Monster Girl Island 14 Chapter 3

… And that is why Benjamin is such a good leader, Bungal explained to his former clanmates as we sailed up to the group. If you were to join him, he would make sure you are well taken care of, with all sorts of wonderful dishes that, get this, you would not have to hunt for! Doesn’t that sound marvelous?

None of the dragons seemed to be paying attention to the fat beast. Instead, their eyes were all focused on us as we approached.

“Jonas?” Zerandrie whispered. “Can you tell us what’s going through these dragons’ heads right now? Are they going to burn us to a crisp?”

“You would know that better than me, I’m afraid,” Jonas admitted. “Your people were the ones with the fire dragons. I’ve mostly dealt exclusively with the water variety.”

“Valmatrae mirtulous sinchae…” Valea trailed off as her golden hair floated around her head in slender, weightless strands. “I cannot tell you what they are thinking, exactly, but I can tell you their auras are very, very tense right now.”

“But are they aggressive?” I questioned the naturalist.

“I’m not sensing aggression,” Valea confirmed. “More like a… cautious curiosity.”

“I’ll take it,” I said.

Before us in the sky were the seven remaining members of Bungal and Tirian’s clan.

The elderly dragon, the one Bungal had referred to earlier as “Barlow,” floated in the air with his face twisted into a scowl. Wrinkles covered his golden skin, and the small white horns on his head were missing several chunks out of them. Two small tufts of white hair stuck out beneath the horns and gave him a strange, Einstein-esque appearance. Even funnier was his expression, which looked like a grumpy old man who was annoyed his coffee was taking too long at Starbucks.

Next to him were the twin dragons with purple scales and red accents. They looked practically identical, though one of them had a giant scar over its left eye and the other had one extra spine on its tail. Otherwise, there was no way in hell anyone was telling them apart.

Then there was a pearl-colored dragon who was only about the size of Tirian, and it rested on the back of a pitch-black dragon with crimson red eyes and a snarl that told us he meant business.

At the very back of the group was an emerald-green dragon who was larger than even Bungal, but the green dragon didn’t look overweight. Rather, he was simply built bigger than any of the other dragons.

Lastly, at the very front of the group, was Tirian’s mother. Her golden scales shone brilliantly in the light of the sun, and a pale blue light shone through the skin of her chest as her purple eyes observed the dead creature in the water.

I don’t understand… Tirian had tears in his eyes. Why doesn’t my mom recognize me?

“She’s never met you, dear,” Mira explained in a motherly tone. “You have to remember the orcs scared her away when you were still in your egg.”

Still, she’s my mom, the silver dragon sighed. She should just… know who I am.

Listen, Ralea, Bungal interjected as he addressed Tirian’s mother. I will tell you once more this strapping young lad is your child, and he adores you with all of his heart.

Tirian’s mom glared at Bungal as she let out a few huffs.

It’s not a trick, Tirian promised. Mom, it’s me.

Frankly, I am quite offended, Bungal gasped and placed his chubby paw against his chest to feign shock. I was one of the founding members of this clan! You think I would try to trick you, just because you haven’t seen me in a few moon cycles? I am still the same Bungal, my friends! I have just discovered how joyous it is to be in the company of Benjamin.

Tirian’s mother didn’t look convinced, and her purple eyes floated across the rest of the group as she stared at the Aviars and then ended with myself.

When Ralea locked eyes with me, however, her head tilted with curiosity.

Did she recognize me?

The dragon started to look back and forth between myself, Mira, and Malak, and I knew in that instant there was some sort of recognition going on, even if it was subconscious.

“I’m the one who saved your egg,” I explained to the golden dragon. “Way back on the jungle island. The orcs were trying to capture you and steal your baby, but we killed them and took your egg for safekeeping.”

The dragon’s eyes widened slightly, and she let out a curious chuff.

I think it’s working, Mira noted telepathically.

“This is Tirian,” I continued as I gestured to the silver dragon. “He’s telling you the truth, you know. He is your son. We’ve taken real good care of him in the last few months, while you were gone.”

Hi, Mom… Tirian tried once more as he looked up with soft, tear-filled eyes.

“I was there, as well,” Mira explained as she placed her hand against her chest. “As was the Coonag woman over there.”

