A Very Arcav Christmas

by Hope Hart

  I can’t help it, I laugh.

  “Sorry, Jen,” I say, still laughing as my waters pour out of me.

  Jen leans down and examines my waters on the floor, and I stop laughing as a contraction hits me.

  Jen rubs my shoulder reassuringly. “Your waters are clear which is great news. You get to meet your baby today!”

  “Shit,” I say once the contraction finishes. “I don’t know if I’m prepared for this.”

  Butterflies hit me. This is it. I’ll finally be holding my sweet baby in my arms.

  Jen brings a towel to hold between my legs, and I sit back down for a moment, groaning as another contraction hits me.

  Eve’s voice hits new heights.

  “Should they be coming so close together?” She sprints to the door where Blake and Vazta are waiting.

  “Get in contact with Varian. Tell him to meet us at the medi-center,” she turns to me. “Can you walk or do you need Vazta to carry you?”

  “I can walk,” I say when the pain eases. “And Varian will already know.”

  “Right, the mating bond. Okay.” She turns to Blake who nods.

  “I’ll clear our way,” he says.

  I don’t know how he does it, but by the time I’ve panted through another contraction, the halls are completely empty. I take a moment to stare and Eve grins at me.

  “You didn’t think we’d let anyone see you this undignified did you, Maleficent?”

  I smile but grab her hand and cry out at the next contraction.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” she says. “You have that baby in a pod and I’ll kick your ass when you’re finished.”

  “Love you too,” I pant, and then we’re on the move. I use the time between contractions to walk as fast as I can.

  Another contraction rips through me and I groan.

  Eve and Blake exchange a look.

  “No time for the medi-center,” Eve says. “Tell Varian to come here, and for the love of God, please get a healer up to their quarters now.”

  Blake grins, easygoing as always. “You doing okay?” he asks. “Let me know if you need a lift.”

  “Walking is good,” I say. “I read it in the baby books.”

  “Walking is good until you have that baby in the hallway,” Eve mutters.

  “You know, I get why Varian was so obsessed with staying close by.” I say as we slowly make our way toward our quarters. “If he doesn’t get here in time, I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  Eve’s face is still pale, but she seems to be treating this as if we’re under fire, operating from a place of complete calm after her brief moment of panic.

  “If Varian doesn’t show up, Aunt Eve will have to catch the baby,” I tease, and I laugh as the toughest women in Arcavia trembles like a little bitch.

  “Yeah, yeah, take your humor where you can find it,” she mutters as we round the next corner. “At least I’m not about to have my cooter ripped open.”

  I wince. “Low blow.”

  “Sorry.”

  I clench my teeth, forgetting to breathe through the next contraction. Whoever told me breathing would help was a fucking liar. Nothing helps.

  It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. I’m almost at our quarters, and Varian will be heading straight here, likely ready to kill anyone who gets in his way.

  Brin rushes around the corner, and I almost weep with relief. He takes my other arm while Eve holds my hand and Blake barks orders in his communicator. Vazta has gone ahead, likely making sure that the corridors near the Royal Quarters are all clear.

  Another contraction hits and Brin helps me breathe through it.

  “They’re coming so close together,” I gasp when I can talk again. “What if Varian doesn’t make it?”

  “Females have been giving birth for millennia, Your Majesty. Males are useless in this endeavor. I promise you, whether or not your mate makes it in time, you and your baby will get through this.”

  I blow out a breath. He’s right. I’ve got this. But I want Varian now.

  We reach our quarters and I point to one of the spare bedrooms. Labor is messy, and I want to be able to relax in my own bed when our baby is here.

  “Good luck, Harlow,” Blake says, staying behind in one of the sitting rooms, and I send him a thumbs up, right before I bend over at the waist, grunting in pain.

  Eve waits until I’m ready and then helps me out of my wet sweatpants while Brin moves to the bed, setting up everything he needs. I feel a wave of relief hit me when I spot his magic wand— the long, stick-like instrument that can heal just about anything.

