by Martha Woods
“Alright… Go ahead push,” he breathed. It amazed her how well he held his composure, despite just how scared he was inside. She knew that he was doing his best to be brave and calm for her, not wanting to make the situation worse for her. Taking a deep breath, Calla focused on pushing. Flexing the muscles in her stomach and pelvis, she gave one mighty push and her groans of discomfort filled the space around them. The sensation was indescribable to Calla. Her pelvis was beyond uncomfortably full. The walls and muscles of her entire lower half ached like never before and begged for relief. Jared’s chilly hands moved over the hot skin of her thighs, “You’ve got this, baby. I’m right here. Go ahead and push again.”
Once again, she pushed. Minutes would pass, and then she would push again. Each one was accompanied by screams, moans, tears, and soothing words from Jared. The process went on for over an hour, Calla having many moments of trying to give up, her body begging her to make it stop. With Jared’s persistence and compassion, she never did, however. Soon enough, Jared announced that he could see hair. Her nails dug into the wood of the bedside table and other hand clutched a railing of the headboard as she pushed with all her might. Calla’s eyes were closed tightly, hot tears streaming down her face as the shoulders of the baby passed. She could feel Jared guiding the baby then, speeding up the process.
Then, the pressure was gone. Calla’s body fell back, her head resting against the headboard. As she took in large, calming breaths, her eyes opened once again—only for her breath to be stolen once again. In Jared’s hands, was a tiny baby, probably not weighing but five pounds, umbilical still attached. He brought the baby to his chest, its head on his shoulder and patted it firmly on the back. After just a few hard pats, the smallest cough Calla had ever heard sounded—followed immediately by a piercing cry. Calla exhaled. The baby was okay? Was it healthy? It was such a surreal feeling to think of the baby as outside of her. Emotions consumed her within an instant, tears pooling her eyes, but that time not from pain.
She watched with rounded eyes as Jared meticulously worked the supplies the internet had told him to acquire to cut the umbilical cord before swaddling the baby in a towel. He took one long look at the child before moving toward Calla, handing the baby over to her by resting it on her chest. Calla’s eyes lingered on Jared’s, seeing his crystal blues consumed by emotion just as hers were, before she finally looked down to the baby. It had thick hair, which was still matted with blood. It fussed and squirmed inside the towel. As Calla stroked its back and snuggled it close, it slowly began to calm.
Calla was utterly mesmerized by the baby, not at all feeling as Jared finished caring for her. It wasn’t until several minutes later, when Jared stood next to the bed and rested a hand on her shoulder that she was snapped out of the trance. “I drew you a bath. Figured the both of you could use one.”
With the baby safe in her grasp, Calla rose from the bed with Jared’s help. She quickly found herself leaning into his side, her knees weak and legs wobbly. However, with one fluid motion, Jared lifted her bridal style and carried her to the bathroom. He then carefully lowered her to the ground. Calla handed Jared the baby once her feet met the tiled floor. Pulling off her shirt and bra, the only clothes she had kept on during it all, Calla then stepped into the bathtub. The warm water welcomed her body, a moan passing her lips as she laid down against the porcelain. Looking over to Jared, she watched as he unwrapped the small child and handed her to Calla. It was a little girl…
Happily taking the baby in her arms, Calla propped her back against the side of the tub, making sure the baby wasn’t submerged in the water. Jared handed her a wet cloth and she began to clean her little head. As the blood cleared, she could tell the little one had chocolate hair, not as dark as Tessa’s, but not as light as Kristian’s. The fussy girl quietened down, appearing to be soothed by the warmth of the bath. Calla took in her features. Of course, she had a rounded baby face, however, she could tell she had Kristian’s straight nose, and Tessa’s lip-shape. “She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Calla finally spoke, her voice meek, still wrecked by emotion.
“She sure is,” Jared breathed. “It’s weird… I thought I would have a strong unattachment to her. She’s not ours, after all… Yet… I don’t. I guess being here all along, helping you through this… In a way, she feels like she’s mine. Not like I’m her dad, but…”
Calla beamed a smile up at him, “You’ll be a fantastic uncle, Jared. And a great father come our turn.”
