I sit up screaming as loud as my lungs will carry my cry. I know Ryder and Gunner are running to me. Their feet, along with everyone else’s, hit the dirt as they follow my screams. The sun has not come up, yet everyone is still awake by the fire.
Rose!
My eyes open as my heart begs me to breathe oxygen into my lungs. Ryder is up on the landing in front of my door, followed by a panicked Gunner. Voices from below yell, “Is she okay?”
Gunner looks around my home with a knife in hand. “I think so. Stand by.”
Ryder rushes to my side, alarmed, touching my sweaty face. “What happened?”
“He—he—took my breath—told me it’s time.”
“Who, baby? Who?”
“The—the king.”
Knives are double fisted as they both jump back to their feet, prepared to fight the empty air around us. Gunner runs to the porch, speaking and putting everyone on high alert.
I try to explain. “Nightmare—”
But Ryder doesn’t care what form the king appeared in. He acts as though the Demon’s in our home. “What did he mean, time? Time for what, Rose?”
“I-I don’t know but he’s not here—” I feel wetness under me.
Ryder stares at me when I stop talking. He pulls back my blanket. “Gunner, get Crystal.”
Gunner sees the fluid and asks no question. He yells to the ground, “I need Crystal,” and runs back to me. Ryder, on his feet again, keeps circling the bed, ready to attack.
Crystal is there in no time. “What do we have?”
“My water broke.” I shake in shock.
She observes my fear as she begins an examination. “It’s okay. You made it fifteen months. Longer than I expected. Any contractions?”
I have been pregnant over a year. I have not seen Mama in months, and I won’t get to see her tonight, even though she is who I want. “No. Nothing.”
“Huh, would expect a contraction—”
“The king did this.”
We all look at Ryder.
Crystal blinks. “What? How?”
“He visited her in a nightmare before she woke. He said it was time.”
Crystal takes a deep breath then adopts a motherly tone with Gunner, Ryder, and me. “The three of you listen to me right now. This is a healthy baby and a healthy mother. This is going to be a beautiful, safe delivery of a monumental moment in history. Not for one second are we going to allow some crazed Demon to share this with us. Do you hear me? Put away those knives and any fear that is connected to that beast. He is not welcome here—only love and joy. Focus on this female and the one entering your life. Only the two of them.”
My heart sighs with such words of wisdom. I grab her hand. “Thank you. You are so right.” I peer at my males. “Let’s have our baby girl.”
I insist on going down the ladder for the last time, pregnant, by myself. “Move! I am woman. Hear me roar, and get out of my way!”
Ryder and Gunner start laughing. Gunner says, “Going to be a long day.”
“She’s already fired up with Horror-mones,” Ryder agrees.
By the time I’m halfway down, more worried arms are ready to catch me. “That’s right. I got this. Mama’s gonna make her baby proud.” I freeze and look up to my males on my porch. “I’m gonna be a mama.”
They look at each other. “Yep! Just sunk in.”
In Crystal’s clinic, I sit on the table, waiting to have this baby. Apparently, Rain is taking her own sweet time. Everyone, and I mean as many bodies that will fit, stands around me quietly, waiting for something to happen. I sit there staring at them staring at me, listening for an inclination of what’s to come. Nothing.
“It’s like watching water boil,” Blaze teases.
“Paint dry,” Gunner jokes.
We all look to Crystal for answers. She laughs. “I’m not God. Rain will come when she’s ready.” We still stare at her. “How about a walk?”
Now we all grimace.
“This ain’t no time for a stroll,” Gunner proclaims.
Asta laughs. “It ken help muuve contractions along.”
We all start talking at the same time.
“Ohhh.”
“Yeah.”
“That makes sense.”
“Where do we walk to?”
“It don’t matter, big dummy.”
“Dummy? You’re the dummy.”
“Could someone focus?”
“Does she need shoes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Packing her a snack.”
“I don’t think food…”
“What eef she get tirsty?”
“Is she crying?”
I look at them all tending to me. “I’m so happy.”
“Yep, Horror-mones.” Chase nods.
The only thing worse than being pregnant with two males is going into labor with them—while taking a stroll. Every little noise I make results in Ryder and Gunner yelling, “Crystal!”
Blaze is comical. “Would you two man up already?”
