Dragons of Cinderhollow Bundle

by Hawke Oakley

  “I’ve tried everything with this damn plant,” he muttered. “Water, sun, fertilizer, a lack of all three… It just doesn’t open up, no matter what I do.”

  I took the ceramic pot from him and looked at the plant. The stem and leaves were intact and seemed healthy. But the bud at the top was firmly closed.

  I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. I channelled all the nurturing feelings I felt towards my baby into the soil, letting it surround the plant. In my mind’s eye, I imagined the plant healthy and happy, opening up its bud to soak up the sun’s rays.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Ryu muttered.

  When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by bright pink flower petals. The carnation had bloomed.

  I laughed. “No way.”

  Ryu was happily shocked, shaking his head in awe. “If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. You made it bloom, Gabriel.”

  I sat back, feeling lightheaded but proud. Ryu took the pot and scampered over to the counter, where he placed the carnation in full view.

  “Here, take a sip of tea,” he encouraged, pushing the cup towards me. I gladly drank. “I believe my theory was correct.”

  “And?” I said, my voice slightly hoarse.

  “I believe your pregnancy is enhancing your magic skills,” he said.

  I braced myself against the table. “Huh. Really?”

  “Yes. Even the non-dragons I’ve known that are magic aligned never improved this quickly. Perhaps your magic is especially powerful because earth tends to be the most strongly influenced by nurturing people, and you obviously have deep nurturing instincts for your baby. That would explain why you’ve improved so fast.”

  I nodded along, but suddenly I couldn't quite follow. My head was starting to spin and my body rocked, despite holding onto the table. I felt dizzy.

  Ryu’s excitement faded, instantly replaced by concern. “Gabriel?”

  My vision blurred. Spots blew up behind my eyelids as I rocked in place. Then Ryu’s concerned face went sideways as I fell. Everything went black.

  The world was blurry and out of focus when I came to. The first thing I was aware of was a voice frantically calling my name. A voice I recognized.

  “Dante?” I mumbled.

  His face was in view now. I blinked a few times and cleared my eyes. He looked absolutely terrified.

  “Oh my gods, Gabe, are you okay?” he cried. His hands trembled as they grasped my shoulders.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I said. My voice was a bit hoarse and my shirt felt slick with sweat. A throbbing headache made it difficult to sit up.

  Dante sighed, letting out a small plume of fire in exasperation and relief and anger. As soon as he realized I was okay, he whirled around to Ryu.

  “What the hell did you make him do?” Dante snarled.

  Ryu put up his hands. His expression was nearly as terrified as Dante’s. “We were doing elemental training and obviously took it too far -”

  “Obviously!” Dante snapped. “He passed out, for gods’ sake! I should have never left him here with you!”

  Hurt streaked across Ryu’s face. Even though I was still woozy, I had to say something. I couldn’t let Dante yell at my teacher that way.

  “It’s not his fault,” I interrupted firmly. “I was the one who pushed him to keep going.”

  Dante frowned. Concern and fear etched into his face made him look older. “Is that true?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Don’t take it out on him.”

  “No, I should have stopped you,” Ryu said, shaking his head and holding it low. “It’s my responsibility as your teacher to make sure you don’t exert yourself.”

  “That’s right,” Dante growled.

  Despite feeling unwell, I shot to my feet. “That’s enough! Stop fighting. It was my fault and that’s final. I knew I wasn’t feeling great and I still pushed myself.” I glared at Dante. “I know my own limits and I went beyond them. Stop blaming Ryu.”

  The fiery anger in Dante’s face seemed to burn out. He sighed and muttered to Ryu, “Sorry, man.”

  Ryu gave him a small nod but his head was still bowed in apology to me.

  “Anyway, I feel okay now. Mostly,” I added.

  “Let me get you both some tea,” Ryu said.

  As he left, Dante turned to me with a worried frown. “You have no idea how scared I was. When I got the call that you collapsed, I thought my heart was gonna stop.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Dante pulled me close, putting my head to his chest. His heart was still beating frantically. I felt horrible for worrying him.

