Baby Me

by Aidy Award

  Cage retrieved a very old looking book from AmberGris and handed it and the ring over to Match. He nodded to Jakob and Ky, who took up on either side of her and Cage. Match flipped the book open and began reciting words that sounded vaguely Middle Eastern to her. She didn't understand any of them except when he said her name and then Cage’s. Cage responded in the same language as if he had been asked a question and said her name.

  Then both Cage and Match looked at her like she had something to say. Match rolled his eyes. She stuck out her tongue at him.

  Cage chuckled, grabbed her hands and said, “Repeat after me.”

  She nodded and listened close to the foreign syllables so that she could say them back to him.

  “Ni, Azynsa cad men anna ni gud Cage Gylden.” The cadence of the sentence felt oddly familiar. She'd heard something similar to it before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on when or where. It wasn't like she spoke any foreign languages, if you didn't count mermaid.

  She repeated as much as she could back to him. “Ni, Azynsa, cad men…”

  “cad men anna ni gud –” Cage prompted her.

  “cad men anna ni gud Cage Gylden.” As she finished the sentence, Cage picked the ring up off the book Match was holding and slid it on her finger. It glowed with a light that matched the soul shard hanging around her neck, both flashing with magic.

  The magic crackled through the air and a sound like shattering glass came from the protective barrier around the babies. Light streamed from cracks that spread across the shell and one teeny tiny hand of their son thrust its way through, like a little power fist bursting the bubble of magic. The light fell away in chunks, dissipating into the air and the babies lay in Señora Boh's arms, hugging each other close.

  A pressure like she'd been holding her breath too long and finally let go released Azy from its tight grip. Her babies. They were here and safe and perfect. She and Cage both stared for what was only a single blink but felt like an eternity. This was their first real glimpse of their children, no barriers, no magic, only thriving amazing life.

  Azy picked them both up and held them in her arms, tears streaming down her face with more joy than she'd ever known before. Their little boy had golden brown skin, a dusting of blond kinky curls, and blinked fiery eyes swirling with gold flames up at them. Their baby girl was a beautiful creamy light brown with pure white hair and eyes like frost on a winter morning.

  Cage surrounded all three of them with his arms, holding them gently to his chest. “My love, they are beautiful, just like you.”

  “They are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” So sweet, so precious.

  "Señora?" She'd like to have the midwife check them over, make sure everything was okay. The children were so tiny, but they seemed to be fully grown. Both the midwife and the priest were gone. Like they'd simply vanished into the air. "Where did she go?"

  A woman's voice came from behind Match's back. "Her job is done. She must have decided it was safe for you and your children. It is her way to leave new mothers in peace."

  The warriors parted and Ninsy stepped into the circle. "She's asked me to come to help with the young warriors. I am here to serve you, my lady."

  Before Azy could even acknowledge Ninsy, Match was on her in a flash. He growled low. "Where is Fallyn?"

  Ninsy didn't flinch. "My service to her is through, my lord. She's off finding her way in the world."

  "Exposed?" Not only smoke, but little wisps of flame licked at his lips.

  Ninsy nodded, calm and serene. "She is ready."

  Match stumbled back at those words, like she'd hit him with a baseball bat to the chest. He glanced around the circle of warriors and their mates, his eyes wild. "Cage, I must take my leave of you. My second in command, Brand, is ready to do whatever you need."

  Cage grasped Match's arm in a warrior's embrace. "Go. Seek your revenge."

  Red light, flames, shimmered over Match and his dragon burst forth, knocking over the wedding arch. He took to the sky and Cage made a motion to some of his golds to flank him. "Use the winds to help him on his journey."

  Azy had about a million and a half questions, especially about her friend Fallyn. But every one of them could wait. She had her family to tend to first.

  Yes. Her family. A husband, two children, and a lot of love. She could barely believe that was her life. More prickles of tears tickled her lashes and eyes. Happiness didn't even begin to describe how she felt. "Thank you for coming, Ninsy. I'm sure we'll be glad for your help soon, but not just yet."

