by T. S. Ryder
"Are you alright?" Henry stroked her hair as Rachel rubbed her aching belly.
She felt the baby moving. There was no more room to kick, but he squirmed and stretched. He was a strong baby, and sometimes Rachel was afraid he was bruising her.
"I'm fine. Usually the pain goes away when I wake up, but—" Her stomach clenched. She could feel it tighten under her hand, and her eyes widened. Slowly she brought her eyes up to Henry's. "It's probably just false labor."
Her voice came out whispered and choked. A wave of nausea coursed through her. Henry's muscles tensed, but in the next moment, Becky was pushing both him and Leila out of the way. Her hands probed Rachel's stomach, brow furrowing. Even though she only had some medical training, Rachel felt better with Becky here.
Though they knew that she would have to go to a hospital to give birth, they had all agreed that, except for a visit to the emergency room once in a while to make sure that everything was okay, they couldn't risk regular doctor's visits. Henry's father, if he was looking for them, would be looking in hospitals, since he knew that Rachel was pregnant. She didn't like to think of what might happen if he found them.
The images of fire and smoke came back to her and she shivered. She knew exactly what would happen if–when–he found them.
"It feels like the baby is changing position," Becky said. "We'll wait and see what happens. This could be just false labor. If the contractions end up strong and regular, then we need to go to the hospital when they're five minutes apart."
Rachel nodded and squeezed Henry's hand. "Everything is going to be okay."
"Except chances are we'll be attacked in the hospital. I wouldn't think my father would make a move like that, not when it could reveal the vampire kingdom. But we have to trust your visions."
"I'm not sure it will be at the hospital."
"That's where you will be when you go into labor." Henry chewed his lip. "Leila and I will go now so we can scout the area and plan our defense."
Rachel nodded, though she wanted to beg Henry to stay with her. Her hands shook and she was tense waiting for the next contraction. Would it even come? She hated not knowing. If only her visions were just a little more clear-cut, they could at least be able to plan for what they were going to do, and how they would defeat whoever was sent after them.
Henry kissed her forehead and Leila squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry," her sister said. "I'll look after Princey-Prince for you."
The vampire rolled his eyes, but Rachel just smiled her thanks. Leila had started becoming softer towards Henry lately. Rachel was grateful for that, even if her sister still wasn't exactly nice to him.
She shivered after they were gone. Even though she and Leila had put up magical wards to warn if any unknown individuals approached their latest lodgings–this time an abandoned house with creaking floors and a dripping roof that indicated that it was going to be torn down someday soon–she knew she would be tense until they returned.
Becky patted her hand. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine."
"I hope so," Rachel whispered.
"Try to rest. You won't get a chance once you're in full labor."
Rachel scowled, but she understood the sentiment and lay back down in her bed, pulling a blanket up over her shoulders. But instead of trying to sleep, she turned her mind to her visions. She had been trying to find a way to bring them up on purpose for months now. Like every time she had tried before, she only got confusing feelings and ended up nauseous and unable to do anything but just lying there, waiting to feel better. But if she could find a way to ever do it, then now would be the best time.
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to calm her mind, and searched for the sensations she had during her visions, a slight tug behind her navel, the feeling of being dragged through water. Another contraction curled over her belly and she winced but pushed through the pain. She was so close to bringing a vision to her waking mind, she knew she was…
Images suddenly flooded her mind. They were confusing, disconnected. Her lying in a hospital bed. Leila pressing a shield of magic against three figures. Henry holding a baby. Becky crying. Henry on the floor, eyes wide as his father wrapped his hands around his throat.
I didn't want to kill you.
The words ran clear in Rachel's mind. She gasped, jolting upright. The image lingered, Henry's father choking the life out of him. Becky turned towards her, but before either of them could speak, a searing pain shot through Rachel's abdomen and she collapsed, screaming in pain.
***
"Breathe. Just breathe."
Rachel didn't know who was speaking. She had the vague sensation that she was moving, thrashing out, but the haze of agony was ripping through her, making her scream even when she wasn't having contractions. She could hardly make out the shape silhouetted in the clouds of white and black spots that blinded her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that pushing her magic to show her visions had brought on labor, but at the moment she didn't care–she was in too much pain.
"My baby," she gasped, reaching out blindly, trying to find Henry's cold hands. She needed him. She couldn't find him. He wasn't there. He wasn't with her. "What's going to happen to my baby?"
There was a shout. She saw a flash of green light. Magic. She heard Henry's voice and her heart leaped. Leila answered him, then a stranger spoke. She managed to raise her head. Black tunneled her vision, but she saw Leila and Henry standing shoulder-to-shoulder, facing off with three women. Their teeth were bared, and their hands flexed. Magic burst between them.
Rachel smelled smoke. The flicker of lights burst to the left and right. Pain ripped up her spine and she saw Henry struggling against his father's grip.
No, that isn't happening. It's going to happen.
Everything went dark.
