Giselle grabs ahold of my right foot and begins to massage it rather aggressively as if she were trying to keep up with the Wicked Witch of West. “I’m not leaving, Skyla. I’ll help Chloe. I’m not afraid of the blood and the gore. In fact, I look forward to it. I’m not afraid to watch that big baby’s head bulge out of your backside and rip you up like a bloody flower. Mom says I don’t have to have a baby ever. I think she wants it that way, but I’m going to have ten. Ellis can’t wait to plant a baby in my tummy. We’re going to live across the street at the Harrisons’, and I’m going to have a servant take care of the baby at night just like Chloe.”
I make a face at Logan. “We should heavily consider moving into the Harrisons’ house.”
Laken pushes out a quiet laugh. “Well then, we would be neighbors. And selfishly, I would love that.”
“Oh!” Chloe pipes up. “And we would be neighbors, too. You should totally do it. Morley and Olivia are hardly ever home, and you could easily lose all of your kids in that place. It’s every mother’s dream come true.”
Another contraction hits me, quick and hard, getting to the nitty gritty without warning, and I spot Ezrina gloving up as I let out a riotous groan.
Nev hauls over a bucket and a couple of blue mats, which Ezrina quickly lands under my bottom, making my contraction infinitely worse.
“Logan.” I squeeze his hand as hard as I can. “Drugs.Now.”
Ezrina has the nerve to stick her hand up my body, and I can feel her fingers doing their best to measure me.
“Eight centimeters, fifty percent effaced. Still plugged.”
“Well, then unplug the damn thing,” I grit it out like a threat. “And I don’t want to hear any of that bullshityou’re too late for the good stuff. So help me God, if you don’t give me something to take the edge off, I’m getting off this bed and hunting down Harrison in the nude. I don’t care if I have to haul my ass down the stairs and into the middle of this fright night.”
Marshall belts out a laugh. “Goodness, Rina, don’t give her anything. She’s priceless tonight.”
I suck in a hard breath. “You will die, Sector. I will find a way to end you should you mock me again. And now the onus is on you. Get the drugs in my body, or you will live to regret this.”
His fiery eyes dim a notch. “Heathcliff, retrieve the serum.”
“Oh, thank God.” I rock my head back as I look to Logan. “There’s a serum.”
Logan grunts as he looks to Ezrina, “What’s in this serum?”
“Viper’s venom.” She shrugs it off as if it were no big deal, and every illogical ounce of me agrees.
“No,” Logan belts it out. “Not with my kid in there. Sorry, Skyla.”
“Laken, Chloe, get Logan out of here.” I drop his hand as my fingers dig into the sheets, and I let out a shrill scream at my body’s hostile attempt to kill me.
Logan’s chest bounces. “I’m not going anywhere, Skyla.”
“That’s what you think.” I give him a menacing look that could peel the paint off the Sistine Chapel. “If you don’t fix this for me, I will shun you from this child for the rest of eternity.”’
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath. “Giselle, go get Ellis.”
“Wait,” Chloe snaps. “Nobody is getting high, and nobody is getting snake venom. I’m going to do that thing you did to me, Skyla, that made all of my pain go away.”
Logan and I exchange a glance. We both know it was Rory who worked her magic on Chloe’s body. I wasn’t anywhere near the vicinity.
Chloe gloves up and sticks her hand up that tent set up at the base of my thighs.
“Oh God, she’s touching me!” I howl as another contraction comes on strong, and just like that, it stops cold.
I stare up at the ceiling.
It’s clear I have a very serious decision to make. Do I forgo the pain and continue with Chloe’s hand up my crotch, or deliver this child in abject agony?
Logan shakes his head at Chloe. “No way, Chloe. Back away now or I’ll tear your head off. You are not ushering my child into this world.”
“The hell she’s not,” I growl over at him. “Help me now, Logan, before another one hits.”
Ezrina shoves Chloe to the side and sticks her own hand up there. “Very close. Heathcliff, administer the serum under her tongue.” She growls at Logan, “Not harmful to mother or baby. Just something to relax her. I took it myself.”
