He was starting to feel it, too. There was no way of knowing what the baby would be and he knew just how much it scared Kayleigh that her secret may be revealed. Personally, up until this point, all he could think about was that they were having their own little baby, a child of their own creation. If they had anything to worry about, they’d deal with it later. He wanted to concentrate on the here and now but that was difficult with the pain and worry clearly etched on Kayleigh’s face.
Kayleigh grasped his hand in a vice grip, knuckles turning white and sweat trickling in a steady stream down her temples. She looked thoroughly exhausted and Kelton wondered how much more of this she could really take. It looked like the most painful thing he had ever witnessed, and he’d seen a lot of messed up stuff out there on the streets.
Kayleigh was consumed by agony. The pain was absolutely excruciating. It was way worse than she could remember it being when she’d given birth as a human. Sure, they say that kind of pain fades with time, but Kayleigh knew for a goddamn fact that it had never been as intense as this. She felt like she was being ripped in half from the inside out.
“I can’t do this.” Kayleigh moaned, feeling sorry for herself. She’d been in slow labour for days and had not even known it. Now, she was there in full blown labour and was wishing it was over already. She’d already decided that she was never going to go through this again. She couldn’t stand the pain or the worry.
“Just keep thinking about the baby. It won’t be long and this will all be over and done with.” Kelton crooned, wiping her forehead gently with a damp cloth, doing all he could to help ease her pain. It wasn’t much and he felt useless, but Mira kept encouraging him to sooth her in any way he could.
It wasn’t enough. Kelton felt helpless. None of his warrior training would have ever prepared him to deal with something like this. He was the one that usually inflicted the pain and took lives, not bring a new one into this world. He had no idea how to deal with this.
It was heart-breaking to see his soul mate in so much pain. At this very moment in time, if he had known that the pregnancy would have been possible for them and that it resulted in so much pain for her, he would have taken precautions. There was nothing he could do to ease her agony and that was killing him. She was refusing to take any pain relief and all he could do was hold her hand and wipe her forehead. Of course, they both knew that it would all be worth it in the end for they would have a child born of their love. But for now? Kelton was terrified.
“It won’t be long.” Kelton said as he sent up a silent prayer that he wasn’t lying to her.
“I can’t do this.” A lone tear escaped from the corner of her eye.
Kelton grasped her hand tightly and leaned in close to her, “You can do this. If anyone can get through this, it’s you. You’re the strongest person I know.”
“It’s too much. More than I remember. I can’t.”
“You’ve done it before.” He reasoned, not used to referring to her human existence and family, but he had to make her see that there would be an end to this pain. Luckily, Mira couldn’t hear them but Kelton still would have said it even if she could. Kayleigh needed to remember and know that she could do this. If he had to speak to Mira and explain, he would have made something up. It was as simple as that. He would do all he could to help her through this.
“It’s not the same.”
“Kayleigh, you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.” Kelton gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, hating that he was so powerless to make this any better for her. All he could do was be her rock.
“I’m so scared, Dane.” She whispered and he knew how scared she was. It was only in times of high emotion that she used his given name as opposed to his surname that he always went by.
He knew what was behind that fear. It wasn’t the labour that was breaking her, even though it was obviously painful. It was the lingering fear of what the baby would be. It always came back to that.
“Leigh, you have to know that this is our baby. It doesn’t matter to me whether the child is Matris, Mortuorum, human or a friggin’ alien. It will be our child. Ours. That’s all you need to focus on right now.”
He still saw the doubt in her eyes as another contraction took hold of her, gripping her like a vice.
All the pain she was feeling was centring in her back. The pain was crippling and she couldn’t get comfortable no matter what they tried to do for her. They’d tried everything from moving her to all fours, sitting on a large ball, to walking around. Nothing helped to ease the pain. In the end, she was that exhausted, she’d had to lie back down.
“Can I get you anything?” Mira asked from the doorway. “How far apart are the contractions now?”
“I don’t know.” Kelton frowned, annoyed with himself that he had been too busy trying to comfort Kayleigh that he hadn’t bothered to time the contractions. “Closer now, I think.”
Mira smiled, knowing exactly what they were both going through. “Let me check and see how things are coming along.” She said with a smile for Kayleigh as she scrubbed her hands in the sink in the adjoining bathroom.
Kelton’s phone started to ring and he glanced briefly at the screen. Ideally, he would have liked to have switched the damn thing off completely, but with everything that was happening with Trey and the shifters, it simply wasn’t an option.
“It’s Patrick.” Kelton frowned at the screen.
“Take it.” Kayleigh said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t want to leave you like this.”
“Mira’s here. I’ll be fine. Just take it.” She hissed at him.
Kelton nodded slowly and paced over towards the door, swiping his phone as he walked. “Patrick?”
“Kelton. I got your message from Dixon. I need to meet with you. We can’t put this off. We need to get this thing under control before it escalates.”
“I can’t do that right now.”
“Dammit, Kelton! We can’t leave this hanging. Do you realise how bad this could get?”
