Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

Rue stared at the Dragon King and forgot how to blink.

"You don’t have to force yourself to say all that..."

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Drax reached out and grabbed the back of her neck. His large hand felt cold against her burning skin. He pulled her forward and pressed his mouth firmly over hers.

It was a delicious, deep kiss.

He tasted like crushed mint leaves and clear spring water. His other hand slid down her spine, pressing her totally flush against his hard chest. He completely stole her breath. She dropped the small knife onto the wooden counter.

It landed with a very loud clatter, but she completely ignored the sharp noise.

She gripped the front of his dark tunic. Her small fingers bunched the thick fabric tightly. Her heart hammered a frantic, heavy rhythm directly against her ribs. For one tiny second, she wanted to pull away. Her fragile prey instincts screamed at her to run from the giant, dangerous predator holding her captive in the kitchen.

She ignored the fear.

She stayed exactly where she was. She actually leaned into his solid warmth.

The tall walls around her fragile heart started cracking. She felt the heavy, protective stone breaking apart piece by piece. He didn’t want the ghost of the magical singer. He didn’t want a perfectly brave warrior. He wanted the blunt, awkward girl from New York. He wanted her completely.

Drax broke the deep kiss very slowly. He kept his smooth forehead pressed right against hers. He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling against her own. His dark eyes burned with a quiet, consuming fire.

"I never force my words," Drax whispered softly. "I speak exactly what I mean. You are the only one I see."

Rue swallowed hard. She nodded her head slowly. She decided to let him in. Just a little bit. She wouldn’t give him absolutely everything all at once, but she would definitely stop running away.

She stepped back from his chest. She picked up the small iron knife. Her hands shook slightly, but she felt light. She grabbed the soft yellow fruits from the wooden counter. She carefully sliced the sweet fruit into tiny, perfect pieces. She scraped the juicy fruit into a smooth wooden bowl and mashed it down into a thick, sweet puree.

Drax didn’t leave her side at all. He stayed right next to her in the narrow kitchen space. He picked up a small wooden spoon and handed it to her perfectly.

"Thank you," Rue murmured.

She walked out into the main living space. Theron sat on the woven rug, playing happily with his heavy wooden blocks. The toddler looked up and saw the wooden bowl in her hands. His bright golden eyes completely lit up. He wiggled his chubby arms and let out a loud, demanding babble.

"I know," Rue smiled warmly. She sat down right on the soft rug next to the stone hearth. "You are starving. You are always starving."

She fed the baby boy the sweet yellow puree. Theron ate greedily. He got sticky fruit juice all over his smooth chin and tiny fingers. Mochi sat nearby on a pile of cushions. The fuzzy snow leopard cub watched the food with bright blue eyes, hoping for a dropped piece. The tiny cat eventually lost interest and went back to batting a grey dust bunny across the floorboards.

Drax walked over and sat down right next to them. He didn’t interrupt the quiet moment. He just watched her feed the hungry baby. He looked completely at peace sitting on a messy floor.

The food ran out very quickly. Theron let out a huge, dramatic yawn. His growing hybrid body burned through energy very fast. He curled up right on the soft rug and fell asleep almost instantly, his silver tail wrapping securely around his small legs.

Rue felt her own pink eyes getting heavy.

The new pregnancy hormones made her exhausted by the middle of the day. Her lower back ached sharply. Her feet felt totally swollen and heavy from standing in the kitchen. She just wanted to lie down by the warm fire and sleep for ten whole years.

She started to push herself up to walk to the empty bedroom.

"Stay here," Drax said softly.

He shifted his tall frame on the rug. He leaned his broad back right against the side of the heavy stone hearth. He opened his long arms. He didn’t demand she come to him. He didn’t use a commanding tone. He just offered a perfectly safe place to rest her tired body.

Rue looked at his open arms. She thought about retreating to the bedroom. She thought about hiding away under the thick blankets.

No.

She crawled slowly across the soft woven rug. She turned around and settled her back directly against his chest. Drax wrapped his long arms securely around her waist. He reached over and pulled a thick woollen blanket off a nearby wooden chair. He draped the heavy fabric perfectly over her bare legs, tucking the edges in so she wouldn’t get cold.

