Free Ice Ice Babies by Ruby Dixon

Ice Ice Babies
    NORA
    E ven in my sleep , there’s a baby crying. I mumble something and roll over, determined to shut out the noise.
    A hand pats my shoulder. “I will get the kit. You sleep.”
    Dagesh. I blink awake as my mate rolls out of the furs and pads across the cave to the squalling baby. Not a dream, then. I glance over, rubbing my eyes. The fire’s coals are almost completely out, which means it’s close to dawn. My mate stands over Anna’s basket, completely naked, his fine ass hanging out for the world to see. I admire it for a moment in the low light of the cave. It’s as pale blue as the rest of him, and his tail flicks back and forth over taut buttocks. It’s a real nice view, and the female side of me can’t help but appreciate it as he bends over to pick up Anna and straightens, tucking her against his shoulder as she wails.
    Then Elsa begins to scream, like usual. Their twin bond seems to extend to temper tantrums, and if one’s bellowing, the other’s never far behind. My breasts, bound and wrapped because they ache, are leaking at the sound of their distress. So much for sleep. “I’m up,” I mumble, crawling out of bed and lumbering over to pick up Elsa.
    We’re silent, yawning as we bounce upset babies, rock them back and forth, pace around the cave, and try to quiet them. When singing doesn’t work (and oh boy, Dagesh is terrible at it), and fresh diapers don’t silence them, I sit on my stool and tuck each one against a breast so they can nurse their tears away.
    I wince as Anna bites down hard on my nipple, desperately trying to suck. My breasts feel full but nothing’s coming out. “I think my milk’s drying up again.” I resist the urge to cry. I’m tired and the babies are non-stop, and now I can’t even feed my girls?
    “Maylak says it is normal,” Dagesh yawns, and then presses a kiss to the top of my head. “I will stoke the fire and then go tell her you need healing.”
    “Let her sleep for a bit longer,” I tell him. I’m always having to run to the healer to get her to get my milk started again. I hate that. I shift the babies and wince when Elsa gets all bitey, too. My poor boobs. My poor babies.
    Dagesh watches the twins nurse for a moment, and then turns to pull his leggings on. “I should get up anyhow. The day is wasting.”
    It is? “I don’t think it’s even daylight yet…”
    “Then I will start my hunting early.” He finishes dressing, slings his pack of weapons over his shoulder and smiles at me, then heads out of the cave.
    I try not to be disappointed. I know the hunters are super busy trying to feed everyone but I have the sinking suspicion that I won’t see Dagesh again until the twin suns set. That five minutes of quiet? That’ll be the only interaction I have with my mate for the rest of the day. By the time he gets home, he’ll be exhausted, filthy from a day spent hunting, and barely able to keep his eyes open. He’ll come kiss me on the head again, take a quick bath in the bathing pool, grab a bite to eat, and then collapse into the furs to sleep.
    It’s been like this ever since the babies were born. I knew I was big, but twins don’t run in my family and I was just as surprised as my sweet, enthusiastic Dagesh when Maylak told us there were two babies. Just more for us to love, right? And I adore my sweet Anna and Elsa. Most of the time they’re good babies, when they’re not busy being tired, cranky, hungry little poop-monsters.
    Except…I’d really love a freaking nap. Or three. And I’d love for my mate to snuggle up in bed with me. Better yet, I’d love for my mate to touch me and make my toes curl. It feels like in the three months since the girls were born, not only have I not slept, but I haven’t had sex. Heck, I haven’t had sex since before the girls came, either, because I was so uncomfortably pregnant that Dagesh was afraid to touch me.
    And now he just won’t touch me. I sigh. Clearly there’s a memo I’m