Kelton growled. “Don’t talk to me like that. Kayleigh’s in labour. I cannot, and will not, do this right now. You get me?”
“Shit.” Patrick muttered. “Dixon didn’t tell me that. How’s she doing?
”She’s in a lot of pain at the moment. It’s taking some time.”
“I know that this is a really shitty time, but we really need to speak sooner rather than later. My pack is getting restless and I can only hold them off for so long.”
“So, what? You want me to just leave her? I won’t do that.” Kelton snarled.
“I’m not saying that. But I need to speak to someone. Will Dixon or Verynai be available?”
Kelton thought about it for a moment. “With this clusterfuck going on, I can’t spare either of them. They’re needed at the academy to cover for me.”
“Can you spare me a mere five minutes? I wouldn’t ask you to leave. I could come to you. Look, I’ll wait if I need to. Seriously, I know that you need to be with Kayleigh, but this really is time sensitive.” Patrick needed to resolve this matter quickly and thoroughly. He wasn’t kidding when he said that his pack was getting restless. They saw it as one of their own had been violated by a vampire and wouldn’t stand for it a moment longer. He didn’t know what they were going to do next.
Kelton sighed. “Give me some time. The midwife is in with her checking her over as we speak. That’s the only reason I could answer the call. I’ll see what she says but I’m not promising anything.” He knew that there was going to be no way he was going anywhere. Kayleigh and their child was his number one priority right now and he wouldn’t leave their side until he knew they were both okay.
“That’s fine. I’ll be at the diner, waiting for your call in case you can get away.” Patrick hung up the phone.
Kelton stomped back up the stairs, not realising he’d paced quite so far. The brief moment of fresh air left him feeling invigorated, but now he was even more unsettled after Patrick’
s call. Things were going to get ugly between the Sons and the pack if they weren’t careful.
As he reached the top of the stairs, Mira called out to him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sprinting to the room Kayleigh was in.
“Nothing’s wrong. She just wants you, that’s all.”
The pain was so much worse than she remembered and now Kayleigh wished that she hadn’t been quite so hasty in dismissing the drugs. Her initial thought was that she wanted to be fully coherent when the baby came into the world. She needed to know. All she wanted now was for this pain to be over and done with.
Honestly, she couldn’t give a crap what the baby was when it came out of her. The baby was on its way and things would be what they would be. There would be no changing it now. All Kayleigh could think about was the intense pain that was streaking through her body.
Taking in a deep breath, Kayleigh moaned pitifully when the tightening sensation ripped through her once more. Scrunching up her eyes tightly shut, she vaguely heard Mira telling her to push again. She didn’t need to hear the words. Her body was telling her what it needed to do and there was no fighting nature at its most basic form.
Pushing down, Kayleigh felt as if her body was going to rip in half. This had to be over soon. It was getting too much. Admittedly, it was a much shorter labour than she’d experienced in her human life, but the pain was so much sharper.
“Kayleigh! That’s it! One more push! Go on!” Mira called to get her attention.
Shaking her head slightly, Kayleigh was getting fed up of hearing ‘one more push’. She’d heard that a dozen times already, but the increased urge to push overcame her.
“The head’s out! Another push and the baby will be here.”
A baby’s cry filled the room and Kayleigh felt herself slump on the bed in sharp relief. All her worries about the origins of the baby had fled from her mind with the sound of that single cry. All she cared about was that her baby was here and healthy.
Kelton tensed as Mira cut the cord and wrapped the baby up tightly in a blanket. This was the moment. This was the moment that they would find out what the baby was. If the baby was Mortuorum, he’d know. He’d be able to tell instinctively. Kelton was a warrior and this was what he did.
Kelton wiped Kayleigh’s forehead with a damp cloth. “You did great, baby. You did it.”
She was lost for words, just grateful that the pain was over. Closing her eyes, her arms ached for the baby, but her body was exhausted and she could barely lift up her arms.
Mira tentatively cleaned up the baby and quickly took all the measurements before walking over to the big badass warrior who looked ready to burst into tears at this emotional moment.
Closing his eyes momentarily, Kelton focused his hearing on the baby. The sound of the child’s heartbeat filled his ears. That was what was going to tell him. Too fast, and the baby would be Mortuorum. Too slow and it would be human. Blanking out all the other sounds in the room, Kelton’s brows furrowed in concentration.
“Kelton?” Mira said softly, bringing him out of his intense thoughts. He’d had more than enough time to hear and decipher and he turned to her with a broad smile.
“Do you want to hold your son?” Mira asked him with tears shining in her eyes. The wonder of childbirth was natures greatest miracle and she was proud to be there with them in this special moment when their first born came into the world.
“My son? It’s a boy?” Kelton asked in surprise. They hadn’t wanted to find out the sex of the child, wanting a surprise when it was born.
“He sure is. A very healthy baby boy.” Mira smiled again. “If you can take him for a moment, I need to deal with Kayleigh and then I can clean him up a bit more.”