“Hi,” Malak said with a playful wave.

Ralea looked back at the rest of her clan and let out a soft grunt, to which they all responded with a chattering chorus of chuffs and snorts.

“What are they saying, Bungal?” I asked the fat dragon telepathically.

I-I cannot believe it, Bungal sputtered. The Council has awarded me the ‘best debater’ award six times, yet these fools were wooed by a simple appeal to their emotions? We truly do live in uncivilized times….

“Bungal!” I hissed.

Oh! the fat dragon chuckled. Right. They are saying we are not their enemies. In fact, Ralea is telling the rest of the clan right now that she believes you can actually help them get out of their current predicament.

“Tell them we sure as hell can,” I ordered. “Tell them Jonas can rebond them to my crewmates, and that we can make sure they’re back to their old selves in no time at all. Just as long as they don’t try to eat us or burn us to a crisp or anything like that.”

Bungal translated my message to the dragon clan, and Ralea simply let out an amused chuff. She then began a series of chirps, growls, and snorts, all while Bungal nodded in agreement.

I see. The fat brown dragon whistled, and then he clapped his blubbery hands together. Oh, happy days! Benjamin… They have come to the conclusion that, because you saved Ralea’s egg and killed the dragon the orcs sicced on them, they can trust you. They believe that, if you are good enough for her child, then you are good enough for the rest of the clan.

“Oh, thank fuck.” I let out a sigh of relief as I wiped my brow.

That could have gone way, way worse.

“Hello, my new friends,” Jonas announced as he stepped forward. “My name is Jonas, and I will be the one to deliver you from your current state. However, I cannot do that without the proper tools and time, as well as your agreement to participate in the ceremony. I believe that, with a participant who is there willingly, we may be able to speed the process up quite a bit.”

“It’d definitely be quicker than what we had to do with Bungal,” I chuckled. “I swore he was going to destroy the whole damn island before we knocked him out cold.”

That is absurd, Benjamin, the fat dragon huffed. I merely wanted to devour every living creature that lived on it. Where in the devil would I live if I burnt the whole thing up?

“We can get you back to normal,” I promised the clan. “I know you’ve all been very confused and scared since your bondmates were killed, but we can fix it.”

Ralea turned to Tirian, and then a small smile twisted up both sides of her mouth. She floated over to the small dragon before she wrapped her neck around his body and pulled him close in a loving embrace.

Mom… Tirian sighed longingly as he rested against his mother’s neck. I never thought I’d see you again.

“This makes me so happy,” Jemma laughed, and her eyes were full of joyful tears. “I know it’s just killed him to not have his mother around.”

“Well,” I admitted. “If all goes according to plan, then he’ll never have to be without her ever again. So, dragons… Is that a ‘yes?’ Will you come back to our home and let Jonas rebond you with some of our friends?”

The dragon clan all looked at each other for a moment, but then they nodded their heads with a short chuff.

Holy fuck. We did it. I never thought this day would come. If all went well in the next few days, we’d have seven new fire-breathing dragons on our side.

Then there was the fact we had the Council at our backs, too. In the last twenty-four hours, we’d added a whopping thirty dragons to our list of allies.

The next time the orcs tried to fuck around with us, we were gonna wipe them off the face of the this world. Hell, we had enough dragons at our disposal to charge right up to the Orc Island, burn all the ugly green fuckers to a crisp, and then claim the place for ourselves.

I quickly realized, however, that I was getting ahead of myself. We knew nothing about the orcs’ home island other than maybe where it was located. For all I knew, they had fifty dragons of their own, or anti-dragon artillery posted around the perimeter of the island or something like that.

Even though I was beyond pumped right now, we couldn’t just charge in there guns-blazing.

That was the surest way to end up dead.

But we could still savor this victory.

“Thirty dragons.” I whistled to myself. “Thirty fucking dragons.”

“You seem very proud right now, Ben,” Mira noted as she looked me up and down. “As you should be.”

“Damn straight.” I nodded. “Now… Let’s head home. Everybody, get back into your positions.”

The rest of my crew took their spots at the various masts, sails, and postings while I unfastened the tie on the ship’s wheel. Then I cranked the wheel back to the right, and we headed off for the dragonkin island.

