“We mean it,” Zane said. “Ross can take the day off. Feel free to explore the castle and the grounds. Ross’ old room is still unoccupied. Go nuts.” He added while smiling broadly.
Becky nodded. “No more wise cracks. I’m here as your mate’s physician even though I still think she should be dealing with an actual gynecologist.” She widened her eyes at Tanya.
“A gynecologist would have no experience in birthing a vampire baby. You do.” Tanya put a hand to her belly, still ignoring her mates.
“Just because I was there when Stephany’s babies were born does not make me an expert. It was one time…one.”
“You’ve also delivered plenty of human children.” Tanya added and Becky nodded.
“I’ve delivered countless vampire young,” Selina piped in. “I think we will be fine.”
“See.” Tanya pulled a tongue at her friend.
“Don’t make me spank your ass. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you’re exempt.”
Brant growled, it was so low that it almost wasn’t audible.
“Stop it.” Tanya hit the side of his arm. “We’re only fooling around. Becky is not going to hit me.”
“Says you.” Becky’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “I will so spank you if you deserve it.” Opening the black bag on the floor in front of her, she pulled out some latex gloves and set them down on a nearby table together with a tube of lube.
Happy freaking days.
Tanya worked hard not to think about what those were for. “Um, Becks.” Tanya said nodding her head towards the table in question.
“Yeah?” Becky pulled out a stethoscope.
“Neither of us can get any diseases or illnesses.” Tanya kept her eyes on the gloves.
“Humor me okay?” Her friend arched a brow. “Old habits die hard. Besides, I don’t want to take any chances. I’m also not sure I like the idea of my hand inside your vagina without gloves.”
Tanya giggled. “You’re right. I’m not sure I want your naked hand in there either.” She made a snorting noise. “Hell, I don’t even want your gloved hand in there.” A nervous giggle popped out and she bit down on her lip to stop it.
“You are a big baby.” Becky smiled, inserting the stethoscope ear thingies into her ears. After checking her heart rate and blood pressure, Becky moved to the foot of the bed. “Now for the fun part.”
“Is this really necessary?” This would be her second exam down there and she didn’t like it much. Not at freaking all really.
Becky nodded, pulling the gloves onto her hands with a snap. “Open up, buttercup. I need to check your cervix.”
Tanya groaned. “It hurts.” Like a bitch, but she pulled off her underwear anyway. When Becky had checked her the previous week, she had, had to use all of her will power not to pull away and snap her legs shut.
“I’m sorry.” Becky did look upset. “I’ll make it really quick. You are still a couple of weeks away from having this baby so it is normal to have a tight cervix, which usually makes the exam a little uncomfortable. You’ll find that as I check you each week, it will get better.” She gave her a tight smile. “Thing is, the baby is really low down in the pelvis. That coupled with not being able to do a scan, it would be better to be safe rather than sorry.”
Selina made a noise of agreement. “Vampire babies are rarely born before they are full term. From the check I conducted, I am certain he is weeks away from coming. The little one is still very much on the small side and has a lot of growing still to do.”
Tanya felt her mouth drop open. “You can’t be serious.” Her voice was a little high pitched. “Please tell me that you are joking.”
The vampire female shook her head. “You will get much bigger, my queen. The time has come to rest. Do not over do things. Even though you are stronger because you mated the kings, you are still a human carrying a vampire child.” For a brief second Selina looked a little worried. The emotion was gone before Tanya could really analyze it.
This time, both of her males growled. When they grabbed ahold of her hands, she let them. “I don’t care how big I get, I just need my baby to be okay.” It came out in a shuddery whisper.
“You are doing great.” Selina smiled and the skin around her eyes wrinkled. “These last few weeks will be over before you know it.”
“If you say so.” Her palms felt sweaty and her mouth had turned a little dry.
“Quit your whining and say ahh.” Becky may have made a silly joke but the deep vee between her eyes belied her worry.
Tanya opened her legs.
