The hallways were empty so I was able to sneak away unnoticed. As soon as I got outside, I saw the faerie waiting for me and I followed her through the woods to the little cottage. I moved quickly and soundlessly, just as I always had. It irritated me that everyone treated me as if I couldn't do anything because of the pregnancy.
When I got to the door, I went to knock. But before I could, Cliff answered the door, a big smile on his face. He was clean shaven and had fresh clothes on. I rubbed his smooth cheeks. "What happened to the rugged Cliff?"
"I thought you preferred the normal Cliff. Did you like the scraggly version of me?"
I smiled. "I love any version of you. The stubble was actually sexy."
I leaned into him and he pulled me inside and kicked the door closed. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me, but not too tight. "It's so good to see you. I was beginning to get worried."
"Worried?" I looked at him. "Why?"
"You're quite a bit later than I'd expected."
"Oh, I didn't realize that. Sorry. Alrekur requested my company, and of course I had to oblige."
He rolled his eyes. "What did he want? Or do I want to know?"
"You're incredibly gorgeous when you're jealous," I said with a playful smile.
He laughed. "I'm not jealous of that arrogant Fyrsturae. Well, maybe a little, since he's able to see you in the open and he has a real prophecy going for him."
I sat down. "He mistook my happiness from seeing you as my not hating him anymore. I did learn something interesting though."
Cliff sat next to me and put an arm around me. "What's that?"
"Svana told me that he can't do anything that makes me unhappy."
He raised an eyebrow.
"It's true," I insisted. "That's why he left me alone for so long…and why you're not dead. He admitted as much."
"Then why am I banished from the castle? That can't make you happy, can it?"
I frowned. "Of course not! But he won't do anything that puts him out, either. So he finds some kind of middle ground and doesn't do exactly what he wants."
He sat back a little. "So tell me, is Tanner alive too?"
I sighed. "Why do you have to go there? Why now? We've been separated for so long. I just want to enjoy being with you." I felt like I was going to cry, but I wasn't going to let myself. My emotions weren't as crazy as when I went through my transition, but they were close at times.
"Since you won't answer the question, I assume he is alive. This of course means that you wanted that too."
I glared at him. "He had Tanner's memory erased and he's living in some unknown, remote place with common vampires. He has no knowledge of having royal blood and can't remember me. I wouldn't be able to find him, even if I wanted to."
"Do you? Want to, that is."
"No, I don't. It would be nice to see with my own eyes that he's okay. But you're alive and well, so he must be too. I was really angry with him before Alrekur staked him. It's like I told him: Tanner means nothing to me romantically, but I love him like a brother. Only a brother."
Cliff leaned back even further, his face showing irritation.
"This really wasn't the conversation I was hoping to have when I got up and snuck out of the castle to see you," I grumbled. "I came out here because I couldn't wait to see you. I missed you like crazy all these months."
"You're right. I have no reason to be annoyed—not that I could stay upset with you for long anyway. How could I be irritated about Tanner when we have a much bigger opponent now?"
I snuggled up against him and he put his arm back around me. "Exactly. Plus I'm never going to see Tanner again. I don't need to. I have you. I don't ever want to let go of you."
"Nor do I want to let go of you, my princess."
"How did you get away from your parents?" I asked. "I thought they had you on an even tighter chain since you were removed from the castle."
He sighed. "Now who's talking about things that won't make us happy?"
I ignored him. "She can't be happy about you being here. She hates me. Tell the truth, is she still plotting war against my family?"
Cliff sighed. "You know she is. She wanted to be queen when she was second in command; she wants it even more now."
"She's working with the werewolves, the ones who want to eradicate vampires?"
"Yes, she's working with them and has rounded up some common vampires too. To my knowledge, she hasn't been able to get a single vampire with royal blood on her side. All of the descendants of the Fyrsturae are eager for them to be back on the throne. The royals are loyal to their leaders, and even more so to their ancestors."
"Then what's the deal with your mother? Why is she so power hungry? Why doesn't she care about loyalty or the Fyrsturae or anything?"
Cliff kissed my forehead. "I don't know, my princess. There's a bad apple in every bunch, as the saying goes. In this case, it happens to be my mother."
"What about your father? He's just going along with her?"
"When has he not? Let's talk about something else."
"Do you know anything about her plans?"
He sighed. "All I know is that she's in constant communication with the werewolves. She knows that I don't approve, so she won't discuss the details around me."
"I wish I could train. I need to be ready for the war."
Cliff ran his hands through my hair and rested them on my belly. "Mother isn't even close to being ready to wage war yet. You have plenty of time. Just relax and enjoy our time together."
I laid my head on his lap. "You're probably right. I've been waiting so long to spend some time with you, and here we are talking about Tanner and your mother. What a waste, especially when we could be enjoying ourselves."
He smiled. "That's what I'm talking about." He pulled my hair away from my face and stretched it out on the couch behind me. "I can't believe how long your hair has gotten. Are you trying to grow it down to the floor?"
"No!" I laughed. "My parents won't let me cut it while I'm carrying the baby. I don't get it, but I don't care enough to put up a fuss."
