Sorry for the long wait, I hope this kinda long chapter makes up for it :)

******

"Did it kill me yet?" Ash asks.

My heart still beats furiously and I can feel my hands shaking. "What the hell is that?"

He glances back at the creature crouching on his chest. "I think it's a leopard cub."

My eyes grow wider when I realize how calm and undeterred he is. "Why the hell isn't this freaking you out?"

"Because I'm dead inside."

I roll my eyes. "Right," I mutter. "Well do you have an idea as to what it's doing in our bedroom?"

"I just want to know why it won't get off me?" He growls.

The cat gives a little chirp and jumps down onto the floor. A faint trail of smoke seems to follow it when it moves. Its paws are completely silent on the floor as it paces back and forth beside the bed.

"I think it's safe for you to get down now."

I glare at Ash but he just watches with amusement as I climb down from the bedframe.

"I don't think I've ever seen you move that fast," he chuckles.

"Yeah well I never expected to have a fucking shadow creature suddenly appear in my bedroom," I defend.

Ash leans over the edge of the bed, reaching down towards the cat. It immediately rubs against his hand. "Oh no Jaxon it's trying to kill me with its cuteness, quick—run for your life!"

"That's hilarious," I mutter, my voice filled with sarcasm.

My gaze snaps up as the door swings open. I growl again when I see my mother and Fara standing in the doorway, looking quite pleased with themselves.

"You two did this, didn't you?"

My mother shrugs. "I owed you two a gift," she says.

"You got us a cat?"

"Jax I literally just told you it's a leopard," Ash mutters making me roll my eyes.

"Actually it's a dæmon," Fara corrects.

"A dæmon?" I echo. "You mean like the dinosaur-bird-thing that Syrra has?"

"Sort of. The bond is a little different but the creatures are made the same way," my mother explains.

"Huh," I murmur. I look over to see Ash sitting with the leopard in his lap. It purrs loudly as he pets the top of his head. I can't help the smile that creeps onto my lips.

"So which one of you screamed?" Fara suddenly asks.

"Oh that was Jax," my mate laughs.

My smile immediately turns into an annoyed frown. "Thanks Ash, more people definitely needed to know about that," I growl, falling backwards onto the bed.

"Well before you fall asleep you both need to pack," my mother says.

"Why? Where are we going?"

"Zella went into labor this morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah so pack some stuff, we're leaving in a few hours."

*****

Did you really have to bring the cat?

For fuck's sake Jax it's a leopard! How many times am I going to have to tell you that? he growls.

Whatever! Did you have to bring it? I mutter.

And did you seriously expect me to just leave it in our bedroom all by itself for a week?

I sigh. Fine. In the meantime you should figure out if it's male or female, calling it an 'it' is starting to get annoying.

"Hey how far away are we now?"

I turn and see Fara's dragon flying beside me. I let myself slip under the clouds just long enough to see the mountains before flying higher again. "We're a little over halfway there. Now why exactly are you coming with us?"

"Your mother doesn't trust me to be alone in the Circle. My mom left a few days ago on a scouting mission so I don't really have anywhere else to go," she explains.

"Well I'm sure you'll like Angel and Zella, they're quite entertaining," I chuckle.

"Think they'll be able to give me some advice?"

"I wouldn't doubt it. Don't bother them too much when you first meet them though, Zella will probably be exhausted when we get there and Angel likely won't be in much better shape," I advise.

She flies ahead to where Talon glides through the clouds. My eyes widen slightly as I realize how unique her dragon is.

Her dragon is red like most Fury dragons but there are white markings running along his spine, all the way down to the white fin on his tail.

Have you ever heard of a Fury dragon with white markings?

No, Azazel replies. White stands out too strongly against the black rock, a dragon with white on its body cannot remain hidden.

What about one without a barbed tail?

Definitely not. A barbed tail is an essential weapon, a Fury dragon would likely not survive to adulthood without one. Fury dragons must be changing much more quickly than we had expected.

That's a good thing, maybe more of us will start surviving to adulthood, I sigh. I crane my head to see Ash sprawled lazily across my back, the leopard curled up on his chest. I growl a little in annoyance.

I'm flying all this way and you're taking a nap?

He groans. Well I was taking a nap. Now I'm listening to you complain.

You're flying us back home.

Ugh fine.

Hey it's only fair.

Gods if you're so tired then why don't you just let Azazel take control? he sighs.

Yeah okay, I mutter. I let down the walls around my dragon and feel heat creep into my veins. Everything seems to go almost numb as I recede to the back of my mind.

The clouds grow blurry and the sound of the wind turns into a low whisper. The light darkens and the dragons flying before me turn to faint shadows.

Then it fades into absolutely nothing.

*****

"Jaxon wake up."

"Jax!"

I slowly peel my eyes open with a grimace, squinting against the light. Ash's face hovers over me.

"Gods love you went full blackout didn't you?"

