Dark Passions at Death's Door

52 - Until The End

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Fridha and Harald agreed Baby should remain with Byron and Nїx.

The closer the smaller wyrm was to Valkyrie lightning, the more swiftly he would develop and grow.

They excused themselves, but both the titans wanted to try for more wyrmlings. In the interests of being courteous, they decided to put just a little more distance between them and the house, this time.

Once the wyrms had made a slow and surprisingly stealthy move away from them, Phenїx leaned up to Byron's ear. She whispered, "When they get started this time, it'll be a tremor."

He straightened out of reflex. Mm. Hm.

"Home?" he muttered.

Her face flared wickedly, "Yes!"

A thought spurred into his mind. "Wait, I need to go check on something." He grinned over at her. "You wanna come see?"

The thought of something new and unforeseen – a surprise – was terrific. She took his hand, following beside him.

Baby was sniffling about from here to there like a massive puppy. Phenїx watched him awhile, sighing happiness. She had only ever caught a glimpse of what he would look like outside the egg, but this scene was glorious to her.

"He was their twelfth baby," she murmured.

Byron looked at the juvenile. "Did you know the other eleven?"

"Four of them," she confirmed softly, then explained, "Wyrms are lifelong mates. They'll take a bonding vow after consulting the Fates and the stars for one thousand years together."

"One thousand years of dating???" Her reaper waved his hand dismissively. "Okay, I am never bothering them about the noise and tremors again."

"They find it hilarious, Byron," she giggled and gave his elbow a squeeze. "And remember, they have a lifespan of epochs. In a hundred thousand years, a millennium is scarcely a week's passage."

She glanced back to the horizon where their forms had disappeared. "But finding the One for them is an even longer process." She nibbled slightly at her lip. "Just because they find a female or male, doesn't mean the Fates and the stars agree to bind them together."

"So no sex?"

"No, no. They can choose to cleave before, and often do, but only with the Fated mate can the male impregnate his female." Phenїx sighed. "And it doesn't always take. They have numerous eggs, but fertilization is rare. Baby came from a clutch of four hundred."

He considered that. "How long to have a clutch?"

"Only eighty days. The extra week of mating is just for fun."

"Extra week?!" He stared at her, then he chuckled. "You're pulling my leg."

"Not even a little, reaper." His Valkyrie turned a mischievous look into his eyes. "They're deeply passionate."

God and Grim, he could learn a thing or two with this one. He pondered that a short while. "How many clutches between fertilization?"

"Every thousand or so. They'll keep at it until they get it right. But the older they are, or the more magick they attain, the more fertile the pair becomes."

"And when the babies grow up?"

"They can create portals," she smiled. "There are a few realms said to keep them in numbers, but Fridha and Harald are the oldest living. They're said to be the most fertile of their species, aside from a dozen other pairings."