  "I understand, my lady. Please, celebrate the birth of your children, your nuptials, and the Gold Wyr's united bond. I will be at your disposal." She turned at greeted the other Wyverns with a nod to them each, then took up Wilhelmina's hand. "It is good to see you again, my friend. I am glad to have you back in our midst."

  Wilhelmina shook Ninsy’s hand but placed her other hand over her throat and twirled the pearls there, fidgeting with them. "Oh, I, well. It's nice to see you too."

  Storm clouds formed above Ciara's head. "Mother? How do you know Ninsy?"

  "She was your nanny when you were little, dear. She helped me out with you after your father left." Wilhelmina's eyes darted from Auric to Ninsy to Ciara and back again.

  Ninsy didn't look old enough to Azy to have been Ciara's nanny. Then again, they didn't know what sort of being she was. It was enough for Azy to know that Ninsy had battled with the dragons before and had helped Fallyn who had been batshit crazy the last time they were together. She had a warm comforting presence and could wield a sword like a mother fucker. Sounded like perfect nanny material.

  Ciara threw up her hands and walked away muttering something about way too many secrets. Jakob gave his mother-in-law a look that had Azy kind of glad she didn't have in-laws to deal with. He followed Ciara and stopped her only a couple of feet away, soothing her until her storm clouds turned into soft snowflakes and dissipated in the warm Spanish morning.

  Ninsy laughed. "You know that's not how it happened. You've got a lot of explaining to do to her, don't you?"

  Wilhelmina sputtered. "I-well, she, I--Ciara has been my number one priority since I knew I was pregnant."

  "Mrs. Willingham?" Azy couldn't quite bring herself to call Ciara's mother by her first name. She certainly didn't feel qualified to give motherly advice. She'd only been a mom for a few days now. But she did understand what it was like not to have a mother around to share that special bond. Azy looked down at her own daughter. "She just wants to know you love her."

  Auric turned Wilhelmina toward him. "It might help if you told her our story."

  These guys were better than reality TV. Real Housewives of Dragon Warriors. Azy snuggled into Cage's warm chest and wondered just how much of this drama the wedding guests were seeing. If she'd been sitting there waiting, she'd have declared it was reception time already.

  "I have been asking you for twenty some odd years to be my companion. Now that the Gold Wyvern has found his mate, you can finally mate your own dragon. We're a little late, but we can still be a family. Will you finally allow me to mark and claim you, Mina? It might help."

  Ciara poked her head back into the circle. "Yeah, mom."

  "You're sure Ciara is safe now?" Wilhelmina glanced over at her daughter, back to Auric, and then at the sleeping babies in Azy's arms.

  Auric nodded and Ciara frowned. She looked like she was about to harangue her mother with a billion more questions, but Jakob hauled her back and ran his hands up and down her arms. "She is safe with me, Wilhelmina. I swear it is so."

  "Well, okay. Fine then." She looked up into Azy's eyes. "You'll see soon enough, that you'll do anything for your children. Even if it means giving up your own life for them. Even if they hate you for it."

  "I don't hate you, mother."

  Azy would give her life for her little ones. She'd try really hard to build a solid relationship with them, so they always knew they were loved.

  "It's okay.
Ninsy is right. I do have a lot of explaining to do. I want to do it with your father there by my side." Wilhelmina tipped her head to the side and rolled her eyes, but she also smiled. "Do your biting thing then."

  Auric laughed and swooped her up into a twirl and kissed her, giving them all a show as his kilt floated up like a schoolgirl's skirt. He set his bride down at their protests and bent his head to Wilhelmina's throat. "I claim you, Wilhelmina, as my mate. Wear my mark for all the world to see." He scraped his teeth across her skin and bit into the tender flesh there. He marked her, claimed her, and before everyone's eyes the white hair on Wilhelmina's head turned a deep golden brown, her skin smoothed, and her eyes had a whole new sparkle to them. The motherly figure now looked only a few years older than her daughter.

  Azy gasped and looked up at Cage. "Uh. What just happened? Does that dragon have power over time or something?"

