Sacrificed to the Dragon (26 page)

At the thought of Melanie dying in childbirth, he hugged her tighter. She mumbled, “What’s wrong?”

Tristan didn’t want to break the spell of their momentary happiness, so he said, “I’m just trying to think of what else my little mate can take before she’s exhausted.”

Melanie hugged him tight and whispered, “Give me everything you’ve got, dragonman. I can take it.”

With that he growled, and his dark thoughts disappeared as he thought of what else he wished to do. Since he wasn’t always good with words, he decided to show her just how much he loved her with action.

Epilogue

Seven Months Later

Tristan MacLeod had experienced his fair share of pain, but the way Melanie was currently gripping his hand was one of the most painful experiences of his life.

Not that he could say so. As his mate’s latest contraction finished, her grip relaxed and she deflated against the pillows. “I can’t keep doing this, Tristan. We’ve been optimistic about me surviving the birth, but I’m pretty sure our babies are trying to kill me.”

He hated the defeated sound of her voice.
Help her
, his dragon said. As if he wouldn’t tear up the nearest mountain with his claws if it meant he could ease his mate’s pain.

He smoothed her sweat-covered brow and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Don’t you dare give up on me or our children, Melanie Hall-MacLeod. There is no bloody way I’m raising twins on my own. You’d better survive or I’ll find a way to bring you back myself just to give you an earful.”

Her weak smile warmed his heart. “You stubborn man. How many times do I have to tell you that your will isn’t strong enough to do half of what you say.”

He traced her cheek with his forefinger. “Well, this time I feel lucky.”

She half-laughed, but then drew in a breath. “I think another contraction is coming.”

From the foot of the hospital-style bed, Dr. Sid spoke, “Okay, Melanie, we’re nearly there. This time I want you to push with everything you have. Another push or two should do it.”

Melanie shook her head. “I’ve been pushing for so long, Sid, and I can’t keep doing this. I’m too tired.”

Help her
, his dragon repeated.
If we can’t help her find her strength, we will lose her. We can’t lose her. She is our mate.

As if he didn’t know that.

Tristan kept his worry bottled up inside him, however, and did what Melanie needed—he prodded her. “Come on, my little human. Are you really going to allow two tiny dragon-shifters to best you? You’re months away from finishing your book. If you give up, it’s much more than me whining about taking care of twins.” He turned Melanie’s face toward his, forcing her to look him in the eye. “It’s even more than I will miss you and mourn you for the rest of my life, love. If you ever want your children to grow up in a world where humans might not be afraid of them, you need to live.”

For a second, she said nothing. Then Melanie drawled, “Lay it on thick, why don’t you.”

His dragon piped in.
Good. Our human hasn’t lost her spark. She will live. She must live.

He pushed his dragon to the back of his mind to focus on his mate. “Grip my hand as hard as you like, but push with everything you have.”

His mate took a deep breath and then nodded first to him and then to the doctor. She was definitely tired. Energy-filled Melanie would’ve made a remark about him trying to push an orange out of his cock to see how that felt.

In about thirty seconds, Melanie’s contraction hit and she started screaming again. It took everything Tristan had to keep his dragon from snarling and taking over.

Sid said, “Good, good. I see the head.” The doctor looked up. “Do you need one contraction to rest or do you want to push harder and get the baby out?”

Melanie panted as the contraction ended. “A break. Please.”

The exhaustion in her voice went straight to his heart.

She’d been in labor for about thirty hours. Tristan hoped it would be over soon. His mate needed to rest.

He wiped her brow with a cool cloth and whispered, “Nearly there, love. Do you think the boy or the girl will come first?”

She glared at him, and he was glad to see a shadow of her normal spirit. She spat out, “I don’t fucking care which one. Just get it out of me.”

He grinned and she narrowed her eyes further at him a second before her next contraction hit. She yelled and Tristan did his best to comfort her. When it finally ended, she whispered, “I’m pushing on the next one or I won’t be able to do it.”

He nodded. “You can do it, my brave little human.”

She closed her eyes for about ninety seconds until the next contraction hit. Then she opened them as the doctor said, “Push!”

His mate gripped his hand as she screamed and after a few seconds, Sid smiled and looked up. “Your first child is a boy.”

The nurse at Sid’s side helped Sid before raising their baby so they could see his chubby little face.

Tristan had a son.

He was pink and tiny, and both the man and beast wanted nothing more than to hold him. But as the nurse nodded and took him away, he turned back to Melanie and kissed her. “Good job, my little mate. We have a son.”

Melanie looked happy despite her exhaustion. “I’m glad.”

Then another contraction hit and Sid said, “I know you’re tempted, but don’t push right now, Mel. I need to check the second baby’s position.”

Melanie gritted her teeth and clenched his hand. His dragon roared at the amount of pain she was in. Watching her suffer and not being able to do a damn thing about it tore apart both the man and the dragon.

Unlike with human children, dragon-shifter babies often died if the mother received any type of anesthetic, which ruled out both epidurals and C-sections. His human hadn’t had a choice but to deliver naturally or risk losing both of their children.

And given her personality, she hadn’t hesitated two seconds before agreeing to the natural birth despite the risk to her own health.

So far her blood pressure and toxin levels were within normal range, but that could change any moment.

No.
She was his mate. She wouldn’t die.

He continued to caress Melanie’s cheek as the doctor prodded her protruding belly. When Sid cursed, Tristan’s dragon stood at attention. “What is it?” he demanded.