Kelton looked down in wonder as she placed his son in his arms. Tears clouded his vision for a moment as a rush of love flooded through him. This was his boy. His son. He was perfect. Kelton couldn’t believe his luck as he stared down at the baby who lay quiet and content in his arms. The child looked just like him. The love that washed over him almost knocked him backwards.
They’d decided through the pregnancy that Kelton would be the first to hold the baby when it was born. He thought that was because Kayleigh was so terrified of it being anything but Matris that she wanted to delay the moment and he’d tried to talk her into having the baby placed on her chest. She wouldn’t hear of it. Now, all he could feel was immense pride that he was the first person to officially hold this precious child.
“Kelton?”
He turned when he heard Kayleigh’s tentative voice. Moving to walk over, Mira nodded to let him know that she was finished.
“I’ll leave the three of you alone to get acquainted.”
“Thank you, for everything. I don’t know what we would have done without you.” Kelton smiled warmly, forever grateful to the woman who’d helped them through this time.
“My pleasure.” She turned to smile at Kayleigh. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Mira.” Kayleigh whispered, her eyes never leaving Kelton.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Kelton walked directly over to the bed, the smile spreading across his face as he gently laid the baby on her chest. Watching her intently, he saw her smile as she kept her eyes closed, but her arms carefully cradling the baby. “How are you feeling now?”
“You don’t want to know.” Kayleigh smirked a little. She’d forgotten about the amazing feeling of that first time you held your new-born child in your arms. Nothing in the world could compare to that feeling. It was incredible to know that the little baby you’d nurtured in your womb had arrived safe and sound. It overshadowed the pain that was lingering. Almost at least.
“Kayleigh? Aren’t you going to look at him?”
Her eyes flew wide and she stared up at Kelton. “A boy? We have a son?”
Kelton grinned, “Kayleigh, just look at him. Please, look at him. He’s perfect.”
Taking in a deep breath of courage, she lowered her head a little to look at the child who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Tears swam in her eyes for a moment and her heart swelled big enough to burst out of her chest. In that moment, she knew that all the worrying of the last few months had been a complete waste of time. She would have loved this baby with every part of her being, no matter what. He was the most perfect little thing she’d ever seen. He looked just like his daddy.
“He’s perfect.” She whispered, smoothing the soft smattering of baby hair on his head.
Kelton bent down to first kiss the baby on the cheek, marvelling at his soft skin, before kissing Kayleigh. Smiling wider, he moved the blanket that swathed the baby. Keeping his eyes on Kayleigh, he waited for it to sink in.
“Oh my God!” Kayleigh suddenly found tears of joy trailing down her face as she took in the small warrior mark that was on her baby’s temple. “He’s Matris?”
“He sure is. This is our little warrior.” Kelton said proudly, staring at his son as if he were the most wonderful thing in the world.
Chapter Six
Verynai shook his head. Now that the council couldn’t get hold of Kelton, they were constantly bombarding him with calls and messages. He knew that the big man was bogged down with a lot of other crap at the moment, but the birth of his child was the biggest thing. He was so pleased for the pair of them and couldn’t wait to hear how they were getting on.
The last he’d heard, she was still in labour. There was no way he was going to bug him with the mundane goings on at the academy at a time like this. He and Dixon could handle anything these kids threw at them.
He’d just been up to see Caleb, hoping to get the boy to talk. It wasn’t an easy time for him and it was clear to see that he felt like he was being split in two. Verynai tried to make him see that he would have all the support in the world, whatever choice he made. Who knows, after what happened to Trey, the boy may feel the need to return home to the pack to keep the peace.
Verynai didn’t blame Caleb or Rees. He
didn’t blame Trey. Of course, the boy had made a stupid call going onto pack land, but it was the shifters who had upped the stakes. They’d been the ones to make the next move. They didn’t know what they were doing, crossing the Sons. Verynai shook his head as he thought about their stupidity.
It wasn’t just the shifters that were on his mind. Verynai wondered how the hell Kelton put up with everything as head of the academy. They were constantly coming to him with petty quarrels or situations that could be easily resolved without getting him involved. It was like they’d all lost their minds.
The council were a complete pain in his ass. No wonder Kelton was constantly tearing his hair out when it came to dealing with them. They wouldn’t take no for an answer and Kelton was going to have to get the situation under control. It was pure madness that they were holding out for him to become leader when they should have been looking for other candidates who had been ready and willing to take up the role. Not that Verynai knew anyone else who’d want to take on that kind of responsibility, because he sure wouldn’t want that.
In all fairness, Verynai knew that Kelton would be a kick ass leader, but he understood completely why he didn’t want it. They were warriors. They needed to be out there on the front line, not stuck behind a desk dealing with mundane everyday issues that would drive him insane. It was hard enough for them to be bogged down at the academy with the training and paperwork, but at least they still found the time to fulfil their destiny and fight the enemy.
“I’ll tell him that you called. Again.” He said before swiping the phone and hanging up on them. He didn’t need to deal with that shit at the moment and put his phone on silent.
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 5