“Ye look good, but ye are huge,” she uttered as she stared at my reflection.
“Thanks, asshole,” I groaned as I stared at the large, perfectly round belly that made this dress look all wrong. I turned, brushing my hair as I ignored the inhuman shape of my changing form. “I’m ready.”
“Ye have nae bloody shoes on, Isa,” she said as she threw her hands up into the air and then eyed the party that was set up beneath the full blood moon outside.
We left the hive for the deeper, more secure countryside of the Highlands, far beyond the death we’d left there. I moved to the balcony, watching as Cian felt me, lifting his eyes to hold mine with love so deep and intense inside of them that it often terrified me.
“I don’t need shoes,” I said as I headed to the stairs, slowly waddling down them as I forwent the tradition of Cameron walking me to my husband as I threw myself into his arms and planted my lips against his.
“Is she bare-footed?” Cameron asked as someone else cleared their throat.
“Aye, she is,” Caspian laughed as he cleared his throat again.
Cian set me down, staring at me as his forehead pressed against mine. “I got ye something,” he chuckled.
“I didn’t know we were supposed to exchange gifts,” I whispered. At my panicked look, he ushered one of his men closer, who barely contained his laughter as he approached. I eyed the box suspiciously as I accepted it, shaking it against my ear as I narrowed my eyes on Cian. It took two seconds to open the box and pull out the pair of goggles. I frowned as I looked up at his lips that shook with laughter. “I don’t follow.”
“Tae protect your pretty eyes, wee mate,” he laughed as my jaw dropped open and then I laughed as everyone else stood around us, not following the joke he’d played on me. “We can try them later, aye?”
“Why would she need goggles?” Cameron asked, his eyes narrowed as he looked between us before exploding in laughter as the others caught on to the joke as a blush filled my cheeks.
“Ye are beautiful tonight, wife,” he growled.
“I’m the size of a house, Cian,” I uttered as a pain shot down my spine. I ignored it, even as it wrapped around my middle, but he’d felt it.
“Isa?” he asked, and the sound of vehicles approaching made us both stiffen. Men started moving about as Cian reached down, lifting me, but the yard exploded in power as ancient immortals circled around us.
“Ye could have knocked, ye ken?” Cameron growled as he stepped closer to us. Caspian did the same, even as the tallest of the newcomers looked over his shoulder, directly at me.
“What is the bloody fun of knocking when we make such a commanding entrance?” he mused as he pushed Cameron aside and nodded for Cian to put me down. His green eyes studied me, and I felt a slight pull to him as he watched me and smiled. “Isadora MacPherson, is it?”
“Yes,” I answered as another pain shot through me.
“Siren and human, I am told?”
“I don’t know?” I answered truthfully. “I was told that I am, but I do not have proof of any of it.”
“She is both,” Cian growled.
“I can smell her, Ian,” one of the others said as they neared us, even as I hissed and lowered my chin, assessing the threat around us.
“She has my eyes,” he said as he reached forward, pinching my chin as I held perfectly still, glaring at him. “And my glare, along with a grandchild,” he said as he lowered his hand and I hissed as I jumped back, my claws extending as I moved to protect my young.
The entire party held their breath as the ancient ones watched us with cold calculation. Ian held up his hand and smiled at me. He stepped closer, holding out his hand with the palm up as I watched him.
“Take my hand, daughter. I will show you that I carry no ill will towards your unborn babe. It will be my first grandchild, and the only young I have been aware of.” I swallowed as I heard my own snort. “You see, Flora never told me of you, and I searched for you, but you were hidden from me. I’m guessing someone added something into your system to make sure no siren around you could discover who you were. You are the heir to my throne, the only child I have sired.”
“I don’t know you.”
“And I you, but you are mine. You feel me, Isadora, as I feel you. I didn’t know you existed, or I’d have destroyed the world to find you. Your mother, she was selfish, horribly so. She lay with me, procuring a purebred child before she disappeared to marry a human. She wanted my throne, to claim it to merge with hers. She was beautiful, just like you are. Flora held no humanity in her, and her human king was the only thing she ever loved. I tracked her down when the rumors of her pregnancy and the timeline was announced, praying that she carried my young. I never found her, only the scent of her in a graveyard, and then her corpse in a grave in a cemetery full of immortals just like her. I gave up hope that you were alive. I sent men out to look within every corner of the world, but they always came back with no news. I don’t know if you knew her, or what happened, but I’m here now. I am your father, Isadora. You’re not a MacPherson. You’re a Campbell, from the once most powerful sirens to ever grace this world. Unlike the others, they birthed a king, me.” His eyes lowered to my belly that I held as pain pushed through it. “Sirens cannot birth male babes. Our clan did, though, and through it, I was created. The most powerful siren to ever live, and you are my daughter.”
“Isa,” Cian growled as the pain worsened.
“It’s time,” I uttered as I placed my hand into my father’s and waited for his emotions to hit me, and when they did, I felt purity, love, shock, and pride.
