Chapter 45

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Opening his eyes, Gino scanned the quiet room before his lazy gaze landed on the back of Valerio's broad shoulder, his tight white shirt outlining his muscular back. Valerio stood with a straight back while his huge hands were clasped together firmly behind his back.

Gino continued admiring Valerios for a few more seconds before calling out the man's name.

"Valerio"

Hearing the low, raspy voice coming from behind, Valerio turned away from the window and looked out towards the forest before making his way towards the bed; once there, Valerio gently helped Gino sit before speaking.

"How do you feel?"

"Not bad", answered Gino, looking around the room, trying to find anything that was out of place, something that would look odd in a room as its large shape would make one look again due to its uniqueness. As he searched the room, Gino still could not find what he was looking for; he turned his head back to Valerio before asking.

"Val, where is our baby? Our hatchling"

"Don't worry; I had the midwife place it in a warm bassinet; it will help with our baby's growth; it won't be long till we meet them."

Smiling Gino replied "I cannot wait."

"Neither can I; our baby is a blessing."

"Valerio, when our baby is here, will it take human form, or will it be in their dragon form?"

"Our baby is currently an egg. When it hatches, it will take on its human form until they are ready to shift into its natural form of a dragon. When our baby becomes an adult, it will have unique markings that will identify it from the rest of our kind; the pureblood running in its veins will make it slightly stronger than that of average dragons."

Seeing Gino continuously licking his lips, Valerio paused mid-way through his explanation; getting up from his spot on the bed, Valerio walked towards the nearby table and poured a glass of icy cold water.

Valerio handed Gino the glass filled with the refreshing clear liquid, who grabbed it eagerly with two hands.

Gino gulped down the glass of water as soon as its coolness touched his lips. Chuckling, Valerio took the empty glass from Gino before asking.

"Do you want more?"

"No, thank you. I suddenly felt very dehydrated and needed to quench my thirst. Please continue."

"Baby, you also need to know that we have completed our mating rituals, and you are now the father of a pureblood dragon. Not only will you be the most important person to me and our small family, but you will also not be an average human anymore.?

"What is your definition of normal."

"Soon, you will start to experience things that will connect you to me on a deeper level. But the most affecting thing will be your ability not to age. Everyone you know will no longer be around in ten or twenty years.

"You mean that I will not age."

"You will age, but it will be slower than everyone around you."Seeing Gino's action, Valerio leaned in close and lightly pecked Gino's forehead; he then grabbed one of Gino's tiny hands and clasped them in his much larger ones.

"Baby, I want you to understand that you have fully become like me. It will mean that there are changes that you need to accept, changes that we have to learn to live with. It will be hard on you as you were once just an ordinary human; it will take a while to get through these changes, but know that I am with you throughout your journey."

Kissing their entwined hand, Gino replied

"Nothing makes me happier knowing that I will be taking this journey with you; this is a new chapter in my life with you and our baby; everything is perfect."

A month had passed since Gino laid his egg. After being told to stay in bed to heal, Gino nearly went crazy with boredom; with Valerio hovering over him, there were not many things that he was allowed to do, such as heavy lifting or exerting too much weight as he was afraid that Gino would damage his inside that has yet to appropriately healed.

Getting out of bed, Gino walked to the bassinet beside the large arch windows, looking out to the garden.

Staring at the giant egg, Gino smiled, wondering how long it would take to meet the tiny creature inside the shell. Gino adverted his gaze to another large egg lying nearby in its beautiful bassinet and sighed softly.

Just as Gino pondered about the future, a slight tremor could be felt, followed by a loud bang coming from outside the villa; feeling worried, Gino walked the few steps to the window to see if he could make out where and what caused the loud bang.

The more Gino looked, the more anxious he became, unable to determine the cause of the loud bang. Gino turned away from the window to the door as loud footsteps could be heard running towards his location, making him feel on edge.Soon, the large double doors were pushed open, and a worried Xander rushed inside, shouting commands to Gino.

"Gino, we need to hurry and leave."

"Wha.. what's happening out there, Xander?"

"We don't have much time," answered Xander, picking up the eggs in the crib and handing them to Gino.

Not explaining much to Gino, Xander entered the closet and fished a large weekend bag. He reached out into the crib, took out some blankets, and laid them inside the bag before taking one of the eggs from Gino's arms and placing it inside the bag.

"Will you be alright with one of the hatchlings?"

"Mm"

Picking up the bag, Xander headed towards the door, signalling for Gino to follow.

Once they exited the room, Xander was on high alert as he maneuvered through the hallway, trying to reach the exit.

"Xander, will you tell me what is happening? Where is Valerio? Is he safe?"

"Yes, he is."

"Where is he then?"

"Fighting"

"Fighting!" exclaimed Gino, who stayed rooted to the spot

Not hearing footsteps or panting behind him, Xander stopped and turned to see Gino's scared and worried expression.

"Gino, we must hurry."

"If Valerio is out there fighting, you need to be there by his side; what if he needs you."

"It's not Valerio that I'm worried about. It's those hunters; they do not know who they are up against," answered Xander.

"Xander, I asked that you leave me and go and help Valerio right now."Seeing Gino's worried expression, Xander contemplated if he should do as Gino asked to put the man at ease or continue his mission.

A few seconds passed before Xander answered.

"I am helping him; I promise to get you out to safety; he asked this of me; he will be at ease if you are safe. Now, the further you stand there and demand things of me, I am worried that I will not be able to complete the task that Val has entrusted to me."

Hearing Xander's sincere reasoning, Gino took the few steps that separated him from Xander and continued to follow the man to a safe hiding place.

For the next few minutes, Xander kept a close eye on their surroundings and listened for any moments leading to an ambush; the further they went into the woods, the more alert Xander became. It was not until they reached the forest's edge that Xander finally let his guard down. Walking up to the boat, Xander scanned the surrounding areas before leading Gino towards the docked yacht. 




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