Home of Authors Alice Brown & Lady V

Please note this mini story takes place between books three and four of the Dragons of Dragonose series.  

Dominic cracked his eyes open.  “Is Meldie awake?” Ivormantis anxiously inquired.   

Dominic glanced to his side to see his mate curled against him.  He loved Meldamiriel with all his heart.  “No, she is still asleep.  I’m going to go shower,” he replied to his dragon.  

“No!  You can’t leave her!  What if she needs something?” Dominic shook his head as he gently untangled himself from his mate without waking her.  As he stood up, he sighed.  His dragon was acting very out of character.      

“Ivormantis, she is still asleep, and we will only be away from her for about fifteen minutes.  I don’t think we are in danger of something happening to her while we shower.  What has gotten into you?”  

Silence.  

“Okay, be that way,” Dominic grumbled internally to his dragon.   

Ivormantis waited until Dominic was in the shower, soaping up to resume their conversation.  “I know something you don’t know, do-da, do-da, I know something you don’t know, oh what a good day!” Dominic admitted his dragon had been in a lot better spirits since their mate healed his spine allowing his dragon to come forward and fly again.  The giant beast was utterly captivated by their tiny elf mate.  But Ivormantis singing?  That was new.  

“Okay, enlighten me, majestic dragon.  What do you think you know that I don’t?” Dominic chuckled as he rinsed the soap out of his eyes.   

“Since you are not in a good mood, I will not share my news!” Ivormantis grumbled.  Dominic rolled his eyes internally at the creature he shared his soul with and finished showering.   

He was out of the shower and shaving at the sink when his dragon became restless again.  “Hurry, Dominic; I want to check on Meldie.”  Dominic could feel the anxiousness coming from his dragon and wondered what was going on.  He finished shaving and turned to walk back into the bedroom.  

He glanced over to the bed to see his mate just beginning to wake up.  “See, I told you she was fine,” he informed his dragon.  But Ivormantis was not listening to him.   

“Let me out, Dominic!  Let me out so I can check on our mate!” Before Dominic could tighten his hold on the leash, tethering his dragon within, the vast beast rushed forward and overtook him.   

“Meldie, love, how are you feeling this morning?” Ivormantis inquired, bringing his head over to place it in Meldamiriel’s lap.  She wasn’t completely awake and spotting the beast first thing startled her.     

“Ivormantis?  What is wrong?  Is Dominic okay?” Her mate usually had reasonable control over his dragon, so waking up first thing in the morning and coming face-to-face with his beast was unexpected.  

“Dominic is fine, love, but I am worried about you. Are you feeling well?” the dragon countered.  

“I am fine, Ivormantis,” she replied as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.  Her bladder was screaming at her.   

“No, you can’t get up!  Where are you going?” Ivormantis panicked, clearly distraught over the idea of his mate getting out of bed.  

“Ivormantis, I need to go to the bathroom.  I’ll be right out,” Meldamiriel responded as she pointed to the door on the other side of the room.   

“Maybe I should carry you,” Ivormantis countered.   

“No!  Ivormantis, I’m not sure what has gotten into you, but I am getting up and walking to the bathroom alone.  When I come back, I expect Dominic to be present and explain what is going on,” she growled at the giant beast.  As she crossed the room, she added, “And tell Dominic I need a cup of coffee!” she didn’t know what Ivormantis’ problem was, but she wasn’t awake yet and needed a strong cup of coffee to deal with the beast’s egotistical nature.  

“No!  Meldie, love, you can’t have caffeine!  How about I bring you fresh meat?  Yes, that will cheer you up and have you feeling better!”  

Meldamiriel’s stomach flipped upside down, and she ran towards the bathroom.  She ignored the massive dragon in the room until she reached the door.  Glancing behind her, she finally addressed her mate’s beast.  “I want coffee, and if you and Dominic want to live another day, you will produce a large cup by the time I return!  Oh, and Ivormantis?  I will not speak to you for a week if you dare to drop a dead animal at my feet!”   

Ivormantis watched as his mate slammed the door in his face, unsure how to respond to Meldamiriel’s outburst.   

“Switch with me, now!” Dominic demanded, taking control of his animal, and stepping to the forefront.   

“I only wanted to take care of her.  She must rest.  She should be in bed, pampered and spoiled, not up and walking around.  Something might fall out if she isn’t careful,” Ivormantis grumbled.  

