She looked my way, and our eyes met. I could feel the warmth in her gaze, even without the connection between us.

  Stop worrying, she scolded lightly across the bond.

  I’m not worrying, I lied. I’m just wondering how long I have to share you tonight before I can take you home to our bed.

  Pink tinged her cheeks. I loved that I could still make her blush, even with our child growing in her belly, and I hoped I never lost that ability.

  I excused myself from Hamid and Chris and went to Sara. Taking her hand, I led her over to a loveseat that normally sat in one of the common rooms. I had expressed my concern about Sara being on her feet tonight, and Tristan had moved the couch in here for her. The fact that she didn’t complain about me coddling her said she was more tired than she let on.

  We weren’t alone for long. Within minutes, our family and friends had drifted over to surround us.

  Jordan sat on the arm of the couch next to Sara. “You didn’t invite the wolves?”

  Sara nodded. “I did, but Roland’s mom wanted them to stay home this year. Emma’s parents and sister are visiting them. And it’s the first Thanksgiving for Peter and Shannon’s little boy, Caleb, so they wanted to spend it with their family.”

  Jordan quirked an eyebrow. “I wonder how that conversation went when Emma told her family she was mated to a werewolf.”

  “It couldn’t have been more shocking than finding out Emma used to be a vampire,” I said.

  “True.” She looked at the faces of the people around us. “It’s crazy how much has happened in the last four years. Did you guys ever think we’d be friends with werewolves and ex-vampires?”

  “Yes,” Sara answered immediately, earning laughter from everyone. “Well, yes to the werewolves.”

  “Seriously, though.” Jordan held up a hand and started ticking off her fingers. “People in this room have killed a Master, a Lilin, and an archdemon just in the last few years. That’s insane when you think about it.”

  Chris squeezed Beth, who was leaning back against his chest, and smirked at Hamid and me. “What I’m hearing is that our mates are total badasses and we need to up our game.”

  I smiled at Sara. “I think you may be right.”

  “Are you saying you wish to take a break from work?” Hamid asked Jordan with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

  The glare she shot him was comical. “Don’t even joke about that.”

  I opened my mouth to tease her just as a dull pain shot up my arm from the hand that was holding Sara’s. I looked down at our joined hands to see hers glowing faintly. It wasn’t an unusual sight these days, but it was the first time her power had shocked me during her pregnancy. Her lack of reaction told me she wasn’t aware she had done it.

  She sighed softly and shifted as if she were uncomfortable.

  “Feeling okay?” I asked her.

  “Yes.” Sara rested her head on my shoulder. “I think our daughter is getting a little impatient to come into the world.”

  I put an arm around her. “Soon.”

  Tristan glanced toward the kitchen and back to us. “I believe dinner is ready to be served.”

  Sara lifted her head. “Perfect timing. I’m famished, and the turkey smells amazing.”

  I stood and reached down to help her to her feet. At the last second, she yanked her hand back as it began to glow brightly.

  She shrunk back against the cushion, away from Jordan and me, her eyes wide with panic. “Stay back.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked more calmly than I felt.

  “I-I can’t pull my power back in. Oh…” She looked down and then up at me with a shocked expression. “I think my water just broke.”

  Madeline and my mother rushed forward, but Sara held up her hands. “Don’t come near me! It’s not safe.”

  “It is for me.” Nate came to sit beside her, and Sara clutched his hand like it was a lifeline. I was glad she had him, even though it killed me that I couldn’t offer her physical comfort during her time of need.

  “What do we do?” Beth asked.

  “Nothing,” Sara said shakily. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. “Eldeorin and Aine are coming.”

  No sooner had the words left her mouth than Eldeorin appeared in front of me. Ignoring everyone else in the room, he knelt before Sara and laid a hand on her belly. I held my breath as I waited for him to speak.

  At last, he lifted his head to smile at Sara. “We need to get you to the birthing hut. Aine is there now, preparing it for you.” Without another word, he stood and scooped her into his arms. In the next moment, they were gone.

  I ran from the building and sped down the road to the lake. In less than a minute, our cabin came into view, but I passed it and headed straight for the faerie hut. I got within five feet of the structure and came up against a wall of Fae magic that caused my skin to prickle painfully. I couldn’t feel Sara through the ward, but its presence told me she was in there with the faeries.

  Sara? I called as I took a step back.

  Nothing.

  I paced helplessly. Tristan arrived, followed shortly after by my parents, Madeline, and our friends. They all gave me expectant looks, but I had no news for them. I was as in the dark as they were.