“Wider honey. I’m a big girl.” Becky moved between her legs, which she spread further. “Holy freaking hell sister. Somebody find me a weed eater and fast. This bush needs a serious trim.”
“You bitch.” Tanya gasped. “You didn’t just say that?”
“You know I love you right?” Becky lifted her head till they locked eyes. Her bestie was smiling.
“Mmmm, sometimes I wonder.” Tanya couldn’t help but to smile back.
Brant sighed. “I don’t get you females. Not even one bit.”
“Don’t worry, friend…” Becky winked at her. “I’ll help a girl out. A quick trim and a wax and you’ll be all sorted. I’ll even throw in a free pedi.”
“Not a fuck,” Zane growled. “I like my female’s fur just the way it is and you won’t touch it.”
“Zane.” Tanya tried to sound stern. “It would just be a little trim. You do know that they are going to shave me for the birth, right?” Tanya giggled at his horrified look. “It’ll grow back.” She squeezed his hand.
Becky squirted some lube onto the gloved hand and slid her fingers together to get them all well coated. “I will never understand vampire males, so that makes us even.” Becky giggled as she moved back between Tanya’s parted thighs. “Suck in a nice deep breath for me. This shouldn’t be so bad since my hand is still smaller than their monster dicks.” She nodded her head in the direction of Zane and Brant.
Tanya laughed so hard that she actually felt tears run down her cheeks. All the tension drained right out of her. Even Brant’s mouth twitched.
Zane all out chuckled. “Better believe it,” he growled.
When she finally got it together, Tanya used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears and sucked in a breath like Becky had asked. Aside from the invasion of another person’s fingers inside of her, it didn’t hurt. Not one bit, even though she had braced for the pain.
Becky made a humming noise. She managed to sound both surprised and concerned all at once.
“What is it?” Selina asked, taking the words right out of her own mouth.
Her friend kept her eyes firmly on Tanya’s. The vee between her eyes was back and Becky was chewing on her lip. “You’re already four centimeters dilated. Your cervix is soft and about fifty percent effaced.”
“Four centimeters?” She gasped.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Brant growled. Zane was squeezing her hand so hard that she was sure her fingers would break at any second.
“It’s too early.” Selina looked overly concerned. The lines around her mouth and eyes looked way more prominent.
Becky removed the gloves and then threw them into a nearby waste bin. “In my professional opinion, and please”—she put her hands up—“I have very little experience with this type of pregnancy…”
“Give it to us straight,” Zane said. Tanya could see how his neck muscles bulged, tension radiated off of both males.
“This baby could come any day. I would be surprised if you lasted more than a week although it’s hard to tell with this type of thing.” Becky turned to Selina. “The infant should be fully formed and ready for birth. This would not be cause for concern in a human pregnancy.”
“The child is too small. Vampire young are very strong but an infant is an infant regardless of the species. We need to try and keep this baby inside of our queen for as long as possible.” The female shook her head, her eyes wide
in her skull. “The only time we ever lose vampire young is when they are born prematurely. When the child is too small and weak, which I am sure this little one still is.”
Tanya could feel hot tears course down her cheeks. Surely one pregnancy scare was enough. This wasn’t happening. It just wasn’t.
“It’s our fucking fault!” Zane roared. “My fault,” he added, sounding completely gutted. “You were right.” His eyes flashed to Brant. “Male seed weakens the entrance to the womb. We should never have rutted so many times with our female. Twice a day was still too often.”
Brant snorted, sounding pissed. “Especially considering how fucking potent our seed is. I’m so sorry, Cenwein. I hope you can forgive us.” Brant wiped away her tears with his thumb. The stricken look he gave her tore at her, making her feel even worse.
“Too much information boys.” Becky held up a hand. “Listen up, during a normal pregnancy, sex cannot bring on labor. It’s a proven fact. This had nothing to do with your…seriously potent sperm…I assure you. Everybody calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down.” Brant growled through clenched teeth, his dark fearful eyes flashed to Becky.