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Dominic demanded as he wondered if his dragon was going crazy. The beast wasn’t making a lick of sense. “What is going to fall out?  Did you hit your head?”     

“The wee one, of course!  Are you always this slow?” Ivormantis countered.  

“Wee one?  Baby?  Is she pregnant? Meldamiriel is pregnant with my child?” Dominic felt his knees give out and was thankful he landed on the bed.  “Are you certain, Ivormantis?”  

“Yes, she had a dream last night.  Mother Nature visited our mate and informed her she was expecting; our mate will have a baby!  I’m going to be a daddy!”  The giant dragon was thrilled over the prospect of parenthood.   

Dominic remained sitting on the bed, trying to catch his breath.  He would be a father in just a few short months!  He remembered some of the stunts he pulled as a child.  He and Blain were always getting into mischief.  He shook his head as he wondered if his own son or daughter would be as troublesome.     

“Remember when we set Ms. Staunton’s hair on fire?” Ivormantis sighed while settling down and getting comfortable.  “Good times.”   

Ms. Staunton was an older woman who volunteered to work in the lunchroom where Blain, Dominic, and Quinn attended middle school.  One day while the three boys sat eating lunch, Blain and Quinn reluctantly admitted to problems shifting.  Dominic had been gifted with Ivormantis earlier and had mastered the process.  He wanted to help his friends but instead almost burned down the entire school.  The outcome would have been much worse if the principal hadn’t been close.   

“You call that good times?” Dominic verified.  “If I remember correctly, I had to take responsibility for that incident while you stayed hidden laughing at my expense!”  Dominic stopped and shook his head.  “Mom boxed my ears in, and dad gave me the old ‘I’m disappointed in you’ talk.”  He sighed, memories of his father coming to the forefront of his mind. If the older man were standing beside Dominic today, he would be overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a grandpa. Unfortunately, Dominic’s father died several years ago while fighting the Raptorians, and Dominic missed him horribly.   

“Yeah, I miss him, too,” Ivormantis sighed in a rare display of sympathy.  The day Dominic’s father died, they lost two individuals, beast and man.  The dragon, a father figure to Ivormantis, returned to Mystic Lake upon Dominic’s father’s death.      

Ivormantis picked up his head and grinned, ready to change the subject.  “But you have to admit, the sight of Ms. Staunton running around the lunchroom with her blue hair on fire while screaming like a banshee was pretty comical,”the giant beast scoffed.  

“Yes,” Dominic chuckled.  “I have no idea what I was thinking performing a partial shift in the middle of a crowded lunchroom,” he admitted.  “Nor do I know why you set that poor woman’s hair on fire.”  The incident was just one of many that peppered his youth.  

“We were both young back then,” Ivormantis groaned with a shrug of his mighty shoulders.  “I guess even dragons do stupid things when they are young.”  

The giant dragon sat silent for a moment before he shook his head and chuckled.  “I remember I didn’t like how she seemed to look into your soul, and her blue hair was unnatural.”  

“Says the dragon whose best friend is blue,” Dominic countered.  But his beast was correct about the older woman. The woman could see right through any mirage the boys threw at her. She always knew if they were up to no good, and if she locked eyes with you, you were done.  

“Yes, but Sapphamire is a dragon, and everyone knows we come in many different colors.” Dominic could see his dragon puff his chest out in pride from within him.  Arrogant dragon!  

Dominic was pulled from his inner thoughts when his mate stepped out of the bathroom. He quickly stood up and approached her.  “Good morning, sweetheart.”     

“We are going to have a baby soon!” Ivormantis interrupted.  “Does she look any different to you?  She looks the same to me, but shouldn’t she look different?  She needs to be in bed with her feet propped up.  Oh, are they swollen?  I need to contact Fadri for pointers on taking care of our pregnant mate.  Yes, Fadri will have all the answers we need, and maybe he can shed some light on why our mate does not want fresh meat?”  Dominic watched in amazement as his dragon started the conversation with him but ended up mumbling to himself.     

“Ivormantis, calm down and let me take care of Meldamiriel,” Dominic ordered his animal. He was having trouble concentrating on his mate. The dragon’s potential news was throwing him off.   

Dominic grabbed his mate’s hand and walked over to the bed.  Sitting down on the mattress, he brought her to his lap.  “Baby, Ivormantis seems to think you are pregnant.  Is this true?”  He had never really given much thought to being a parent, but now that it was a distinct possibility, he embraced the opportunity.  