  I was expecting a twenty-hour labor. Maybe twelve or thirteen if I was lucky. First babies don’t ever come this fast. When my friend Angie had her baby, she was in labor for almost thirty hours.

  I climb onto the bed, barely making it before another contraction takes my breath away. I make a sound that has Eve’s hand shaking as she reaches for me, every muscle in my body cramping as the pain shoots down my lower back.

  “Fuck,” I gasp after a long, long time. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  Eve squeezes my hand. “You can do it. I promise you. Just think about that teeny little baby waiting to come out.”

  “May I check you, Your Majesty?”

  I glare at Brin. “If you’re looking at my vagina, you better call me by my first name.”

  He smiles up at me and then nods at me to spread ‘em.

  “Almost ready to push,” he declares and I groan my way through another contraction.

  I reach for the mating bond and it definitely feels stronger. I can feel Varian’s determination, concern, and anxiety, and then the door slams open and I gaze up into the eyes of my mate.

  Chapter Eleven

  Eve

  I blow out a breath, my muscles relaxing as Varian appears. I’ve never been happier to see the Arcav King. In fact, I think I could quite possibly pass out with sheer relief at the sight of his face.

  “He’s here, Harlow. Oh thank God, Varian is here. You’ve got this. You’re going to be great.”

  The hard part is over. For me, anyway. I got Harlow back to her rooms where she’ll push out her baby. Varian’s here, the healer’s also here, and now I get to go and have a stiff fucking drink.

  I’ve risked life and limb on takedowns that were less stressful than the last half-hour.

  Harlow reaches for Varian, taking his hand as tears of relief— and likely pain— run down her face. Unfortunately, she also refuses to let mine go.

  I feel my shoulders hunch as she whirls her head, narrowing her eyes at me.

  “Don’t you dare leave me. I need you too!”

  My mouth drops open, and after a single glance at the wild-eyed Arcav King, I mentally roll up my sleeves with a sigh.

  I’m going to want to drink my weight in wine after this. I can just tell.

  “Okay, Maleficent. Let’s do this.”

  After a few more contractions, which end with Varian roaring at Brin to do something for Harlow’s pain, she’s finally ready to push. She clasps our hands, bearing down, and I feel my cooter clench in sympathy.

  Varian can likely feel a lot of Harlow’s pain, but he looks tormented as he watches her writhe and groan.

  “You are so brave. I love you so much.”

  “Love you,” she pants, her face a mask of pain.

  Brin’s a good coach, encouraging but not condescending, and I nod in approval as he counts.

  “Keep pushing, keep going, just a few more seconds. Okay, now wait for the next one.”

  Harlow collapses against the pillows as Varian bathes her face with a wet cloth.

  “Get that out of my face,” she snarls, and his hand jerks back, his eyes wide.

  Then it’s time to push again, and Harlow lets out a sound that doesn’t sound human.

  Oh Jesus.

  I catch a glimpse between her legs and shudder, fixing my gaze back on her face.

 
“Your baby is crowning,” Brin says. “I can see the head. Keep pushing.”

  “Push Harlow,” I say. “You’ve got this.”

  She slumps back down again. “I can’t do this.”

  “Yes you can,” Varian says. “I promise you can.”

  “Buck up, Your Majesty,” I say. “Make me an aunt.”

  She shoots me a look, and then the next contraction hits and she pulls her knees up higher as she bears down.

  Holy shit. A tiny little face pokes out, and the sound that comes out of me is half-laugh, half-sob.

  “One more,” Brin says. “One more, and you get to meet your son or daughter.”

  Harlow seems to be dazed, and I can’t imagine how exhausted she is. Now I know why they call it labor.

  “One more,” Varian and I say together, and then Harlow holds her breath, pushing for all she’s worth.

  Brin holds up a tiny, red, slippery, angry baby, for Harlow to see.

  “My baby,” she sobs. “Hello, my darling.”

  Varian looks shell-shocked as he stares down at his wife and child, and I wipe the tears off my face.

  Brin grins. “A girl. Congratulations, Your Majesties,” he says, placing her straight on Harlow’s chest.