He felt completely different from the others. Knox was like a burning, raging furnace. Caius was like a freezing block of solid ice. Drax was right in the perfect middle. His skin felt cool, but his broad chest radiated a deep, steady warmth. He didn’t smother her with tight grips. He just held her perfectly still.

Rue rested her head gently against his collarbone. She closed her eyes. The fire crackled loudly right next to them. The sound was soothing. She let out a long, heavy sigh. She felt completely safe. She drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes, totally surrounded by his calm scent of old parchment and smoke.

Across the quiet room, two giant men sat at the dining table.

Knox and Axel kept their voices low. They definitely didn’t want to wake their sleeping pregnant mate. They watched the Dragon King holding her by the fire.

Knox gripped a piece of black charcoal tightly in his massive hand. He drew thick, dark lines across a piece of rough parchment paper.

"We need to tear down the entire south wall today," Knox grunted quietly. He pointed a thick, scarred finger directly at the drawing. "The cabin is too small. We have a growing snake toddler. We have a feral snow leopard. She is pregnant again. The dragon is practically living here now. We absolutely need more room."

Axel leaned completely over the wooden table. The white wolf studied the messy black lines.

"We can build outward toward the swamp border," Axel whispered back. "We need a massive nursery. Theron needs his own room very soon. He needs a large space to shed his heavy scales. The new baby will definitely need a quiet room away from the daily noise."

"I will cut the large trees," Knox said firmly. "I can clear an entire acre by tomorrow morning. The wood needs time to dry properly."

"I will handle the stone," Axel agreed smoothly. "We need absolutely solid foundations. The winter gets completely brutal out here. We can’t have any cold air leaking through the floorboards. She complains about her feet getting cold every single night. I will find the smoothest river stones for her bedroom floor."

They completely agreed on the entire plan. They didn’t fight at all. They didn’t argue over who was officially in charge of the house. They just wanted to build a massive, totally impenetrable fortress to keep her comfortable and safe.

Knox looked up from the messy parchment. He stared directly at Drax. The giant panther narrowed his bright golden eyes. He felt a sharp, heavy sting of pure jealousy in his chest, but he forced it totally down. He knew she needed all of them.

"He better not drop her," Knox grumbled softly.

"He won’t," Axel chuckled quietly. "Look at him. He looks totally terrified to even breathe right now. He thinks she is made of thin glass."

Knox let out a soft, highly amused snort. The giant panther went back to drawing his thick black lines. They had a massive amount of hard work to do. They needed to expand the cabin much faster so they could all finally breathe without bumping into each other.

The quiet afternoon passed very slowly. The bright yellow sunlight coming through the clear window shifted across the wooden floorboards. The hot fire in the hearth burned down to glowing orange coals.

Rue slept deeply.

She didn’t have any terrible nightmares. She didn’t dream about the scary, glowing system screens demanding her attention. She didn’t dream about the sterile, lonely hospital room from her past life. She just floated in a warm, comfortable darkness.

She slowly opened her pink eyes.

The cabin was totally quiet. Knox and Axel were completely gone. They were probably outside in the dirt yard, chopping down heavy pine trees for the new nursery rooms. Mochi and Theron were still sleeping totally peacefully in the corner of the rug.

Rue felt a heavy, steady heartbeat thumping right against her spine. She didn’t jump. She didn’t move her body at all. She just tilted her head slightly backward and looked straight up.

Drax was asleep.

His sharp, terrifying features looked soft in the dim evening light. His dark eyelashes rested gently against his pale cheeks. He still had his long arms wrapped completely tight around her waist. He didn’t let go of her even once.

Even in his deep sleep, his fierce dragon instincts demanded he keep her perfectly secure and totally warm.

She stared at his handsome face. He was a terrifying, highly lethal king. He commanded entire armies. He easily destroyed his enemies. Yet here he was, sleeping on a messy woven rug just to let her take a comfortable afternoon nap.

She felt the remaining cracks in her defensive walls finally shatter completely. She didn’t want to run away anymore. She wanted to stay exactly right here in his arms.

I can at least try; how hard can it be? she says in her mind.