I cried out as pain struck again, coming faster and faster as Cian shook his head, as something wet trickled down my legs. He inhaled and turned to his father. “Fetch the doctor; it is coming faster than it should.” I was picked up and carried up the stairs, placed back into the bedroom where I’d gotten ready for the event. Cian pulled the dress off, ripping it from me as he helped me into the bed.
Screaming erupted as my body felt as if it was being ripped in half from inside of me. Cian’s hand held mine, even as the bones broke as I sat up, bearing down with everything I had as more pain tore through me. I leaned back, noting that he’d sat behind me, cradling me with his body as I pushed.
“You read too many stupid books between sex, jerk-face,” I muttered before it happened again and I felt my body pushing, even as the doctor rushed into the room, taking in the situation as he pulled on gloves and knelt between my legs. Tears streamed down my face as he looked up, locking eyes with Cian over my shoulder.
“Isadora, don’t push no matter what your body says to do, do not push,” he ordered as he untangled something and then exhaled. He looked up and nodded. “Next contraction, push and bring our newest clan member into this world, wee Isa.”
“I wanted drugs, lots of drugs. He literally owns a pharmaceutical company, so why aren’t there drugs?” I cried as another contraction hit, and I pushed with everything I had, screaming as it felt as if I was being tortured instead of what people called the most beautiful thing ever. Fucking liars, all of those assholes were nothing but liars!
“Good job, momma,” he crooned as he pulled a red, squalling golden-eyed babe from my body and placed him on my stomach. I blinked, staring down into his startled gaze as he looked at Cian and me as we took in the somewhat wrinkled perfect baby.
A sob exploded from me as I looked at him; he was perfect, if a little red and squishy. I reached down, pulling him to me as I shook with fear. “Oh my God, we shouldn’t do this. I’m not ready yet.” I looked up at the doctor whose mouth opened and closed before I felt Cian shaking behind me.
“It’s a wee bit late tae change yer mind, my love. He’s here.”
“So much for that theory of never making boys,” I muttered as I stared at my son, cradling him as he looked up at me. “I am so sorry that I’ll
probably screw this up.” I smiled as his finger wrapped around mine, as if he was disagreeing. Tears slipped down my cheek as I watched him, and then watched a steady stream of something shooting over my shoulder, and heard Cian as he sputtered behind me.
“Oh gads, it’s in my mouth and my eyes,” he gagged.
I reached over, grabbing the goggles that had been discarded on the bed, and handed them to him. I laughed silently as I leaned down, kissing my son on his head as I smiled wickedly as his dad continued to complain about his wee son’s aim.
“Maybe we should name him Karma?” I chuckled.
“That’s a wee lass’s name, not a lad,” he grumbled.
Less than an hour later, I was dressed in a soft cotton gown, already healed from birthing my son with the immortality that ran through me when the visitors were allowed in. Jesse came first with my sisters behind him, and all cooed and seemed to think baby talk was what my son would understand, so I didn’t argue it.
“Whatever comes,” Jesse said as he reached out and ran his finger over the silver curls of my son’s head. “Jesus, Isa, you created a baby,” he said in disbelief as we stared at one another.
“We face it together,” I said with a grin as pride lit his eyes as he took in what I had created.
“As a family,” Katherine said as she made a silly face as her nephew stared up at her as if she’d lost her shit.
“May we come in?” Ian asked as Cameron stood behind him, trying to see over his shoulder at his firstborn grandson. Caspian was right at his side. I smiled and nodded, noting that they all looked proud that we’d had sex and made a baby, which to me, felt weird. I held my son out, letting them take in his utter perfection as the pain of his entrance into this world was forgotten, and the plans to make more filled my mind. “Is it a boy?”
“Meet Arius,” I whispered. “My darkest star and the light of my night,” I said as I kissed his light head.
“It’s a good strong name, daughter.” He hesitated, and I smiled, lifting my eyes to his as he smiled and then eyed the girls. “Are they yours too?”
“They are my sisters,” I admitted. “They’re part of my family.”
“Then I will welcome them with you when you come to visit your home. Your mother was always selfish, but had I known you existed, I’d have crushed the bastards with my bare hands to save you. Your blood was a match to mine when Cian ran it, and I came as fast as I could. I am sorry that I didn’t know sooner that you had been born.”
I watched as he nodded and Cian shooed everyone out of the room before he pulled on the goggles and moved back to the bed, smirking as he pointed at them. “This looks hot, admit it, mate,” he laughed as he stared down at us, his eyes filling with love as he took in his new family.
“You’re a dork, Cian, but I love you.”
“I love you tae, Isa, and thank you for my son. He is as perfect as his mother; though he needs tae control that wee thing o’ his.”
“Good, you can teach him as you learn too.”
~The End~
About the Author
Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She’s an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.
http://www.facebook.com/authorameliahutchins
http://amelia-hutchins.com/
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