The Fifth Moon's Lovers (The Fifth Moon's Tales Book 3)

by Monica La Porta

  “I’ve been dreaming of Mama Bee’s lamouris roast. Literally. I just dreamed of it.”

  He laughed and called Aldo by the voice-intercom, asking for the roast to be cooked for dinner, then ordered lunch to be brought to the closest pavilion to Azure Lagoon.

  “How would you like a nice ride through the hanging gardens?” he asked her after he took a quick shower.

  “I’d like that very much.” She dried him with a soft towel as he stole kisses from her.

  Valentine donned black breeches and a loose, white shirt he didn’t bother to button up. He put on his riding boots, then dragged her out of the nursery with a playful glint in his eyes.

  At the entrance to the gardens, Aldo greeted them with a bright smile. “All set, Master.” He moved aside, revealing a large vehicle hovering a meter above the ground.

  “What is it?” Mirella asked.

  Built like a sleek gondola, it had two gossamer wings that fluttered and rippled in waves. The craft was painted in cream, and it was big enough to seat two persons abreast on the large pillows scattered on its transparent floor.

  “Your chariot.” Valentine placed one arm under her knees, the other around her back, and cradled her against his chest, before depositing her inside the liner. “I ordered it for you and the baby a few months ago, but the clockwork artisan could only finish it now.” He jumped inside, and steering the helm at the bow, moved away from the house and flew them toward the end of the gardens.

  At the pavilion by the grotto, Valentine stopped, filled the gondola with the food left for them by a solicitous servant, then drove down the large entrance leading to the subterranean lagoon. The cave was large and well aerated, and illuminated by the fissure in the rock ceiling. Coral shone bright and lent the waters below a pink tinge that would become azure at night when the Fifth Moon arose.

  Mirella couldn’t help a small gasp of delight when she looked down at the gondola’s transparent floor and saw the depth of the crystalline pool. Inhabited by carps in every hue of blue and purple, the basin swirled with life, and the cave was filled with their mermaid songs.

  Mesmerized, she looked at the spiral patterns created by the fish. “Valentine, this is so pretty.”

  “I meant to bring you here the other day—” Valentine paled.

  “No sadness allowed.” She placed a finger under his chin. “Remember?”

  He nodded, then leaned his cheek against her hand.

  “You keep covering me with gifts, but I don’t have anything to give you.” She smiled.

  “Oh, but you do, kitten.” With a shake of his head, he looked at her, his lips curving lazily. “May I unwrap my gift?”

  She tilted her head, her fingers trailing the lace edge of her corset, her breath already shortening.

  Valentine’s hand joined hers. “Let me.” His deft fingers unlaced the strings from their hooks, widening the opening of her garment to his eyes and his warm touch.

  Lowering the sides of the corset, he exposed her flesh to the cooler air of the grotto, but he was soon kissing and caressing her body, and she didn’t feel cold any longer. A low moan escaped her throat when he scraped his teeth across the swell of her breast, and her internal temperature rose to combustion a moment later, when he latched to her nipple and suckled hard.

  Meanwhile, his hands worked on the buttons on the back of her gown, and she freed her arms from the long sleeves and shrugged the dress down. Her brassiere was dispensed with a flick of Valentine’s wrist, while her hosiery was torn to pieces—her husband’s patience wore thin alongside her undressing state.

  “You are—” He kissed her mouth. “A—” He lowered his lips to her arched throat, then trailed brushes down to her breasts, her round belly, and finally kneeled between her legs. “Goddess.”

  Her knees weak, Mirella leaned against him, one hand on his shoulder, and the other on his head, threading her fingers through his hair while guiding him.

  When she was about to explode, he stopped and raised his eyes to her, a roguish glint in his hungry look. He undressed in silence, then dove into the water without making a splash. The waters were transparent, giving the impression that he was floating in midair.

  “Join me.” He reached his hand toward the edge of the liner where a set of steps was carved.