***
When she woke again, her mind was crystal clear. Rachel gasped, ignoring the pain that still raced through her body. Henry. The vision of his father strangling him flashed through her mind. Her head thrashed left and right until she found him. He was right beside her, and one of his cool hands cupped her face, stilling her.
"It's okay, it's okay," he whispered. "You're safe."
Rachel forced herself to her elbows, though the movement made her groan. "Are you? Were you hurt?"
"No. And neither were Leila or Becky. The witches didn't hurt any of us."
Henry pulled her into his arms–no, just one arm. It was only then that she realized he held something… a tiny something wrapped in blankets. Rachel's eyes widened as she took in the small face with eyes that were blinking slowly at her. Nestled in Henry's strong arms was a baby. Their baby.
Rachel's hand drifted to her stomach. It was soft, significantly smaller. How was it possible? Had the pain from forcing the vision caused her to miss her entire labor?
"You passed out," Henry said. His voice shook and she could see raw emotion in his eyes. "We didn't think we would get you to the hospital in time. I almost lost you."
Rachel closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Tell me what happened."
After she went into full, active labor, Becky had run after Leila and Henry. They had returned to find three of the king's witches converging on Rachel. Becky had gone to Rachel, trying to help her, while Henry and Leila fought the witches back.
Their magic had nearly overpowered the two, but Leila had accidently started a fire and the smoke had filled the house. In the confusion, they had managed to get out of the building and to the hospital, where Rachel's body had miraculously delivered the baby while she was being prepped for an emergency C-section. The witches hadn't followed.
"We have to get out of here before they come back," Rachel said.
"They won't attack the hospital," Henry said. "I'm sure of it now. The best defense for the vampire kingdom is secrecy, and if there was a magical attack in such a public place…"
Rachel nodded. She wanted to take her baby, but her arms felt so weak. She needed a littl
e rest and a little food before she concentrated on healing herself. "Let me see our son."
Henry smiled. "You mean our daughter."
A girl? "You said vampire royalty only had boys."
"We always have. But then none of our mothers have been Seers. Witches usually have daughters, don’t they?"
"I don't know." Rachel touched her daughter's face. "Have you named her?"
Henry shifted their little girl, laying her on Rachel's chest. "I was hoping… if you're not opposed… Cheri."
Cheri. After the bride he had left behind. Rachel leaned back, thinking. She liked the older woman. They had no idea whether she was alive or dead, and she knew that weighed heavily on Henry. If naming their daughter after the grandmotherly woman helped, then it was for the best.
"I love it. It's the perfect name for our daughter."
"Cheri. Our little princess. For the first time in thousands of years…" Henry kissed her forehead. "Perhaps with a girl, my father will rethink his position. We've never had a princess before. Maybe it's only with princes that the king dies."
The flood of visions that had caused her to go into labor came rushing back. Rachel flinched, sucking in a deep breath.
"He won't," she blurted.
Henry's brows furrowed.
"Before I… I managed to force a vision. I think it's why I went into labor… but I saw the future, Henry. I saw your father trying to kill you. Strangling you."
What little color there was in Henry's face drained away.
"He's not going to change, Henry. I'm sorry. He's going to try to kill you."
Chapter Eight
After Rachel fell asleep again and Leila and Becky returned, Henry took his leave of them. The magic shield protecting him from the ill effects of the sun was a little weaker since it was only Leila maintaining it, but she did the best she could on her own, and the sun didn't bother him too much.
Henry didn't want to think about the shield or the sun. He walked along the streets outside of the hospital, trying to let the sheer number of things to see, smell, taste, touch and hear overwhelm his senses, but he couldn't pay attention to his surroundings. The knowledge Rachel had given him about this father weighed too heavily on him.
His father, the man he loved, the man who had raised him, was going to try to kill him.
If it was just his life on the line, he might have been able to accept his fate. But it wasn't just him. It was Rachel's life, too. Leila, Becky, and now little Cheri. All of them were relying on him. If his father had decided to kill him, then they would all die. That was something that he couldn’t accept.
It was prophesized that he would kill his father someday. And this is how the prophecy comes true. Because he won't let me and my brides alone.
Henry sat on the sidewalk and wept, not caring who saw him. He hated himself for this, but he knew it was the only choice he had. He had to return to his home and take the kingdom by force. He had to kill his father, or else his father would kill what mattered most to him.
He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, mourning his father and the relationship they had had. If it wasn't for that stupid prophecy, would any of this have happened?
Yes, a voice whispered in his mind. Because he would have still told you to kill Rachel.
Rachel.
Henry stood, straightening his shirt and dusting off the seat of his pants. His eyes felt raw and scratchy, but he wiped the remnants of tears from his face and headed back to his brides and his little daughter. Whatever happened now, they were his family. He had to protect them, even if it meant giving up the family he had grown up with.
When he returned to the hospital room, Rachel was awake and feeding Cheri. Becky and Leila were both in the room as well, and from the looks of pity they gave him, he knew Rachel had told them what she had seen. He avoided looking at Leila. After the months they had spent together on the run, their relationship had much improved, but he wouldn't say that she was a friend. He didn't want her pity.
