Baby Me

by Aidy Award

  It was probably one of his warriors sent by Gris to give a report on the hunt for Geshtianna. A broken wing telegraphed bad news.

  The thought of losing more dragon warriors and their mates broke his concentration and the sunbeam he was using fizzled and dissipated.

  Damn.

  The dragon landed behind him and a voice he recognized from somewhere else sounded in his head. Need help with that, son?

  Cage spun around just in time to see the sparkles of magic fade as the dragon shifted into a man. An unkempt warrior with a prosthetic arm sauntered across the grass toward him.

  The man looked awfully familiar. Where had he seen him before?

  “That sword was forged in a fire hotter than any on Earth. You’re going to need more than some sunshine to break that diamond off for your girl.”

  “It’s not just the diamond. She needs a ring. If the White Witch won’t give Azy one, I will. She is my true mate and I won’t let an old tradition stand between us.”

  These secrets spilled out of Cage’s mouth. He wasn’t supposed to talk of Wyvern business with anyone but the other leaders of the dragon Wyrs and their fathers and sons. There were some things only first sons of first sons were supposed to know.

  The fact that there was a test for Wyvern’s betrothed to prove her worthiness to be the mate of the Wyr leader was one of those close-held secrets.

  The old warrior folded his arms and nodded. “Ahh. You’re after the Wyvern mate’s ring then.”

  “Yes, sir.” Damn it. He could not control his mouth.

  “You think you can make her one instead of waiting for Inanna to leave it for her to find?”

  That was exactly his plan. He couldn't wait on anyone else to keep his mate safe, warm, happy, and healthy. She was his responsibility. “I have to.”

  The warrior tilted his head to the side and studied Cage for a moment. Cage felt like he was being weighed and measured. He must have passed the test because the man nodded. “We'd better get to work then and make your lady something worthy.”

  Cage hadn't realized how worried he was about being able to create the ring on his own until the dragon warrior offered his help. He could have asked the other Wyvern’s for help, but they had all sacrificed for him time and again. It was as if he'd been flying against the wind and now, he didn't have to fight anymore. He had no doubt they could craft a ring worthy of being gifted from a goddess.

  “You worry too much, my boy.” The warrior outstretched his hand asking Cage to hand over the sword. “You need to get back out of your head and start living with your heart again. Your heart is what connects you to your people.”

  What was that supposed to mean? “I've had a lot on my mind.”

  “I know you have.” He turned the sword over in his hands and studied the hilt. He tapped on a particular spot just below the yellow diamond and blew a white-hot stream of fire at it. The diamond didn't budge. “You were raised to be a man of action. Nobody said you had to bear the weight of the world on your own.”

  Shock at this dragon warrior's abilities struck Cage directly in the chest like a big ole bomb of surprise. Gold dragons had domain over sun and sky, not fire. He didn't even know what to think about the man standing here on the mountain helping him, much less come up with a question to ask about why the hell he could control two elements.

  He chose to concentrate on that rather than being called out on being a worry wart of a dragon. He and he alone needed to shoulder his responsibilities. That’s what a Wyvern did.

  The warrior blew another hot stream of dragon fire at the sword and this time a small gilded piece directly under the diamond melted enough for the stone to slide out of its place. Cage thrust his hands forward to catch it and had to toss the jewel from hand to hand like a hot potato. “Ow, that is really fucking hot.”

  He blew on it, calling on a little cool breeze to help him reduce the temperature to a manageable level. When he could hold it without third degree burns, he held the diamond up in the sunlight. So many facets reflected the sun into a million sparkles in the sky. Each of them reminded him of the sheen of Azy’s scales when they shimmered in the water. “It's like this jewel was created especially for her.”

  “Maybe it was.”

  Cage gripped the stone in his fist, turning it over and over in his hand.” How could that possibly be? The sword was created by the First Dragon hundreds of years ago.”