"Just a little bit," I mutter. I sit up and immediately hunch over with a groan, holding my pounding head. "Shit it's been a long time since I've done that."

He chuckles softly. "Yeah your mom said it's been a few years."

A cold breeze hits me and I realize there is only a blanket covering me. "Fantastic," I murmur in annoyance. I fish a jacket out of the pack beside me and pull it over my shoulders. My face screws up as pain shoots through my skull and down my spine. "Why does everything hurt so bad?"

"After you shifted you just collapsed, you hit your head and landed really awkwardly on the rocks and kinda tumbled down the mountain a little bit," he mutters.

I grab at my back of my head and immediately feel something wet on my fingers. "Damn it," I sigh. I glance at my mate sitting beside me and see his blonde hair is stained red. "Are you okay?"

"Well I didn't pass out so I'm better than you," he remarks with a small smile.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He shrugs nonchalantly.

I nod numbly, then look around with a frown. The rocky slope leading to the forest is familiar and the memories it brings to mind are painful. "Where's my mom?"

"She went with Fara to get a pack doctor."

I start to stand. "Alright well I'm awake now so let's just go—"

"—wait Jax no—"

My words turn into a gasp as I collapse onto my back, pain searing through my thigh and skull. I clench my jaw and suck in a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

Ash's hand finds mine and squeezes tightly. "Just relax and stop moving before you fuck yourself up even more and land us both in the infirmary for a few months," he sighs.

"Yeah okay, good idea," I breathe. I realize he is resting against a large boulder and my gaze snaps down to his leg. It's stretched out in front of him and there's a massive blood stain on his sweatpants, just above his knee.

"Your mom and Fara should be back soon," he tells me. I nod and he smiles a little before turning his attention to the leopard curled up beside him.

"Did you figure out if it's a boy or a girl?" I ask once the pain fades to a dull throbbing.

He shakes his head. "No, unfortunately it's like a dragon—only it doesn't talk so it can't just tell me."

"Dæmons are supposed to be pretty smart, maybe you can just ask it?"

He makes a face. "I think you have brain damage Jaxon."

I roll my eyes. "I'm being serious. The bird that Syrra has can talk and he's a sarcastic little shit from what my brother tells me. Now I don't think the leopard can talk but it did jump off of you when you asked it to so maybe it can understand us."

"Alright fine I'll try it," he grumbles. He tilts his head so that the cat looks at him, then takes a deep breath. "Okay one for girl, two for boy, and three for neither."

"Neither?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I don't know."

The leopard lets out a little chirp.

"Hey look at that I was right," I laugh then wince, my hand tightening around Ash's as the pounding in my head comes back for a moment.

He doesn't look convinced. "Maybe. Okay now one for boy, two for girl, and three for neither."

My eyes fly wide as the leopard chirps twice. "I was definitely right."

"Alright I guess the leopard is female," he says.

"Now we just have to come up with a name," I murmur.

"Jaxon!"

I look over to see my mother and Fara jogging out of the forest followed by a few guards and Niko. I turn to Ash with a small sigh. "Well looks like we're gonna be a little late to see my baby cousins."

*****

"Fuck no."

"It's going to hurt a lot more without it—"

"I don't care."

Niko turns to me with the most exasperated look I've ever seen. "It seems your mate prefers blinding white pain over a tiny needle," he mutters.

I shrug. "He doesn't like needles," I say.

He looks at Ash again. "Are you absolutely sure? You are likely going to pass out from the pain."

"Seriously doubt it," Ash mumbles.

I smile a little. "Time for my mom's anesthetic!"

Niko rolls his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Fucking dragons," he growls under his breath as he leaves the room.

"What does your mom use?" Ash asks.

"Fire-water," I say, wiggling my eyebrows.

He laughs. "I'm honestly not surprised but why wouldn't she use what they have here? Somehow I don't think she's afraid of needles."

"The stuff they have here isn't strong enough to work on dragons so they made a hyped up version of it but my mom didn't like the way it felt or how long it lasted so she drank instead," I explain.

Niko returns a few moments later with two small bottles, handing one to each of us. I down it quickly, grimacing at the bitter flavor and burning sensation it leaves in my throat. Ash empties his as well though he doesn't seem to mind the taste as much.

He doesn't make a sound as Niko stitches up the wound on the back of his head and the deep gash on his thigh. He looks almost bored.

You did a better job.

I frown. What?

In the mountains, when I got stabbed. Your stitches were much prettier than his.

I smirk. Well I am an artist, I say in an obnoxious voice.

He smiles. Did you bring your notebook?

Of course.

There's one thing I've been wanting you to draw for a while but I keep forgetting to ask.

Okay I'll remind you when I get my notebook out, I tell him.

Niko bandages his wounds before fixing mine as well. I am about to get off the bed when he stops me. "You have a fracture in your leg and a few cracked ribs—both of you," he says, glancing at Ash across the room.

"Great," I growl under my breath. I purse my lips in annoyance as he puts a wrap around my ribs before doing the same for Ash. He leaves for a few minutes and returns with two wheelchairs.