As we traveled, the flying beasts remained in the sky behind us. Bungal tried to make small talk with all of his former clanmates, but none of them seemed to want to give him the time of day.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was because they still didn’t trust him, or if this was simply the way it always was between the members of the clan.

As we sailed home, I wondered just how treacherous our next journey would be. Atrix had mentioned the Tainted Sea was not a place for the faint of heart, and even the dragons feared the creatures that dwelled in it.

Still, whatever perils awaited us, we needed Seashuna.

Even though we had more fire-breathing dragons to fight back against the orcs, wargs, and goblins who wanted to kill me and steal my women, the dragonkin island was quickly losing its luster.

Our list of allies was growing by the day, which meant our population was growing, as well. It wasn’t going to be long before our island ran out of resources, and we ended up just like the sad story of the Aviar people.

Even worse was the fact the orcs knew where we lived. Sure, I was confident we could fight them off every time they attacked us, but it would be better if we just moved to a place where they just didn’t attack us in the first place.

Seashuna the living island was the solution to many of our problems, and we had no choice but to seek her out ASAP.

Eventually, after several long days of sailing through calm seas, we saw our home beach on the horizon.

“There she is, guys,” I announced to the dragons and the Aviars. “The beautiful sandy shores of the dragonkin island.”

“It’s so warm here,” Teeka observed. “I’m not sure if we’ll even need to use our feathers for warmth!”

“There are many things this island lacks,” Sela chuckled. “Warmth is not one of them.”

As we grew closer, I saw two more familiar faces looking down at us from atop the protective wall.

Zarya and Darya, the tall, lean dragonkin twins, were on opposite sides of the wall, and they both waved happily when they recognized the ship.

We sailed up a bit closer before we dropped anchor, climbed down the side of the vessel, and headed up to the shore of our home. Then my crew and I climbed up the natural wooden rungs of the stairwillow until we reached the top of the structure, where we were promptly greeted by the twins.

And I nearly had a heart attack when I noticed their pregnant bellies were gone.

“Ben!” Darya threw her hands around my neck and held me tight.

I ran my fingers through the woman’s hay-colored hair as I kissed her on the forehead, and then I gave Zarya a peck on the lips to say “hello.”

“So…” I chuckled awkwardly. “We came back with a bunch of new company this time.”

“I see that.” Zarya grinned as she looked over the dragons. “Queen Nerissa will be most pleased.”

“Yeah, but first you know I want to know about, well--” I patted Darya on the tummy.

“I think you already know what has happened, Draco Rex,” Darya purred. “There are two new members of the royal family.”

My heart swelled with happiness at the thought of having two more beautiful children, and I couldn’t wait to meet them.

“I- I…” I cleared my throat and tried to compose myself. “Where are they?”

“In the nursery, with the rest of the children,” Zarya reassured me. “Talise and the rest of the caregivers have their hands quite full right now.”

“Especially with Jarin, Hokir, and Terra,” Darya giggled. “Those little searunts are driving them crazy.”

“I bet,” I admitted. “But you know I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“That’s what makes you a good father, Ben,” Darya sighed longingly. “It is also why I was so proud to carry your baby and would love to do it again.”

“You’ll get a chance,” I said as I traced her shoulder with my finger. “I’m sure both of you will. But first, I want to introduce everyone to our new friends and meet the two newest members of the Whitfield clan.”

Darya and Zarya led us down the other side of the wall and then up to the beach where the original dragonkin huts were located. There, we saw a large number of our friends lounging around, and they were basking in the sun and playing with their kids.

Then my jaw dropped when I realized just how big all my children were becoming.

Marella stood next to her mother, Talise, and I was completely taken aback by their resemblance. Honestly, if not for their variance in scale color, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.

My baby girl had grown in the short time I was gone, and she was now a full-grown dragonkin.

Just down the beach, I saw my three Coonag children huddled in a semi-circle, right next to the water dragons Malkey and Cerin. Although they were only a few months old at this point, all three of the little rapscallions were now the size of a three-year old toddler, and they watched with pure violent joy in their eyes as their eldest brother Arrick sparred with the Spindrel boy, Kehlaan.

As the two boys tangoed with their wooden weapons, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by how much older Arrick now looked.