He ran his fingers along the side of my face, then down my neck. When he reached my mark, I felt a sharp jolt of electricity.
"Ow! What the blazes was that?" he demanded. "Your mark just shocked me!"
I rubbed the mark. "I don't know. It didn't feel good for me, either."
He placed his hand on my arm and I felt myself relax.
I tilted my head. "What happened to you over these last five months? You look…hardened. What have you been through?"
He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me again, his hands resting on my stomach. Our baby started rolling around so much that we could see his hands move up and down.
"Look at that!" Cliff exclaimed.
"It's amazing, isn't it? He moves a lot, though he's not usually this active. He must be excited to have his daddy here." I turned my head and smiled at him. I scooted so that he could feel my belly easier and he rubbed all around, feeling the rolls and pushes.
"That's unbelievable. It's like he's playing with me."
"I think he is," I said, smiling. I relaxed and enjoyed watching and feeling the two loves of my life playing with each other for the first time. It went on for about ten minutes until the movements stopped.
"He's not moving anymore. Is everything okay?" Cliff asked, looking worried.
I laughed. "You tired him out. He's probably going to take a nap now."
He let his hands rest on my stomach, palms flat. "I suppose this would be a good time to tell you about my adventures."
"Really?" I teased. "I actually get to hear about what you did while you were away? I never get to hear these stories."
Smiling, he said, "Yes. Finally. But I'm afraid that you'll be disappointed, because it's not very exciting. When I took off before you were abducted, I went to that cabin that you dreamed about."
"It wasn't a dream. I actually teleported there. I was wide awake. Remember,
you saw me?"
"True. Anyway, I mostly stewed in my hurt, trying to figure out why things had turned out the way they had. I felt sorry for myself since I had spent my whole life waiting for you."
I looked him in the eyes. "Cliff, I'm so sorry. The last thing I've ever wanted to do is to hurt you."
He patted my hand. "No worries. I'm beyond that now—and I'm not saying that I was even right to leave. I should've stuck around to help you through your transition. I know what it's like to transition as a royal. I was just being selfish. The same as when I left after your parents' announcement. I was being selfish and I should have stopped to hear you out. Ever since I've come back into your life, I keep abandoning you. Why do you keep putting up with me?"
I ran my fingers through his hair. "It's not like I haven't given you reason to run off. I'm not really sure why you still want me."
"Are you kidding? The…."
His words faded away as a sharp, hot pain radiated around my abdomen. Everything around me disappeared as the pain nearly suffocated me. I wanted to scream and clutch my stomach, but it was as if I were paralyzed by the pain.
When the pain finally stopped, I wasn't even sure how long it had lasted. It could have been an hour or thirty seconds. My sense of time was lost in the pain.
"Alexis? Can you hear me? Are you all right?"
I looked at Cliff and shook my head. "I need to get to the castle and find Dr. Robinson. I don't know how long this is going to take, but I need to get there before that happens again!"
Cliff stood up. "I'm going with you."
"Are you sure? What if Alrekur—?"
"I'd like to see him try to stop me! He has no business being there anyway. Let's get going!" He held his hand out for me.
FIFTEEN
"Get Dr. Robinson!" Cliff shouted to the servant who was standing outside the door.
The servant opened the door and shouted something inside.
"You can put me down now," I told Cliff. He had insisted on carrying me through the woods.
"I'll put you down when you're safe in your bed," he said, picking up his speed again. We weren't far from my wing and I was impressed at how fast he got to my room while carrying me with my added weight.
He threw open the door and rushed me to my bed, setting me down gently. He adjusted the blankets around me.
"Do you need anything? Water, blood, food?"
"No. I'm okay right now. The pain's gone. Maybe I should walk around."
"Wait for the doctor and see what he says."
I sighed. When would anyone let me make my own decisions? I thought back to when I wished I were a princess as a little girl, believing that princesses could do anything they wanted. That was a joke.
Karlie ran through the door. "Miss Alexis! Are you okay? I heard that Dr. Robinson is on his way!" She looked at Cliff. "Who are you?"
"He's Cliff, the father. He stays."
She gave him a curious look and said, "I'd say that it's a pleasure, but now isn't the time for pleasantries. Tell me what her symptoms are."
"I can do that," I said. "I was sitting down relaxing when the strongest pain I've ever felt enveloped my stomach. Now that it's stopped, I feel normal again."
Karlie grabbed a phone out of her pocket and dialed. "Mattie. You're needed right away. Alexis is in her room; she's going to have the baby."
She had barely had time to hang up when Mattie rushed in. "Alexis! Are you okay?" She didn't wait for an answer before rushing to my bed and rubbing her hands all over my belly. "He's still in the proper position. Hopefully this will be quick. How bad was the pain?"
"It was intense," I said. "Everything around me seemed to disappear and all I could focus—"
The hot, sharp pain began radiating again as everything disappeared around me. This time I had the wherewithal to grab a pillow and squeeze it. I barely noticed as it exploded into a downpour of feathers around me. I hadn't thought I'd clutched it that hard.
When the pain stopped again, I closed my eyes and leaned against the pillows behind me. I could hear conversation around me, but I didn't care enough to look around. There were about five different voices, but I was still coming down from the pain and couldn't tell who was in the room with me.