  A girl.

  “We have a girl,” Harlow laughs as Varian leans down, kissing her.

  “We do,” his voice rough. “You were incredible, my mate. I am so proud of you.”

  “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

  Varian laughs, stroking his huge hand over his daughter’s head. Brin hands him a pair of scissors to cut the cord, and Harlow grins up at me.

  “Thanks for staying.”

  “Thanks for having me. No really,” I say when she laughs, stroking a finger along her baby’s cheek. “I wouldn’t have volunteered for it, but that was amazing.”

  Harlow hands the baby to Varian, who stares down at her, entranced. He looks up at me and I smile at his Varian’s stunned expression. “Congratulations,” I say, and his huge grin is blinding.

  I leave the happy family to spend some time alone, finding Blake in the sitting room outside. He raises a glass of wine.

  “Cheers.”

  I stalk forward and nip it out of his hand, chugging it down.

  “Wow,” I say, realizing my hand is still shaking.

  “Sounded like a torture session,” Blake says sympathetically, handing me the bottle.

  “I honestly don’t know how she did it. But it was incredible.”

  We turn at a knock on the door and I grin as Korva walks in. He takes one look at me and raises an eyebrow.

  “I just felt some very interesting emotions down the mating bond,” he tells me, and I laugh.

  “Horror, terror, fascination, and amazement?” I ask, and he nods, pulling me close.

  “Along with an intense love and protectiveness,” he murmurs into my ear and I blush.

  One by one, our family and friends arrive, bringing wine, gifts, and laughter. Meghan dances through the room, hugging us all and pouring drinks. Harlow’s brother Josh arrives, a huge smile on his face, Amanda murmurs softly to Jaret in the corner, and Bree wanders in with a black eye.

  “Don’t ask,” she mutters when I open my mouth. “Just make sure you spar with Saria sometime soon.”

  We talk for an hour, the mood light and excited, and then Brin opens the door, a grin on his face. “They’d like to see you,” he says to all of us.

  Surprisingly, Blake is the first one through the door, taking the baby straight from Varian’s arms. He grins at me when I raise an eyebrow.

  “Hey, babies are fun. As long as you can hand them back.”

  Harlow looks exhausted but completely enchanted as Varian sits beside her, stroking his hand along her hair as he watches us marvel over their daughter.

  “What’s her name?” Meghan asks.

  “We have no idea,” Harlow admits, and immediately everyone bombards them with ideas.

  “What about Harian?” Blake suggests, smirking. “You know, like a combination—”

  “We get it,” Amanda rolls her eyes. “And that’s terrible. You should name her something pretty.”

  “Just don’t name her after a fruit,” I mutter. “Woah, what are you doing?”

  Blake has somehow managed to sidle up next to me, holding the baby out to me. My hands take her automatically, and all of the spit leaves my mouth as she cracks open her eyes, staring up at me.

  “Korva, get over here and get ready to catch her if I drop her.”

  Varian narrows his eyes at me, but Harlow laughs. “You won’t drop her.”

  The baby is beautiful, now that she’s been cleaned up. Her skin is a pale gold, and she has the faintest nubs on her tiny head, where horns will grow. Her eyes are all Harlow— they’re blue, but they’re the exact same shape as her mama’s.

  “She’s going to be a heartbreaker,” I murmur, and I lose the rest of my heart to the tiny creature. “If anyone ever tries to hurt you, Aunty Eve will cut them into pieces,” I croon. Harlow winces, Varian nods in approval, and everyone else cracks up.

  “Uncle Blake will teach her how to cut them into pieces herself,” Blake says, and I grin.

  Korva peers over my shoulder at the baby and gently runs his thumb along her tiny forehead, careful to keep his claws retracted.

  He gives me a look I’ve never seen before. A look that makes my heart flutter. And I know exactly what that look means.

  “Don’t go getting any ideas,” I hiss at him, and his smile is so wicked that I sigh.