I stare at him. "You're kidding right?"

"You need to keep the weight off your leg completely if you want it to heal."

"Can I just get a pair of crutches instead? I really don't want a fucking wheelchair," I growl.

"I'll take the wheelchair," Ash says.

I raise my eyebrow at the excitement in his voice. "Really?"

"What? I get to have someone push me around in a rolling chair all day, that sounds like a blast," he chuckles.

Niko rolls his eyes and gives us both braces to keep our legs from moving then hands me a pair of crutches and helps Ash into the wheelchair. The leopard jumps down from the table and curls up on Ash's lap.

Niko rolls him out of the room while I follow, agonizingly slow. The alcohol helps the pain but it only makes my headache worse.

We head through the maze of hallways and end up in a very large room containing my mother, Fara, Angel and Zella, and three tiny babies wrapped up in blankets.

"Oh goddess are you two alright?" Zella gasps.

"You just gave birth to three whole people and you're asking if we're alright?" I laugh.

"Well I'm not in a wheelchair with bandages wrapped around my head."

"Yeah we're both fine, just a little mishap with the ground on the way here," Ash says.

"Well I'm glad you both could make it, we've been looking forward to officially meeting you for quite some time now," Zella grins, looking at Ash.

His eyes go wide. "Really? Why?"

"Because you're our nephew's mate. He's one of the most amazing people I know so I couldn't wait to see who he chose to spend the rest of his life with. And from what Lyza has told me, you're just as amazing as he is," she says.

"Thank you," Ash murmurs, a blush creeping onto his face.

My lips curl into a grin and I bend down to kiss his cheek. "He is pretty amazing," I whisper, watching as he blushes even harder.

"How are you feeling?" I ask Zella, moving to the side of the bed to give her a small side hug.

She smiles at me then looks down at the bundle in her arms. "Perfect," she sighs.

Only the baby's chubby red face is visible, a smile on its lips as it sleeps soundly.

"Boys or girls?" I ask.

"Two girls and one boy. This one's the boy," she says.

I glance over at my mother and Fara, each holding one of the babies. The girl in Fara's arms is awake and simply stares at her while she makes funny faces.

I swallow hard when I see that my mother is crying. Tears run down her face but she doesn't make a sound as she gently rocks the girl in her arms.

"She misses Maia."

I glance back at Zella. "Yeah. If it weren't for you guys we wouldn't have ever come back, it's just too painful," I say, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah Angel was so happy when the babies were born, then she just started crying and didn't stop until she passed out," she sighs.

My eyes wander to the other side of the room; Angel was indeed sleeping on the couch, her cheeks stained with tears. "Shouldn't you be the one sleeping?" I ask Zella.

She shrugs. "The first one hurt like a motherfucker but then next two were easier—and faster. It honestly wasn't as bad as I expected it to be but it still completely ruined any ideas I had about doing this again," she mutters with a small growl. "I slept for a few hours after so I'm okay now."

"Well Kaine might be coming in the next few days too."

"I miss him, I haven't seen him since his 16th birthday," she murmurs.

Has it really been that long?

It has been almost a year since we were last here and Kaine left before we did, Azazel says.

Damn, time goes by too fast, I mutter.

"Hey Lyza? Can you put him in the cradle?" Zella suddenly asks.

My mother wipes away the tears on her cheeks before nodding. She gently puts the girl into the cradle before taking the boy from Zella and the other girl from Fara. I smile in amusement at the three cradles sitting side by side, each one labeled 'baby' followed by a number.

"Did you name them yet?" I ask.

"Only one so far. One of the girls is Ruelle, the other two are just baby two and baby three until further notice," she chuckles. "We decided to fight over names tomorrow when we both have more energy."

"Sounds like fun."

"Tons. So what's this little guy's name?" she asks, motioning toward the leopard.

"We haven't thought of a name for her yet," Ash replies.

"How did you guys manage to get a dæmon?"

My eyes widen a little. "You know about dæmons?"

"Yeah we saw some crazy stuff when we went to see Jada. We learned a lot about a lot of different creatures—witches especially. And one thing I do remember is that dæmons aren't exactly easy things to come by."

"She was a gift from his mom," Ash says.

"Jada is the witch that helped you get pregnant right?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah she's a fertility witch. We waited years to be able to see her, but it was so worth it," she sighs, glancing over at the cradles.

I turn to Ash beside me. "It would have been so much smarter if Kaine and Syrra had just gone to see her," I comment. He nods with a small chuckle.

"What's wrong with Kaine and his mate?" Zella asks.

"Syrra can't have children."

"Well I don't think Jada would have been much help. Her specialty is in helping two females have a child. Plus from what we heard, she didn't seem to be a huge fan of the Witch Queen," she remarks.

I shrug a little. "Still should've gone to Jada, exhausting all the possibilities instead of jumping straight to black magic probably would have been a better idea."

******

What POV do you guys want for the next chapter?