“But you were in my vision…” I needed her help this time around.
Darius looked worried, not surprising since his sister had recently had to kill two rogue werewolves. “What did you see, Ebony?”
“I saw a wedding dress. I was wearing it, and I was standing in a Church. Kim was my bridesmaid.”
Darius’ expression was a mix of relief and confusion.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to see your own future?” Kim queried.
“That’s just it, Kim. I could see I was getting married but I couldn’t see the groom! I don’t even have a boyfriend, so who the hell am I marrying?” I screamed again. It seemed I was having a bit of a panic attack when it came to my own future. Upcoming horror visions gave me migraines, my own wedding made me hysterical. I needed a little perspective, and more alcohol.
“Well, I don’t know, but I do know who I just married, Chica, so you go get a vodka and I’ll go get my man.” Kim winked. “We’ll sort it, Ebs.”
And with that she abandoned me in the middle of the woodland. If I had a future vision showing she was going to give birth to eleven-pound twins I would delight in telling her in great detail.
I walked back towards the hall where the party was taking place and took a seat on the steps outside while I tried to recollect my vision. But it was fading. With other people’s visions I could recall every detail, but my own was disappearing like a dream does when you awaken. Maybe it was because my visions were only just returning, or maybe it was because they were mine.
Then slam, another pain shot into my forehead like a brain freeze.
Shelley was having the baby! I had to go back to the farm.
I ran to the bar where I ordered a double vodka to ease the throbbing in my temples. Then I ordered a taxi.
“Goodacres Farm please, and can you step on it? It’s an emergency.”
And it was, but not for the reasons a normal person might think…
Chapter Two
Shelley
You know how they say God doesn’t give you more than you can handle in life?
Well, fuck that, and if anyone says it to my face, then ‘do no harm’ rules or not, I’ll throat punch them and magic their mouth shut. Just when I think things can’t get any worse, my pregnancy gets accelerated during my turning into a vampire and a couple of days later I go into labour at my best friend’s wedding.
One minute I was moaning about having to wear the equivalent of a marquee—I mean my dress looked big enough to hold the wedding reception underneath it, glamorous I was not—the next my best friend ran in front of us in wolf mode having become a were and then she forgot herself and changed back, appearing starkers in front of everyone. It was hilarious. Well, until I thought I’d peed myself and then she got the last laugh by pointing out my waters had broken.
Then do you know what she did?
Left me to go boink her new husband.
Yes, her mother-in-law came to help, and yes my own husband was there, but what sort of bestie did that? Then again, her husband had also had a period of nakedness until someone passed him a robe and, well, I could see why she was distracted. Plus, she just escaped having to marry a madman.
Still. I was having a baby.
“Oh my God, I’m having a baby.”
“Not now!” Yelled Theo. “It’s not coming now is it? Only I’m waiting for the taxi to come to take us home.”
I’d decided on a home birth. I had a midwife at the Caves where I’d been turned who would come to make sure everything went to plan.
“Theo.” I shouted at my husband who was running around the wedding reception like some kind of demented rooster, his head darting about as he questioned other guests. I watched as he collected unused napkins from every table.
“Theo!” I yelled louder, even though I knew with his vampire hearing he could hear me anyway.
He ran over.
“What are you doing?”
He pushed his dark hair back off his face. “They say towels and hot water don’t they? There aren’t any towels but there are napkins. I can grab a bottle of Evian too.”
Staring at him I rolled my eyes. “I’m not giving birth to a frikkin Barbie Doll. There’s a large melon coming out. The napkins will only be any use for you to wipe your sweating brow on if you don’t get a grip. Now, Theo. What is wrong with the fact you have ordered a taxi?”
He paused for a moment. “Erm, early hours of Saturday morning it costs double and there is a lack of available cabs?”
I went to grab my temple in frustration from his idiocy, but a contraction chose that moment to decide to sweep over me.
“Holy fucking Christ.” I took some deep breaths.
For crying out loud. I’d only had my last period pains a couple of months ago, then the pain of the turning this week, and now I was having these agonising labour pains.
I felt a hand stroking down my arm. “Breathe, darling. It’s okay. Just a little pain.”
God I would put laxatives in his O-neg when I’d had this child.
“Theo. I’ll see you at home. You take the cab if you want. Idiot.” I whizzed off. How do you forget you can travel at high speed? That was the first indication of the escalating panic levels of one Theodore Robert Landry.
“You alright, lovey?” My mother-in-law followed me into the living room.
“I’m in labour, Mary. Just need to phone Janice at the clinic and get her here.”
“Oh, I’ll do that for you. You get laid down on the sofa. Oooh, how exciting, my first grandchild is coming.” Mary went to pick up the phone and her hand passed through it. “Ooops, I think I expended too much energy watching Magic Mike this afternoon on DVD. I was trying to perfect that ‘Pony’ dance like his soon-to-be-ex-wife did. You know, just in case Channing’s looking for a new woman.”
Mary was a ghost, having been drained by Theo when he was first turned. It was a subject we tried not to dwell on. We therefore had a ghost perpetually in her late-thirties living with us and she’d just begun realising the freedoms that came from not living in the early 1900’s.
