Baby Me

by Aidy Award

  Friendship and family weren't something one could buy. "It's time we ask for help. No amount of pride... or fear will keep us from saving your brother and mate or destroying those who have harmed us. It's time to unite."

  Gris was privy to almost everything a Wyvern knew since he would have to take over the role should Cage die before he had an heir. The look of surprise on this hardened warrior would be funny at any other time. Uniting the Wyrs wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence. It wasn't even an every century event. "Yes, sir."

  "All of our dragon warrior brothers will learn the value of combining our skills and forces. Here and now is the place to start." Cage knew how to do it, that wasn't the question. Would the other Wyverns agree? They hadn't ever even discussed the possibility. He jumped up on top of the large dining room table. "Wyverns, warriors, mates, and friends. Azynsa and I need your help."

  The heady ring of his alpha voice pierced the air grabbing everyone's attention. His gold dragon warriors couldn't help but respond, but even Jakob, Ky, and Match looked up at him.

  "Is Azy okay? The babies?" Ciara asked.

  "The midwife has told us the twins are in distress and she needs to bring them now. But there is a dark force, it is the same one many of us have battled. This evil does not want these two new dragon warriors born." His statement was met with many low growls and a few gasps. Cage knew the feeling.

  "I ask of you now a move that hasn't been done since the great battle for hell the First Dragon and the White Witch fought so many years ago at the dawn of the age of Dragon Warriors. We must combine our magic, our Wyrs under one banner to push back this evil."

  More of his golds got that same look that Gris had, surprised their Wyvern would even suggest such a bold move. "Together, we can save my children.” Cage pulled up the courage he needed to complete the first wing of his request. "Together we can help the new generation of Dragon Warriors into the world."

  That sparked interest from everyone in the room. Good. He wasn't the only one who needed to think of the twins as new warriors. They were truly the first children of this generation and long overdue. There was a reason for that, even if they didn't yet know what it was. Cage knew in his heart that his boys would lead the way for the rest of the unborn souls of dragon warriors waiting to come into the world. Maybe even lead them in life and the battle for good when they were grown too.

  Now that he'd planted the idea in their heads, he would drive the need to unite the Wyrs home. "If it was only the Black Dragon, we might be able to fight him off on our own as we have so far. We've sent him running and his army hiding. But Ereshkigal attacked us on her own and she is no mere witch. Only when we fought as one, did we scare her away. It won't be enough. She will be back."

  His gut told him more trouble was brewing. Bringing the Wyrs together now would not only help his children safely into the world, it might be the only way to stop the rising darkness that was coming. They'd had no reason to join forces for centuries. Warrior life had become easy. A few demon dragon hunts here or there and no mates lives to worry about.

  This generation of Wyverns he was a part of had all come into their Prime within a few years of each other and had all inherited their Wyrs around the same time. Each were young for accepting that mantle of responsibility, even Match who was the eldest of them all. Unlike their fathers before them, he, Ky, Jakob and Match had learned to work together like when Cage's soul shard had been stolen. But they were still completely independent of each other. That had to end. If they were going to defeat these dark foes.

  "Brothers, join me. Unite our Wyrs here and now. Help my children into the world and then follow me into battle to defeat those that would bring their plague of evil to our world once and for all."

  The room went completely silent, each person considering Cage sent up a prayer to the First Dragon asking for help and guidance and maybe a little luck and faith.

  Ky grabbed Jada up in a heated kiss and then stepped up onto the table as the first Wyvern to either challenge or join Cage. This was the moment of truth.

  "I, Kaiārahi Tarakona Puru, Wyvern of the Blue Dragons will help you, brother. I pledge the loyalty of the Blue Dragon Wyr to you and join you in this fight against evil." Ky clasped Cage's forearm and a clap of blue and gold magic shuttered through the air, sealing their fates together.

