Chapter 45

~Kamari~

I was happy to see Koa and Ryuu bonding again. I understood why Koa was so angry, but his approach was wrong. With everything going on, I didn't have time to talk to him about it, but now I did. As Ryuu leaves the room, I try to get out of my chair. Koa notices my struggle and smiles.

Koa walks over to me, holds his hand, and says, "Your weight shifts again."

"Oh yeah. With Ryuu, it wasn't so bad, but with this one," I gestured to my whelping, " It feels like I swallowed a bag of bricks."

Koa chuckles and then pulls me up. My hands lay on his bare chest as I looked up at him. After that fight, I could feel a subtle drift between Koa and me, making me feel sick. "Koa, would you have if Aneth didn't stop you?" I didn't even want to ask because seeing that kind of rage from him was scary. Koa looks to the floor. 

His gaze draws to the ground, "Would you like me to lie to you?" 

My heart ached, but I knew it was because I knew the answer to my question. "Why?" I swallowed hard; it didn't make sense to me. I noticed Koa's gaze drift to my unborn whelp, which was not warm. I placed a hand on my belly, suddenly feeling a shift in the atmosphere. Then something dawned on me.

"You knew I was pregnant…" I stared at Koa, and the look in his eyes told me so. This rivalry between fire and water was endless. But Nye was never this bad when I was pregnant with Ryuu. I let out a frustrated chuckle, "With every whelp I have between you two, will you always try to attempt murder?!" 

Koa's jaw clenches, and he takes one step toward me, "Yes. Because I can't stand the thought of you bearing anyone else's, especially Nyes'." I felt an underlying disdain in Koa's soul when he said that. "We have no room to be selfish, Koa. Ryuu shouldn't see you acting like that." Koa takes another step forward, "He has already. We may be brothers, but that does not mean we have no malice."

"Kadea's hell Koa…" I turn from him. Just the thought that he'd rather kill my unborn child and risk my life than see it born tore at me. And to them, it seemed so normal! That frightened me. When I turn around, I run smack into Koa, and I gasp; he grabs me in the throat and kisses me. The kiss catches me by surprise, but I ultimately melt into it. I hadn't felt Koa's touch in so long and wanted to reconnect with him; my soul ached for it. I get so wrapped up in him. Koa's eyes glow, yanking me into them like a reeling hook, and I barely notice his caressing of sharp nails against the taunt skin of my belly. The roar of Nye pulls me out of it, and I see the ill intent left behind Koa's luring eyes as they fade. 

My breath quickens. "Don't," I plead against his lips. Not a second later, Nye tackles Koa onto the floor. My mind reels with what could have happened if Nye hadn't come. Nye blocks me from Koa. "You plan to kill," Nye says viciously. "I accepted your whelp!" He says with rage, "Should I have ripped his throat out instead?!"

"Nye." Aneth comes in with a stoic calmness, his voice steady as he walks past me and Nye and heads straight toward Koa. They look at each other for a long moment before Aneth firmly says, "Leave. Do not come back until the whelp is born."

"Aneth…" I say under my breath, but his over-the-shoulder glare is enough to tell me to remain silent and not protest. My eyes burn as Koa takes one last look at him, a look of anger and longing, and it takes all of me not to get sucked back in. Koa leaves. Aneth kneels before me, Nye's eyes intently staring at the strike of blood down my belly. Aneth places a hand there, flames engulf the small scrape, and my whelp feeds on the fire. My gaze meets Aneth; he brings his forehead to mine. "Koa won't stop if he's near you. He is still young. Restraint is not easily learned with our kind." 

I place a hand on Aneth's cheek, "Thank you both." It was horrid to think one of my husbands couldn't be around me when I was pregnant with another's whelp. It was sad. But I knew it was in my best interest and Koa's. Aneth did everyone a favor.

Aneth places an ear on my belly; he pulls back with a charming smile, "Your whelp is strong, Nye." 

The tension in Nye's body gives way, and I give him a warm smile. I turn to more festive matters. "I want to bring back a tradition my father banned long ago. Something that embraces the Dragon culture here." My gaze turns to the window. "My father forgot where this land started, but I never want my kingdom to forget."

"You pose to commemorate Dragons in Nivilia? May I make a suggestion then?" Aneth asked. His eyes always glinted in them as if liquid gold shimmered there. "Of course."

"We shift in front of them."

I hear Nye's low growl. Aneth looks slightly over his shoulder at him, and then Nye stops and groans. "You would like to entertain humans with our transformation? I thought I knew you better."

Aneth rolls his eyes while still looking at me; I can't help but wear a pursed smile, Aneth explains further. "It would be a way for them to connect with Dragons, once a year, of course. I wouldn't make a habit of it." I knew Aneth tolerated humans way better than Nye or Koa. He was curious about them. 

"So all three of you would shift?"

"There would be one of us every year. We'd take turns. A lucky few might even find a scale of mine.* Aneth's calm and stoic demeanor made me adore him. Nye groans, "And what should we call this nightmare of a festival?" I wear a pressed smile as Nye crosses his arms and legs while leaning against the window. Aneth tilts his head and waits for my response.

"Fest of Ignis," I say as I hold my hand to my swollen belly. Aneth and Nye wear smug grins. "The festival of Fire," Nye says with satisfaction, his voice smooth and husky. "Koa will loath this," Nye says, his voice a demented purr. "Although, I like the name Ignis. This shall be my whelp's name."

My brow raises, "You don't want to wait until we know the sex?"

"No," Nye says confidently. I nod my head. "Okay," I look down at my belly. "You're going to be the firstborn in Nivillian land." I whisper down to my whelp, then add, "Don't tell your brother…" I giggle.

Aneth lifts my chin to look at him, "If you have nothing else to do, you should rest. Ignis could come at any time." I agree and nod my head, "Yes, I suppose I should sit my ass down, huh?"

Aneth presses my forehead against mine, lightly nuzzling my nose, and then, in his smooth, oaky voice, says, "Good girl." A flood of tingles travels up my spine as he lightly places his hand on my throat. "Rest."

If I weren't pregnant, I would maul this man…