Viraj opened and closed his mouth a few times before falling silent. Gatlin rested a hand on Viraj’s shoulder, and Teige remained on the floor—still unconscious. Ryan seemed to notice with a sneer. “Guess he didn’t know, either.”
“He knew.” Gatlin cleared his throat. “Viraj is gravid and there were too many eggs to count on the ultrasound. Teige, I suppose, wasn’t prepared for that.”
Ryan’s gaze flicked to Viraj’s midsection. “How? And no smart-ass answers.”
Ryan crossed his arms, and Viraj cleared his throat. “Well, I thought I was a Drake until things became apparent… I look like a Drake shifted.”
Ryan nodded. “You look like one unshifted, too.”
“Eventually I thought I was Hijada because things weren’t right, but I kept my mouth shut because… You know.” Viraj cleared his throat, and Ryan gave a stilted nod.
“So, when you were up, I let Gaspard look me over for the first time. I had symptoms and apparently they were like Bastien’s first heats.” Viraj flinched as Ryan gasped and his face went slack and blank. “That explains so much…”
“So, yeah. I’m a Dette, with some hormonal or other issues. Intersex?” Viraj shrugged. “Gaspard can tell you the specifics.”
“Just about that.” Gaspard nodded sagely. “We tried a full course of nestblossom isolate and he ran a true heat, it appears. Whether or not it regulates his hormones and he starts looking more like a Dette is up to fate.”
“So all this time. You traded me off and then you—” Ryan released a slow hiss of a breath. “You know what? That’s so far in my past and I’m happier than I could have ever been. I’m angry and probably should be at you, but you were afraid, I guess.”
Viraj nodded. “I wasn’t certain until I—” Viraj gestured at his groin. “It was pretty obvious something was wrong. I’ll spare you details.”
Ryan glared and stared daggers at Gatlin, who cowered under the Dette’s persuasive nature. Ryan could be a force to reckon with. His dragon spoke loudly and magic flourished with care.
“It’s uh. I mean. There’s no knot and when he shifts, he doesn’t—” Gatlin stammered as Viraj flinched. “Something in between.”
Ryan nodded once in total understanding. “Surprised Father’s physicians didn’t notice.”
“My best guess? I had spines, and they were so afraid to tell Father he’d sired no Drakes again…” Viraj shrugged. “But maybe they didn’t even know. I was young, too.”
Ryan nodded. “So, who they sending you to?”
Viraj cleared his throat. “Frikka.”
“Nice. He’s got that old magic. He taught me a little, but I can only sense static. Want me to feel?” Ryan pulled up his sleeves and stepped closer, the stink of blood and sick still hovering about him.
“You’re still healing. I couldn’t ask that—” Viraj gasped as a cold hand snatched out and rucked his shirt up, exposing the taut dome of his belly. Every day, it seemed a little bigger, more obscene.
“Can’t imagine how you thought you were carrying nothing or blanks looking like this, Raj.” Ryan pressed a hand to his belly and slid it over the surface, a staticky feeling following in its wake.
“I know nothing about Dettes. Remember, Father didn’t want us competing with his prodigious cock.” Viraj huffed. “We were kept ignorant. Told to purchase Dettes of our own from other clans.”
Ryan nodded. “Raj, I’m not even sure what to tell you. There’s so much feedback from new life that I can’t tell your soul from this entire mass of pups.”
Viraj swallowed hard as Ryan pulled his hand back. “I can’t pick a single one out from another. Too many.”
“If you’re suffering, I’m so sorry. We’ll hire the best nannies, Vivi. We’ll do whatever we can to make this easier on you.” Gatlin pulled Viraj’s hand to his mouth and kissed.
“What’s the record clutch size?” Ryan picked at his teeth.
“Leo is the largest in the Americas at eight in a clutch. About a hundred years ago, we had a Long Dette with a Finnish Drake that made a clutch of ten, but they lost three during laying.” Gaspard said it in a whisper.
Viraj cleared his throat. “How do we make sure that doesn’t happen to us?”
“Have a doctor on standby in your residence. Marc’s territory this time. Surgical intervention may be necessary. How Leo did it is beyond me, and Marc certainly has a hands-off approach…” Gaspard waved his hand dismissively. “And be fully aware that we may find it necessary to drain an egg or two if things go south. Bear this wholly in mind.”
Viraj bit back tears as his eyes burned. “Whatever pups come of us were more than we ever could have hoped for.”
“And we will need to report this to the record keepers.” Gaspard pulled out a tablet and cast his gaze away, typing and flicking things. “As all births need to be recorded.”