He mirrored the ear-to-ear grin she wore. “Which is pretty soon, now… Are you ready for it?”
Calla was sure that he was expecting her to say she wanted some time to rest. That after going through such a painful labor, she didn’t even want to think about it for a while. Looking down at the little girl, however, she knew how it was all worth it. “I am, once I heal a bit, of course. Right now, I’m just glad she’s okay.”
Jared’s fingers combed through Calla’s wild and tangled hair, “Me too. She sure did scare everyone by coming so early, but I suppose she was ready for it… You did amazing, Calla. I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life.”
As she looked back up to him to return the sentiment, his lips touched hers. He poured everything he felt and everything he wanted to say into that kiss. It was such an intimate moment, one that she was sure she would remember forever.
* * *
The group of vampires searched the surrounding areas of the Calder compound, hoping to find any trace of the AWOL Calder witches and vampires. Morgan could only hope that the lack of disturbance meant that they hadn’t made it to the compound yet, but were somewhere nearby, planning and waiting for the right moment. They were running out of time to find them, the sun already peeking from beyond the horizon, lightening the sky. With all of them having to share that one flask of blood, they only had maybe an hour or two left to search. Morgan was making them wait until they began to ache from the sunlight to take even a single sip from the flask, wanting them to have every moment possible.
With the help of a map of the county, they had managed to check all of the cabins and small houses surrounding the area, and were starting to make their way into the city. He had figured they would want to be as close as possible to the Calder, since they had Cody in tow, but maybe they wanted distance for safety reasons. It was like searching for a needle in a hay stack, and all Morgan wanted to do was set fire to the hay so that all was left were the five needles he was looking for.
As his car sped down the country road leading back into the city, Morgan was about to crawl out of his skin. When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he answered it with venom and annoyance, the call interrupting his concentration. “What?” he spat, not caring who was on the other side.
“Sorry, babe. I was just letting you know we landed finally and on our way to the cabin,” Veronica answered. If Morgan wasn’t so stressed, he would have been surprised by her ability to keep levelheaded when he had answered her so rudely.
“Alright,” he said shortly.
“Any luck?”
“No.”
“Well, be safe yourself. This is important, but not important enough to lose you and all the men with you.”
“I know, I’m not stupid.”
“I know that…” Veronica muttered.
She was just trying to bring him some comfort, knowing that there was an immense amount of pressure on him to find them all. He was too consumed to recognize that at the time, but they both already knew he would bend over backwards later on to make it up to her. Just as he was about to tell her he had to go, he spotted a head of short white hair, walking along the road, heading into town. His eyes widened. It couldn’t be… He slowed the car, not wanting to zoom by the person. The head turned, looking at the car. Benjamin stared back at Morgan, wide-eyed, before turning and dashing into the tree line.
“Veronica,” Morgan breathed. “I just spotted Benjamin.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. I’ve
got to go. Give Kristian and them that peace of mind. I love you.”
Morgan carelessly tossed his phone into the floorboard of the vehicle and let the tires squeal as he pulled onto the shoulder of the road. The car of vampires behind him followed suit. By the time the others got out of the car, however, Morgan was running full speed into the trees after Benjamin. Within moments, he approached the fair-haired male witch and tackled him to the ground. Flipping him around, Morgan grabbed his shoulder to pin him in place before springing a fist back and punching him square in the nose. Bright red blood spewed from Benjamin’s nostrils and poured down his pale skin. “What the fuck, Ben?!” he hissed. “Where are the others?!”
Benjamin glared and spat blood at his face. Morgan snarled, letting his hands ball up the fabric of Benjamins shirt, lifting him just enough to slam him back down. Before he could yell at him again, Morgan noticed a deep cut on Benjamin’s forehead, one that Morgan hadn’t put on him. What happened to him? The menacing expression never shifted on Morgan’s face, “Speak, you filth. I won’t hesitate to snap you in half and have my men here dig you a shallow grave.”