“Wait till Morning Star is on this table.”
“Nope! We’re adopting.”
“Can elves adopt?”
“A dog.”
“Maybe we can find a website: ‘Elves-r-us.’”
“What is a web-i-site?”
It’s an interesting walk to say the least.
Back on the table, contractions are kicking in swiftly, but it’s not as bad as I expected. There’s pain, but it’s completely tolerable. I expected hell. I’m sweating a little, and my breaths let you know when I have discomfort, but I feel very fortunate. Maybe the universe feels I’ve had enough pain and is allowing me to enjoy this miracle.
A miracle—that is being witnessed by more males and females than a naked woman should prefer—is underway. But there’s no way I’m going to deny any of these magical creatures a right I feel they all deserve. Gunner looks around the tent. “Umm, Ryder, everyone is staring at your girl’s naked junk.”
“Junk?”
“In the trunk.”
“Trunk?”
“Never mind. Carry on.”
I laugh, but in reality, Gunner and I are the only ones who haven’t quite captured the freedom of nakedness like the elves. Besides, they couldn’t care less and are celebrating a Prophecy being born. This is what we have been waiting for.
I bear down when the need comes to push. I tell them it burns through gritting teeth. Ryder and Gunner are on each side of me, holding my hands, looking as if they wish they could deliver this baby to avoid my pain. But I don’t want them to. I want to feel every burn and tear for a gift I will treasure forever. Every bit of discomfort is going to be worth it. Soon, a little girl will be placed in my eager hands.
Ryder and Gunner watch with stunned expressions as Crystal catches a bloodied tiny body forced from my body through my last grunt. The tent is so quiet as Crystal tends to the baby, making sure she is breathing. The tiny bundle makes no noise, but I know—I feel—she is fine. I sense her as if she’s still a part of my womb.
Crystal smiles up at me. “Are you sure?”
This gracious female offers me my child. But Ryder, Gunner, and I have already decided that her birth is such a historic moment that we want everyone to be a part of it. We are sacrificing our selfish needs for this village. I inhale and nod, refusing to hold her first because when my chance comes, I may never let her go.
Crystal addresses Ryder without taking her eyes from her new little patient. “Rose did well. I only ask of you to give her a little of your blood, but it can be through the wrist as we have discussed.”
Ryder tenses, but I’m too entranced to care. I fling my arm into the air, not want
ing my attention taken from my baby. “Gunner,” I say. “I want her in my blanket.” Gunner kisses me then hands Crystal my blue blanket. Crystal smiles and respectfully nods, bundling my child in the freshly washed cloth that has warmed for over a year.
As I lie here, Ryder’s fangs sinking into my flesh, I think of the ones surrounding me. Elves. I think of their sacrifices for me—a human. Some could say the sacrifices are for the Prophecy, but the Prophecy is to save us humans. I wonder why they fight for us? Why are our lives so important? Humans—we have proven to be a cruel species, especially to each other. Yet the elves fight, for me, for all humans. Maybe they think I have worth. Maybe they think we all do.
We know my child, the Prophecy, will stop Demons and their plagues, but we don’t yet know how. There are many unanswered questions, and I don’t care. A miracle has taken place this morning. I’m alive, and so is she, a hurdle no one was sure I could leap. Now Ryder doesn’t have to follow me in another unknown, and Gunner doesn’t have to raise our child without me.
I want to hold my child more than anything I have ever craved, but I understand and respect the ways of these elves as my baby is handed over to our spiritual leader. Isolde smiles grandly at the bundle placed in her palms. The sun is rising as she holds those hands above her head with a blessing and the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. The erupting cheers should have made any infant cry, but she doesn’t. She accepts her fate as if already the bravest of us all.
“The Princess of the Guardian Warriors,” Isolde says proudly with tears in her eyes.
One by one, everyone—Warriors, Vikes, females, males, and young—takes a knee and bows their heads to… the Prophecy.
Rain.
If this story allowed you to leave reality for a while—as it did me—and you would like more time with Rose, Ryder, the Warriors, the Travelers, the fabulous Vikes, and some new characters, visit my website: http://indias.productions and sign up for my Perfect Imperfection newsletter for a sneak-peak of River, the second novel in A Stranger in the Woods series and notifications about the release date.
