I wanted to express how blessed I was feeling. Words weren’t exactly my thing, but I was going to give it a shot. I tapped into our bond, opening the communication path. I couldn’t have survived the past week without you, Brax. I could never have found the strength to release my dragon, my Josephina. I love and adore you and I’m more than blessed to be having your children.
I didn’t speak in his mind much, but when I did I made sure it was sappy and sentimental. That way there was no ammunition for the other Compasses to use against me.
Braxton’s reply was cut off by Louis’ laughter.
“Well, not that I expected any different, but you two are having some seriously strong-willed children. I’m not getting much from them; they’re hiding their energy from me. But I’m very happy to tell you that it’s definitely twins, a boy and girl. Your son is protecting his sister, protecting both of them, keeping me from reading their energy. I can’t tell if either are a dragon shifter, but they’re both developing rapidly and are healthy.”
I bounced a little, and broke the circle so I could climb Braxton and reach his face for more kisses. “I don’t need to know anything other than the fact that they’re healthy.”
Braxton chuckled. “Yep, if our children end up being dragon shifters, able to control all races, then we’ll deal with that when it happens. For now we celebrate our blessings.”
He lifted me closer and twirled me around. By the time my feet hit the soft layer of leaves and decaying forest matter, his lips were already on mine. Our kiss went on forever, and when I finally came up for air, I noticed a rain of petals cascading down over us – odd, because there were no flowers above us; the winter months had left the forest in its barest of states.
I caught a flash of gold in the corner of my eye, but by the time I looked there was nothing to be seen.
“She’s happy too,” Braxton said, clearly having caught on to what was happening. “Josephina was bestowing a blessing on us.”
My heart ached to think that she’d been so close and I had missed seeing her, but I was also overjoyed to know that she was watching over me. She was still so much in my life and heart.
Louis must have left us alone, because the forest was now empty of all but Braxton and me. The quiet closed around us, and as my mate reached forward to place both hands over mine, resting against my stomach, I knew this was the first day of the rest of our lives. As cliché as it was, until this moment I had never been free to love Braxton as he deserved. I had been tied to the king, unnaturally dragon mated, bonded to a race who needed me to save them.
But now … I could give myself wholly to my mate and children, and I knew that even with the multitude of trials we would face over the next thousand years, as long as I had my family and pack by my side, I’d take those trials and kick them fair in the balls.
I couldn’t freakin’ wait.