Zat’tor’s eyes widened. “What is it? Are you hurt?”
I grimaced, shifting my body slightly to gauge it. There was no sharp pain, but there was discomfort, like an aching muscle.
“Maybe,” I admitted.
“Let me release you,” Zat’tor said urgently.
Careful but quick, Zat’tor retracted his spent cock. As the space opened up within my body, I gasped. There was stillsomethingthere, and it wasn’t my mate’s erection.
The discomfort worsened into a pain like a cramp. It wasn’t a pain I recognized. It was new, and therefore terrifying.
Then it suddenly dawned on me what was happening.
“Zat’tor,” I said with a crack in my voice. “I think I’m about to give birth.”
17Zat’tor
As soon asthe words left Levi’s mouth, my world stopped. My filum was birthing soon. His safety and the health of our baby were my first priorities.
“All right,” I said, staying as calm as possible.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” Levi whimpered, “but you’re gonna stay with me, right?”
I squeezed his hand. “Always,” I promised.
He bit his lip, gaze darting to the door. “What about the healers? I’m freaking out. I can’t do this by myself.”
“I will take you to them. We won’t be separated.”
Levi nodded slowly. He looked vulnerable and small. He must’ve been so scared. I held him close to my chest as I stood. I’d do anything in my power to ease his nerves.
“It will be all right,” I promised, because I knew it would be.
Levi said nothing. Cold sweat broke out across his skin and he trembled like a falling leaf. It pained me to see him so afraid, but I understood why. There was no precedent for a human birthing a Maeleon’s baby.
“Levi, look at me,” I urged.
He blinked up with wide, wavering eyes.
“Everything will be fine,” I said, soft but confident. “You, the baby, and me—the three of us have a bright future ahead of us. I know this to the depths of my bones. The unknown is scary, but I’m right here with you. You won’t face it alone.”
The tautness evaporated from Levi’s frame. He let out a long, shaky breath and flashed a hesitant smile.
“It’s weird how much I believe it when you say it,” he said.
I pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. He was warm and damp with sweat.
As I stormed into the healers’ den, both Fhi’ran and Jaeyoung got to their feet. I didn’t know if it was our hasty arrival or their healers’ intuition, but they read the situation instantly.
“Is it happening?” Jaeyoung asked.
I spoke so Levi didn’t have to push himself. “Levi suspects the baby is coming,” I told them.
Fhi’ran gestured to a raised surface. “Come, place your filum here.”
They’d prepared a comfortable bed for Levi in advance. Everyone in the village was looking forward to his birthing, but the healers took a keener interest than the rest. I laid Levi down, careful of his aching back. His brows were knitted in discomfort.
I stayed close, keeping my hands and tentacles on his arm. I needed to be in contact with him. I wouldn’t let him suffer alone.
