Dragons of Cinderhollow Bundle

by Hawke Oakley

  I sighed with a smile. Halo was stubborn as a mule sometimes, but it was one of the things I loved about him. I gave up and took a seat.

  “Fine,” I said. “So, what’s it going to be for breakfast, then?”

  He smirked. “Pancakes. Big, fat, fluffy ones, dripping syrup.”

  “Given up on healthy eating?”

  “Yes,” he said, scowling. “Screw the baby’s healthy eating habits, I’m eating for me for once.”

  I chuckled. But as Halo strained to reach the sack of flour, he suddenly gasped. The pan in his hand clattered to the floor.

  “Halo?” I asked, immediately getting up.

  Halo groaned and pointed to the floor. A puddle formed - one that leaked all the way down from his legs. His water had broken.

  “Shit,” I muttered. I rushed to him. “Come on. I’ll carry you out the door.”

  “No, I can walk by myself,” he began to say, but then he buckled under his own weight with an embarrassed yelp. I quickly caught him, and he sighed. “Okay, maybe I do need some help…”

  * * *

  “I’m sorry - Halo who?”

  My mate’s face turned red from anger and embarrassment. “Fire-Eater,” he ground out in a tone that made it very clear he was done talking about this.

  A growl built in my throat. I was getting pretty tired of the man at the front desk and his unprofessional behavior.

  “But - that can’t really be your name, can it?” the man stammered. “I mean, he’s a legend and all…”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I slammed my hand down on the counter and snarled, “Look, my mate’s water broke and he’s already in labor. If you don’t get him a room and a doctor right now - ”

  “What’s going on here?” a stern, familiar voice demanded.

  To my relief, Dr. Lynden strode out with a glare aimed at the front desk man. “Why aren’t you helping this couple?”

  “Ah, Dr. Lynden, I’m sorry, but he says his name - ”

  “Does it matter what his name is?” Dr. Lynden snapped. She looked at Halo and I, and I saw recognition flicker in her eyes. She must have remembered us from the fountain when we first arrived. If she noticed I was wearing an eyepatch now, she didn’t comment on it - there were more urgent matters to attend to. “Come on, you two. I’ll take you in myself.”

  “Thank gods,” Halo muttered. His face twisted in pain now and I felt a pang of sympathy. The contractions must have started.

  We quickly followed Dr. Lynden and she ushered us into a room that was already set up for childbirth. I helped Halo on to the bed. Sweat beaded his brow and his breaths were shallow. I didn’t notice the few nurses streaming into the room because I was too focused on holding Halo’s hand - or at least, letting him squeeze mine so hard it was painful.

  “Fuck, it hurts,” Halo muttered, his eyes clenched shut.

  “The contractions are coming fast,” Dr. Lyden stated with a frown. “You can push, Halo. This baby isn’t going to wait.”

  “Shit,” Halo whined as he threw his head back. He gasped. “Damnit, Angel didn’t come out this fast, but she wasn’t as painful, either…”

  He screamed now as another bad one hit, and he clutched my hand, digging his nails into me and leaving red crescent marks behind.

  “You’re doing well,” Dr. Lynden praised him. “Don’t stop now.”

  “Fuck!” Halo cried.

  “Halo, look at me,” I said. His eyes opened, pale and full of pain. “I’m right here. You can do this. I love you.”

  “Love you - agh!” The agony ripped through him.

  “The baby will be here soon,” I promised him. “Our baby, and this will all be worth it. You’re going to fall in love as soon as the baby’s here.”

  Halo muttered something under his breath about this being my fault, but it was cut off as he cried out again. A nurse put a wet cloth on his forehead, and he slapped it away. “Fuck!”

  I couldn’t even feel embarrassed about his bratty behavior because he was suffering so much. It was times like this where I wished I could share some of his pain.

  “Keep pushing, Halo,” Dr. Lynden ordered.

  Halo just screamed in reply.

  And then, in the midst of the chaos, another voice cried out. I heard Dr. Lynden laugh, full of joy and relief. I was so used to her sternness that it caught me off guard. I glanced quickly in her direction and saw -

  “Our baby,” I murmured. “Halo, look.”