  The other man laughed. “I know. It has fulfilled many prophecies since its creation. Sometimes I regret putting it into the hands of your brethren over the years.”

  There was so much more to this dragon warrior than Cage had guessed. “You're the one who gave it to me, aren't you?”

  The warrior laughed and rolled his eyes. “Duh.”

  Holy sun in the sky. Cage swallowed. The First Dragon, here, on a mountain top, as alive as can be. Okay. Be cool. There had to be a reason Cage was being blessed by a visit from his creator.

  Why didn't he remember meeting the First Dragon before? The memory of receiving the sword was all a bit fuzzy in his mind. Dragons weren't known for wielding magic. Perhaps he was working with a witch. “The White Witch is the midwife.”

  It was too coincidental to have two beings interfering in his life for them not be connected.

  “Figured it out, did ya? You always were smarter than you looked.”

  “I have the feeling I won't remember any of this conversation.” Cage continued to turn the jewel over and over in his hand, using it to anchor him in reality.

  The First Dragon slapped Cage on the back jovially. “Nope. Not a word of it.”

  This was completely surreal.” Then I can ask you anything I want.”

  The First Dragon turned back to the sword and twirled it in his hands, examining the hilt.” Hit me with any quandary you’ve got.”

  Cage would start with an easy one and work his way up to the tough questions. “Why did you give me the sword?”

  “You needed it and it needed you.” The First Dragon blew another stream of fire over the hilt and the sword split in two. Then he blew on it again and again until he held four pieces.

  Cage watched in awe as his creator shaped and formed the metal and jewels into four new swords. They were smaller and thinner than the original, but still beautiful and equally as sharp and deadly as it had been when it was one. Would they work as the one had before, with the mirror, or did the new pieces have new powers?

  “And because you and your brother Wyverns are going to need these.” The First dragon handed one of the swords with a citrine in the hilt to Cage then set the other three down on a rock. One of the new swords had a sparkling blue sapphire, one a deep green emerald, and the final one a brilliant red ruby.

  “Thank you, sir.” The swords would come in handy when fighting the demon dragons and Geshtianna’s servants of the night, but so did claws and teeth and tails. Without matching mirrors for their mate... unless the White Witch was with Azy right now having the same conversation with her.

  “My mistake when I made this sword was to give it to only one dragon. Its power is too unwieldy, and the consequences of being used by only one warrior are too great. You've barely tapped into its magic and it's already changed the course of your future and that of your offspring. Just like it did my own twins.”

  “You had twins?” There was nothing about that in the lore, not that Cage had ever heard. Of course the First Dragon had sons. They had become the first Wyverns of each dragon Wyr, each taking on a color and an element as given to them by the White Witch. But only the first sons of the first sons became Wyverns. If there had been a twin, where did he fit into the grand scheme of things. Was his legacy lost to history?

  “Yes, my boy. Just as you are about to. One sacrificed his life to save all of Dragonkind from Ereshkigal's machinations.”

  The sadness emanated from the First Dragon and took Cage nearly to his knees. He'd never thought about the First Dragon being a parent. He'd raised an entire rac
e of sons who were all warriors. Many had died in battle against the demon dragons. The thought of having to watch his own sons fight against the demon dragons and the King of Hell filled Cage with both pride and gut-wrenching fear.

  Cage could hardly wait to teach his children how to wield their powers and destroy the Black Death, but could he handle seeing one of them die in battle? Fuck.

  Cage remembered that the First Dragon had allowed him to ask whatever he wanted. “Sir, can you see the future, do you know what's coming? Will Azy and I lose one of our twins as you did?”

  “Even Inanna cannot see that, my boy. We have been working at every turn to help you all prepare for the hard battles ahead. Kur-Jara grows stronger and soon even Ereshkigal’s spells will not be able to contain the despair that has turned to hatred in his heart. You and your brothers have done a good job quelling the tide, but none of you can do it on your own.”

  “That's why the White Witch has been finding us mates, isn't it?”