Thankfully her tears were coming much slower now, so she was actually able to talk. Tanya reached up and cupped his cheeks. “We need to listen to my doctor and healer. It’s no use going off the rails.” Brant closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“Speak.” Zane was turned to face Becky. He growled so deeply that goose bumps popped out on her arms.
“Let’s please calm down.” Tanya reached for his hand and he took it. “Easy… my bones can still break you know.”
“Sorry, sweetness.” Zane eased his hold and kissed the inside of her palm.
“There are steps that can be taken to prevent labor. I’m going to order oral Turbulaline. It is a drug used to prevent contractions. I am prescribing the treatment should you go into labor. It is very effective in slowing down and even stopping labor.” She took a deep breath. “I need you on full bed rest. No sex whatsoever.” Becky looked up at Tanya’s mates. “It was fine before but it isn’t any more. Your pregnancy is no longer considered normal as you are dilating. ” She looked Tanya in the eye. “No orgasms at all for that matter.”
“We can’t ease our female?” Brant sounded shocked.
Becky shook her head. “When a woman orgasms her uterus contracts. It could bring on labor in Tanya’s current state. Sperm on a ripening cervix could cause it to soften further. Therefore, no sex and no orgasms.”
“Oh no.” Tanya felt her blood drain. “I kind of had sex this morning. I may have had two orgasms.” She held up two fingers. Her blasted eyes filled up with tears. Zane made an anguished noise.
Becky glanced at Zane before locking eyes with Tanya once again. “You weren’t to know. Don’t beat yourselves up. I’ll get my hands on the drugs right away. The key will be to administer the medication should you go into labor. I’m sure you’ll be just fine. I’m seeing this as a precaution rather than as something to be concerned about.”
“We cannot be too careful where the royal heir is concerned,” Selina said in a school mistress voice.
Becky gave her a dirty look before looking back at Tanya. “The worst thing you can do is worry. Of all the precautions you should take, rest and cutting out stress are most important. High periods of stress followed by periods of calm are known to trigger labor.”
“Our female will have nothing to worry about.” Zane said, kissing her hand again.
“We will take excellent care of her.” Brant did the same. “Do you have any other advice?” Brant’s eyes narrowed on Becky.
“No hot baths or nipple stimulation, this is just as important as no sex as it causes the body to release a hormone that brings on labor. There are others but they’re old wives’ tales…”
“Tell us.” If Tanya didn’t know any better she would say that Brant sounded desperate.
“Sure…avoid spicy food.” She winked at Tanya. “Whatever you do my friend, don’t insert evening primrose oil capsules into your vagina.”
Tanya snorted. “As if.”
Becky smiled. “You’re going to love this one…stay away from laxatives like castor oil. The excessive diarrhea it causes could bring on labor.”
“Although I’ll be sorely tempted because there’s nothing better than diarrhea…” Tanya laughed but it very quickly turned into a sob and she felt her lip wobble.
“Oh, honey.” Becky shouldered Zane out of the way and hugged her tight. “You are going to be just fine.”
“What about my baby?” She pushed her face into Becky’s shoulder, trying hard to stifle the tears and failing.
“This is strictly precautionary. Put your feet up. Take it really easy. I need to hustle back to Sweetwater to get the meds, just in case. You are both going to be just fine.” Becky spoke in a soothing voice. It had the desired effect. Her friend also stroked the back of her head.
“Bring your wolf and move into the castle. The three of you can stay in Ross’ old room.” Brant spoke carefully. Tanya could hear that he was trying to keep the growl out of his voice.
Becky tensed, pulling away from Tanya. “I don’t think that’s necessary. If Tanya goes into labor, it will be a long process. I’m only twenty minutes away.”
Zane made a sound of affirmation. “Move in healer. Your shifter would be welcome. We”—he looked across at Brant—“would feel better knowing you were close.”
Becky shook her head. “Trust me…If I thought it would help, I would move in but my being here won’t help one bit.”