“The second baby’s breech. I had hoped she’d turn around after her brother came out, but apparently she’s being stubborn. I need to try turning her since it’s easier than delivering breech. Whatever you do, Melanie, do not push. Don’t do it.”

Melanie nodded and clenched her jaw. Tristan laid his forehead against hers and whispered, “Hold on, my strong, beautiful human. We’re halfway there.”

She let out a hiss. “You do this to me again and I will cut off your cock, Tristan MacLeod. Two children had better be enough.”

He would rather cut off his dick than suffer through this again, wondering each second whether she would live or die.

But right now, he pushed aside his fears. His mate needed humor more than anything. “We’re about to have two smaller copies of you. I don’t think I could handle any more mini-Melanies running around.”

She was about to scold him but he grinned and she gave a weak laugh. “An army of Melanies. That would definitely keep you on your toes.”

“And knowing your stubbornness, you’d say screw the odds and have more girls.”

Melanie smiled but then winced at whatever the doctor was doing to try to turn the baby. He kissed his beautiful mate. “To distract you, let’s try to agree on a name for our son since we still haven’t decided on one yet.”

And much like they had done for the past three months, they argued about baby names.

~~~

An hour later, Melanie was pretty sure she was going to die.

She kept falling asleep for a few seconds and waking back up again. The contractions kept coming, but the doctor kept telling her to wait. Then the nurse’s expression as she checked the monitor next to her kept getting worse with each passing minute.

If it weren’t for Tristan, she might have given up half an hour ago. But as he continued to caress her brow, her cheek, and her jaw, his fingers gave her the strength she didn’t think she had.

However, she was getting close to her limit. She wondered if Caitriona Belmont had felt the same way right before she’d died in childbirth four months ago.

No.
She wouldn’t think of her friend’s death right now. Melanie wanted to live for Tristan, for their children, and most of all, for herself.

After riding out another contraction and seeing the growing worry on the nurse’s face, she decided to fuck it. If she was going to die, she wanted to know the truth. Her voice was weak to her own ears when she asked, “The nurse looks worried. What’s wrong?” She glanced to Dr. Sid. “And don’t lie to me.”

Sid replied, “Your blood pressure is rising and thanks to birthing one baby and not the other, the level of dragon-shifter toxins in your blood is getting higher than I’d like.”

She vaguely remembered being told that when under stress or duress, dragon-shifter babies in utero could release a toxin that she would absorb. In dragon-shifters, it caused mild nausea. In humans, it could kill them.

No doubt her little girl was stressed because of the long labor and at losing her womb-mate. She’d been alone for nearly an hour now.

Tristan squeezed her hand and said to the doctor, “You haven’t been able turn the baby. Can’t you deliver it breech?”

Sid looked grim. “Yes, it’s looking like your daughter is being stubborn. I wonder where she gets that from.”

Melanie managed enough energy to smile and said, “Her father” at the same time Tristan said, “Her mother.”

She glanced at Tristan and took strength from the love shining in his eyes. She squeezed her mate’s hand and said, “This is just the beginning. You know they’re going to be little hellions, right?”

“As long as you’re there to help me, I don’t care how much trouble they are.”

She so very much wanted to be there, but if she couldn’t push out her daughter soon, she knew she may not make it.

Sid moved down between her legs again and said, “I’m going to help the baby along. What I’m about to do may be uncomfortable.”

Before she could reply, she felt something in her vagina and Mel clenched her teeth. She could swear it was the doctor’s hand.

Tristan murmured into her ear until the doctor said, “Okay, on this next contraction, we’re going to work together. Don’t push right away, but do it when I say push.”

She nodded and gripped Tristan’s hand even tighter. She breathed in and out, in and out. Then the contraction hit her and she screamed.

“Don’t push yet!”

She hurt so badly and every instinct in her body told her to push. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she was vaguely aware of Tristan caressing her cheek.

“Push!”

And Melanie let out a yell as she pushed as hard as she could. When she finally felt the baby slip out of her body and let out a cry, she glanced to Tristan before the world went black.

~~~

Tristan heard their daughter’s first cry and was about to kiss his mate when Melanie’s hand went slack.

Both the man and beast yelled, “No. No, no, no.”

He glanced to the monitor and saw a weak heart rate moments before it went flat.

He squeezed Melanie’s hand. “Love, wake up.” He looked to Dr. Sid. “Help her.”

Sid and the nurses were already in action. Sid came to his side of the bed and pushed him away. “Leave the room, Tristan.”

His inner dragon growled. “I won’t leave her.”

Sid gave him a commanding glare. “I don’t have time for your alpha protective bullshit. Get out or let Melanie die. Take your choice.”

His dragon was clawing to get free, but Tristan pushed him back knowing full well that if his beast took control, Melanie would die.

Through sheer force of will he released his mate’s hand and moved out of the way. He let a nurse guide him out of the room, never taking his eyes off his mate until they were out in the hall.

He stopped and clenched his fists. He wanted to do something to help her, but in this, he was useless. Especially as his dragon was threatening to come out and kill everyone in the delivery room. His beast snarled and said,
They killed our mate. We must avenge her.

Shut it
, he yelled at his dragon.
They are trying to save her.

His dragon gave a grunt and went back to pacing.

The nurse touched his arm and he glanced over. “Do you want to see your children now?”

With his dragon pacing and growling inside his head, seeing his children would help to keep his human-half in control. Not only that, it would help distract his human-half as well. He had every confidence in Sid’s abilities. Between the skill of the doctor and his mate’s stubbornness, he was confident Melanie would come back to him.