  Halo’s voice, broken from screaming and crying, came out in a small croak. “Oh, gods…”

  Dr. Lynden brought the baby to Halo’s side. “We have to get him cleaned up, but here he is.”

  “A son,” I murmured, my chest swelling with joy. “Our son.”

  Halo whimpered and began silently crying at the sight of our newborn. When Dr. Lynden gently told Halo she had to clean him off, Halo just nodded and bit his lip.

  “You did it,” I said, stroking his sweat-damp hair off his forehead.

  “I did,” he whimpered.

  I leaned down to kiss him, tasting his sweat and tears. “I love you so much.”

  He nodded with a choked laugh. “I love you, too. Sorry I keep crying but I’m so fucking emotional.”

  Dr. Lynden returned and gently handed Halo his son. He was… breathtakingly beautiful. I couldn’t find the words to describe him. He had Halo’s golden hair and resembled him so much, even in this tiny newborn form.

  “He’s gorgeous,” I said, unable to keep the smile from my face.

  “He is.” Halo smiled, too, radiating love.

  A quiet knock at the door drew our attention. One of the nurses smiled and said, “Sorry, but there’s a few people here to see you. James, I think the man said his name was? If you’d rather not, I can tell them to leave.”

  We looked to Dr. Lynden, who nodded at us. “You and the baby are both healthy. They’re free to visit.”

  “Yes, I think I’d like that,” Halo said.

  After giving the nurse the okay, three men carefully shuffled in. It was James, Luce, and the fox shifter named Halo. Luce’s arm was still in a brace from his injury at the last battle.

  Their eyes all lit up at the sight of our baby.

  “Oh, he’s beautiful,” James said, his expression gentler than I’d ever seen it.

  The fox omega Halo wiped tears from his eyes. “Gods, this makes me wish I had my own so bad!”

  “He looks so much like you, Halo,” Luce said to my mate, smiling. “What’s his name?”

  The question hung in the air for a moment and all eyes were on the two of us. Even the baby had quieted down, as if sensing the important moment.

  “Well… I know we didn’t talk about it with you guys, but we decided to name him Lucian,” Halo said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “It’s his own name, but it was inspired by a certain fox shifter we know.”

  Luce’s eyes widened and a blush spread across his cheeks. “Oh!”

  James and the fox Halo laughed as they touched their beta leader’s shoulders.

  Luce seemed at a loss for words. “I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

  Halo shook his head. “No, thank you. All of you, and the other foxes, for standing with me. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Luce glanced sympathetically at me now. “I’m sorry about your eye.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, waving him off. “You were more hurt than I was.”

  Luce shrugged and patted the brace. “It’s healing. Better alive than dead, anyway.” He paused and bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Halo, and Kassius, for everything.”

  I noticed with a slight grin that he wasn’t calling me alpha anymore. None of them were. I guessed they had adjusted to life in Cinderhollow, no longer under the whip and command of alphas.

  They were free now. We all were.

  But there was still one last thing Halo and I needed to do.

  Epilogue: Halo

  RESERVED FOR PRIVAT
E EVENT

  I swallowed hard at the sign on the front door of the Drunken Dragon. I felt silly being anxious at the bold-font words on the sign, even though I knew the event was for us. Or was it about us? Now I was getting too anxious to even think.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Kass promised. Our month old son, Lucius, lay sleeping against his chest. His small form looked even tinier in Kass’s strong arms.

  “I know. I think,” I muttered. With a sigh, I pushed the doors open. “Let’s do it.”

  The bar was quiet, and smelled strangely sweet, like a candle had been lit. I saw then that a row of candles stood on two big wooden tables, side by side like they had been pushed together for a special occasion.

  At the table were three faces I recognized, and many others that I didn’t - but they all glanced in our direction with warm expressions.

  Kass took my hand. “Come on. They won’t bite.”

  “Hello,” I said, my voice breaking. Damn it!

  “Hi,” the man I recognized as Scar said. He reached out a hand - the one that wasn’t a prosthetic - and I shook it. Both of our palms were clammy. “Um, I’m Scar. And this is my mate, Ryu.” He gestured to his mate, who smiled back at me. In his lap sat someone I recognized, too. “And - well, um, you know Angel.”