“Go rest, Mary, because I will need you later.”
“To care for the baby? I’m great with them. I was a natural with Theo you know? One reason my ghost heart was heavy when I realised he’d killed me.”
Theo whizzed in at that moment, banging his head on the door frame, then laying sprawled across the living room floor. “Yes, to care for the baby.” I replied. “The one right there.” I kicked him with my shoe and he groaned so I figured he was still conscious.
Picking up my mobile phone I called the clinic, and once I knew Janice was on her way, I sat back, resting on the sofa for a while and breathing through a few contractions. Theo sat at the side of me and as I noted the look of worry on his face, my mood just calmed. The guy loved me, he loved our baby, and he wanted us to be safe and well.
I took his hand in mine. “I love you, Theo Landry.”
“I love you too, Mrs Theo Landry.”
“What have I told you about that old-fashioned crap?”
“I’m 127. Bite me.”
That made me giggle. Looked like I was teaching Theo a thing or two about sass.
“Sorry, I’ve been moody. I’m just a little scared. I’ve not had a baby before.”
“Don’t worry, I’m used to your moods.” He patted my arm. “And this is about my hundredth baby.”
I shot back away from him. “What the what now?”
“This.” He pointed at my stomach. “I think.” He nodded his head. “Yes, I’m almost positive this is about the hundredth birth.”
My jaw went tight. “You. Have. Had. One. Hundred. Children?”
“Well, not me personally. The mother’s obviously. Oh you do crack me up.”
“And where are all these offspring?” I was going to drain the bastard in a minute. Not once had he mentioned previously having children.
“Offspring?” Theo’s brow creased. “They’re not my off
spring. They are the babies I delivered while I was an Obstetrician in the 1960’s.”
I took a deep breath.
“Of course medicine was a lot different then, but still I shall offer my expertise to Janice.”
As my next contraction hit I used my vampire strength to its full capacity to crush his fingers hard. “Or maybe you could just be quiet and let me get on with the childbirth, my loving husband?”
“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow.” He extracted his fingers as I let go. “I thought you were sorry for being mean?”
Tilting my head, I smiled at him, possibly reminiscent of the Joker in Batman. “I’m trying, but it’s the hormones.”
The doorbell rang. “Ah, I shall go get that. It will be the midwife.” He rushed off, still stretching out his recently crushed fingers.
Janice poked her head around the door. She was a small woman with a dark-brown bob, and she wore glasses. “How are you doing there?”
Theo walked past her and sat back down beside me on the sofa. “Well, my head is hurting from hitting the door frame earlier, and my fingers are hurting from where Shelley crushed them, but other than that, I’m doing okay.”
“She meant me, douche canoe.” I yelled as yet another contraction hit.
Janice smiled at me with a bemused look. “Gotta love the husbands. Now, don’t worry, Theo, we’re a team and we’re going to get that baby out safely. How far apart are the contractions, Shelley?”
“Every three minutes.”
“Right, let’s get you upstairs onto the bed and get everything prepared. You doing this without pain relief?”
“Well, that was the plan, but I might yet throw him out.” I glared at my husband.
“She’s going to use magic just before the birth to assist our daughter on her way. Her mother helped her to construct a spell.”
“Oh yes, we have that on the birth plan. Okay, Theo, why don’t you get your wife a glass of water? I’ll take a tea, and then you get whatever you need.”
“Common sense.” I mumbled under my breath.
“I can hear you.” Theo said. “Excuse me, Janice. Could I have a little word with you outside?”
She looked at me, cocking an eyebrow, and then turned to Theo. “Sure, sweetheart. Only a minute though, I need to concentrate on your wife. Shelley, can you change into this gown for me while we’re gone?”
“Sure.” I said as she followed him outside.
Theo took care to make sure I couldn’t hear despite my vampire hearing. It was a shame for him that he appeared to have forgotten I was part-witch. I made a hand swipe motion and a vision of Theo talking to the midwife appeared in front of me.
“Could you please phone an exorcist? I have the means to pay for one to travel here expeditiously.”
Janice leaned in closer to him. “You’ve lost me, Theo. Why do we need an exorcist?”
He gestured to the room. “Well, clearly, Shelley has been possessed. We were out at a wedding when she went into labour. I didn’t know all of the guests. One of them must have been an evil entity as Shelley has most definitely been taken over by something malevolent. I was an obstetrician for a while and never did I come across such evil.”
“Your wife is acting perfectly normal for someone in childbirth.”
His eyes widened.
“She is?”
“Yes, so shall we get back up to her before she begins to give birth without us and then you’ll really know what evil looks like.” She placed a hand on his arm. “Stay calm, focus on your wife and baby, and soon this will all be over and you’ll have your baby girl.”
“And then my wife will be back to her nicer self.”
“With sleep deprivation and sore nipples?” Janice cackled with laughter. “Oh, Theo. You’ve a lot to learn for someone so old.”
I wiped the vision away and quickly changed into my gown before stroking at my stomach. “Hey there, baby girl. Not long now and you’re gonna be here.”