  “I’ve never been like this before,” Dante muttered. “Being so worried about someone else all the time. It’s like I can’t breathe when I don’t know if you’re safe or not.”

  “I am safe,” I promised him. “I just overestimated my limits. It’s not going to happen again.”

  He sighed, his breath ruffling my hair. “Good.”

  Ryu returned with a tray of hot green tea. I took a cup and sipped it gratefully. Dante barely touched his.

  “Gabriel, I’ll ask again - are you feeling alright now?” Ryu said, his brows knit together.

  “Yes. No more asking that. I’m fine now,” I said. I hated feeling like a victim more than I hated passing out. “Can we talk about something else now?”

  Ryu smiled cautiously at Dante. “Gabriel was amazing in class today. He did things I’ve never seen done, at least by someone as new to magic as him.” He gestured to the carnation on the counter, which bloomed happily in its pot. “Gabriel did that.”

  Despite the furrow in Dante’s brows, he looked surprised. “You did?”

  “Yup. All me. And apparently the baby helped.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ryu explained his theory that my pregnancy was enhancing my magic. Dante took in all the information but didn’t react.

  “He’s truly gifted,” Ryu said, smiling at me. “You should be proud, Dante.”

  I looked to my mate for approval, but to my surprise, found none. He didn’t look happy at all. A deep frown was still etched across his face.

  “Dante?” I said.

  He didn’t look up from his untouched tea. “Yeah. It’s amazing.”

  He didn’t sound amazed.

  Ryu glanced awkwardly back and forth between us. “Would anyone like something to eat? Gabriel, if you’re up to it?” he offered.

  Dante stood suddenly. “I think we should go home.”

  “What?”

  Ryu said nothing. He glanced at me sympathetically.

  I couldn’t stand it anymore. I firmly locked eyes with my mate.

  “Dante, what is going on?” I demanded.

  “I don’t think you should practice magic anymore,” Dante said.

  “What?”

  “Not now, not while you’re pregnant.” He avoided Ryu’s gaze. “Not here.”

  My jaw dropped. I was too shocked to speak.

  “Let’s go home,” Dante muttered. “Please.”

  Ryu was hurt. He wrapped his shaking fingers around his cup.

  I was too stunned to react. As I followed my mate out of the school, I glanced over my shoulder at Ryu, who stared sullenly down at the table. Dante didn’t say goodbye to his friend.

  11

  Dante

  When I got the news that Gabriel had collapsed, my whole world came crashing down.

  I’d never experienced the sheer terror, the full-body sweat, the raging fire of my dragon crying out in concern for my mate. I regretted not being there at that very moment. I regretted ever leaving his side.

  I had dropped everything, shifted, and flew as fast as I could.

  When I arrived and saw Gabriel passed out on the pillow Ryu had propped him up on, my heart clenched with fear. But he had a pulse. He was alive, thank the gods.

  I wasn’t going to let this happen ever again. Gabriel wouldn’t leave my sight. Not until this baby was born safe and sound. />
  Neither of us spoke on the way home. I carried Gabe to my room, since I didn’t want him to take the stairs after his blackout.

  When we were both inside, Gabriel turned to me and asked, “What the hell was that about?”

  “What was what about?”

  “Your freakout at Ryu’s.” He crossed his arms. “Saying how you don’t want me to practice magic anymore.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt again,” I growled. “It’s safer if you wait until after the baby’s born. Practicing magic takes a lot of energy, and you need all your energy right now.”

  Gabriel threw his hands up. “Okay, first you beg me to learn magic, and now you don’t want me to anymore?”

  “Until after the baby’s born,” I stressed.

  But that didn’t soothe him. “Dante, I like learning magic. I like having something to do, a skill to learn. And I’m good at it! Didn’t you see the flower?”

  “I did.”

  He seemed unimpressed with my answer. “Can you do that?”

  I couldn’t. Earth wasn’t my strongest element. “No.”