  The truth is, I never thought I’d want kids until I mated with Korva. Now, the idea of raising rugrats with him… well, Korva would be an amazing father. He’d teach our children everything they needed to know about the universe while still giving them room to learn the kind of lessons they need to learn for themselves.

  Right now though, I’m a member of the Queen’s guard. And I’m not yet ready to give that up.

  I hand the baby to Korva, and my throat gets thick. She’s lying in his huge hand and he’s staring down at her in adoration as she closes her eyes.

  “Just makes you want to have all the babies with them, huh?” Amanda whispers to me, and I nod.

  “Yeah, something about a 7-foot male with horns holding a newborn just flat-out does it for me.”

  Meghan leans closer. “You ain’t the only one.”

  Jaret takes the baby next, and I move closer to Harlow.

  “How does it feel, mama?” Jen asks as she walks in.

  “I’m just so glad she’s here. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  The baby squeaks and Jaret hands her over to Harlow, who tucks her to her breast like she’s been doing it for years.

  We all leave a few minutes later, giving the family a chance to bond and rest. Korva takes my hand as we walk out the palace gates and into the sunshine, and I smile up at him.

  “I would like to see you rounded with my youngling,” he says.

  Oh boy.

  Chapter Twelve

  Amanda

  I grin across the table at Eve while Jaret leans close, nuzzling my neck. I think he may be a little drunk. To be honest, almost everyone is a little drunk— all the adults anyway. We’re sitting at one huge table in the ballroom, which is still decorated to look like the North Pole.

  We made sure that the human women who were rescued from Cilphi were able to experience a little bit of Christmas. They’d refused to come to this dinner, likely because it would simply be too much for them with so many huge Arcav in attendance. But Harlow arranged for a table of Christmas treats to appear, and sent up gifts for them from her and Varian.

  Talk about superwoman. Harlow’s just popped out her baby and she’s still doing everything she can to make sure everyone else has a good Christmas.

  Right now, she’s leaning against Varian, who’s sitting at the head of the table, his arm wrapped around her. Their baby girl— still unnamed— is dozing in Harlow’s arms, completely conten
t even with all of the excitement.

  The kids have been taken to play outside where they can run off their sugar highs and try out some of their new gifts. Emma and Arabella danced up to me earlier, holding hands, huge grins on their faces.

  “You did it!” Emma said. “You talked to Santa!”

  “I told you he could find you anywhere,” I smiled. The late nights of planning and the past few days of organizing were completely worth it to see the look of wonder on the kids’ faces when they celebrated Christmas on their new planet.

  Eve sits back, patting her flat stomach.

  “I’m stuffed,” she says. “Excellent Christmas dinner, you guys,” she raises her glass to Harlow and Varian and nods at me. “How’d you make it happen?”

  I grin. “We got lucky. We had a ship due to return from Earth, so we added a huge list of everything we might need for a human celebration.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t have been as magical without Santa here,” Eve smirks. “Did anyone happen to get a picture?”

  I rub Jaret’s thigh as he laughs, looking the most relaxed as I’ve ever seen him. When I first met Jaret, I could never have imagined him dressing up and bringing the magic of Christmas to Arcavia. The guy locked me in a cell with a dead body for God’s sake. And while I pity anyone who’d even think about harming someone he cares about— which covers everyone on this planet— he’s slowly letting go of his past.

  As if reading my mind, Jaret leans closer and I shiver as his hot breath caresses the back of my neck.

  “You are my everything, my beautiful mate,” he murmurs, and I snuggle closer, my throat suddenly thick.

  I catch Bree’s eye and she grins at me.

  “Get a room,” she mouths and I raise an eyebrow. We may just do that.

  “Well,” I say, “I’m pooped.”

  Eve gives me a knowing look. “Someone wants to go do some celebrating of their own.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  Jaret’s more than happy to leave, and after we make the rounds saying goodbye, we walk out into the fresh air.

  “The stars are so different here,” I murmur, pausing as I get into our pod. I take a moment to stare up at the darkness, the stars glittering against the deep black blanket of the sky. Once, I made a wish that my sister would be able to see those stars.