Brant growled.
“Stop it.” Tanya narrowed her eyes at Brant. “Becky will come immediately if need be. I also have Selina. You heard Becky…” She swallowed hard. “Everything is going to be okay.” Her voice hitched on the word okay. She took a deep breath and bit down on her lip to keep it from quivering.
“Right…” Becky clapped her hands together. “You boys get Tanya settled in her room and I’m headed back to town.”
There was a hard cracking noise above her. When she looked up, Brant was holding his head and Zane looked dazed but shook it off. Becky cracked up laughing. A giggle escaped when Tanya realized that they had knocked heads.
“I will carry our female,” Zane growled.
Trying to both pick her up at once it seemed.
“I will do it.” Brant gripped her wrist possessively.
“Like fuck,” Zane snarled.
“Back the fuck off or so help me.” Brant’s hands knotted at his sides and his face became distorted with rage.
“How about you carry me half way?” She looked pointedly at Brant before turning her eyes to Zane. “Then you can carry me the other half.”
Brant gave a hard jerk of his head and Zane backed up, giving the other male room. He picked her up like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“Put your arms around my neck, Cenwein.” His eyes softened up as they met with hers. Tanya did as he said. Feeling his warmth seep into her. His clean, manly scent enveloped her.
This was going to be okay.
Just fine.
Nothing to be concerned about.
She would follow Becky’s advice to the letter, starting with no stress. Tanya relaxed into Brant’s strong arms.
“That’s it, sweetness.” Zane’s deep voice helped to soothe her. When she looked his way, she noticed that his eyes were filled with concern. He gave her a tight smile.
Nothing to worry about.
If she exuded it, maybe they would believe it. What was that saying again? Oh yeah, fake it till you make it.
There was a knock at the door.
Brant tensed, pulling her closer. Although all of their eyes were on the door, no one made a move to open it. Another knock, louder this time.
“Come in,” Zane finally growled.
York put his head around the jam. “Apologies for the interruption, my lords…my lady.” He bowed his head fo
r a second.
The castle was noisy, noisier than normal. She didn’t think it was possible but Brant tensed up even more, his body turned to stone, and his chest heaved against her. She strained to hear what was going on but York moved inside, closing the door behind him. Drowning out the noise…mostly.
Zane flashed a fang on a silent snarl.
“We have a little”—York darted his eyes from Zane to Brant and back again—“situation,” the big male said. “It needs your urgent attention. I would recommend that you stay here, my queen.” It wasn’t lost on her that although he turned his gaze to her, his eyes failed to meet hers.
“What is going on?” Tanya asked.
Brant moved back to the bed and carefully put her down. He cupped her jaw. “We’ll be back soon. Do as York says and stay here. All of you.” Brant glanced at Selina and Becky.
“But…”
Zane pushed past Brant, he put his hands on either side of her, bending till he was at eye level with her. “Brant is right. Stay put. We’ll be back soon.”
“Tell me what the hell is going on.” Her voice was a little shrill but she couldn’t help it.
Zane tucked some hair behind her ear. “Nothing to be concerned with. I promise. It’s an internal annoyance that needs handling.”
She felt her brow crease. “Do you promise? I get the feeling it’s more than just a simple issue.”
“You’re right, Cenwein. It’s an annoying issue, but it’s nothing for you to be concerned over. We’ll be back in a few. Please stay here till we get back.” His eyes darkened, belying how serious he was.
Pulling an irritated face, she nodded. She knew there was more to this by the way York was pacing and shoving his hand through his hair every few strides. It looked like her kings were needed urgently. If they thought she was just going to drop this though, they were sadly mistaken.
Chapter 6
One hour later…
“I cannot take even one more minute of this.” Becky huffed, lurching to her feet. She took the words right out of Tanya’s freaking mouth. Aside from the frustration of not knowing what the hell was going on out there, her bladder was so full, it felt like it was going to burst its seams at any moment.
Mated to the Vampire Kings Page 6