  Ninsy laughed. "No silly. Auric is in his Prime and will be for several hundred more years. Wilhelmina's body has just adjusted to match his age. All dragons and mates do. We wouldn't want anyone widowed, now would we. That's just a terrible business. My mistress would never allow it."

  Whoa. All the dragons near enough to hear Ninsy went wide-eyed. Apparently, this was news to them as well. Azy didn't even know how old Cage was or how long dragons lived. She wouldn't mind having a good long life with him. "I didn't feel a change. Are you sure?"

  "Your human age is near enough to your mate that your shift is subtle."

  Phew. "Cage? How old are you, honey?"

  Their little boy started to wiggle and fuss. Cage stroked the boy's head and then slipped his finger into his son's grasp. "I'm a good thirty years into my prime. A hundred and eighty-one, love. How old did you think I was?"

  Holy crap. He was almost nine times her age. Pervy old man. "Like, actually thirty. I thought all the Wyvern's were give or take."

  He shrugged. "Essentially that's about right for human years, I guess. It's about six to one until we're around two-hundred or so. Then we don't physically age again until we're into our Wisdom years."

  Oh man. If they were going to continue this conversation, she needed a drink. Granted it would be a non-alcoholic one now that the babies were here, and she was planning on breast-feeding. "I think it's time to get this party started. This is a whole lot of revelations for one wedding ceremony. We've been standing up here forever."

  "Now you're speaking my language, bro." Ky raised his hands up into the air and hollered for everyone there to hear. "Let's eat cake!"

  The guests cheered and clapped for the happy couples. Jada, who had of course made the cake, rolled her eyes at him. Everyone moved toward the big white tents where the wedding breakfast was set up. Azy could say one thing. Dragons knew how to par-tay.

  She'd seen them fight hard, now was the time to play hard. There was dancing, and fire spitting contests, and Cage won several consecutive loopty-loop contests. The babies were oohed and ahhed over until everyone was exhausted.

  Azy was sure she'd want to spend every second with her newborns but after the first very long day, she was grateful when Ninsy took them and settled them into their bassinet with the same mermaid lullaby they'd been born to.

  Cage lay stretched out on their bed, his arms over his head and already snoring softly. She crawled in with him and set her head on his shoulder.

  "How was your wedding day, love?" He wrapped an arm around her and rubbed a slow hand up and down her side.

  "I thought you were asleep." She wasn't sure either of them were actually up to a wedding night. That was okay, they had the rest of their very long lives together to make love. "It was so much better than I ever thought I would have."

  "Good. This is a day I will hold deep in my heart whenever I'm away from you." They both knew in the coming days that would be more often than they'd like. Gris had already left earlier this afternoon to head back to the search for Geshtianna.

  "Hey Cage, what age do the babies start learning to shift?" There were just not a whole lot of dragon mothers around to ask this kind of stuff. Hopefully Ninsy would be knowledgeable.

  "Hmm. Somewhere between forty to sixty. It's different for everyone. They'll begin warrior training at puberty. Around a hundred."

  Ah, sea slug shit. "You mean they're going to be little kids until they're over sixty?"

  Cage laughed. Well, he wouldn't be laughing when he was the one up changing dirty diapers at two in the morning. She'd make sure Ninsy was not available for the stinkiest and dirtiest.

  "Little kids for a hundred years." She poked him in the chest. "We are never having sex again."

  "We'll see about that, baby. You're very irresistible and I'll do my best to tempt you." Cage rolled over and pinned her under him. He dotted her face with kisses, then moved down her throat and scraped his teeth over the golden mark of the dragon on her skin. She pushed her hands into his hair, encouraging him as he moved his nips and suckles down her body until she was all hot and bothered, calling his name.

  Okay, no sex...except maybe tonight, and tomorrow, the night after that, and as many sultry nights as she could get with her true mate, the love of her life.

  Epilogue: Somebody Has to Save the World

  In the days following Cage and Azy used the mirror and sword to search for Jett to see if there really was something, he could do to help keep the babies safe from Ereshkigal. But with no luck.

