Chapter Fifty-Nine

Daegal.

I woke the next morning to Poppy attempting to get out of the bed. She mumbled to herself in an irritated tone as if she struggled to stand up because of her belly.

The sun told me I’d slept later than I intended to. Not that my dragon didn’t need it. It’d been hard to get up and eat the night before, and apparently, I needed more rest.

Poppy pushed from the bed and turned to walk toward the bathroom.

Her stomach was huge. Of course, I didn’t mention it, I learned my lesson with that one. “Where are you going, Ember? Aren’t you on bed rest?”

“I need to pee. I’ve only been up seven times during the night. The little booger is surfing on my bladder.”

She shuffled toward the bathroom and I watched to make sure she made it okay. Jerking the covers from my body, I stretched my arms toward the ceiling when I felt a jolt in my stomach.

The pain radiated from Poppy.

I walked toward the bathroom and saw her bent over the bathroom counter holding her stomach. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Poppy stood up and shook her head. “Nothing. I think I’m having contractions. They’re random so it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” I reached out to touch her but she jerked away. “What the matter?”

“We’re not ready for this,” she said, pushing her red hair from those dark heated eyes. “The baby is going to be here soon and I don’t have a crib. I have one outfit for him from Melinda and no bottles. What if I can’t breastfeed? What will I feed him, Daegal? We can’t leave the realm because of Kelli. We’re not ready for this baby and he’s coming.”

I blinked at her unraveling in front of me, and grabbed the back of her neck, dragging her to my chest. I felt her overwhelming emotions and I could hardly keep up with them.

“Poppy,” I whispered against the top of her head. “Calm down, Love. We’re going to be okay. Go back and rest. I’ll bring some books up.”

She looked at me with tears pooling in her eyes.

It broke my heart.

“I’ll speak with the dragons about getting Jeremiah a crib. We’ll see if any of them have some baby clothes until we can get our own, and I’ll ask Rachel about breastfeeding. If you have trouble, I think Tessa is breastfeeding. She may have some milk until we get to Earth.”

Poppy wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t control my emotions.”

“I understand.” I led her back to the bed and helped her inside.

Opening the windows, I left her to go downstairs. Melinda had our breakfast on trays ready to bring up.

She put two cups of coffee on the tray and smiled. “Good morning. Right on time …” She must have read my face because she straightened. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

I rubbed my forehead. “Poppy is having contractions. They are random and very inconsistent, but they’re there. She’s also having a meltdown about the nursery. We’re not prepared for the baby and she’s worried.”

Melinda walked around the tray and patted my cheek. “She’ll go through a nesting stage, and because she’s bedridden, it’ll be hard for her. She can’t do the things she wants to do because of it. I’ll speak with some of the female dragons today. Get everything we need. It’ll make her feel better.”

“Luther agreed to make Poppy a crib but I’m not sure he’s started because of the hounds showing up.”

“I’ll send him a message this morning. You go upstairs and be with Poppy.”

“Thank you, Melinda. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Melinda chuckled. “You’d be searching for help around the kingdom. I’m glad I’m here to help.”

“Where is Selena? Has she eaten?”

“She is an early riser. We ate together and she’s putting protection spells around the kingdom today. She’s fearful that Kelli is coming in the next couple of days.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to push down my fear. The baby was coming any day. I couldn’t imagine Poppy going into labor while Kelli decided to show up to kill us.

Melinda reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. “Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to have this baby and take care of Kelli. Don’t stress about this now. She can feel your feelings. It will stress her out and she’s already on bed rest.”

“I know,” I said, patting her back. “I’m doing the best I can.”

Melinda smiled and it showed the crow’s feet on either side of her eyes. She’d been with me for so long and always loyal. “You’re doing great. You’re going to be an amazing Dad.”

I pressed my forehead against hers. “Thank you for all that you do.”

I pulled away and took control of the tray. “I’ll bring this up here for you. If you don’t mind asking around for some baby clothing and furniture. I’ll see about painting the nursery blue sometime today. It’ll give her some peace because I’m afraid she’s going to need it.”

I carried the tray up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Poppy was laid back with her legs spread wide. “That smells so good,” she said.

I pushed it over to her side of the bed and gave her a cup of coffee. “Melinda is going to ask around for furniture today. I’m sure Luther is starting on your crib, but the hellhounds put him behind. Is blue okay for the nursery?”

Poppy nodded and a tear fell down her face. “I’m scared, Daegal. I’m so scared that she’s going to hurt him. What if she takes me and I have to give birth alone?”

“We’re not doing this,” I whispered. “We can’t, okay? It’ll drown us in sorrow and you don’t need that right now. Let’s eat our breakfast.”

Poppy sipped her coffee but didn’t mention it again. I felt it twisting around inside of her. There was no way to keep her mind off Kelli. It was the lurking elephant in each room.

A knock sounded on our door and I walked over to answer it.

Stetson stood on the other side with Ginny.

She looked just as pissed as usual. Her arms were folded over her chest, but I noticed something soft on her face when she saw Poppy in the bed. “May I?” she asked.

I opened the door wide and let her inside.

“It’s quiet,” Stetson said, cracking the door.

I leaned against the hallway wall. “Selena seems to think it’s the quiet before the storm and I agree. She tried to tear us apart yesterday, and now she’s gathering her strength. That crack in the ground isn’t there for nothing.”

“You’re right,” Stetson said. “How’s Poppy?”

I sighed heavily. “Not good. She’s worried and having contractions. I don’t think we have much longer. We need to figure out a plan to keep her safe until she has the baby. Maybe she needs to go into the bunkers with Rachel and Selena.”

The thought made my dragon protest inside of me.

I couldn’t protect her while she gave birth. I needed to face off with Kelli. I couldn’t deliver our child. I did not know anything about it and didn’t have the time to learn.

“You were against that before,” he said.

“I know. And part of me still is against it. I need to speak with Rachel and get a timeline. It’ll help me decide. I’m taking some time to get the nursery ready for her. She’s panicking and I need to give her some normalcy.”

Stetson shoved his hands into his pockets. “The dragons are rested. When she does show, we’ll be ready for her.”

I nodded. I knew the dragons were rested, but I wasn’t sure we were ready for her. Kelli was coming with revenge in her heart. There was nothing more wicked than a woman scorned.

“Keep on your toes,” I said. “It’s a waiting game now.”