Sen met me the next day and told me from the beginning about him and then my mother, for which I was grateful. It was a long story taking several hours for him to tell me everything. He could have told me instantly of course, but we were spending time together. I had glanced through these memories when he had let me in his head.
I missed my mother very much, even after all these years. There was a space inside me that was filled with some strong feeling for her; it had not faded after all these years and I doubt it ever would. As an immortal, the drawback was that I might not ever see her again, unless I died like my visions had shown me. Maybe she’d be reincarnated somehow, and I could be with her essence.
“I am honestly sorry,” he said after hearing my vision.
“I have meditated on this and have decided that I can’t blame you. I’m not going to let you die without forgiving you. I don’t remember my mother; that doesn’t mean I have to watch you die and not know you as well.”
“This will be hard on us all, but especially you. There will be things that you will encounter that will make your will waver, make you fear for your existence, and will tempt you beyond reason. I have witnessed many things in my life, some ugly, some more beautiful than you can imagine. Evil comes in all packages and can trick the smartest of us,” he informed me.
I thought about that and agreed. Nanna had said the same when I had spoken to her, just using different words.
Whatever awaited us in the near future wasn’t going to be easy that was for sure, for any of us. A heart could only take so much. People say you are given only what you can handle. I don’t think that is true, because of how many people give in or give up and allow the darkness to take them. How close had I come to doing the same? If it had not been for my father then where would I be? With no way to fight back, to handle what was thrown at me, I’d be no better off.
I spoke with Sen a while longer. There was only a limited amount of time left for us. I wish I could spend time with all the people I loved that would not make it through the next few years. There was never enough time for me, even if I had forever.
I wished I could do so many things, but I had a feeling my time was near. I wasn’t ready, but Kali was. She had waited long enough and not even human emotion would stop her. In seven days, the world would be completely different.
I took another nap and hoped my dreams would have another outcome, a more positive one. There was only so much time and endless possibilities.
On the last day, I stayed in my glen alone, pondering everything I had ever known, heard or seen. There had to be something more I could do, or something that had not happened yet that would affect this. I had tested my powers somewhat without alarming the islanders. That was hard because they were so noisy and flashy.
I looked deep within myself for many hours until I had no choice but to find a bathroom. Being pregnant was bad on the bladder. There was nothing more I could do. In the last weeks, I had lost so much weight, putting on a total of five pounds for the entire pregnancy. I was gaunt and hoped my muscles would not be affected. Aries was so worried he had begun avoiding me again.
I told Nanna I was going to the caves, that it wouldn’t be long. I figured it was better to be there than be carried in while I was in so much pain. She finished up some last minute things and sent messages to everyone that it was time to gather our things. It would be tonight or tomorrow that I would go into labor, and it would last a few days, but nonetheless we had to be ready.
The ship was due in tonight. Everyone would be bunking down below for the Christmas-New Year’s Holiday Program that we’d pulled together. There were many bunk beds in ten rooms, more than enough beds for everyone. Switch had set the scene the best way he could and hoped that he would be able to keep everyone’s attention long enough.
I’d be a little busy so I wouldn’t be able to watch the festivities. Nanna, Raven, and Lillian would be with me, with two Lykan’s stationed outside the doors. The vampires would patrol and round up any stragglers.
The advised Lykan’s would nonchalantly guard the exits. There were three TV’s so that when it started everyone would know. Bella would be watching for the moment I started going into labor so that she could alert the others.
I sat in my rocker staring into the flame of a candle. My chest was fluttery with dread and anticipation. The waiting was bad, but I’d take it compared to what was coming. It was then I noticed the tears on my cheeks. I could see the billions in the world dying. I know that they had brought it on themselves, but there should have been another way. The loss and devastation was such a high price to pay.
I tried to think of all the evil things we did every day in routine or laziness. How hard was it to throw cans and plastics in other garbage cans? If you plan on having children, wait until you’re ready, a few minutes of fun is not worth the years of suffering that come after.
People were a selfish lot and by societies standards didn’t see it that way. Walking a few blocks rather than driving and polluting the ozone? Why spend millions on entertainment when we could put that money and time into developing environmentally friendly transportation and communication. The web was great, except for the energy it spent to run it. Instead of blowing money on useless junk that would become trash in some landfill, use it to put solar panels in every public building and then move on to homes. The government would lose money; that’s why. They wanted the electric company’s taxes so that they could blow it on more nukes.
So many mistakes that induce more it would be years before we noticed a difference if we started now. Kali wasn’t selfish or evil. She had studied human nature far longer than I and knew there was no stopping this. If only someone had gone back in time. No one would have believed probably; they’d need proof. For all I knew, someone had, and we just ignored them and went on with our petty lives.
Even I was to blame for some things. I did my fair share. Some mall trips were unnecessary among other things.