  After another attempt, searching in America of all places, Cage paced around the room. "It's like that little fucker has disappeared off the face of the earth. I'm sending more warriors abroad to see if they can dig him out."

  "Can we afford some of the guards? I don't want to lose any of them because what if the demon dragons find a way back in? But even I can tell those poor warriors are bored out of their minds on babysitting duty."

  Ninsy came in with a baby in each arm and handed their little girl to Azy, time for a feeding. "I assure you, my lord and lady, the Gold Wyr bond you have created to the land and the people is more than enough to keep demon dragons out."

  Cage lifted their son to his shoulder and patted him softly on his back. They’d continued growing and no longer looked like tiny newborns. "But we don't know the full extent of the Black Witch's power and the Black Dragon may be nursing his wounds, but he too will be back."

  The little boy started to cry, not wanting to wait his turn to eat. "Ooh, sorry there, little man. Don't cry. Everything will be just fine. Save those wails for your mommy."

  "What? No. I don't think so." If she didn't have a baby trying hard to latch on, she'd flip him off.

  Cage continued to croon to the child. "Oh, yes. You tell your mama you're so mad because she can't decide on a name. That's right. It's all her fault you’re a poor nameless slob."

  "Oh my God. Not this again. I'm not calling your daughter Goldie and her brother Locks."

  "What's that, Locks? You think your mama's being stubborn. Oh, yes. Me too. But if you have a better suggestion for a name worthy of the future Wyvern of the Gold Dragons, you'd better tell her."

  The little boy wailed again, clearly not having half as much fun as his father. "Yes, little boy, yes. I think that's a great idea. See if you can convince her that your name should be Apollo."

  Names and their meanings or history were very important to Cage and his ancestors. Being named after the sun god was exactly the right kind of name for his first-born son. Plus, it was absolutely adorable. No brainer.

  She gave Cage a big grin. "Does Apollo have any suggestions for his sister?"

  Apollo screeched, which in the next breath turned to hiccups. "I don't think he does. Babe, I'm going to take him for a little flight. Have some guy bonding time while he's waiting for his turn."

  In a flash Cage was in his dragon form flying out the skylight with Apollo cupped in his great talons. Their baby girl fell asleep while eating her fill and Azy got up to set her in the bassinet. Azy twirled the little sun and moon mobile hanging over the top. A shim
mer of light flashed up on the ceiling and danced around the room. She spun around. Her magic mirror was glowing like it did when she and Cage used it to transport themselves through but in conjunction with the sword.

  Crap. Could Cage and Apollo be in trouble?

  The next instant Fallyn, dressed like a biker chick in leather pants and vest, appeared from through the reflection. She didn't even look at Azy. Without saying a word, she crossed the room and stood next to the sleeping baby looking down at her adoringly.

  As soon as Azy's heart crawled back in her chest she slowly approached her long lost friend. The last time they were together, Fallyn had been very ill. Mentally unstable. Being raised in hell by the Black Dragon would do that to a person. But Ninsy had said she was better, implied Fallyn was ready to be on her own. Then there was the whole Match seeking his revenge thing. She had stabbed him in the heart with a poisoned dagger.

  It probably wasn't safe for her to be here, yet Azy's gut told her she and the baby weren't in any danger. Even in her darkest days, Fallyn had a moral compass, had sacrificed to save Azy from being horribly whipped. They were tied together by a bond having come from saving each other that others would never understand. And Azy had felt connected to this woman since the day they'd come across each other in hell. She still held a deep responsibility for her that was almost as strong as the one she felt for her children. "Fallyn? Where did you come from?"

  What she really wanted to ask was where she'd been. Ninsy assured them she was taking care of Fallyn, helping her to get healthy, but they had disappeared, and no one had heard from them or had even been able to find them in months.

  Fallyn pulled something shiny from her pocket and hung it from the mobile on a red satin ribbon. “Hello, Izzy.”

  Uh-oh. This had happened when they were in hell too. At first Azy had thought Fallyn was mispronouncing her name. Turned out she was talking to someone in her head. So Ninsy hadn't been a hundred percent right about her recovery. Fallyn was still hearing voices.