Page 75 of Sapphire Seas

“Come on,” I said, catching his hand. “The eggs are hatching.”

“Hell yeah!”

We probably turned a few heads with the way we tore across the beach, kicking sand up like hooligans as we made a beeline for the nest, arriving just as a chunk of Trinity’s shell hit the blankets. Mattias and Caspian looked up, smiling at me and holding their hands out, while Upalo sat on the opposite side of the nest from where I slid in between my mates to watch our children fully come into the world.

“Trinity. Hi sweetie. Is that your tail I see?” I spoke softly to her.

Crackkkkkkk!

This time one of the shell fragments exploded outward as she jammed her tail through the hole and waved it around.

“Wow,” Caspian said, giggling as we watched her lash that adorable aquamarine tail back and forth, breaking more of the shell away every time she did it. “Someone is coming into the world tail first.”

“And using it like a wrecking ball, too,” I said, while Mattias cooed to her.

“Look at your wings, sweet girl,” Mattias said. “One day you’re going to fly across the sky on them. I just hope you don’t fly too far away from your Papa and Daddies.”

Sweet giggles came from inside the shell as her whole bottom appeared, wiggling back and forth, tail still dancing a rapid beat that helped dislodge more shell fragments.

Crackkkkk! Crunnncchhh! CRACK!

She extended those wings and dealt the shell a fatal blow, bits flying everywhere as she emerged fully.

“LUFF!” She announced as her Papa scooped her up in his arms.

“Love you too baby girl,” Mattias said, rubbing noses with her while she giggled, babbled, and waved those wings and that mighty tail of hers.

By then, Caspian was making grabby hands itching to hold her. Wise dragon, he immediately passed her over.

“We have the official first word for her baby book,” I said as I watched, cheeks aching from how hard I was smiling. Maybe I should smile more so my face muscles got used to it.

“Wh-what’s happening?” I asked as a layer of ice slowly began to cover Leif and Leim’s egg. “What’s wrong with their egg? How are they going to hatch if they’re frozen. Mattias, we have to help them. We have to, please.”

He caught my hands in his firm grasp when I started to reach for their egg, and tugged me close to him until we were eye to eye.

“Breathe with me mate,” He murmured, our noses practically touching. “Trust me and trust them.”

I’d never thought I’d be a helicopter parent. Hell, I never thought I’d be a parent. I’d never even believed myself worthy of love and yet it shimmered in my mates eyes every time they looked at me. Mattias never let go of my hands as we turned our attention back to our double egg, the sides of our heads touching, cheeks pressed together as the ice layer grew thicker. While I was almost certain that it wasn’t physically possible for a dragon to have a heart attack, I felt like I was on the verge of one by the time the shell exploded, sending ice and shell fragments everywhere.

How Mattias extended a wing as fast as he did to get it between Caspian, Trinity and any flying bits was anyone’s guess, but he did. When the ice cleared, there sat our grinning cerulean and arctic scaled boys, identical down to the brilliant white of their hair.

And they had my eye color.

However were we going to tell them apart?

“Luff,” Leim declared. How did I know it was Leim? My heart told me. The love I’d felt for them expanded more at seeing them for the first time, which I never would have believed possible but I was practically drowning in what I felt.

A sob caught in my throat, and tears made everything shimmery around the edges. Then Leif piped up, reaching for me with arms and wings.

“Luff.”

I swept them into a hug, holding them against my chest, getting them wet with my tears as I cuddled them.

“Luff.”

“Luff.”

“Luff.”