  “It's taken a long time for her to figure out ways around Ereshkigal’s latest revenge.”

  A shimmer of light flashed beside the dragon warrior and the most beautiful woman Cage had ever seen, aside from his Azy, appeared beside the man. She took his arm and snuggled up to him. “I couldn't have done it without you, honeybun. We make a good team. Now if only I can get your sons to do the same.”

  Uh. Was she talking about Cage? He and Azy were a team. They'd razed hell together. Literally. “We have done as you asked and worked to strengthen our bond.”

  They hadn't found the ring yet. Cage didn't like that the White Witch was denying that to Azy. “She is my true mate, my lady. You can give her the ring.”

  The Witch smiled and glanced down at Cage's hands. He'd fiddled with the jewel from the sword in his hand absently all this time. Sometime in his conversation with the First Dragon he'd forgotten he was even doing it. He opened his hand and instead of a faceted stone, he held a glowing ring that looked as though it was made of pure golden sunshine.

  “She can find it in your hand just as well as any other place I might have left it for her.”

  Azy would love it and Cage could hardly wait to give it to her. “Thank you.”

  “Enough of the mushy stuff,” the First Dragon said. He picked up the three swords and shoved them toward Cage. “Get a move on and get these to your brothers. You’re going to need them.”

  That sounded a little to ominous. Cage shoved the ring into his pocket and took the weapons. A stiff wind whipped around him and he blinked at the bright sunshine on top of the bare mountain top.

  Wait. Where had all these swords come from? They looked familiar. All four were similar in styling to the magical sword he carried. The one with the golden jewel called to him to be wielded. Suddenly he knew the other three were for each of the Wyverns and that he needed to get them to their rightful owners immediately if not sooner.

  For the first time since he’d had his soul shard stolen, Cage wanted to go on the offensive against the demon dragons, the Black Witch, and that damned Black Dragon. He’d been reacting to the onslaught of dangers thrown at him.

  No longer.

  Now, with the four Wyverns gathered here in his new home, he had the perfect opportunity to man up and ask for the help to protect his family he needed.

  For too long, he’d kept his fears to himself.

  He shifted into his dragon and grasped the swords in his claw. They would help defeat many demon dragons.

  Which was good, because just then, the demon horde showed up.

  Take That, You Witch

  As soon as Cage got back from wherever the fuck he'd gone this morning, Azy was going to kill him. That was if she wasn't already dead herself. She crept forward into the darkened hallway of the villa. She'd barely made it in the door before demon dragons popped up out of the shadows. She couldn't go back, escape, they blocked the path behind her. She swallowed back the bitter fear in the back of her throat and inched away from the bastards. They weren't attacking, not yet anyway.

  Everywhere she looked, the shadows darkened, and more demon dragons manifested. The normally warm villa felt too hot. Nothing moved in the air except the writhing of their scaly bodies and an occasional flap of wings. The silence surrounded her. So many things were very seriously wrong with this scenario.

  Dammit. The villa and the area around it should have been safe and secure. Azy didn't have any weapons, not even her mirror.

  The wedding planning-palooza called her to come to the dining room where they'd set up shop. It looked like a damn wedding store in there. Even though she'd told them whatever they chose for decorations and food and even the ceremony would be fine, she couldn't begrudge Ciara her excitement. She was clearly having a blast going crazy with the plans.

  Even Azy's Mami Wata sisters were thrilled with the whole idea of a human wedding. If the demons harmed any of them, Azy would march right back down to hell and destroy it all over again. With Cage's help, after the babies were born and hidden away from any and all evil.

  Where was everyone? Had the demon dragons already killed, maimed, and destroyed them all? Where in the world were all the dragon warriors? They should be here slicing and dicing these piles of poo into underwear stains.

  She wrapped her arms around her stomach and reached out to Cage with her mind, hoping against hope he was in dragon form. Cage, where are you. Help.