Some time must have passed, because the tears had dried leaving my face cold. I didn’t see the others. There was a curtain that separated my space from the rest of the room. Only two small beds and a table with a door leading out occupied the small area. I stretched and felt something pop. It wasn’t my water breaking, or so I thought. Pain was radiating from my lower back and spreading, could have been a contraction.
I wobbled to the bed and heard some stirring from the other room. Whoever it was knew I’d moved, and was coming to check on me. They may have even heard me groan.
It was Nanna, who took one look at my face and called Raven sharply. Nanna helped me to get comfortable as she checked my vitals. Raven came in and washed her hands while looking at my face.
“Your pale chick, something happen?” She asked trying to make me smile.
“I’m always pale…” I replied gasping as the pain sharpened until I felt I would burst, and then faded.
“I be afraid ye contractions may have started girl, rest while we wait. If ye did what I think ye did then ye be in for some pain,” Nanna told me watching my pulse rise.
“What?” I asked her trying to control my breathing. I wanted to put this off so badly but what was the point?
“With no x-ray machine, I cannot be sure. I think it may be a broken rib, or ye could have ripped something. It not be good for ye, too much pain. We will have to see.”
I understood what she meant. She had explained the process of labor and delivering. The nurse and doctor here would stand by in case things grew difficult. We didn’t know what to expect, so the less people the better. If I got angry or upset, I might toast them by accident. Nanna was going to try and bluff it if necessary, but at this point that might prove to be impossible.
I was nervous about all of this, this being perhaps my only child and I wanted things to go well. Most mothers say that, but seven days of labor would not go well with any woman. I had thought at first it would be impossible to go seven days, but I think it was including my transformati
on. Some have said transforming takes hours, while Aries said three to four days, but that still leaves two or three days of labor.
Nanna believes that it will be broken into segments. My first part being my transformation, the second part was the slow and agonizing days of contractions, and third the part of pushing and delivering Kali. She said it wouldn’t actually be seven days, that it would be midnight of the sixth. So that still leaves a lot of pain. She also said she might be wrong.
My body felt like it was getting warm and cold at the same time. I could feel particular spots even more so, like I was immersed in mentholated muscle rub. It wasn’t so bad at the moment. I could withstand this feeling. My body seemed to tingle then burn and then tingle again.
I heard voices from the other room, and was curious about who it was. We’d agreed Aries would not be in the room. He would be close, but there was so much that could go wrong, and he couldn’t help he’d only be in the way. His face peeked around the corner followed by Switch.
I smiled briefly at them both, extremely happy to see them. I missed them both. I had nearly been a recluse, only visiting with one person at a time. I wanted to meditate but found many distractions, Aries unfortunately, not one of them. He couldn’t bear to stay away, but seeing me was worse.
He caressed my fingers and wrapped his spare arm around me in a gentle hug. He was nervous I sensed. He knew the time had come and was not happy about it. He smelled wonderful, so much so I inhaled deeper, breathing in as much of his scent as I could which calmed me.
“The ship is almost here, we had a dinghy spot it on the horizon while they were out. I can’t believe those things are so slow. How much longer we got here ladies?” Switch asked.
“Some time yet, she may not even be contracting, she probably pulled something. Her body isn’t able to cope with the weight on such a small frame. According to my sister, by all accounts Angel shouldn’t be able to carry this child period. They’d have done a C-section at six months maybe seven. The technology today is really amazing in this field. They have 3D imaging and the details on the screen are out of this world. You can see if the baby has a wide or short nose, long or short fingers, and dark or light hair.” Raven told them.
“I say a day before de worst hits, whatever it may be. The change or contractions I don‘t know.”
Nanna didn’t want them in here taking up all the space with their bodies. She left it up to me, though how long they both stayed. Switch took my other hand, and for a brief second, I could’ve sworn jealousy flared in Aries. I sifted gently through his mind undetected and found what I had feared. A predator lurked beneath the surface, possessive, lethal, and untamable. I had not noticed before, simply because I felt his mind should be private. He trusted me more than he did Switch, even sensed Switch’s desire for Raven, but the beast still growled silently warning the other man that he touched what was his.
I hugged Switch quickly and pulled back from him. He must have realized why because he glanced to Aries whose eyes were closed. Switch moved back from my bed as he thought about that. I sifted through his thoughts easily with Switch well aware of it. He figured Aries was just stressed, and his demon was fighting for control. He thought that it would be pointless for me to worry right now.
Their demons were a minor thing, something I hardly ever thought about. It was just a part of them. I relaxed back against the bed and closed my own eyes still holding Aries hand. I sent him reassuring thoughts. I was his mate and no one else’s, but being who I was I’d be involved in many people’s lives including other men. I’d never betray him, no matter what.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Before too long, I must have dozed, because when I woke the guys were gone. The pain had lessened , and I could now sit up. My body felt like it was thrumming, reminding me of a hive of bees. Not exactly buzzing, but I was definitely aware that I was undergoing some kind of change.
Raven was nearby reading. I could hear laughter from down the hall and Nanna in the next room speaking with someone. I sat up and drank down half a pitcher of water.
