roundness of his belly. “And we’re having a baby!”
Despite the blush, Athanasius leaned into the touch as the two dragons and their triplets came close. Every time he introduced his mate, Castor couldn’t help the way his chest swelled with pride.
“Congratulations!” Julian smiled, and Castor grinned broadly as he stood on the tips of his toes to press a kiss to his mate’s cheek.
Pinking so beautifully, Athanasius murmured, “Thank you.”
“And these are your babies!” Castor ruffled the hair of two of the triplets. The red-haired boy leaned into the touch with a bright smile while the black-haired one leaned back as if suspicious of this new person. “Incredible! Three at once!”
Julian laughed. “Well, dragons often have clutches, and as we’re fated, we were lucky enough that all three survived.”
“Did you give birth live? Or lay?” Castor asked, knowing his mate would be curious to speak with someone about giving birth.
“Lay.”
Athanasius leaned back, disappointed, and Castor wrapped an arm around him. “Ronan and Fannar both gave birth, and Fannar fought in at least half a dozen battles in Faerie while pregnant with their third child,” the blond offered his mate as reassurance.
Humming as if in uncertain and slightly unwilling agreement, Athansius brought his cloak around him once more. “I suppose.”
Sleepily staring at the pair, the third of the triplets huffed, holding his arms out toward Athanasius. When the man didn’t immediately take him, he demanded, “Carry me.”
Black brows rose, scrunching up the scar on his forehead, and his quicksilver eyes bounced between Julian and Radek before falling to Castor as if horrified.
“Emil, you’re already being carried,” Radek interrupted before the demigod could get his bearings on the situation.
Before Castor could interfere, the young dragon - Emil - pushed again. “No, Papa. He will carry me. He is taller.”
“Would you mind…?” Radek asked, and with a curt nod, Athanasius lifted Emil into his arms. The tiny dragon squealed in delight - his wings popping out before he settled and rested his elbows on the demigod’s shoulders as he peered about, finally awake. “You’re a natural.”
The same pleased blush colored his cheeks, and Castor sighed, smiling up at Athanasius with eyes overflowing with love and contentment. A god-child was just as indestructible as a dragon, so Emil would be fantastic practice for the nervous god.
“Why don’t we get these boys some cake and flower crowns?” Julian suggested, leading Athanasius toward the baker’s stall as Emil bounced in the demigod’s arm, rambling about what he wanted to do next and playing with some of the beads braided into the warrior’s hair.
Tugging Castor into a hug, Radek grinned at their mates. “You did it, Castor. You’re perfect for each other.”
“It was a long road, but the destination was wo
rth it,” Castor replied, gazing at his mate fondly. With a laugh, he ducked his head and smiled up at the red dragon. “And look at you two! Mated with three adorable tots!”
“They’re brilliant, aren’t they?”
Both men watched fondly as Emil tried to feed his cake to Athanasius while one of his brothers, who had already finished his, begged for more from the black-haired brother who consumed his own in slow, tiny bites.
“Julek,” Julian warned. “That is your brother’s cake. You’ve already eaten yours.”
Turning his back on his brother, the black-haired dragon child scooted closer to Athanasius and stuck out his tongue as Julek collapsed into Julian’s lap with a pout.
“They are a handful though,” Radek admitted. Glancing over at his friend, the dragon said, “Thank you for giving me the push I needed.”
The warlock laughed, shrugging. “It was in my own interest. I only stuck around as long as I did in hopes of helping, and I planned on going to Faerie after, so if it hadn’t been for you, who knows how much longer Athanasius would have been cursed.”
Patting his friend on the back, Radek headed to scoop up Julek, tossing the boy into the air and reveling in the excited giggles as the toddler’s wings sprouted, fluttering to keep him aloft before he fell back into his father’s arms.
Finishing his treat, the black-haired child reached out. “Wait, Papa! My turn!”
“No, Leopold! My turn,” Julek protested, but Radek lifted them both together.
Julian smiled. “Radek?”
“Yes, darling?” the red dragon asked, pausing in his movements.
“I love you.”
Grinning broadly, Radek bent down to press a kiss to his mate’s lip. “I love you too.”
“Love you!” Leopold and Julek exclaimed in unison, grabbing hold of both their parents to hug them. It was everything Castor hoped he would soon have - everything he wished Athanasius to know.
In his mate’s lap, Emil glanced over, and with a huff announced, “I love cake.”
Chuckling softly, Athanasius gave the toddler a small smile, and Castor threw his arms around his husband. “I love you too! Just think. We’ll have one of our own soon.”
Blushing, the demigod said nothing. He only ducked his head; however, he leaned into his mate’s embrace, shyly accepting the expressive affection the warlock gave him. All around them, the festival continued as life went on.
***
In two year’s time, Castor and his mate would stand on the shore outside their cottage as their child played in the waves with his Uncle Nereus, and as the sun set, the warlock would his mate on the lips as his hands caressed the curve which hinted of the twins which would come. Pregnant and finally at peace with himself, Athanasius would smile brightly, and nothing in the world could be better to Castor than the love of his life at his side and their son happy and healthy as he played surrounded by love.
If you enjoyed The Wandering Warlock’s Fated Mate, you might enjoy these other works by J.B. Black:
Mpreg Novellas
The Fae King’s Fated Mate
From Forest God’s Head Scribe to Fertile Bride
From Warlock’s Familiar to His Alpha Husband
Pining Rival to Virile Mate
Becoming the Incubus’s Fertile Mate
Proud Dragon’s Fated Mate
Mpreg Shorts
Becoming a Werewolf’s Fertile Mate
Red Rider’s Fertile Bride
From Brave Knight to Fertile Queen
M/F Fertile Fantasies
Fertile Fairytale Horde
Fertile Fairytale Horde 2
Major Explicit Short Bundle
Pleasured by the Demon Lord