  Jakob pressed his head to Ciara's, brushed his lips across hers and joined them on top of the makeshift dias. "I, Jakob Zeleny, Wyvern of the Green Dragons am here in aid to you, brother. I pledge the loyalty of the Green Dragon Wyr and its warriors to you." Jakob too extended his hand to Cage and when they shook on it another wave of magic, this time green and gold flashed through the room.

  All eyes went to Match. If anyone united Dragonkind it should be the Red Wyvern, the Alpha of alphas, first son of the first son. Cage couldn't wait for Match to do it. Either they acted now, or his whole world would be destroyed.

  Match jumped up on the table. He extended his arm to Cage and they clasped each other. Match looked so deep into Cage's eyes, he might as well have crawled inside his head. "I, Maciej Cervony, Wyvern of the Red Dragons will help you, your mate, and your children, brother."

  Gratitude of the highest magnitude poured from every cell in Cage's body. It was more than any red dragon warrior, much less their Wyvern had ever given. The Red Wyvern was the rightful leader of the dragon warriors and it meant more than anyone could say that he was willing to allow Cage to unite the Wyrs under the Gold banner.

  "But," He gripped Cage's arm even harder. "Until I find my mate, I cannot join your battle. I must save her first."

  Match had a mate? Cage searched his brother Wyvern's eyes. A quick glance down at Match's neck showed his dark red soul shard still hanging there. Inside the faintest of a spark flickered.

  Holy shit. Cage exchanged a look with Ky and Jakob. They were as surprised as anyone. Cranky ass bastard had been keeping secrets. Match had a mate.

  "I understand." Later he was sure they would have time to ask the one million questions about who and where this mysterious mate was and how they could help find and rescue her. Because First Dragon above, they all knew Match needed to get laid. And Cage knew the love of a mate would change everything for his brother Wyvern.

  The one warrior none of them would think capable of love held a deep grief in his eyes. "Still I pledge the loyalty of the Red Dragon Wyr to you. Lead them well, AllWyvern."

  At his final word a thunderclap of light and heat, gold and red shook the room. It was done. They Wyrs were united for the first time in centuries, and Cage was the Wyvern of all. It was a responsibility he would hold only as long as absolutely necessary and wield with great care.

  Cage looked around the room, a new sharpness to his gaze. His first order of business was to throw a mantle of protection around the area to help his twins meet their new family. "To the beach."

  The dragons shifted and they all flew with the help of the wind down to the beach in only moments. They gave room for those carrying their mates to land first and shift. Cage set down right at the edge of the water and waded in to where Azy floated nearby surrounded by the mermaids. She held Señora Boh's hand, but as he approached, she reached for him instead.

  She squeezed his hand and drew him close to her. "Wow. Either having babies is making me hallucinate or you're glowing."

  As was the shard hanging from her neck. Cage kissed her on the forehead and sank down into the water beside her. "I'll tell you all about it later. How are you feeling? How are the babes?"

  A new round of the mermaids' song lifted into the air and resonated across the water. The three who'd been visiting them the past few days swam over and guided Ciara, Jada, Fleur, and Wilhelmina into the water with them. After just a few seconds the women picked up the simple lullaby and sang along too.

  "They're naughty is what they are. Wiggly and poking me in the everywhere. Still they won't let Señora Boh help them come out. They even shocked her on her last try."

/>   Cage chuckled. "That's my boys. I have a feeling they'll be a handful the rest of our lives."

  Azy rolled her eyes, but she grinned too. That smile turned into a grimace and she gripped his hand hard and buried her face in his chest, burying a groan of pain.

  Señora Boh placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "We can't wait any longer. AllWyvern, call forth your dragons. We need the touch of everyone's elements to call up the magic to push back the evil hunting these babies. I need everything you've got to pull them into our world."

  Cage nodded. He let a partial shift take him over, his dragon rising just to the surface, changing only his eyes into the gold of his dragon so that he could mentally call out to the united Wyr.

  Brother warriors. Call upon the gifts bestowed on you by the First Dragon and the White Witch. Give us your wind and sun, bring forth the water and ice, send us the healing power of the Earth, and reign down the fire of dragons. Let your gifts become one to share with those who need our protection.