  “Do you even, like, care that I made a stubborn flower bloom with barely any training?” he demanded.

  “I care more about your safety!” I snapped.

  “It’s all about safety with you,” he muttered.

  “Of course it is!” I cried. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do!”

  Gabriel lowered his voice. “Dante, this is the safest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I’m well-fed, sheltered, cared for… Hell, there’s even a damn magical barrier keeping enemies from invading. And my mate is a dragon, for gods’ sake!”

  He approached me, reaching for my hands.

  “I am safe,” he repeated. “So don’t worry.”

  “Gabriel,” I growled, “I thought I lost you today. Do you understand that?”

  He frowned and didn’t reply.

  “When I got the call, I was scared out of my fucking mind. I didn’t know what happened. Every worst possible situation ran through my mind by the time I got to you. And worse - if I lost you, I wouldn’t just be losing you. I’d lose the baby as well. I’d lose everything.”

  “Well, you didn’t,” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m right here, alive and well. And so is the baby.”

  We were both silent. My eyes fell to his belly, which still wasn’t showing.

  Gabriel noticed my line of sight. “What’s wrong?”

  “What if the baby got hurt in the fall?” I asked.

  He frowned. My question clearly took him by surprise. “Did I fall that hard?” he asked quietly.

  I nodded. “Ryu said the only reason you didn’t hit your head is because he caught your fall.”

  He grimaced. “If that’s true, you definitely shouldn’t have yelled at him like that.”

  I knew he was right. After the initial shock of fear wore off, I realized I’d been too harsh on my friend. “I’ll apologize to him later. But right now I’m still concerned about the baby. I want to take you to the doctor, Gabe.”

  I thought he’d refuse since he was still fired up from earlier, but at the mention of the baby he nodded soberly. “Okay.”

  I made an appointment right away with our family doctor, Dr. Lynden. She was an old, wise dragon - a lindwurm, to be specific - who had delivered Lorenzo and I when we were born. I trusted her deeply.

  “Dante, good to see you,” she said. “And this must be Gabriel. Come in right away.”

  Dr. Lynden ushered us into her office, which she graciously opened after-hours just for us. I appreciated her immensely for it. Out of all the doctors in the tribe, I trusted her the most.

  “Tell me what happened,” Dr. Lynden said as she propped Gabriel up on the table.

  “I was practicing magic and I overexerted myself,” Gabriel explained. “I ended up passing out, but I don’t really remember it.”

  “I see,” Dr. Lynden said. “Did you hit your head?”

  “No, my friend caught him before his head hit the floor,” I said.

  She nodded. “And you’re worried about the baby?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Gabriel, please lay back for me, dear. I’ll need you to lift your shirt.”

  He did as she told him. Dr. Lynden smeared clear jelly on Gabriel’s exposed stomach, then pressed a machine sensor to his skin. He winced at the coldness.

  Dr. Lynden turned a screen on and gestured to it. “Look.”

  Gabe and I both gasped at what we saw.

  “Is that…?” Gabriel asked.

  “Yes,” Dr. Lynden said with a smile. “That’s your baby.”

  It was a strange, black-and-white, vaguely mammal shaped blur on the screen. But it was our baby - and it was alive.

  “The baby seems just fine,” Dr. Lynden assured us. “But I know you’re first time parents, and everything seems stressful.” She cleaned up Gabe’s belly and he pulled his shirt back down. “The best thing is to stay calm and try not to panic, as difficult as it may be.” She grinned at me. “Your alpha-father was a worrier, too, Dante. It must run in the family.”

  I blushed and grumbled.

  “Go home and get some rest, both of you.” She reached for the counter and pulled out some bottles. “Gabriel, take one of these a day. They’re supplements for the baby. Not mandatory, but helpful - especially since you’re carrying a dragon.”

  “It can be difficult on the bearer, depending on a number of things,” she explained. “Mostly, we worry about smaller species with large size differences, the health of the omega, the number of children… What kind of shifter did you say you were, Gabriel?”