“Go ahead and do it. I’m a deadman anyways,” Benjamin hissed.
Morgan’s eyes narrowed, “Why?” When Benjamin answered with silence, Morgan once again slammed him into the ground, managing to knock the wind from Benjamin. “If you’re a deadman, you might as well speak and tell us what you know. Who planned the escape? What happened? Are you really going to endanger an innocent life?”
A hoarse cackle erupted from Benjamin, each breath a gasp for air. “Too late. It’s already endangered.”
If Morgan would have had color in his face, it would have drained at the sound of that sentence. Were they too late? Was the deed already done? Why was Benjamin alone? “Speak already, you pest. Help us, and… we’ll put you back in our protection.”
That clearly sparked his interest, a white brow arching on his face. “Really? You’re going to protect the very man that did all this?”
“If it means I get answers, yes,” Morgan mused. “Now spit it out before I rescind my offer.”
Benjamin studied Morgan’s face for a long moment before finally speaking. “I convinced Abigail that if Bethany could have led the Calder, who didn’t even have the right to the throne, then she could too. The Calder needed order, and needed a way to get a leg up on both the vampires and the Firehaven. That giving up Edna, that demon, you vampires, as well as the information we had on that baby, would easily give her the power she ‘deserved’. After some flittering, she got on board. The only problem was you. You never fucking slept. So, we laced the blood kept in the fridge so you’d finally sleep so we could sneak out.”
Morgan’s brow furrowed, “Then why did you leave me behind? You were sure to know I would find you somehow or another.”
“Yeah, but we figured we would have the time to get what we wanted done. Bringing you along was too much of a risk. You’re stronger and more clever than that Cody guy. You would have been problematic. I wanted to kill you, but Abby had mercy.”
“Where are Abigail and the others?” Morgan demanded.
Benjamin fell silent for a moment, his eyes averting while shame came over his face. “I don’t know if she figured it out somewhere along the way, or planned to play me the whole time. Abigail didn’t need me for the plan, and she didn’t want to share the glory. So, just as we got to the compound, she attacked me and pushed me back into a witch portal she had set up—dropping me ten miles outside the compound. It happened hours ago. She’s probably already turned everyone over, along with the information.”
Morgan rose from the ground, turning to look at the others in sheer shock. They had been too late… The baby was in danger, and so was the entire family. They had to get moving. “Let’s get to a motel and make the calls. We’ve got to get going,” he ordered the men. Turning back to help Benjamin up, rage overcame Morgan. That piece of shit really was responsible for it all. Once Benjamin was on his feet, Morgan packed all his rage and strength into one punch, blowing Benjamin across the face. Just like that, he fell to the ground, unconscious. “Like hell we’re helping him,” he growled before spitting on him. “Let’s get out of here.”
With a heavy heart and head filled with worry, Morgan moved back to the car. He was glad that the child, Veronica, and the others were states and states away, knowing they would be safe for the time being. What were they going to do?
* * *
Thankfully, time zones had worked in their favor, a thin layer of night still clinging to the sky by the time the white rental SUV pulled up to the log cabin that was nestled in the side of a mountain. None of them wasted any time, springing from their doors and racing toward the house. For perhaps the first time in her life, Tessa found herself praying. Praying that the baby was okay and healthy, and that Calla too, was safe. She and Kristian were the first to rush into the house.
The silence terrified her. She had expected to hear screams and cries of Calla being in labor. Fear spread through her body like wildfire. What could that mean? They rounded the corner into the living room, not seeing anyone there. Rushing down the hall, they found their way to the bedroom. The moment the door opened, they all froze in place. Calla was sitting up on a freshly made bed, with a bundle of cloth in her arms, another cloth covering from her shoulder to her arms. She was breastfeeding…
Tessa felt like she could faint. The baby was already born? It was okay? Both Jared and Calla looked up to them, faint smiles on both of their faces. “Sorry I didn’t call. As you can see, we had our hands full,” Jared called over.
“Would you like to come meet your daughter?” Calla spoke then.