  Gold dragons flew in a circle above their heads, at first only five or six made up of a few warrior guards stationed at the villa. Within a few minutes though more dragons joined them coming from all four directions until the sky was a golden vortex. Rays of sun shined down onto Azy and Cage and a warm breeze swept over their skin. A soft greenish fog found its way onto the breeze and swirled around them. Jakob and Steele blew the healing breath that Green Dragons possessed into the air. This dragon's breath was filled with white sparkles as Ciara stopped singing and lifted her arms into the air, calling on her own gifts as a white witch.

  Great walls of trees, vines, and plants that Cage couldn't even identify grew up creating a barrier between the secluded beach and the rest of the world. Several blue dragons surfaced alongside the mermaids. Ky must have called them. A gentle rain pitter-patted down onto the leaves and the waves around Cage and Azy slowed to a gentle rocking.

  Match was the only red dragon present and his fire was the final element. Cage wasn't sure how the Red Wyvern would yield his power without burning the trees, filling the sky with smoke, boiling the water, or singeing everyone with his breath of fire. Their exchange of magic when Match pledged his Wyr to Cage, demonstrated that he was the most powerful red the world had ever seen and a keeper of the ancient flame. He would do the right thing.

  Match shifted into his great beast of a dragon and raised his wings. He closed his eyes looking every bit the image emblazoned on the minds of the world of what a dragon represented. Slowly, lifted by the breeze, red sparks lifted up off of his back, legs, and neck, turning from glittering scales into fiery embers, a fountain of sparkling fire.

  Azy gasped. "Oh my goodness. That’s…he's amazing."

  Indeed, he was. The embers floated on the breeze, some alighting on Cage and Azy, but instead of burning them, they soaked into their skin, giving them renewed energy. More embers joined the other elements and the riot of colors combined into a blinding beautiful white light.

  "It's time." Señora Boh bowed her head and circled her hands over Azy's belly. The same golden egg-shaped ball formed between the two of them.

  Azy tensed in his arms and breathed in and out fast and hard like she was running a marathon. "Cage, oh God. This does not feel good."

  She groaned and suppressed a cry into his chest. He held onto her so tight and pulled his own sun and wind down to comfort her as best as he could. "You can do it, Az. I'm here for you. Everyone is here for you."

  The mermaids lowered their volume until their song was almost a whisper and the only distinct voices were that of Zambezi and the dragon warriors' mates. The white magic continued to swirl around them and Señora Boh began to shake with her effort.

  Azy cried out again and Cage watched horrified as the skin on her stomach rippled. "Ooooow. Holy Mary, Mother of God. Ow."

  "I'm sorry, love. I wish I could do anything else to help you. Tell me what you need, Azynsa."

  "Ow, ow, ow, ow. If this is how dragon babies are born, we are never having sex ever again, you big dumb dragon." She squeezed his hand hard enough to cut off his circulation.

  That was just the pain talking. He hoped. "Love, I will be your devoted celibate mate the rest of my days if you wish."

  "Don't be an asshole. You are sexing me up the second I feel up to it." She sneered at him and wrinkled up her nose.

  "Almost. Hold on. I've almost got them." Each of Señora Boh's words came out on a grunt. She was sweating and red in the face. This process was taking a toll on her as well. "Come on, you little stinkers."

  Azy's eyes went wide and Cage's stomach clenched. She squeezed her face tight and gave a great wrenching scream. The world exploded into fireworks of every color and the land and sea shook beneath them.

  Azy lay limp in his arms. No. Sun and sky, no. "Azy? Azynsa. Baby, can you hear me?"

  "They can hear you on the moon," she groaned.

  Thank the First Dragon. Cage held her tight to him and brushed a kiss across her forehead. She opened her eyes and turned her gaze toward Señora Boh. The midwife held between her hands, in that egg of golden light, two tiny babies.

  "Congratulations. You have a son... and a daughter."

  A joy so intense burst from Cage's heart he thought it might explode. He was so happy, he didn't even register what the midwife had said for a moment. A son. The next Gold Wyvern.