He watched his mate raise an eyebrow before growling, “Tell Ivormantis I am not happy with him.” Dominic’s eyes widened upon hearing her displeasure.   

The beast within him thought it was hilarious.  “Ha, ha, ha, an elf who growls!”  

Dominic internally rolled his eyes.  “You better be careful, Ivormantis,” he warned.  “She’s not happy with you.”  

“I know; I really need to get in touch with Fadri,” the giant dragon groaned.  

Dominic turned his attention back to his mate.  “So, it’s true?” he verified as he placed a hand on her flat stomach.  

“Our youngling grows there,” Ivormantis breathed in wonder.   

“You know you are acting crazy, right?” Dominic inquired to his dragon.  “You are flipping personalities faster than I can blink,” he accused.  

“I can’t help it,” the giant beast rumbled.  “I never thought I’d get the opportunity to become a parent.”  

At that moment, Dominic understood his dragon.  Neither had ever given the idea much merit.  But now that it was here, he couldn’t be happier.  

“Evidently,” Meldamiriel replied.  “Are you happy?  I know we never discussed children, but I already love this little one,” she stated as she placed her hand on top of her mate’s.  

“Sweetheart, I am overjoyed!  Wait until mom hears she will be a grandmother!” Dominic couldn’t wait to share his good news.  His mother was first, then their best friends.   

“Okay, I wanted to verify.”  Meldamiriel was silent for a moment before turning her eyes to her mate.  “Dominic, we are going to have a baby!  Mary is going to shout for joy!”  Meldamiriel was happy to give Mary this gift.  Even though Dominic’s father died several years ago, the little elf knew the female dragon still mourned her mate’s death.   

But Mary would soon be a grandmother, and Meldamiriel knew the older woman would spoil her child.  Dragonose citizens cherished their children, each important to the continuation of the species.  But Mary would take it to a new level.  

“I wonder if we will have a girl?” Meldamiriel voiced out loud to her mate.  Female babies were a rarity on Dragonose, but she was not a dragon.  And as an omega elf, her baby could turn out tall and muscular, with pointed ears and tiny wings.  You just never knew about these things.  But Meldamiriel secretly hoped it was a girl.  The birth of a female would bring hope to this land.  

“I don’t care if we have a boy or a girl.  I will love them unconditionally,” Dominic vowed to his tiny mate.  “I’d like to ask Blain and Natasha to be the child’s godparents,” he continued.  “That way, if something happens to you or me, the child still has mom, Uncle Blain, Aunt Natasha, and King Thoran.   

Meldamiriel wrapped her arms around her mate.  “I know you will love our child; you are already ensuring their future.  I can’t think of better godparents than Natasha and Blain,” she continued.  “Just think, Aunt Natasha can teach them all her cool assassination skills just in case someone picks on them.”  

“What?  Who is picking on my baby?  I’ll kick their ass!” Ivormantis roared from deep within Dominic.  

“Ivormantis, she was speaking metaphorically!”  At least Dominic hoped his tiny mate was not foretelling the future.  Otherwise, he might end up with an adolescent, homicidal ninja warrior dragon.  Now wouldn’t that be fun?  

Dominic took a moment to enjoy the light radiating from his mate as he glanced down into her eyes.  “Let’s just hope our little one doesn’t cause as much mischief as I got into when I was younger.” He chuckled.  “I have little doubt mom will say it is payback for all the grey hairs I gave her.”  

Meldamiriel smiled up at him.  “I vote to let the child’s godparents clean up messes.”  Her eyes twinkled with laughter.  “After all, they will need to earn their titles.  If Natasha teaches them her skills, she and Blain need to be the ones to clean up the mess.”  

“You are an evil woman, but I love you deeply.  Now, are you feeling okay?  Would you like some food?”  

“I think I could eat,” Meldamiriel stopped and arched her brow.  “But you need to keep a leash on Ivormantis.  He needs to know I’ll rip his scales off if he even thinks of leaving a dead, bloody animal at my feet!”  Just the thought of it made her stomach flip.   

“I will, my love,” Dominic soothed as he shook his head.  His mate seemed to feel a bit combative, and he was determined to stay on her good side.  “Now, let’s go downstairs and find my mother.  I can’t wait to see her face when we share our good news!” 

Want to read more?  Check out the Dragons of Dragonose series!