Even if she didn’t have to breathe, the air was sucked from her lungs. Tessa had a daughter… A daughter. She was a mother, and Kristian a father… Her eyes panned up to Kristian, who was completely frozen in place, staring at Calla. Tessa was the first to move forward, squeezing Kristian’s hand and pulling him with her. They moved slowly toward the bed, sitting down on the edge next to Calla. Calla sat up and reached under the cloth, adjusting herself, which was followed by a sharp whine. “Sorry, I know the baby is meant to be bottle fed. Neither of us wanted to leave to get formula, though, and didn’t want to travel with her so soon, or without you guys…”
“No, no, you did the right thing,” Tessa assured her in a voice lower than a whisper. Then, Calla cautiously placed the bundle of cloth in Tessa’s arms. A small, olive-toned face poked out of the blanket. Oh, she was gorgeous. Tessa couldn’t speak or move, other than to stroke her finger across the baby’s cheek. She fussed and squirmed, putting up quite the fight for someone so tiny and fragile. It was because she was still hungry. “We brought some of the baby stuff… Veronica, could you get the diaper bag from the car?” she asked, peering over to Veronica.
“Of course,” she nodded, heading right back out to get it.
Tessa’s eyes fell back on Kristian, who stared down that the baby, his lip quivering. “Can you believe it?” she whispered.
He just shook his head and cleared his throat. Reaching for the baby, he rested a hand on the top of her head. “Hi, Mira,” he breathed. Finally calling their child by a name made it feel all the more real. She had a name.
“That’s a beautiful name,” Jared commented.
Kristian nodded, “Mira Autumn is what we agreed on. Going to call her Mimi for short. It was going to be Simon Jared for a boy.”
Tessa looked over to the couple, who had helped them bring her to life. They both wore shocked expressions. Autumn was Calla’s middle name, a detail that had come up in passing ages ago on a lazy day at the apartment in New York. How could they not name their child after them? “That is so sweet, I’m honored,” Calla smiled, leaning her head into Jared’s shoulder.
“No, we’re honored. Thank you guys so, so much…” Tessa grinned back before looking down to the baby.
Veronica came back into the room, having already prepared a bottle in the
kitchen, and handed it to Tessa. Tessa wiggled the nipple between Mimi’s lips until the baby finally wrapped her mouth around it and began to drink. “Did you guys order something? There was a package on the door step,” Veronica announced.
“I did order a gift for the baby. I didn’t think it would be here so soon,” Calla answered right away.
“But the mail doesn’t run at six in the morning…” Jared answered.
“Maybe it was there from yesterday? It was here when we got here. I brought it in and put it on the table.”
Jared shook his head, “No, I know nothing was out there.”
“Maybe we just didn’t notice. It was dark when we went outside, after all,” Calla suggested, standing from the bed. In a blur, Jared was at her side an arm wrapped around her and helping her from the room. Tessa made a mental note to fuss at her and tell her to stay on bed rest once she returned, knowing she was just curious over the package at the time.
When Jared and Calla moved from the room, the attention centered on Mimi. Veronica moved to sit next to Tessa, and they all watched in joy and awe as Mimi drank. “She’s so tiny…” Veronica breathed. “I love her already.”
“I’m sure she loves you too, Auntie Ronnie,” Kristian chuckled lightly, his voice still croaky.
The moment was then shattered by a shrill scream. Mimi jolted in Tessa’s arms and began a heartbreaking sob, startled by the noise. Tessa’s immediate concern was on Mimi’s heart, the heartbeat she herself had experienced during the ritual playing in her head. Lowering her ear to the baby, she listened intently. Thump…… thump-thump-thump… Thump-thump. It was certainly uneven, but Tessa didn’t think it sounded too troublesome. Frowning deeply, Tessa handed her to Kristian, wanting him to have a chance to hold his daughter, and hoped he could comfort her. He brought her to his chest and patted her back, humming to her while rocking softly. It made Tessa’s heart sing. He was a natural father. “Go see what that was about,” he mouthed to Tessa.