  She took his hand and lowered herself into the pool, helped by his strong hold. The water was warm, and the carps kept in wide circles around them as if sensing Valentine’s wolf. He didn’t waste any time. As soon as she was fully in the pool, he grabbed her and positioned her legs around his waist. She leaned backward, and he joined them in one tender thrust. Floating on her back, weightless, she closed her eyes and let herself feel. Valentine’s sweet assault inflamed her senses as the water caressed her all around, and the carps’ songs filled her ears with a melodious harmony. Her heart swelled with love, and she soon cried his name in ecstasy. His roar followed but a moment later.

  Afterward, cuddling her against his chest, Valentine nibbled at her shoulders, whispering sweet nothings to her ear and making her shiver with desire even though they had just made love.

  Only when the pads of her fingers pruned did she ask to climb back into the liner, where Valentine swaddled her with a soft blanket and then fixed her a plate with savory tarts.

  “I feel so good right now,” she said after taking a bite from a plum tart. Then a sudden realization struck her. “I’m feeling more than good. I’ve had no nausea or headaches or fatigue since—” Her memory failed her at first, then she remembered. “Since the other day…” When she found his father’s diary. It was also the last time she remembered to take the supplements.

  Recent events had all but made her forget about Balenus’s prescription. Unbidden, Mama Bee’s inquisition about Mirella’s medical regime came back to her mind. A few memories played for Mirella as she tried to remember the few times she had felt good in the recent past.

  “You didn’t take the supplements?” Valentine said.

  “Did I say that out loud?”

  He smiled. “What about your supplements? Do you need them now?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m starting to think I don’t need them at all.” The thought troubled her, but she voiced the rest of it. “It seems that I feel worse when I take them.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “But Balenus said both the baby and I need those vitamins and supplements.”

  “He cannot know your body like you do, and our baby only needs you to feel well,” Valentine said, leaning forward to kiss her and successfully ending their conversation. His hands found their way under her blanket, rekindling her passion.

  She moved in his arms when a sudden contraction made her gasp. A second cramp came on top of the first. She cried in pain as her belly hardened a third time.

  “Kitten?” Valentine’s eyes filled with worry when she looked at him but didn’t answer.

  She couldn’t. Fear more than pain gripped her. She lowered her gaze to her belly, not able to see past its roundness, but feeling the warm wetness between her legs growing larger with every breath.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It’s too early, was Valentine’s only thought as he rushed the liner back to the manor. He kept Mirella in his embrace and stroked her back with his free hand. He wanted to say, “Everything is going to be all right,” but he couldn’t utter the lie.

  I can’t lose you.

  Screaming at the top of his lungs and punching a marble column would have given him some relief from the pain mounting inside his chest, but Mirella needed him composed and in command of the situation.

  I can’t live without you. It’s too early. We were supposed to have more time together.

  One month and twenty-seven days to her due date.

  The liner reached the entrance porch, and he swung down before it fully stopped, then cradled Mirella close to his chest, wrapping her with the blanket. His frantic orders stirred the manor to life, sending servants and mechan
ical workers into a frenzy.

  Aldo caught up with him in front of the master apartments, and Balenus, followed by his two ancillae, reached them as they were entering the master bedroom.

  “We need to take her to the Vestal House at once,” the medicus said, eyeing the shivering bundle in his arms.

  “Her water broke, and she is in a lot of pain.” Valentine placed her on their bed with the utmost care.

  Balenus immediately stepped closer to her and gently opened the blanket. At a glimpse of her nakedness, the ancillae acted as a modesty shield at the foot of the bed, and Aldo stepped out of the room, waiting for his orders as the medicus examined Mirella.

  Valentine kept his eyes on hers, trying to communicate a calm he couldn’t muster. She grabbed his hand and held tight, her breaths shallow and her face pale. Her forehead was pearled with sweat. She hadn’t uttered a word during the mad dash to the manor, and she remained silent but for her pained cries every few minutes.