  At the sound of her name, which she was now old enough to recognize, she glanced in my direction. Her eyes widened in strange wonder and her jaw dropped.

  Ryu stood awkwardly, still holding Angel. He didn’t seem to know if he wanted to hand her to me or not. When I hesitated, a sorrowful and protective glance flickered across his expression.

  “Ah…” I said. I lifted my palm, a peace gesture. “I told you already, it’s not like that. We’re not here to take her away.”

  A collective sigh of relief rippled across the table, even among the people I didn’t know. It seemed like with those simple words, the strange tension in the air shattered.

  “Were you all… worried?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable.

  “Worried?” One young man muttered. “Hell, I was almost ready for a fight.”

  The man next to him elbowed him in the side - his mate, I assumed.

  “Sorry, uh, maybe I should introduce everyone first,” Scar mumbled.

  He went across the table, and each pair - I recognized they were all couples now - introduced themselves. The man who got elbowed and his partner who elbowed him were Dante and Gabriel, who smiled politely now, and the older alpha and darker skinned omega next to them were Lorenzo and Raja.

  Kass raised a hand to wave at Dante and Gabriel, who he had met a few months earlier. “Where’s Noah?”

  “We had to leave the kids with sitters, otherwise it would be chaos,” Gabriel said with a shy grin.

  “I’m pretty sure ours would incur a ton of damages to the bar that won’t be covered by insurance,” Raja mumbled, but he was grinning too.

  Kass stepped up to my side and suggested, “Maybe we should introduce ourselves properly, too.”

  “Oh. Right.” I cleared my throat a little as all eyes were on us. “I’m Halo Fire-Eater. Some of you, er, might know me as the Cinderhollow barrier… creator.”

  “It was amazing, what you did,” Gabriel said, gratitude and awe in his voice.

  I blushed. Hearing someone in the present day actually say those words filled me with pride. “Thank you. And, um, this is my mate.”

  Kass normally wasn’t shy, but even his cheeks turned pink when the attention shifted to him. “Hello, everyone. I’m Kassius Pax. I’m Halo’s mate and… Angel’s biological alpha-father.”

  Still in Ryu’s arms, Angel stared at me. I blinked back at her, my eyes filling with tears. She grumbled something and outstretched her arms.

  I gazed at Ryu, begging him silently.

  Ryu stepped forward and handed Angel to me with a sympathetic gaze.

  “Hi, Angel,” I murmured, “how are you?”

  Kass gazed down at her with a bittersweet smile. “She’s still beautiful.”

  Ryu and Scar exchanged a glance - somewhat sad, but full of pride.

  “Is that…?” Ryu asked gently, gesturing to our newborn.

  “Oh - yes,” I said. “This is Lucius, Angel’s new baby brother.”

  The omegas in the room let out a collective aww.

  I felt a strange but pleasant kinship with these people, like our fates were intertwined now. I knew I had to say something.

  “Ryu and Scar, I… This isn’t easy for me. Not for Kass, either,” I admitted. “But we want… We want you to keep Angel.”

  The two men held their breath as intense emotions flashed across their faces.

  “I know now that leaving her here, in front of this very bar, wasn’t a mistake,” I continued. “She found two amazing parents, who I have no doubt will continue to raise her with love.”

  No one interrupted, but Scar - who had a gruff, almost intimidating exterior - began to cry silently.

  Still holding Angel, I hugged her a bit tighter. “I just want to know if… If the two of you would be okay with Kass and I, and now Lucius… visiting once in a while?”

  Ryu broke out into tears now too, but he laughed softly as he wiped them away. “Yes. Of course.”

  A pain in my heart lifted, and soared away. I let out a sob I didn’t know I’d been holding. I let loose for I don’t know how long, but I was surrounded by warm bodies - Kass, Ryu and Scar and held me as I cried.

  I knew in my heart that we did the right thing.

  * * *

  At home that night, Kass held me close and pressed soft butterfly kisses to my cheeks. I melted into his warmth, knowing that I could stay like this forever.