  Nate got there five minutes later, having driven one of the vehicles over. “How is she?” he asked when he ran up to me, out of breath.

  Before I could answer, a smiling Aine appeared in front of us. “Sara is doing well,” the red-haired sylph assured me. “She knew you would worry and asked me to come to you.”

  “Can I talk to her?” I asked.

  Aine nodded. “As soon as we bind her power, we’ll reduce the wards so you two can communicate.”

  Relief flooded me. Not being able to physically be with Sara for our daughter’s birth was hard enough, but being cut off completely from her was sheer torture.

  “I must return to her,” Aine said softly and disappeared.

  It was another ten agonizing minutes before my Mori began to flutter in excitement. My entire body relaxed when I felt Sara’s presence. It was a little muted because of the ward but strong enough to soothe my anxious Mori.

  Nikolas? Sara called through the bond.

  I’m here. Are you okay?

  As good as any woman can be in labor, she said with a smile in her voice. How are you holding up out there?

  As good as any man whose mate is in labor, I replied.

  A wave of love came across the bond. I wish you could be in here with me.

  I do, too.

  I –

  Her words cut off, and I sensed rather than felt her physical pain. My jaw clenched. I would give anything to take her pain into me. But this was one time I couldn’t share my Mori’s strength with her.

  Contraction, she said after the pain passed.

  Can’t they do something to ease the pain?

  It’s not that bad, she assured me. And Aine said Fae births are much faster than human births. Before you know it, we’ll be holding our baby.

  Madeline approached me, her eyes dark with worry. “Are you talking to Sara? How is she?”

  I realized then that I was surrounded by people, who were watching me closely, waiting for some word about Sara.

  “She’s doing well,” I told them, not knowing what else to say.

  For the next hour, I paced and talked to Sara as the time between her contractions shortened. I tried to distract her from the pain, but I could tell it was getting worse. I’d been in countless dangerous situations in my life, but not one of them had made me feel as impotent as I did now.

  When are we telling Jordan she’s going to be the godmother? I asked, watching the blonde warrior who was talking quietly with Hamid. Jordan had been hinting for months that she wanted the job, and we’d been waiting until the baby came to surprise her with the news.

  Sara laughed. You can have that honor when we present our daughter to her. She grew silent for a long moment. You’re still okay with Eldeorin being her godfather, right?

  Yes. Aine had explained to us that our daughter should have at least one Fae godparent. As much as I disliked Eldeorin, he was powerful and he cared for Sara. And Sara cared for him and trusted him with her life.

  When we have a son, you can choose – She broke off abruptly, and I sensed her pain as a contraction hit her. This one seemed to be longer than the previous ones, and I thought I felt a trickle of fear from her.

  I clenched my hand into a fist. I knew she was in the best possible hands, but I hated that she was going through this without me.

  Without warning, a wall slammed down between us, and I couldn’t feel Sara anymore. I spun to face the hut, but everything there looked the same. A knot of fear formed in my gut. Something was wrong.

  Sara? I called, but silence answered me. It took all of my self-control to not try to push past the ward keeping me from her.

  Tristan was suddenly beside me. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. We were talking, and now I can’t hear or feel her.”

  My fear must have shown on my face because he laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure we would have heard if something was wrong.”

  “You’re right,” I said without conviction. I looked around, and my gaze landed on Nate, who stood a few feet away talking to Chris and Beth. “Nate,” I called.

  He hurried over to us, his brow furrowed in concern. “Is something wrong?”

  “I can’t hear Sara anymore. Can you see if you can get through the Fae ward and reach the hut?”

  Nate turned away without another word and started toward the hut in long strides. He walked straight through the ward without pausing and went up to knock on the side of the hut that had no visible doors or windows.

  It felt like an hour had passed before Aine appeared, although it had only been minutes. I couldn’t hear what she said to Nate because they were inside the ward, but the tightening of his mouth made fear claw at me.

  They walked toward us. Aine, who normally wore a serene expression, looked troubled as she approached me. I tried to brace myself for whatever she was going to tell me.

  “There is a complication,” Aine said gently when she reached me. “Sara’s body is ready to deliver, but the babe refuses to come.”

  “What does that mean?” I demanded.

  “Sara’s contractions have stopped, and the babe’s magic is preventing us from removing her from the womb without causing her injury.”

  I stared at the sylph as I tried to make sense of what she was saying. “She’s an infant. How can she match Eldeorin’s power or yours?”