  After a moment, Balenus raised to his full height and shook his head. “We can’t move her. She is not fully dilated yet, but it won’t take long.” A flicker of an emotion that could have been confused for disappointment passed over his face, but his professional facade was back in place a heartbeat later. “But don’t worry, my ancillae and I will take care of you, Blessed Bride.” He smiled reassuringly at Mirella, then tilted his chin toward Valentine. “You don’t need to be here, Master Lobo—”

  “I won’t leave her side,” Valentine said, his voice low and measured, while his enraged wolf growled at the medicus. He then called Aldo.

  The majordomo stepped back into the bedroom but kept his eyes away from the bed.

  “Send Gabriel and Dragon to Adris with our fastest freighter. Tell them Mirella is about to give birth and she needs the equipment in the Natal Chamber inside the Vestal House,” Valentine said.

  “It will take hours for them to get back—” Balenus started saying, but Valentine silenced him with a hard stare.

  Aldo turned on his heels and hurried to the voice-intercom in the antechamber. Valentine listened to his majordomo calling his friends, then focused back on the medicus, who was talking to Mirella.

  “Don’t push yet. You might feel like it, but it’s not the time now.” Balenus patted Mirella’s leg. “I will give you something for your pain.”

  She closed her eyes. A long shiver passed through her body, transforming her beautiful face into a pained mask, and she clutched Valentine’s hand tighter.

  Balenus turned to one of the ancillae and asked for his leather bag, then reached inside the large satchel and produced a syringe he filled with the amber liquid from an ampoule the blond ancillae handed him.

  Mirella cried.

  Valentine’s stomach knotted. Don’t take her away from me. He didn’t even know to whom he was addressing his prayer, but kept repeating the words in his mind. I need her.

  Love you, Mama.

  He heard his son in his mind as Mirella sobbed, “I love you too, Baby. So much—”

  Her voice choked as a strong contraction took her breath.

  “All is well, Blessed Bride. This is normal.” Balenus showed Mirella the syringe. “It’s just a prick, and soon the pain will lessen.” He took her arm and pressed the needle into her flesh.

  Mirella stilled, then gulped a long breath followed by a short release, then another, and another, but after a few more her breathing slowed, and her face relaxed.

  “Better?” Balenus smiled at Mirella.

  After a moment, she nodded.

  The knot in Valentine’s stomach loosened.

  Balenus placed his large hand against Mirella’s belly when the next contraction hardened it. “Your son is preparing to engage the birth canal.”

  The medicus’s calm voice did nothing to soothe Valentine’s terror.

  His son was about to be born.

  Valentine’s thoughts sickened him. He wanted Mirella to stop suffering, but the moment she would cease feeling pain, his son would be in his arms, and she—

  Nausea hit him. He didn’t want his son to arrive yet.

  It’s too soon.

  “Valentine?” Mirella’s hoarse voice was but a whisper.

  Gulping, he looked at Mirella and smiled. “You are doing great, kitten.”

  It’s too soon.

  I can’t go on living without her.

  “I love you, kitten,” he said.

  “Love you too.” She tried to smile. “And I know you’ll love our son as much.”

  “Try to rest in between contractions,” Balenus suggested, taking her pulse. “Order some tea from the kitchens,” he said over his shoulder for the ancillae’s sake.

  A knock on the door was followed by Aldo requesting admittance.

  Mirella was now covered, and Valentine motioned for the majordomo to approach him.

  “Master Martelli and the High Lord are on their way to Adris,” Aldo said, lowering his voice. “Outside, there are the Blessed Bride’s sisters and her lady’s maid asking to come in.”

  Before Valentine could answer, Balenus did in his stead.

  “We are already too many in this room. Tell them the Blessed Bride is doing fine.” The medicus’s voice carried a tinge of annoyance that bristled Valentine’s already fraught nerves.

  “We’ll keep them informed,” Valentine said to Aldo, then turned to Balenus. “Don’t suggest I leave again.” This time, he didn’t bother to keep his wolf’s anger out of his answer, and his fangs lengthened in his mouth.