  “A wolf,” he replied.

  She nodded. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You seem to be in good shape, fit and healthy, and there’s only one baby that I can see inside you. Everything should run smoothly.”

  Gabe sighed in relief, but I still wasn’t so sure.

  “What about magic?” I asked cautiously.

  Dr. Lynden turned to Gabriel. “Do you enjoy practising magic?”

  “I do,” he said with a nod.

  “Then by all means continue.” She smiled. “I’ve heard anecdotes that children whose bearers perform magic during gestation end up with better magical capabilities, but I don’t know if that’s true for certain.”

  Gabriel shot me a grin.

  “But what if he exerts himself again?” I asked the doctor.

  Gabe’s grin turned into a frown. “I know my limits, Dante.”

  Dr. Lynden put a comforting hand on my forearm. “Dear, I know you’re worried. But this was just an accident. I’m sure it won’t happen again. Both your mate and baby are in excellent health.”

  I considered their words, then let out a conceding sigh. “Okay.”

  Gabe grinned widely.

  “Great,” Dr. Lynden said. “Gabriel, I want to see you in a month for a check-up. Don’t hesitate to give me a call if anything comes up.”

  “Okay,” Gabe said. “Um… By the way, how long is a dragon pregnancy?”

  “Six months, depending on the omega’s species. You’re looking at roughly five more months.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Okay. So far, so good. Dante, can you last that much longer?”

  Comforted by the doctor’s reassurance, I grinned back. “I’ll see if I can manage.”

  Gabe’s smile was more relaxed now that the tension had left me. I felt guilty for stressing him out so badly earlier.

  “Now, go on and get out of my office,” Dr. Lynden said, shooing us. “I’ve got to get home and watch my soaps.”

  When we got home, Gabe and I collapsed on the bed. The stress and nerves of the day had tired us out.

  Gabe reached over to the bedside table and dropped my phone in front of me. When I looked at him curiously, he raised a brow.

  “You know what you have to do,” he muttered.

  He was talking about Ryu. I sighed. “I know.”

  I truly ha
dn’t meant to snap at him like that. I knew in my heart my friend would’ve never pushed Gabe like that. He was level-headed and didn’t take risks.

  I slinked off the bed and hovered by the window, staring aimlessly at the night sky as his number rang.

  “Hello?” Ryu’s voice was cautious.

  “Hey, man,” I said. I ran a hand through my hair. “Listen, I’m sorry about today. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

  Ryu hummed. “I shouldn’t have let Gabriel push himself. I should have ordered him to rest.”

  I chuckled. “He doesn’t take too well to orders. Not even from me.”

  “Yes. In fact, when I suggested a break, he nearly bit my head off,” Ryu said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “He’s feisty, that’s for sure. Even when it gets him into trouble.” I shot Gabe a glance over my shoulder. He stuck his tongue out at me.

  Ryu laughed softly. “Isn’t getting into trouble how the two of you met?”

  “Damn true. Maybe I should’ve picked up a less problematic omega.”

  Gabe rolled his eyes playfully and kicked his legs up in the air.

  “I am really impressed by his progress, though, Dante,” Ryu said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. He’s powerful.”

  I smiled to myself, enjoying hearing his praise for my mate. I couldn’t appreciate it in the heat of the moment, but it dawned on me just how special he was to be able to use magic like that already. “Yeah.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Gabe languidly roll out of bed and stride to the bookshelf. Lazily, he skimmed through the titles as I was busy talking on the phone.

  “I think with time he would be an excellent mage,” Ryu continued. “Maybe he could even become a teacher for non-dragons in the tribe.”

  “You think?” I asked. A teacher - like Ryu - would be a safe and well-respected job. It would give Gabe a purpose, something he didn’t have in his old pack except for the sole purpose of breeding.

  “I’ll talk to him about it once the whole pregnancy thing is over,” I promised.

  “How is he, by the way?” Ryu asked. The sympathy in his voice was clear. He obviously still felt bad about Gabe’s fall.