His tan skin was covered with dirt and sweat as he blocked a few of Kehlaan’s attacks, and his blue scales were aglow in the sun. His brown locks were now long and intertwined with seashells as they hung down around his shoulders, and they looked like they hadn’t been washed in days. Then there was his face, which had several splotches of facial hair that tried to peek out from behind his acne-covered flesh.

Yep. He definitely was at the “teenage” point of his life.

Lizzie, Oshuna, Meer, and Amaria all played together in the sand, and they built structures out of the grainy material and then showed them off to the Council of Queens.

Well, every Queen except for Ainsley.

The lovely deer-woman was just down the shoreline with my two Niralope children, Algon and Nirali. Both of the kids attempted to walk as they held Ainsley’s hand, though it was kind of like witnessing a baby deer trying to take its first steps. Their long legs wobbled beneath them as they both tried to march forward, and Ainsley had to hold them upright at times.

Wow. I go away for a few days and come back to an entirely different island.

“The Draco Rex has returned,” Dalwen, the yellow-haired butterfly Queen, announced in a formal tone.

“Ben!” the Spindrel leader, Pae, giggled as she stood from her chair and ran toward us.

The silver-haired hedgehog-woman slammed into me with the speed of a cheetah, and she nearly fell onto the ground when her momentum was stopped in place.

I threw my arms around her and kissed her passionately, which drew a few teasing woops from the rest of the women.

“Come on, guys,” I teased. “I’ll get to you shortly.”

“Welcome home, Ben,” Nerissa proclaimed as she strutted over to us. “I suppose that--”

Before she could finish her sentence, the Queen’s jaw hit the ground, and her eyes practically bulged out of her skull as they looked over the seven new dragons we had behind us. She looked like she wanted to say something, but all that came out were a few labored gasps.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Jonas finally broke the silence. “And after the ceremony is completed, they will be bonded to the Draco Rex’s allies and kin.”

“Impressive,” Dalwen noted. “After seeing how angry the dragons were when their bondmates were killed, I am very surprised you were able to get them back here in one piece.”

“Haven’t you learned anything by now, Dalwen?” Pae chuckled. “Ben can do anything.”

“Not quite,” I admitted. “I’m still not one-hundred percent sure how to do the Chacha slide. I always get lost around the ‘walk it by yourself’ part.”

“And who are these lovely ladies?” Nerissa raised an eyebrow and pointed to the Aviars.

“My name is Nevar.” The dark-haired bird-woman stepped forward and gave Nerissa a bow. “I am the Feathered Monarch of the Aviar people.”

“Now wait a minute,” Kwah huffed. “She’s only half of a Feathered Monarch. I’m the other half.”

“Two Queens?” Dalwen mused. “Fascinating. How do you split up your responsibilities as royalty?”

“Not very well,” Kwah snarked. “Not very well at all.”

Nacut, Maca, and Teeka all introduced themselves, as well, and they were welcomed with open arms.

“Any ally of Ben is an ally of ours,” Nerissa explained. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you want, even if that ends up being ‘permanently.’”

“Well, that’s the thing…” I trailed off as I tried to formulate my words in my head. “I don’t know how much longer we’ll be staying here.”

“What do you mean?” the pearl-scaled queen gasped. “This is our home, Ben.”

“Let me explain,” I began, and then I launched into the entire story.

I told the Council of Queens all about our adventures on the mountain island, from the way Malak raced us to the top, to the encounter with the Aviar women, and then the Council of Dragons. I explained the different tests I had to go through and how I solved each one, as well as how I was appointed as an official member of the Council.

Most importantly, however, I told them about Seashuna, and how moving to her would solve so many of our current problems.

“I’m not sure, Draco Rex…” Nerissa admitted once I was done, and her eyes were full of doubt. “The dragonkin people have lived on this island since the beginning of time itself.”

“So had the Cero,” Batari argued. “Yet here we are. Same with the Spindrel, and the Aviars.”

“It’s not that we couldn’t do it,” the Dragon Queen sighed. “It’s that I’m not sure we should. We have built a nice home here, Ben. We have lots of resources and fortifications that can protect us against the orcs.”

“But wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to defend ourselves against the orcs at all?” I questioned. “If they didn’t know where we were, then they would never bother us again. The only time we’d see their miserable asses would be if we ran into them on a random island, or if we decided to take the fight straight to them.”