Finally, I opened my eyes. Cliff was sitting on the bed next to me, holding my hand. Dr. Robinson was standing next to the bed, watching me. When we made eye contact, he explained to me that vampire labor is more intense, but also much quicker than what humans experience.
"Can you give me some medication?"
He shook his head. "There isn't time. By the time that it would take effect, this should all be over."
I sighed, not wanting any more of the pain.
Mattie sat down and said, "As strange as this sounds, don't try to get away from the pain. You'll have a much easier time if you focus on becoming one with it. I've helped many vampires through this, including other Fyrsturae."
I nodded and thanked her before I felt the pain start again. I braced myself for what was about to hit. Once it did, it was far worse than the times before. I sat up, screaming. I didn't even know what I was screaming. It was as if someone else was screaming—all I could feel was the pain. The world around me had disappeared again. I could feel beads of sweat dripping down my face.
The excruciating pain finally subsided. I leaned back again and when I looked around, everyone was staring at me, looking shocked.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, pulling sweat-drenched hair away from my face.
"Daughter," my mother said—when did she get there? "You were screaming in the same ancient Icelandic dialect that you used with Alrekur after awakening him."
I looked over at Cliff, who wouldn't even look me in the eye. "You kept saying his name," he whispered. "You were calling out to him."
"What?" I demanded. "That's not possible! First of all, I can't speak the language unless he's speaking it to me. Secondly, I don't want him here." I grabbed Cliff's hand. "I only want you here. I have no memory of anything I said. All I could feel was the horrible pain."
Still looking away, he nodded.
"Please, Cliff. This is our day. This is about us and our love. We—"
The pain struck again and I heard Mattie say something about becoming one with it. I didn't know what that meant, but I tried to simply accept the pain as everything around me faded away. I wanted to scream again. I could feel the words trying to push their way out, just as the baby was doing. I clamped my mouth shut, not allowing anything out. I didn't want to hurt Cliff any further with what I couldn't control.
After it had passed, I leaned back onto my pillows keeping my eyes closed. I was vaguely aware of someone rubbing a washcloth over my sweat-drenched face and neck. I was about to open my eyes when the pain shot through me again. I clenched my blankets and couldn't stop the screaming. I was able to keep myself from saying Alrekur's name though. I had no idea why it kept trying to escape my mouth.
When it stopped again, I forced myself to open my eyes. Cliff was looking at me, smiling.
"What are you smiling about?" I moaned.
"He's almost here! Both Mattie and the doctor think that the next wave of pain will be your last."
"Oh, thank God."
"Also, your father told me that when you were shouting his name, you were cursing him."
"I'm glad you can find humor in this," I said, rolling my eyes.
He rubbed my arm. "Not humor. I was worried that you wanted him. It turns out that you don't."
"Of course n—"
I grabbed him and let myself scream whatever came to my mouth. This time, the pain was noticeably worse. There was no becoming one with it or anything of the sort. It took over me, seeming to radiate through every inch of me. I could feel the need to push and did, because there was nothing else that I could do.
When I had finished pushing, the pain left and I lay down wanting to sleep. I could hear crying and that's when I remembered why I had gone through it all. I force
d my eyes open to get a glimpse of the baby—my baby. I almost couldn't wrap my mind around it. I could see Mattie giving him a sponge bath and Dr. Robinson taking measurements. Cliff and my parents were crowding them.
"He's beautiful," Karlie said.
I looked next to me and saw her standing beside to the bed. I tried to smile at her, unsure if the smile had reached my face.
Brooke appeared next to Karlie. "You did amazing!"
"Amazing?" I asked. I couldn't help laughing. "I was screaming like a fool in a foreign language. Look at this bed. I tore up the pillows and blankets."
"You should've seen Cliff's arm," Brooke said, smiling.
My eyes widened. "What did I do to him?"
"Don't worry," Karlie said. "It already healed. He wasn't worried about it anyway. He said that it was only right that he experience some pain too."
"When do I get to see him? I went through all of that to bring him into the world, and I'm the last to see him."
Karlie squeezed my hand. "They're cleaning him up and making sure that he's healthy. He looked perfect to me. Just rest now because you'll get plenty of time with him."
I nodded and allowed my sleepy eyes to close again. I wasn't sure how long I'd slept when Cliff's voice brought me back to the real world. I opened my eyes and smiled when I saw him standing next to me, holding the tiny bundle. The room was dimly lit with candles, otherwise it was dark and quiet.
"Are you ready to see him?" he asked, smiling wide. My love for him grew ten times as I saw how proud he was of our baby.
I scooted back so that I was sitting up against my remaining pillows. He set the little bundle into my arms and I just stared at the perfect little sleeping face. Everything about him was wonderful and I felt an immediate love for him, knowing that I'd go to any length to protect him if I had to.
"Can you believe it? We made him. I can't get over it.," Cliff said, sitting next to me.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I nodded, not wanting to soak the tiny baby.
Wrapping his arm around me, he said, "We'll have to think of a name later. We haven't had any time to discuss it. We'll just enjoy him for now."
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 87