  “My concern is solely for your son and the Blessed Bride.” Without cowering before him, Balenus regarded him with a cold stare. “Your presence here is not necessary, and it could be of hindrance later.”

  Any other time, Valentine would have appreciated and even admired the man’s brave attitude. Now, Balenus remained unscathed only because he was attending to Mirella’s needs.

  Mirella let out a distressed moan, scaring Valentine. “I won’t leave her side,” he growled, frightening the ancillae who stepped away from the bed at once. “It’s okay, kitten.” Bringing her cold hand to his lips, he kissed her fingers. “I’m here.” Under the disapproving glare of the medicus, he accommodated himself behind her on the bed, helping her lean against his chest as he wrapped her with his body. “I’m here.”

  Finally, Mirella relaxed in his embrace, and her head lolled to the side.

  “She’s resting,” Balenus said before Valentine could panic. “The painkiller I administered her earlier is working. It won’t dull her contractions for long, but she’ll have a few minutes of respite.”

  “You will do everything in your power to save her.” Valentine had lowered his voice, but the steel in his command wasn’t lost on the ancillae, who moved further away.

  Balenus didn’t flinch, but asked the ancillae to prepare a hot bath for Mirella. “That will soothe her pain when the labor starts in earnest.”

  “It hasn’t already started?” Valentine asked, caressing Mirella’s arm when she moaned, terrified at the idea that the worst had yet to come.

  “The contractions will soon become more regular and closer to each other.” Balenus took a vial from his bag. “Red lavender powder, to soothe her,” he explained, then handed the glass ampoule to the ancilla, who scurried to the bathroom, seemingly anxious to leave the chamber.

  For a while, peaceful silence reigned in the bedroom. While Balenus sat on the armchair under the large window, Valentine gently massaged Mirella’s limbs and back as she rested. The ancillae remained in the antechamber.

  Then, Mirella stirred, screaming as a strong contraction arched her body.

  “Do something,” Valentine hissed, looking at the medicus.

  “There’s nothing I can do for her but monitor the length and closeness of the contractions,” Balenus answered calmly.

  “Is this normal?” Valentine wiped Mirella’s forehead and freed her neck and shoulders from her matted hair.

  “Human mothers suffer greatly du
ring labor, but I am afraid blessed brides deal with a different level of pain because they give birth to a werewolf whose physiology is so much stronger than a mortal infant.” Balenus stood and reached inside one of the breast pockets on his vest. Dangling from a long chain, there was a clockwork watch with jeweled gears. He tinkered with the dials, then walked to the bed. “Blessed Bride, I need you to tell me when your next contraction starts.”

  Mirella took a long breath, then nodded.

  Valentine could hear the ticking of the clock in his mind and waited with apprehension for Mirella’s next contraction. Seconds passed and turned into minutes. Her breathing was shallow and her body tense in his arms.

  When she screamed, he was not prepared and directed his anger, fear, and frustration toward Balenus. “Do something!” he roared.

  The medicus raised one finger, his eyes on the pocket watch.

  Mirella collapsed against Valentine, her body shaking and her breathing ragged. Valentine whispered words of encouragement to her ear.

  A minute or two later, Mirella tensed again. “It’s coming—” she said before emitting a guttural moan that scared Valentine more than her screams.

  “Still too far away,” Balenus commented.

  Undisturbed, Balenus took the time, moving the dials every time Mirella had a contraction.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mirella existed in a haze of pain. Had it not been for Valentine’s anchoring presence she would have floated away and lost her way back to reality.

  The last coherent memory she had was of the grotto and of the wetness between her legs that had followed the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced in her life.

  Mama, better.

  Feeling her anguish, her son kept sending her mental messages as if he wanted to reassure her. She knew Valentine had heard their son the first time, but afterward the baby only communicated with her, keeping her company between one contraction and the next.

  Balenus and Valentine were arguing.

  Mirella tried to focus on their words, but her mind was weaker than her body.

  Only Papa.