“Leaving your home is not as bad as it sounds,” Dalwen admitted as she rested her hand on her pregnant belly. “Particularly when you are with the man you’ve dreamed of having your entire life.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “As long as we’re together, we’ll always be home. Even if that sounds like a sappy greeting card.”

“I shall dwell on the issue further.” Nerissa nodded. “You make a compelling argument, Ben, and you always know I respect your opinion on everything. But I need some more time before I make a decision this big. Besides… How would we even get everybody there? Between the dragonkin, Niralope, Coonag, Morpho, Cero, Spindrel, and now Aviar, there are so many bodies that will need to be transported.”

“Don’t worry about that.” I shook my head. “We’ve got plenty of space for everybody. The Dragon Queen can hold way more people than it looks like, and we still have that other, much larger ship we stole from those orc bastards. Plus, we have not one, but nine large dragons that can fly, and they would gladly help us carry people to Seashuna.”

“I will pray to Oshun for guidance,” Nerissa said with a thoughtful expression. “Though I do not know how long it will take for her to hear my prayers.”

“Take all the time you need,” I reassured her. “I know you’ll come to the right decision eventually.”

“Why don’t you come and meet your newest children, then?” Zarya suggested. “Perhaps the Queen will have a change of heart while you are at the nursery?”

“Please.” I smiled at the two beautiful dragonkin twins. “I want to see them.”

“Could-- could I come, as well?” Nacut interjected as she stepped forward timidly.

“Nacut!” Nevar gasped. “That is quite forward of you.”

“I know.” The yellow-and-green-haired woman nodded. “I just… I just wanted to see what sort of rooms are available here. I will need to get back into my old flockmaid habits once Kwah has her egg.”

“You impregnated one of the Aviar women?” Pae giggled. “It’s good to know your seed is still as strong as ever.”

“I bear the Draco Rex’s child,” Kwah confirmed as she rested her hand on her belly. “And I cannot wait to raise this royal child with him.”

“Get in line,” Dalwen teased. “I believe he has impregnated each and every Queen he has encountered.”

“Technically not,” Nevar proclaimed with her head held high. “I am the Feathered Monarch, and he has not impregnated me.”

“Yet,” Nerissa joked. “He hasn’t impregnated you yet.”

“We shall see.” The dark-haired bird-woman narrowed her eyes. “I am not as easily wooed as my sister. If the Draco Rex wishes to have me as his mate, he’s going to have to go through all the traditional Aviar mating rituals.”

“I don’t see Ben as the type to pull out a mating dance, sister.” Kwah rolled her eyes.

“Seriously,” I laughed. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? I struggle with the freaking Chacha slide.”

“If you want it bad enough, you’ll figure it out.” Nevar winked at me, and for the first time I felt like she may have been flirting.

Well, shit. Maybe I needed to bust out my old middle school moves, after all.

But that could wait. For now, I just wanted to meet my children.

“Come on, Nacut,” I said as I motioned for the Aviar woman to follow. “You can come with us. It’s a great nursery.”

The bird-woman gave me a firm nod and a grin, and then Darya and Zarya led us back down the beach and to the concrete pathway that would take us through the jungle.

As we passed underneath the tropical foliage, I couldn’t help but notice Nacut had eyes as wide as saucers. Her head whipped back and forth as she observed the strange new plants all around her, and she clasped her hands over her chest as she walked through the humid climate.

Eventually, we came to the dragonkin castle, where we were promptly greeted by a few more women before we sauntered inside. Darya and Zarya led us through the winding hallways of the palace until finally, we came to the room that had been labeled “child care” in the native dragonkin tongue. Darya grabbed onto the handle of the thatched door, opened it slowly, and then gave us a “shush” signal as we crept inside.

The stone walls of the nursery were lined with several cribs, each one made out of wood, straw, old coconut husks, and a mattress stuffed with straw and fabric. Most of the cribs were empty, though the healer Anora stood between two at the very right side of the room, and she smiled as she waved at us from afar. As we got closer, the green-haired beauty pointed between the cribs on either side of her body and then rested tucked her arms against her body happily.

When I got to the two cribs, my eyes were filled with happy tears.

