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“You’re the prima and I’m just a thrall.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do I seem like I give a fuck about that? Besides, you’re not a thrall anymore. You’re a lieutenant’s mate. That’s practically royalty.”
Now I turned off the shower. Talon patted me dry and helped me into a clean dress. That’s when a large hand fisted around my abdomen.
“Whoa.” Bringing a hand to my belly, I sent him a stunned look.
He gulped. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“A…big one,” I gasped out.
“All right.” He gave me his arm, and I grabbed it with my free hand. “You’ve got this,” he said, his tone low and soothing. “Lean on me and breathe. Slow, deep breaths. Like yoga breaths, remember?”
I nodded.
“And relax,” he added. “Don’t fight it.”
“Trying,” I gritted.
Talon had done four birthing sessions with me under Olivia’s supervision. He’d been so serious, like this was a test he didn’t intend to fail, which made me love him even more. He had that serious expression now. A calm, I’ve-totally-got-this vibe emanated from him. If he was still nervous, he hid it well.
My own tension eased. I closed my eyes, focusing on breathing into the contraction instead of straining against it, as Olivia had taught me to do.
“Good girl.” His free palm settled on my back, moved in soothing circles until the contraction eased. “It’s over?”
I realized I had a death grip on his hand and released it. “Yeah,” I said, straightening up.
That’s when I saw his taut expression. He must’ve been feeling the contraction along with me.
I chuckled weakly. “You look like crap. You’ll never last. You have to close yourself off.”
“You’re my mate,” was his reply. “I’m going to do this with you.”
That fist moved from my abdomen to my heart and squeezed. Hard.
God, I loved this man. But— “At least block some of it. I need you to be calm for me. It doesn’t make me feel any better knowing you’re suffering, too. Please?”
“I’ll try.” He gathered me to him with a gentleness that made my throat clench.
Twilight arrived, and then Olivia. Another contraction hit, this one fairly easy to handle. After it receded, she helped me onto the bed so she could check how the labor was progressing.
She grinned up at me between my spread knees, which was pure Olivia. “You’re already six centimeters dilated. Let’s hook you up to an IV, just in case,” she said, proceeding to do just that. “If you feel like walking, that should help things along.”
“I do,” I said, and Talon helped me off the bed, he and Twilight falling in on either side of me as I paced slowly back and forth.
Rio arrived as I was breathing through another contraction. “How’s it going?”
I felt Talon shake his head at Rio, and my friend took a pace back, eying me like I was a lit bomb that might go off at any moment.
“Good,” I said, tight-lipped.
When the contraction eased, he threw himself on the couch. “I’m going to be an uncle! Tio Rio!”
Twilight laughed aloud at that, and I chuckled.
“How soon can we dye his hair? A baby would look super-cool with pink hair, don’t you think? Or maybe purple.”
“No,” Talon said firmly.