  And a daughter.

  Uh. Wait a minute.

  A daughter? "Señora. I think you need to check again. Dragons do not have daughters. There is no such thing as a female dragon."

  The midwife floated the egg of light over to them and set it gently on Azy's chest. "They'll need to stay in the light until they are strong enough to face the world head on. A few weeks, maybe a month or so. We'll see how they grow. And I assure you, dragon or not, you do have a daughter."

  Huh. "A daughter."

  Azy smiled up at him and cradled the babies in their light. For all the fuss, they were fast asleep. No crying or wails, just the two cutest little babies on the face of the planet. She whispered to him. "Aren't they beautiful?"

  Yes, they were. Cage gently lifted the babies and held them aloft. "We have a son and daughter!"

  The dragons, mermaids, friends, and family erupted into cheers.

  Who Wants to Get Married?

  While Azy slept Cage kept watch over the incubator of light the witch had surrounded his children in. In the few short days since they’d been born they’d grown so much it was visible. Every time he looked at them, they were bigger and stronger.

  He would do anything to protect them. They'd moved from the little treehouse into the main villa so there would be no more flying back and forth. A new elite guard of mixed dragons was on century duties twenty-four seven to keep watch over the children and the house.

  “There’s this tradition, son, that when babies are born, the father hands out cigars to all of his friends to celebrate.” A warrior with a prosthetic arm stepped up beside Cage and looked down at the little egg of light.

  He pulled two cigars from a pocket, and handed one over, biting off the end of the other. “My mate doesn’t like these things, but I say where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and I am a dragon after all, so fire is a good thing.” He blew a tight flame at the end of his cigar and got it burning.

  Many dragons from all of the Wyrs had come through to see the new babies and pay their respects to him and Azy. There would be plenty of pomp and circumstance as the Wyrs transitioned to this new united state. So far none had challenged his status as the AllWyvern.

  Cage didn't know this particular warrior by name. He was well into his Prime and with his scars had seen many battles. With the ability of dragon's fire, he was obviously a red, so Match must have brought some of the Red Wyr in to help prepare the battle strategy. Reds were ruthless in their hatred of demon dragons.

  "Thank you, warrior. I appreciate the gesture." Cage took the cigar and twirled it in his fingers.

  “You know, kid. Ba
bies are tougher than they look. Yours are the toughest. Their little souls have been around the block a few times, and they are well prepared for this life. So, don’t you worry about them. I've done plenty of that for you. With some love and guidance from you and your mate, they’ll grow up to be fine warriors.”

  Warriors. He was having a hard enough time understanding that he had a daughter, much less that she would be a warrior. "I want to help them do that. How can I when all I want to do is wrap them up in fluffy clouds and never let the evils of the world know they exist?"

  “I wanted to protect all my dragonlings when they were first born too. But that would have been both a bad idea for them and the world. My brood have all fought a lot of battles with a lot of demons. The Earth would have been a very different place, dark and filled with fear and death had our children not defended it.” The warrior took a puff on the cigar but didn't blow out any smoke, rather he blew soft green puffs of healing dragon's breath.

  “If they get hurt," if they died, he couldn't voice that thought. He had to be courageous for his children. "I don’t think I could handle it.”

  Both men stared down at the little ones. “Somehow you do. They'll have plenty of scrapes and bruises as they grow up. Nothing prepares you for losing one though. When we lost Jara, I nearly burned the world down myself.”

  This man had given the greatest of sacrifices in the fight against evil. “Why didn’t you?”

  “My mate reminded me there were others still living in the world that I cared about. We had to go on for the rest of them. They were all hurt and mourning the loss of their brother too. Especially his sister. So, you find a way. It’s not easy. It won’t be for you either. You find a way to go on. Not the same as before. But you do.” The elder dragon warrior clapped Cage on the back. "You don't have to worry about any of that just yet. They're not ready to go off and fight anything but the sandman. Revel in their innocence as long as you can."