Atticus held my hand, and I squeezed it tight. “Breathe through it,” he said while easing up on his elbow. “Is it close?”
I panted and made a plaintive sound, scared that the contractions would only get worse. “Yes. They’re lasting longer.”
“I’ll get the Relic.”
“Wait.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him as if he might disappear in a puff of smoke. “I was frightened you wouldn’t come home.”
Atticus held me. “You were all I thought about.”
When the pain subsided, I asked, “Are you okay? Is Krys?”
He brushed his hand across my forehead and smoothed back my hair. “We’re fine. I rented a private plane to get here as soon as I heard. Krys is driving the truck back and should be here this morning. The mission’s complete, and you have nothing to worry about anymore.”
I touched his lips. “You’re the bravest man I know.”
“I’ll always fight for you, Joy.” Atticus stood and helped me sit up.
I glanced at the clock on the wall by the bed. “Who in the world is mowing the grass at this hour?”
“That would be my mate,” Melody answered from her sleeping bag on the floor. “He’s got too much nervous energy, so I told him to find something productive to do. Lakota’s obsessed with that riding mower. Do you want him to stop?”
I stared up at Atticus. “The more normal it is around here, the better I feel. Can someone help me to the bathroom?”
Atticus bowed. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said to Melody. “I’ll see if the Relic’s awake and needs anything.”
Mercy rolled over from her spot by the desk, her face buried in the pillow. Nothing could wake her up, and I was pretty certain she could easily sleep through my entire labor.
“Shouldn’t she be getting ready for work?” I asked.
“Are you kidding?” Melody walked me through the living room. Virgil was watchingGilligan’s Islandand eating cookies. “Calvin knows you’re in labor, so they’re shutting down thekitchen today. Bear and Mercy are staying home for as long as this takes.”
I had changed into Milly’s hospital gown hours ago, and because of the opening in the back, I wore my favorite blue robe.
“Good thing we skipped past Halloween,” she said. “Lucian kept going on and on at breakfast about how it’s bad luck to have a baby on Halloween. He reads too many superstitious books.”
After using the bathroom and freshening up, I joined the pack in the dining room. Milly wanted me to stick with liquids, so Bear made broth, applesauce, and coconut water. A strange combination, but I wasn’t hungry. The contractions were growing closer together, which made it difficult to think about food.
Whenever one came on, whoever was nearest to me would let me hold on to them. Catcher stayed close, but now that Atticus was back, he wasn’t glued to my side.
By midmorning, the bell on the gate chimed, alerting us that Krys was home. Atticus and I were sitting in the living room on the couch that faced the front window. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace, and while it should have relaxed me, the contractions were painful and starting to make this feel all too real.
Milly handed me a glass of water and two pills.
“What’s this?”
“It’ll take the edge off,” she said. “I don’t use anesthesia or heavy pain medicine on Shifters since it hinders them from healing after delivery. You don’t want anything that’ll knock out your inner animal. These pills are custom made for childbirth and will help manage that pain without sedating you.”
I trusted Milly and swallowed the pills, eager for relief.
“Good girl. It’s a genuine miracle what you Shifters can do. Sometimes after shifting, the stretch marks go away and thebelly returns to normal size. Well, any weight you gained will still be there, but I’m referring to the elasticity.”
“Don’t get her hopes up,” Melody said. “That didn’t happen to my mother with the twins.”
“Twins are another story.” Milly took the glass back and headed out. “Every body is different. There’s no wrong way to build a woman.”
Tak strolled up to the front door and opened it. “Who’s that with Krys?”
Atticus cursed under his breath and shot to his feet. After glancing out the window, he joined Tak by the door.
