He needed that fast-healing ability to carry my child, as the babe took what it needed from his body in order to grow. He wasn't naturally designed for it, but just as the dragon let me change shape, it was reshaping him on the inside to accommodate the baby and then allowing him to heal and replenish as the child grew.
Sarah had finally given up on finding any evidence of the burn, and she looked at Dev expectantly while Luke raised a curious eyebrow behind her. I could see my mate fumbling with what to say, nibbling on that lip that I wanted to taste again. I could "hear" him trying out different scenarios in his mind, searching for something that didn't sound crazy.
Ty was sitting across from us, and after a few minutes of silence he started laughing. "Dude, just tell them. Trust me, there really isn't any way to ease into it."
Devin ignored his advice, still searching for something to tell her that would sound reasonable. I agreed with Ty, but it was still cute to watch him try.
"Sarah, the thing is … Maks and I are going to, um, have a baby."
Her eyebrows shot up, and she glanced at me in surprise before turning her attention back to Dev. "That's pretty serious, honey. Pretty … fast. You guys have only known each other … what? A month or so?"
"I know, but … remember what you told me about Luke? The way you've always felt you were destined for each other? It's like that." He was blushing. Fucking adorable.
"It's fated," Wes said, winking at Dev in support.
"O-kay," Sarah said, drawing the word out. "Still, thinking about a baby is a big deal. Although I've heard adoption can take a while, so I guess-"
Ty's bark of laughter interrupted her, and when Sarah looked up her eyes narrowed.
"Why do I get the feeling that everyone here knows something I don't?" she asked, her eyes moving around the table suspiciously.
"Not me, pumpkin," Luke said loyally, tipping his glass at her and taking a drink. "But I've got to say, this is classic Dev."
"What are you talking about?" Devin asked, pushing at his non-existent glasses again.
"You've always gone all-in whenever you did anything, Dev. Why should it be different now that you've finally decided to start dating?"
"It's actually more than dating. I love Maks," Dev said, his blush getting even deeper. "And we're not adopting." He took a deep breath, and just blurted it out, "I'm pregnant."
Luke started laughing.
"Funny," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. She rested her hands on her baby bump and smiled, adding, "Although oh, Lord, I would love to see a man have to deal with morning sickness and food cravings."
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that … I mean, wait. I'm serious, Sarah." He pushed his bangs out of his face and then dove into it, the words tumbling out in one, long rush. "So here's the thing. Maks and Dane can turn into dragons, and Wes is really Elise's father, and now that Maks has breathed fire into me I can heal from things like burns, and I don't need my glasses anymore, and I really am pregnant … probably due in October, because I guess it happens faster for dragon babies. And yeah, morning sickness has been a drag, but I'm still really excited and I wanted you and Luke to know about it because, well, for obvious reasons I won't be able to stick around once I start to show so I didn't want you guys to wonder why I'm going to disappear for a few months."
Crickets.
"Dane stuck a knife in his arm," Wes finally volunteered after a minute, breaking the silence. "Seeing it insta-heal was the only way Ty would believe him."
"No one is sticking a knife in anyone," Sarah said forcefully. Then, to Dev, "Honey, what's going on? Seriously."
He looked over at me, lifting his eyebrows.
"You want me to cut myself, love?" I asked, willing to do whatever he needed.
"No!" Sarah said again. "What is wrong with you people? Maks, do not cut anything. We all know you're not going to turn into a dragon-"
"I vote fire," Luke interrupted her. "I mean, if you guys are gonna go with ‘dragon,' I'd like to see the whole breathing fire thing."
"That's what I said," Ty mumbled under his breath, his eyes dancing as he tried to hold in his laughter. He was enjoying this.
"It's true, Sarah," Wes said. "I know it sounds crazy, but all of it is true."
She sat down, shaking her head. "Is this why you wanted to get everyone together for dinner? Because you're all in on the joke? Sorry, honey, I don't get it."
"It's not a joke. You saw my hand, Sare," Dev said. "And you know I didn't used to be able to see without my glasses."
"Contacts," she answered, frowning and ignoring the hand comment.
"Can you guys actually breathe fire? When you're human, I mean?" Ty asked. "I never did get a good answer to that one."
"Yes," Wes and Dev said at the same time, both blushing.
"Oh, that's right," Ty said. "Maybe I did hear something about that. But I mean, can you do it when you're not fuck- uh, can you do it when you're not … when you're … without being … "
The man was flustered, and Sarah was starting to look irritated. Those two things were actually kind of funny, but since I could also tell that my mate was getting frustrated I decided to jump in and help.
"Yes," I said. "We can. Want to see?"
Ty grinned, mumbling "finally" under his breath, and even Luke perked up.
"Fine," Sarah said, waving a hand in the air. "Wow me with your dragon fire."
"Really?" Dane asked me, quirking up an eyebrow.
I nodded, shrugging.
"Then it's probably best outside," he said, pushing back from the table.
Wes, Ty, and Luke all hopped up eagerly to follow him. Sarah rolled her eyes again and mumbled something about men and the meal getting cold, but she headed toward the backyard, too.
"Is this okay?" Dev asked, lingering behind for a minute.
"Of course, love," I said, pulling him into me. "Whatever you need."
"Enough with the lovey-dovey shit, Maks, come on," Ty said from the doorway. "I've been waiting to see this for-fucking-ever."
The sky was still overcast, but the light drizzle that had been coming down earlier had finally let up. Everyone had gathered around a stone fire pit set into the back patio, and Luke had already filled it with firewood. Ty was practically bouncing, and even Wes had a smile playing around his lips.
"Seriously, guys. It's cold out here," Sarah said, even though I couldn't feel it. "Can we get on with whatever?"
Luke pulled her back against his front, wrapping his arms around her and clearing his throat. "Give them a chance, pumpkin," he said. "I'm … interested to see what happens."
She looked back at him sharply. "Luke, please don't tell me you're in on this, too."
"Nope. I don't know what's going to happen, but when Maks and Ben came and got me up in Alaska-" he paused, looking at me sharply. "Ben's a ‘dragon,' too?" he asked. I nodded, and he gave a little half smile as he continued talking to Sarah. "People had a way of listening to them. Not just ‘listening,' but … doing what they wanted. It was kind of spooky. Convenient as hell, but … it's hard to explain. It definitely wasn't normal, and it would actually kind of make sense if they're more than just regular guys."
"But … this is the real world, Luke," she said, shaking her head and smiling up at him indulgently.
"And here be dragons," Ty intoned, wiggling his eyebrows at her. He pointed at the pile of wood. "Seriously, Maks, let's see it already. Light that shit up."
I could see that Sarah was getting cold, and there was really no need to make a big production out of it. I walked over to the fire pit and-with a quick look at my mate for inspiration-let the flames rise up from my otherself and pour out of me.
"Holy shit! That's fucking awesome!" Ty said gleefully.
The logs flared brightly and started crackling as the dragon fire instantly turned the damp wood into a hot blaze. Our fire burned hot, and the little patio was bathed in warmth. The orange light played over Sarah's face, illuminating her look of shock.
"Is this a trick?" she asked breathlessly.
"Nope," Ty insisted, suddenly president of the Dragons-R-Us fan club. "You should see some of the other shit they can do!"
"So Dev, Maks turned you into a dragon?" she asked, ignoring Ty's enthusiasm as she turned wide eyes on my mate.
"No," he laughed, splaying his hands over his flat belly in the instinctual gesture of everyone who had ever been pregnant. "But he did knock me up."