  “You know,” I began, tracing my finger along the side of his face before brushing the thin leather eyepatch over his eye, “you can take this off at night.”

  “I can?” Kass gasped, mocking shock.

  “There has to be a reason you keep it on,” I said coyly, knowing full well what it was.

  “Of course there is,” he growled playfully back. “You think it’s sexy.”

  I bit my lip, but it didn’t hold back the grin on my face. “Yeah? And what about it?”

  “Nothing.” Kass smirked. “Maybe that just incentivizes me to keep it on.”

  My brows raised. “Oh?” I ran my hand down his bare, warm chest. “Is that right?”

  Kass grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down into a deep kiss. My cock instantly sprang to life and brushed against his. A shiver wracked my body. A sudden intense, desperate need for pleasure took over.

  My mate must have felt the same, because he moaned low against my lips.

  “Turn around,” he ordered. I thought he meant to fuck me from behind, but as I moved in that direction he shook his head. “No. Like this.”

  He grasped my hips and I yelped as he spun me around so my lower half hovered over his head. At the same time, I was face-to-face with his now bulging cock.

  “Oh,” I said, smirking and licking my lips, “I see.”

  We began at the same time, both of us shivering and groaning as we gave and received pleasure simultaneously. Kass’s cock twitched in my hands as I took it past my lips, and my own hips trembled with effort and anticipation as Kass engulfed me in his mouth. I moaned, the sound reverberating and adding an extra sensory layer to Kass’s pleasure.

  I braced myself and slowly took the rest of his length inside. My head spun. His musky scent filled my nose, and his taste overwhelmed me and made me feel high. My cock twitched in response inside Kass’s mouth. My balls already ached and I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. The intense pleasure electrified every inch of my skin.

  And then Kass began making obscene noises - slurping and sucking loudly so that I could hear, and I whimpered. I popped my mouth off off Kass’s dick just long enough to murmur, “Kass, I can’t take much more.”

  He hummed encouragingly in reply and began sucking faster. I cried out, my hot breath against Kass’s sensitiv
e flesh making it twitch. He bucked his hips, eager for me to finish, and I wasted no time taking him back into my mouth. But the pleasure was overwhelming, and I couldn’t help the tiny noises constantly escaping my throat.

  Sweat dripped down my brow and dampened my hair. My palms were slick with sweat as I grasped the thick base of Kass’s dick. It throbbed in my hands, hot and alive. The taste of him on my tongue and scent of his hair and skin drove me insane. I was dizzy with arousal, and I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted more than this.

  I concentrated on ignoring my gag reflex and lowered my mouth. Kass was enormous, but at the same time, it felt like his cock was perfect for me - like we were made for each other. My heart beating a mile a minute, I felt the tip of his cock brush my throat, and I forcefully ignored the urge to pull back. Saliva pooled in my mouth, making it even wetter and hotter. Kass let out a deep, mindless moan from around my own dick. His cock jerked and throbbed, and I thought he might cum then and there. But I couldn’t take the pressure any longer, and I had to pull back with a gasp.

  My lips were swollen and my face was coated in a mix of my own spit and Kass’s pre-cum. I felt like a huge slut, but I loved it - I immediately lunged back down to taste more of my mate. I licked up the side of his engorged dick, enjoying the way it twitched in response to my touch. I nuzzled it with my face, smearing his pre-cum around my cheeks and lips, and I swore I heard Kass whine with need. Very gently and slowly, I grazed my teeth against his shaft, up to the very tip until I tongued his slit and took him back into my hot, wet mouth again.

  Out of nowhere, Kass squeezed my balls. That was the trick that sent me over the edge. I cried out - as much as possible, with my mouth still full - and unloaded my cum down Kass’s throat. A muffled groan escaped him, and then his cock twitched and jerked in my mouth right before he returned the favor. My mouth filled with his hot seed, and I had to throw my head back to avoid choking on it. I jerked him off during the rest of his orgasm. When he finished, I pulled my own dick out past his lips, enjoying the sweaty, wet expression on my mate’s face.