Then an almighty wave of pain spliced across my stomach. I felt like I was being sliced in two. My breath came in short gasps and I knew there wasn’t much further to go. As the pain receded, I said a few magic enchantments. A haze came over the bottom half of my body and when the next pain came, it was considerably lessened.
I laid back, pulled my knees up and pushed.
“Oh my God, she’s crowning.” Janice rushed back to my side. “Theo. Business end.”
I closed my eyes and pushed once more.
“Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.”
My daughter was checked quickly and then placed into my arms.
“Theo. Will you get that little baby hat from the top drawer? I don’t want her to lose any heat from her head.”
Theo brought the cute little hat over and placed it on our daughter’s head. He reached down and kissed my forehead and then ran a finger over our baby girl’s cheek.
“Well done, Mummy.” Janice said. “And congratulations, Daddy. All normal checks have been carried out. Obviously, given her heritage, it’s hard to know what to expect from her in the future, but she seems just fine.”
Then our daughter opened her eyes. “Oh look, Theo. She has the normal blue eyes that a human baby has.
“Hello, Charlene. I’m your mummy and this is your daddy.”
Charlene blinked. Her eyes went red and then she blinked again and green reptilian eyes stared at me. “Oh my God,” I squealed.
Thank God for vampire speed, otherwise my newborn daughter would have been on the floor.
“I thought you had to be given your sea powers?” Theo frowned. “Your dad passed yours onto you.”
I swear to God our daughter gave a little smile.
“That looks like a smile, but it’s actually wind.” Janice said. I wasn’t convinced.
“Theo, I’ve got a feeling our daughter will be very unique.” I stared at her. “Right, baby?”
Chapter Three
Ebony
An hour and a half had passed since I’d known Shelley was in labour. Unfortunately, my own supernatural powers were limited to the visions. The vampires could whizz, the werewolves could run at speed, demons could open and travel through portals, and angels could fly. It wasn’t entirely fair that I helped the universe and still had to pay for taxis, but such was my lot.
I rang the doorbell at the farmhouse and Mary answered.
To say we’d spent a large portion of the last week or so together she appeared to groan before smiling at me. “Ebony, lovely. I thought you were okay enough to stay back at your own house? Only it’s a little hectic here.”
“I saw the baby coming in a vision. I have to be here.”
Mary bustled with pride. “She’s absolutely gorgeous. Well, she looks a little weird when her eyes change but other than that, she’s just perfect.”
“Erm, okay. Well, am I all right to go see her?”
“I’ll just check. Come through to the kitchen while you wait.”
Mary disappeared. She was another supernatural able to come and go, although Mary wasn’t able to venture too far from where she’d been brutally slain, so there was that.
She appeared again making me jump.
“Yes, you can go visit. Like I said, watch for the eyes. It’s making everyone startle. I hope the child bounces because someone’s going to freak and drop her before long.”
Slowly, I made my way up the stairs bracing myself. I expected that the minute I walked through the door I’d be hit with visions connected with the baby’s future. She was going to be the most powerful ruler of Withernsea after all.
The door to the bedroom was ajar, and I could make out someone walking around and the sound of murmuring. I tapped on the door and Theo opened it wider, a massive smile on his face.
“Welcome, Ebony. Our first proper visitor! Come in, and meet Charlene.”
Not a single vision hit me. Perplexed, I made my way over to Shelley who was sitting in an armchair with the baby in her arms. “Look, Charlie, it’s Ebony. She’s come to visit y
ou because you are so very special.”
I took in the sight of the baby. She had a small amount of dark, soft downy hair on her head, and the cutest button nose. Her rosebud lips and heart-shaped face cemented the fact she was going to be a beauty. She opened her eyes and I swear to God she stared at me knowingly. It was the strangest feeling. An intense feeling of calm washed over me.
“Hello, Charlene. You are very beautiful. I’m Ebony, and my role here is to make sure you live a safe and happy life. The thing is, I have visions, so I will always let you and your mummy know if there’s any danger around.” My gaze met Shelley's.
“That’s why I’m here. I know it’s usually close family who come first, but my visions have returned and I need to be here as you receive visitors. The heads of all species will come to see you because of the importance of your daughter.”
“I’m going to need you to get me a new make-up pallette. I can’t be seeing people in this state.” Shelley pushed back her hair.
“You’re a new mother, you look radiant and beautiful.” It was a total lie. Shelley looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards while a tornado happened, but you didn’t tell a new mother that. She did have that new mother glow though that came with the birth endorphins. I’d get a hairbrush later and help her look a little more presentable.
“You really think Charlie could be in danger?” Shelley bit her bottom lip.
“I don’t know at this point. The visions haven’t revealed anything to me yet, but it’s best to be cautious.” I glanced at my watch. It was almost 4am.
“Is it okay if I take my room again? I’ll leave you to rest now.”
A woman came into the room and Shelley introduced her as the midwife.
“I’m staying for the next few hours, just to make sure everything’s okay and to give mum a chance to rest, and then if everything stays fine, I’ll leave around midday? I’m sure by then all the family will have gathered around.
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