On the left was a little boy who was somewhat chunky, with golden scales like his mother and dark brown hair like his father. The infant’s eyes were a bright blue, and his skin was so bronze it nearly blended in with his scales.

On my other side was a little girl who was so skinny, I thought for a moment my sword blade may have been wider. She had a wisp of hay-colored hair atop her hair, and piercing purple eyes glared back at me through heavy eyelids. Her body was completely covered with maroon scales, which shimmered under the light of the nearby window hole.

“T-They’re beautiful,” I whispered to the dragonkin twins. “Have you thought about names yet?”

“Of course.” Darya nodded. “But we didn’t want to make them official until we talked to you.”

“I would like to name our son ‘Teku,’” Zarya offered. “It comes from one of the servants of Oshun, the mighty dragonkin warrior who was said to unite the tribes into a singular people many, many season cycles ago.”

“Sounds like a badass,” I said as I looked over at my beautiful little boy. “Welcome to the world, Teku.”

“I was thinking ‘Falthra,’” Darya explained. “It is the--”

“‘Peace,’” I finished the thought for the dragonkin warrior. “It means ‘peace’ in your language, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Darya confirmed with a smile. “It is what every warrior hopes to achieve at some point in their life.”

“Then we shall have our own little ‘Peace,’” I chuckled. “She’s beautiful, Darya. And so is Teku.”

“Of course they are,” the dragonkin warrior teased. “They take after their father.”

“Come on, now,” I laughed. “We all know they get their beauty from their mothers. Now, if they end up being badass warriors or something like that, then I’ll take the credit. Since I’m way more of a badass than you guys are.”

“Excuse me?” Zarya whistled. “Are you hearing this, sister?”

“Perhaps this should be settled out on the posts?” Darya mused. “In front of an audience?”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Though I’d hate for the entire island to see you embarrassing yourself.”

As the dragonkin twins and I flirted back and forth, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Nacut was wandering aimlessly around the room. The bright-haired woman dragged her hands longingly across the cribs as she hummed a somber tune under her breath, and she kept glancing into the furniture as if she thought something was going to be there.

“You probably should go talk to her,” Anora said to me as she watched Nacut. “She doesn’t look very happy.”

“That’s because she was the flockmaid back on her island,” I explained. “She was supposed to take care of all the babies, but the eggs were eaten by predators who were desperate for food.”

“That is simply awful.” Zarya placed her hand against her mouth. “I-I couldn’t even imagine the sort of pain that would cause.”

“It makes me cherish what we have here, sister,” Darya sighed as she reached into the crib and picked up Falthra in her arms.

The dragonkin woman whispered something in her native tongue to the baby to keep her asleep, and the little girl just nestled closer into her mother’s chest.

Meanwhile, Zarya scooped up Teku and turned to the dragonkin healer.

“Take a break, Anora,” Zarya ordered. “You’ve been watching these babies for awhile, and you must be exhausted.”

“Are you sure?” The woman tilted her yellow-scaled head. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“We will take over,” Darya confirmed. “In fact, I wanted to take her down to the beach, anyways. She is not truly a dragonkin until she’s had her first taste of the beach.”

“We shall go together, then,” Zarya chuckled. “I wish for these two to be as close as we are, Darya. We should get them doing things together while they are young, and this sounds like a great first opportunity.”

“I mean, if you two are offering…” Anora trailed off. “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in several sun cycles.”

“Go get some rest,” I said to the healer. “There’s a lot of crazy shit ahead of us, and we’re gonna need everybody to be at the top of their game. You can’t do that if you’re sleep-deprived.”

“Okay.” Anora shrugged. “Just remember I offered.”

We watched as the yellow-scaled healer strolled out of the room, and then Darya and Zarya were right behind her.

I began to head toward the door, but I quickly stopped when I realized Nacut wasn’t coming.

The Aviar woman still stared at the rows of cribs with a sad expression on her face, and every now and then she would let out a soft sigh.

“What’s wrong, Nacut?” I asked the bird-woman as I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“I-I think I’ve made a decision, Draco Rex,” the woman with the multi-colored hair admitted.

“Okay…” I raised an eyebrow. “A decision about what?”

“I want to have a baby.” Nacut turned and looked me right in the eyes. “And I want that baby to be yours.”