The next few hours were miserable, and I was exhausted from everything I was trying to do at once. I also knew that when the time came I would need all the energy I could get, so I catnapped the best I could. Before I knew it, the time had come.
I heard people shouting and tried not to concentrate on that listening to Nanna only. She kept reminding me that this process would take forever. My job would be to conserve energy, so I put myself into a light trance trying to stay in constant mental contact with either of my nurses.
Aries watched the devastation along with the rest of the island. The ones who didn’t join the below ground celebration had meandered down when they heard rumors of the news. There was worldwide panic as nature wreaked havoc on its people. China had major tsunamis’ and earthquakes, while the arctic had begun to flood. The ocean was rising in many areas.
There wasn’t much we could do but wait out the next few days. The last ship would be here within minutes, and Aries was on his way to the docks with Switch when he caught the live newsfeed. Switch patted his shoulder and went out the door. Aries followed having no choice but to do so. Michael was already down there. He was the only one on the island not in the monastery. He wouldn’t join us without his parents.
When they arrived there was panic as people were unloading and heading for shelter. They had been warned minutes before. Coastguards had sent out warnings to all to head for land. There was to be no transport until further notice. There were storm clouds on the horizon and Aries was worried about me that it would not get bad here. Switch was trying to calm the crowd and head them towards shelter. I monitored all this from both of their minds. It was affecting my energy level, but it distracted me too.
Aries was helping to unload the supplies and other items as quickly as he could. The darkness was eerie in its way, on the horizon. We knew what magic it held. He looked up to see many Lykan’s pitching in to help. I knew who a few were.
That’s when we noticed Michael stalking off towards the jungle… alone. His parents had not come. He was obviously upset. Aries didn’t know what to do. He felt torn, knowing the supplies were important. They had a couple hours before they felt anything, so he headed for Michael.
“Go away,” Michael growled.
“Dude I understand…”
“Like hell you do, you got your woman and your friends. Your family is here while mine is out there dying. I shouldn’t be here, and you know it. I came hoping I could convince Angel to be mine, but even fate messed that up. You became a god, how could she resist!”
“We need all the help we can get, so get over your whacked out deal and help.”
“I helped enough, I think I brought Raven, the only girl who cared about me, closer to your buddy, and helped the woman of my dreams die.”
“She won’t die,” Aries barked. He did not like when Michael talked like this. The beast inside wanted to hurt Michael.
“Well, I sure hope so, because my ass can’t take that if it happened. All I can say is if you fuck this up then well… say it should’ve been me.”
“Fine, be an ass, you know where everyone is. I expect you, as one of the leaders of this island, to continue your job and help us. I didn’t want to make it an order, but I won’t let you sit out here and mope when my wife is going beyond her means to make sure your punk ass lives. You’ve done nothing but cause her worry, and if it wouldn’t upset her I would seriously change your attitude for you.”
Aries went back and helped unload the ship. They had decided that if the ship was close to the island it could do harm as large as it was, so a crew of five would sail it out to sea and then take a dinghy back. They had to have everything inside so the crew could hurry back safely.
Aries pushed himself as far as he dared without alerting the islanders to his difference. He wished he could be himself with them. In time, he thought to himself. An hour later they headed back and down below. Angel seemed worried
earlier so he went to check on her, only to find her within his mind.
She was expertly blocking him from her mind so he was unable to rate her pain level.
‘How are you,’ he asked her, really annoyed that she was once again blocking him out.
‘I guess I am surviving… you?’ she conveyed.
‘That word would suffice,’ he replied within their minds.
When he reached her side he held her hand for several hours. He watched her withdraw from their world many times, or fall asleep. He could not fathom how a woman could lay in labor this long. It was not normal for humans he knew. According to Nanna it was because Angel was dilating very slowly, her changing completely was taking a day’s process and freezing it so that everything was happening slow motion. He didn’t understand that, but he believed the old witch.
He listened as others slowly watched their world fall apart from one disaster after another. They said things like the end of times, and Jesus was coming again. Some were angry or crying. He could not comfort them in their time of need as they watched their families be swept away by one natural force or another.
Some people might have been angry with Kali, but it was not her fault. Blame God or themselves because their stupidity or laziness brought this about. His only real question was why seven days? Yeah it took seven to make it but why seven to unmake it? With the things Sen had taught him he’d learn to accept it more, but understand it? No, and he never would.
As the days went by one by one, he went deeper within himself. To the point he was nothing more than a thinking emotional statue. He watched via satellites what was happening to his planet. Then one day it grew dark. He counted the days, and with horror realized it was time.
Angel was writhing in pain and had been for some time. She had been zoned out so much that he had stopped going to her. Nanna was issuing orders, when all of a sudden Lillian went into labor, as well. She was early, and there were not enough hands. The island doctor and nurse attended Lillian, while Nanna and Raven stood by Angel. Bella ran errands for them.
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