Page 164 of Taming the Kraken

“Are you two …” Alexa watched as Nita’s face heated up.

“It took me forever to convince her. She was stuck on the ‘thou shall not take a mate’ rule, but luckily she caved. She’s going to stay here for a few months while a new guardian is trained. Then she’s going to join me.” Justice grinned widely. “What can I say? She’s crazy about me.”

Nita clicked her tongue and turned to look at Justice. “Who was the one following who around?” She watched as a cheesy grin spread over Justice’s face.

“No need to get into the minor details of it all. The fact is we’re choosing one another. We can’t all impregnate a person and make them our mate, can we, Mikah?” Justice flashed a white, toothy grin up at Mikah.

“It’s not like I knew that’s how it worked.” Mikah felt Brandy lean into him, and he smiled down at her. Apparently, a primordial can fasten a mate bond with someone they conceive with. It isn’t a mate trap, but it is something to aid in their unity. It worked perfectly for Mikah and Brandy. It was something they both wanted, and this was the push they needed. “Even without that, this crazy redhead found her way into my heart. She is the perfect spice to my life.”

“There’s the future papa bear!” Brian’s voice rang out.

They turned their heads to see Xander, Lila, Brian, and Bella making their way into the room. Xander and Lila made their way over to Levi while Brian and Bella came over to Alexa.

“You two are coming back to the dragon kingdom after this?” Brian asked, looking over at Raine and Ryker. Ryker had been going back and forth while Raine stayed in Elysia. She wanted to stay with her family a bit longer before separating from them. Her father and mother would be staying in Elysia while she would go back to the West Dragon Kingdom with her mate.

“Yes. Raine wanted to wait until after the babies were born before she left.” Ryker squeezed Raine’s hand. “But when it’s time for her to deliver, we’ll come back and stay here so she can be close to all her family.”

“Ryker—” Raine started to say, but Ryker interrupted her.

“I know that’s what you want, so that’s what will happen. I’m sure Brian can manage to tie his shoes without me for a month or two.” Ryker winked at Brian, who nodded.

“He’s right, Raine. When the time comes, I’ll be able to manage without Ryker for a little while.” Brian then looked over at Alexa. “So … when are you going to be laying eggs?”

Alexa clicked her tongue and arched her brow at him. “You’re one to talk.” She watched the funny twinkle in his eyes, and she gasped. “Oh my gosh! You two are pregnant too?!”

Brian laughed and shook his head. “No. I’m just teasing you.”

“I want to develop more of my skills first. I’ve learned from Ciana and have mastered her healing skill. I’m working on my shadow skills right now. If it wasn’t for the help of the other dragon kings, I’m not sure I would ever have this opportunity. The shadow dragons were not exactly keen on helping me at first.” Bella felt Brian bump into her playfully.

“Not to brag, but you are kind of mated to a big deal.” Brian flashed her a bright smile.

The door in front of them opened and Reiya poked her head out. “Jin! Freja! We need you two.” Her face looked a bit flustered as she looked over the room.

“Is everything okay?” Hunter asked as he watched Freja hurry into the room. Jin handed baby Beryl off to Chasen and then hurried after her.

“It’s happening too fast. We weren’t expecting the labor to proceed so quickly. We just need another set of hands in there. Don’t worry. They’re all okay. Actually, I think Derrick and Harley are the ones who need help.” Reiya giggled as she closed the door behind her.

Alexa made her way over to Chasen and held out her arms. “I’ll hold her. She is my little sister.” She wrapped her hands around the baby and curled her in her arms. She swayed her from side to side as Ken made his way over to her.

“You’ll be such a wonderful mother one day.” Ken smiled down at Alexa, who grinned up at him. “No … no. I’ll break her.” He held his hands up, but Alexa eased the baby into his arms.

“You aren’t going to break her.” Alexa giggled as Ken stood there, completely stiff. He was frozen as the baby turned into his chest. His eyes were wide as he looked up at Alexa helplessly.

“She made a noise. I think I hurt her.” Ken heard Levi laughing behind him.

“You’re doing just fine. Relax.” Levi patted Ken on the back, quietly chuckling.

“I’ve never … held a baby before,” Ken admitted quietly. He looked down at the sleeping baby’s face and felt his shoulders relax. He imagined what it would be like to hold his own child. This was something he’d never dreamed about before. He glanced up at Alexa, whose eyes were shining back at him. They knew each other’s thoughts and hearts. One day he would really hold his own child. “Alright, better not press my luck.” He shifted the baby toward Levi, who naturally scooped the infant into his arms. Ken looked at how comfortable Levi was holding the baby. He didn’t look tense at all.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it.” Levi winked at him as Chelsie came over.

“I’ll take her. She’ll need to eat soon.”

Levi nodded and handed the baby over to Chelsie.

“Beryl is already loved so much and has so many people to look out for her,” Terra said quietly as Jasper nodded beside her.

“Let’s hope she chooses a different path in life this time,” Jasper added softly.