"I have made a decision," he said. "I'm going to fulfill the prophecy that was made at my birth. I'm going back."
"I thought you would," Leila said, as Rachel made a noise of protest. "I'm going with you."
Henry shook his head.
"I'm a witch, I know how to take care of myself. Besides, you shouldn’t have to kill your own father. With any luck, we can wrangle it so that I'm the one who actually…"
Henry narrowed his eyes at the young woman. He couldn’t believe that she had ever taken a life before. Would she be able to do it now? "I'll do better if I don't have to worry about you, Leila. You're only seventeen."
"Eighteen, now. My birthday was last week. Not that it really matters. If you fail, my sister is going to die." She lifted her chin stubbornly. "I'm coming. Becky can watch after Rachel."
Rachel reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. She turned to Leila, and the young witch put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.
"I'm going and that's final. If you try to make me stay behind, I'll just follow after you and probably trip up security or something, so there's no point in arguing with me."
Henry couldn’t help but smile. If nothing else, Leila never gave up when she knew what she wanted to do. He nodded. "Then I will bring you with me. But you do as I say when I say, and if it looks bad, you get out. Understood? Your safety and life come first."
"Obviously," Leila said with a shrug, but Henry knew that he might as well be talking to a brick wall–she wasn't going to give up even if she ended up faced with a dozen armed guards. He just hoped that her magic was going to be enough to protect her.
"I'll watch after her," he promised Rachel, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"More like I'll watch after him," Leila said with a grin. "And you take care of my niece, got it?"
Rachel shot her an annoyed glance. "Leila, I'm older than you. It should be me protecting you, not the other way around."
"And when I eventually have a kid, you'll have your chance. Because it's not going to be Princey's kid and he'll have to deal with the fact that I'm not his bride."
Henry frowned. "I would never hurt—"
Rachel cut him off. "Of course you wouldn't." Her eyes shone with fear, but she managed to smile at him. "Don't get yourself strangled to death."
Henry kissed her again. He couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat, so kissed little Cheri's head and nodded to Becky before he turned on his heel and left the room. Leila was soon beside him. They headed out together, not speaking.
***
After the brightness of the world above ground, the tunnel that led them back down to the vampire city felt sinister. Being encased by darkness once more had shivers running down Henry's spine. Or maybe that was because the familiar sights of his home were now enemy territory. As expected, there were no guards preventing their entry to the tunnels that led to the city, but the deeper they got, the tenser Henry became.
"Look, we need to talk before it's too late," Leila said suddenly.
Henry almost pointed out that now wasn't the time for idle chitchat, either, but swallowed it back. There was a chance–a good chance, however much he wanted to believe otherwise–that Leila, if not both of them, were not going to come out of this alive. If they didn't speak now, they might never have the chance again.
"I know that you wouldn't hurt me," Leila continued stiffly. "I went into this whole thing expecting… well, expecting you to be different. As soon as Rachel started having her visions about vampires, I looked you guys up and I wasn't keen on what I learned. I tried my best to convince Rachel to turn away from what she was seeing, but once she sets her mind to something, you can't convince her to change it."
"Yes," Henry smiled. "You two are very similar that way."
Leila stopped. She grabbed Henry's arm and turned him towards her. "But I was wrong. I thought she was just seeing bits and pieces and was falling in love with something–someone–who wasn't real. But she saw the relevant stuff, I
guess. Because you are exactly how she used to describe you. And you love her."
Henry nodded seriously. "I do."
"Good. Because she loves you. She's loved you since before the two of you ever met."
Henry knew it, and that knowledge weighed heavily on him. Over the months, he had started to become more and more aware of just how well Rachel had known him even before he knew she existed. How much she loved him. If he was honest with himself, it frightened him at times. How could he repay the love that she gave him?
"If you had been what I was expecting, rather than what you are, I'd have killed you by now." Leila shrugged at him and continued down the tunnel. "But you love her, too."
"I do. I would die for her."
From behind them, a deep, ominous voice rumbled. "You will have to."
Chapter Nine
Images of Leila and Henry huddled in a dark room kept coming to Rachel. Her head pounded and her stomach churned. In her arms, Cheri whimpered. Rachel wondered if her daughter had inherited her ability to see the future. She didn't remember much from her childhood, other than the terrifying visions that had been written off as nightmares until she was ten years old. How young did it start?
His father's hands around his neck.
Rachel flinched. The visions were coming more often, unbidden, when she was awake. Every time they left her feeling sick. In the two days since Henry and Leila had left, Rachel had healed herself and made a backup plan.
"Are you going to be okay?" Becky slipped on the backpack that contained everything she would need to take care of the baby, including infant formula and a bottle. Her brow wrinkled in worry. "Wouldn't it be better if I went after them, and you stayed with the baby?"
Rachel shook her head. "I'm a witch. Together, my magic and Leila's is quite powerful, even though we were not given a lot of formal training. I have a better chance to help Henry, and you have a better chance at hiding Cheri from the vampire king, should he continue looking for her."