  No response. Shit. No matter what, she had to keep her babies safe. That fear that burned the back of her throat bubbled up again. Azy had no idea how she was going to make it alone.

  More of the stinking bastards popped up around her, hissing and clawing. Instinct kicked in and she punched the closest one right in the face. It retreated. Strange. Most of the rest of them backed off a few inches as well. That was the first one to even get close to her. She was open and vulnerable and surrounded. She should already be dead.

  The masses of demon dragons scurried around her forming walls. No, not simply walls, a tunnel. They were herding her. That wasn't good at all. Fighting them all off alone wasn't exactly a choice. She certainly didn't want to go wherever they were trying to steer her. Who knew what would be waiting. Probably the Black Dragon, here to exact his revenge for the destruction of his hellish home.

  Yeah. That had mostly been her idea. It had been the first time Cage had put one-hundred percent of his trust in her. She'd called together all their allies and executed the plan to destroy Hell and rescue her friend. There was no plan now and no one to rescue her. No allies. She was utterly alone.

  Azy glared at the demon assholes around her and held up her fists to any that got too close. None made the mistake of approaching her again. With each step she took, they closed in around the way she'd come. The chill of fear for the lives of her loved ones seeped into her.

  Please, Cage. Give me a sign. I'll make it through if I know you're okay. The warmth of Cage's soul burst against her skin. Its light protected her, pushing out warm rays that blinded and singed the demon dragons’ eyes. They squealed and faced away but did not retreat.

  She stroked shaking fingers over his soul shard she wore around her neck. At least she knew he wasn't dead. Cage may not be here by her side, but he was still protecting her. She wasn't alone, not with him as her mate. Okay. If she remembered that, she could make it through whatever was coming her way.

  Azy called to Cage over and over in her head. Eventually he would have to hear her. As slow as the demon dragons allowed, she made her way through their deadly dark tunnel of bodies. They stank and hissed at her. Every time one of them made a move toward her, the babies would shift. They were smart little things and could feel the presence of evil around her. She did her best to soothe them with her thoughts and kept herself as calm as she could so they wouldn't be flooded with the tsunami of fear she was holding back.

  In another few feet, the demon dragons skittered away and finally the bodies gave way to open space again. They'd directed her toward the great room
where she and Cage had declared only the day before that Ciara and her mother could plan everything for the wedding to their heart's content. The two of them would be happy to simply show up. It had given them a reprieve from wedding planning hell. Now the room was a recreation of the depths of hell.

  The room was dark and hot. The skylights were blocked and Azy could barely make out figures in the gloom and doom. Sweet seaweed in the sea. The Wyverns and their mates were all here. Ciara and Jakob were frozen in time near one doorway. Jada and Ky looked ready to pounce into battle. Match was literally mid-shift. His great dragon head already blowing a stream of fire suspended in the air, his body nothing more than a shimmer of red sparkles.

  No mermaids, no other humans, and no Cage.

  What the literal hell was going on here?

  "Come in, young mermaid." At the long dining table, sat one witch Azy never thought she'd see again. Ereshkigal, the Black Witch, queen of the underworld.

  "What do you want, witch?" Azy couldn't keep the disdain out of her voice even though she probably should. She was surrounded, powerless, with no hope of rescue.

  The witch didn't seem bothered by Azy's animosity. She picked at some cake left on a plate near where she was sitting, poking at it with her long craggy-ass fingernails. Girl needed a manicure, bad. "There are many things I want, and I shall have them. You're going to help me."

  Yeah. No. "Only if one of those wants is to die. I'll happily help you with that."

  "I warned Kur-Jara that a half human mate's soul would be worthless to us. Especially one with no real love, no magic, nothing useful but a connection with the shard." The witch scoffed at Azy and waved her hand. She said some words in an ancient sounding tongue and the world around Azy went even darker.

  The only light in the room came from the soul shard. The witch rose to her feet and glared at Azy. She pointed to the necklace and it floated up tugging at Azy's neck.