River, coming 2017.
Exciting News!
You know the all-natural body products you read about in Rain? The ones the elves make with Rachel? Mystical Forest? Guess what. They’re real! And so is she! Rachel is the owner of Blue Moon Elise, a special store in Murphy North Carolina, and she has partnered with me to bring my character’s homeopathic ways to the world. She crafts organic oils and soaps your skin will love! For more information on Mystical Forest products and more, please visit: http://bluemoonelise.com
Thank you, Rachel! And thank you for making healthy products that my skin soaks up daily. With your yoga classes, nutrition advice and your fabulous products, you are a treasure to my health needs and soul. Forever will I be grateful.
About The Author
India R Adams is an author/singer/songwriter who has written YA and NA novels such as My Wolf and Me, Blue Waters (A Tainted Water Novella), Steal Me (A Haunted Roads Novel), Rain (A Stranger in the Woods Novel), and Serenity (A Forever Novel), as well as music for the Forever series.
India was born and raised in Florida but has also been lucky enough to live in Idaho (where she froze but fell in love with the small-town life), Austin, Texas (where she started her first book, Serenity and met wonderful artists), and now Murphy, North Carolina (where the mountains have stolen a piece of her heart).
Being a survivor of abuse has inspired India to let others know they have nothing to be ashamed of. She has used her many years of professional theater experience to build characters and stories with dark undercurrents that stem from her personal life. She says, “I’m simply finding ways to empower perfect imperfections.”
Another thing India feels needs to change is the problem of sexual slavery. She has joined forces with jewelers to design beautiful ways to raise money for nonprofit organizations. Even though India writes about serious subjects such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, she has a magnificent sense of humor, as do the characters she creates. Her novels are perfectly balanced between laughter and tears, letting readers see how to empower their own perfect imperfections.
Contact Author
http://indias.productions
Twitter.com/TheIndiaRAdams
Facebook.com/IndiaRAdams
Instagram: indiaradams
Spotlight Artist
Rain is a special book for me. I love what these characters and their journey and heartaches throughout the series stand for. That is why I am so excited to announce Chasing Jonah the Spotlight artist for this book. When I heard her new release, “War Paint,” I knew it was the song for this book. Thank you, Ashley, for being a part of my Tainted Water series and now A Stranger in the Woods novel. You’re a very talented artist, and I love watching you rise in your career!
Readers and music lovers! For more information about Chasing Jonah, please visit:
http://chasingjonah.com
Upcoming Novels By India R. Adams
Serenity, Book One in the Forever series
Red Waters, Book Three in the Tainted Water series
Scare Me, Book Two in the Haunted Roads series
River, Book Two in the A Stranger in the Woods series
Destiny, Book Two in the Forever series
Girls Are Beautiful, A Novel
India’s Thank Yous
First, I must say thank you to my family. By the time I was writing this book, I had already finished the Forever series, and my family could see the writing on the wall (pun intended): I was never going to stop my imagination. They stood by me and nurtured this dream of mine. I love you guys more than my books. You all know that puts you above all the rest!
This book goes back to my early betas. You all flew through this book in three days and begged for more. Hence, River’s birth. I love you guys!
Purple Flames! My street team! You guys are passionate and the best reviewers. I love you and know you’re a huge part of my fan base growing. Keep burning bright!
Karen, my dear editor, this is our fourth book together. Thank you for being a cheerleader I don’t want to ever write without. Much love, girl!
To Hannah and Rachel, for advice on morning rituals, meditations, and breathing properly out of your nostrils, hahahaha… I love you both immensely!
Last but, oh not least, my readers. With every book that I release, you are there, reading, reaching out to me on social media, and encouraging me with wonderful words to give you more. That is making an author’s dream come true. That is what you do for me. I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you…
Songs That Inspired Rain
First and foremost, I have to give most credit to Imagine Dragons. When I was tired but needed to keep working on Rain and River, Imagine Dragons’ never failed me. All of their music inspired and kept my fingers and imagination moving in the right direction.
Another band that has a great song that helped with scenes that I needed my heart pumping for. Fall Out Boy for “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”.
My sincere gratitude to these very talented men and the teams behind them.
The rest of my list will be posted when River is released.
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