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Tabatha pushes her fingers into a pressure point on my lower back. “Does that help?”
“It does.” I let out a sigh. “I’ve never had back pain before. This being mostly human thing…you guys are fragile,” I joke.
“I tried going up the stairs once and my back hurt for a week,” Nicole deadpans. “Pinched my sciatic nerve and could hardly move for a day.”
“You’re old,” I tease and rest my hands on the back of my chair while Tabatha keeps applying pressure to my back.
“We’ve been sitting for hours,” she starts. “We should all stretch our legs and get something to eat.”
I nod, wanting some of my favorite cottage pie that was served for dinner. “Good idea.” I go back to the table and close the book I’d been looking through. One of the edges slices my finger.
“Ouch.” I look at the paper cut, waiting for the blood to pool on my fingertip. “Does anyone have any healing balm? Cuts on fingertips are the worst.”
“There is some in the infirmary,” Evander says. “As always. We tend to use it a lot with this bunch of rowdy students.”
“They’re giving me a run for my money then?”
Tabatha laughs. “No one was a bigger troublemaker than you.” She looks at the twins. “And you two.”
“We just knew how to have fun,” Naomi laughs.
Suddenly, the library doors fly open and Lucas comes running through, jumping up the stairs five at a time. He came to the Academy to finally let the students have an educational Q&A session with a vampire, and from what I was told, nearly every single female student—and staff member—was in attendance.
“You’re bleeding.” He takes my finger and looks at the cut for a second before putting it in his mouth.
“It’s a paper cut. I’m fine.”
“You could smell her blood from the gathering hall?” Nicole asks, blue eyes widening.
“The farther along she becomes, the stronger the scent of her blood is to me.” Lucas looks at my finger again and I yank my hand away. I won’t lie and say I’ve been on my A-game the last few days. My head is spinning and I’m constantly checking the news for more murders and any developments on the asinine laws Scott and William want to pass.
We ordered a white crib online since we weren’t sure when we’d get to the store again, and a dark mahogany one showed up today instead. Not a big deal, I know, but my hormonal butt couldn’t handle it and I burst into tears when Lucas pulled it out of the box.
“Are you done?” I ask Lucas.
“I can be.”
“Go back and tell everyone goodnight. I’ll walk with you. I need to move around a bit.” I rub my forehead, feeling another headache coming on. I’m a little stuffy too, which is another first for me.
“Does your head still hurt?” Lucas turns to me, concerned, and goes to guide me to a chair.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You said that yesterday,” he says with a frown.
Now it’s Tabatha’s turn to look concerned. “You’ve had a headache for two days?”
“Three,” Lucas tells her.
“Guys, I’m fine,” I insist.
Tabatha looks from me to Lucas and back again. “I’ll fetch the midwife. Go to the infirmary, my darling.”
“I’m fine,” I press again.
“Then you’ll have no issue being checked out.” Tabatha raises her eyebrows and takes off, scarlet robe swirling behind her.
Lucas takes my hand, holding onto me ridiculously tight as we walk down the stairs. The infirmary is past the gathering hall, and I hang back, leaning against the door frame as Lucas closes out the Q&A.
Tabatha is in the infirmary, and the Academy nurse, Sister Celeste, greets me with a smile.
“Not feeling well, honey?” She motions to the bed. “The midwife is on her way and will be here shortly to do a more thorough exam. In the meantime, I’m going to take your vitals.”
I get on the bed, and it feels good to lie back like this. Sister Celeste wraps a blood pressure cuff around my arm and holds her stethoscope to it. I’m feeling a little sick again, but I’m sure it’s from not eating in some time.
“Hmm,” she says and inflates the cuff again.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas is already a helicopter parent and the baby isn’t even born yet.
“Her blood pressure is a little high. Have you been stressed lately?”
I let out a snort of laughter. “Just a little.”
“How have you been sleeping?”
“A little better now that I have a pregnancy pillow.”
Sister Celeste nods and finishes taking my vitals, writing them down for the midwife. As I’m lying there, trying not to worry, I get a strange sensation over my abdomen, like something is squeezing it really hard. I wince, unable to keep the pain off my face. Both Tabatha and Lucas notice, and the nurse has me elevate my feet, drink some water, and not move until the midwife gets there nearly fifteen minutes later. Lucas is sitting on the little cot with me, gently rubbing my back.