  “Her magic is pure, and she is drawing from Sara’s magic. Until she is bound, she is extremely powerful.”

  “There’s nothing you can do?” I asked as blood started to pound in my ears.

  “No,” Aine replied. “But do not be alarmed. Sara says something has distressed the babe, and she is trying to calm her.”

  I dragged a hand through my hair. Sara was very good at soothing our daughter when she was restless or excited, which tended to happen a lot when carrying a Fae baby.

  Aine’s head tilted slightly as if she was listening for something. Her eyes widened, and she blurted, “I must go,” before she did her disappearing act again.

  The moment she left, everyone surrounded me, wanting to know what was going on. I filled them in and went back to pacing. I didn’t know how many minutes passed because each one felt like an eternity.

  Nikolas. Sara’s voice in my head was accompanied by a wave of intense joy.

  Sara? I called as a doorway formed in the side of the hut and Eldeorin appeared.

  Eldeorin’s eyes found me, and the look on his face could only be described as wonder. “You may come in now.”

  I hurried over to him. “How are they?”

  “They…are well.” The faerie smirked at me. “Come see for yourself.”

  He stepped aside to give me room to enter. The interior of the hut was softly lit, and the walls were draped in filmy white cloth. Aine was off to one side doing something, but I only had eyes for Sara, who lay in the bed in the center of the room. She was propped up on pillows and holding a tiny wrapped bundle to her chest. I hadn’t thought it was possible for her to be more beautiful, but the sight of her with our daughter stole my breath away.

  Sara’s green eyes sparkled with tears when they met mine. “Nikolas,” she breathed as if she was too overcome to say more than my name.

  I went to her and kissed her tenderly. Then I sat beside her and gazed down at our daughter. Her eyes were closed and her tiny face was puckered, but I could already see Sara in her. She had a shock of thick black hair that could only have come from me.

  “She’s beautiful,” I said hoarsely, touching her soft cheek with my finger.

  Sara sniffled. “Yes, he is.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath and lifted my eyes to Sara’s. “What?”

  “Nikolas, meet your son.” She smiled, and happiness radiated from her.

  Shock rippled through me as she laid the baby in my arms. “My…son? But how? Eldeorin said we were having a girl.”

  “And you did,” said a soft voice behind me. I looked up as Aine walked over, carrying a second baby, whom she gently placed in Sara’s waiting arms. “This is your daughter.”

  Unable to form words, I stared down at my son and daughter. A wave of protectiveness, unlike anything I’d ever experienced, washed over me as my heart expanded until it felt like it would burst.

  “Twins,” I finally choked out. “How…? Is he…?”

  Sara reached out with her free hand to smooth our sleeping son’s hair. “He’s full Mohiri like his daddy, and his sister is half Fae like me. We thought she was protecting her Mori from my power, but it turns out she was also shielding her twin. That’s why none of us could sense him.”

  Dazed, I struggled for the appropriate response. All I managed to say was, “I have to build another addition on the cabin.”

  Sara laughed and clasped my hand. “I think the nursery will do for now. We can easily fit a second crib in there.”

  I sat beside her with my son cradled in one arm and my other around Sara and our daughter. We stayed like that in our own little cocoon of happiness until Eldeorin spoke.

  “Your family and friends are asking to see you. I’ve removed the wards, so it’s safe for them to come in if you are ready.”

  Sara nodded. “Yes. Oh, wait!” She looked at me. “We need to give our son a name first.”

  “True.”

  When we’d discovered Sara was pregnant, she had asked if we could name the baby Danielle after her father, Daniel. It saddened her that he would never meet his grandchild, and this way, our daughter would carry a part of him with her. We had never once discussed a boy name because neither of us had expected to have a son this soon.

  “We can name him after someone in your family,” she suggested.

  I thought about it. “My grandsire’s name was Dimitri. How about that?”

  Her face lit up. “I love it. Danielle and Dimitri. They sound good together.”

  “Then Danielle and Dimitri it is.” I kissed her temple. “Are you ready to introduce our son and daughter to everyone?”

  She rested her head in the crook of my shoulder. “I just want to stay like this for a little bit longer. Something tells me it’s the last rest we’re going to get for a while.”

  “If Danielle is anything like her mother, I may never sleep again.”

  Sara scoffed. “Don’t forget I’ve heard all your mom’s stories about what you were like when you were a little boy.”

  “At least our life will never be boring.”

  “Never.” She sighed happily. “I love you, Nikolas.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “I love you, moy malen'kiy voin.”

 

 

  Karen Lynch, Hellion

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends