Chapter Thirteen
Frost
Frost waddled from the kitchen after having demolished a sandwich, an entire pie topped with hot sauce, and a vanilla milkshake. During her pregnancy, chocolate made her sick to her stomach, much to her disappointment. She walked through the doorway and turned slightly so that her bump wouldn’t hit and groaned when she heard the others in the living room as they chuckled at her predicament. She casually flipped them off, which only made them laugh harder, as she finally made it through.
The past month had been quiet, no word from Anzû or anyone else. The assassins quietly left for jobs that popped up here and there, but for the most part, they stuck close, waiting for the moment Silas would be introduced to the world. It had been relaxing, except for the fact that she ate everything in sight mixed with condiments she didn’t even know existed until Xander had gone to the store and bought one of everything he found. She and Silas slept quite a bit, on the couch or an armchair if she couldn’t be bothered to head upstairs to bed. Although she had read about the symptoms of pregnancy and Liv had asked her, almost weekly, about everything from tender breasts to morning sickness, the cravings and sleep were all that were different now. But she could understand her cravings. Her shifter mix genes, along with feeding Silas, who grew so quickly, made her hungry at almost hour intervals.
She snarled at the group as she walked closer, but paused when she felt a warm gush between her legs. Only a second later, she doubled over as her first contraction struck.
“Liv?” She choked.
Xander came from somewhere in the house and wrapped a comforting arm around her, taking her weight easily, while he rubbed circles on her back with his other hand.
“Is it time?” Liv sounded calm until she glanced down and spotted what had alarmed Frost in the first place. Then she sprang into action. “Seth, fill the tub and get the medical supplies.”
The contraction passed and she was able to stand with Xander’s help. When she glanced up, she couldn’t help the bark of laughter that erupted from her throat. Around her, the most capable and deadly assassins in the world sat frozen as they stared at her.
“Baby, you’ll be here soon, but I think we broke your aunts and uncles.”
“Are you in pain, sweetheart?”
She shook her head. “Not now that the contraction has passed. It’s been thirty seconds. Could you count until the next one?”
“No pain then?”
“Just pressure.” She groaned. “Well, it’s a heavy pressure and a little pain.”
Seth appeared at the top of the stairs. “Everything’s ready.”
She took a step, but blew out a relieved breath when Xander picked her up and carried her toward the stairs. Before he was halfway across the living room, the assassins snapped out of their stupor and made to follow them, but stopped in their tracks when Xander growled a warning.
“Not a fucking chance, especially Ax. Not one of you will see Frost naked, even while giving birth. Sit back down.”
Ax looked a little put out, but when she moaned as the next contraction took hold, he immediately took his seat on the couch. Jade walked toward them and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“You’ll do great, girlfriend.” Jade rubbed Frost’s stomach, and the pain eased a little with her touch. “You too, little man.”
Losing patience, Xander turned and rushed upstairs, taking care not to jar her. Which, at that point, didn’t matter anyway because the contractions hurt like a son of a bitch. Not that she would admit that out loud and freak Xander out. When they reached the master bathroom, Liv and Seth stood by the side of the tub as Xander lowered her in. He waited until she leaned back against some bath pillows he bought for the occasion, before stripping off her pants and underwear, leaving her naked from the waist down.
As the feeling of the warm water surrounded her and Silas, she took a deep breath as the buoyancy of the water relieved some of the pressure. But another contraction hit just as she tried to relax in the tub. She ignored it when Liv clambered over the tub and sank down on her knees in front of Frost, examining her. Frost’s breath rushed out when a particularly strong compression had her biting her lip, preventing the curse from slipping out.
“Okay sweetie, this is going to be quick. Silas is ready.” Liv tried to sound encouraging.
Frost was swamped with anxiety as Silas heard and understood his Aunt Liv’s words. She rubbed her hands over her belly and relaxed back, but the tub and the pillows weren’t cutting it. Xander sensed this and crawled into the tub, placing himself between Frost and the hard surface, and immediately Silas sent relieved waves of happiness throughout the room.
“Thank…you.”
“I would do anything for you. This is nothing, sweetheart. I’m sorry I can’t take the pain from you.”
Leaning against his shoulder, she tilted her head to the side so she could look at Xander. “You gave us a son, and I’m willing to endure anything for him. Are you ready?”
Xander’s searing kiss was enough of an answer that when the kiss ended, she turned back to Liv, determined. On the next contraction, which was now timed at exactly three minutes apart, she nodded at Liv, ready for instructions. Her eyes darted up and watched Seth prepare the tray in case of a C-section, but she purposely ignored it when another wave of pain struck.
Time stopped having meaning and the moments became blurred as the throbbing pain pulled her out of her own consciousness. She managed to reassure Silas that she wasn’t in pain, encouraging Xander to speak to him, because he always calmed when his daddy talked to him. She also managed to bite back most of the curses that wanted to slip through her clenched teeth, but a few slipped through when she had been too far gone to care.
When Liv finally asked her to push, it had been a relief. She was an immortal, but giving birth was painful at the best of times. Other times, she felt as though she was being split in half and didn’t know how she would survive. But after being asked several times to push, the pain in her body lessened and she concentrated on Liv as she asked her to bear down once more.
There was a flurry of activity, but her eyes had closed when Liv had told her that she did so well. She leaned back and savored being wrapped in Xander’s arms. As she relaxed back, her muddled brain cleared slightly and she realized that she hadn’t heard Silas cry.
“Xander?”
He gave her a look that she couldn’t identify. “You were amazing, sweetheart. We have a son.”
Mommy?
A relieved breath escaped her sore throat.
Liv appeared in front of her with her son. She reached for Silas, grateful that Xander supported her arms with his. “He’s beautiful. The most beautiful baby ever.” Liv’s voice choked with emotion and Frost noticed tears in her eyes.
Frost glanced down at her son in her arms and fell completely and utterly in love with her little man in that moment. He had a shock of white hair that matched Xander’s perfectly. He had the same olive skin, not the pale complexion that she had. His lips were full, like hers, but his nose belonged to Xander. He was perfect in every way.
“You look exactly like Daddy.”
Xander reached out and traced a finger down his hair and onto his cheek, and Silas leaned into his touch and sighed. “Hey, little man. I’m so happy you’re here.”
Daddy!
Silas blinked open his eyes and they both gasped at their first glimpse at the color of his eyes. They were ice-blue, but green flecks were sprinkled throughout. They reminded her of an exploded star, both beautiful and dangerous. “He’s perfect.”
Liv and Seth walked over to look at their son, who smiled up at them, and they were just as taken aback as she was when they spotted his unique eyes. They all stared at Silas as he stared back at them, fascinated.
“That’s your Aunt Liv and Uncle Seth.” Again, a smile brightened his face.
“How are you doing, Frost?”
“I’m good. Tired and a little sore, but I feel that my body is already healing.” She put one hand on her now empty belly and felt tears prick her eyes.
“He’s right here, sweetheart. Silas will always be a part of you.” Xander kissed her softly before wiping away the tears that fell at his words.
She squeezed Silas closer. He let out a contented sound and blinked up at them, his eyes refusing to look away from his parents. Xander’s arms came around them both.
As she watched, her little man grew more and more tired.
“I promise to do everything in my power to protect my two men who I love most in this world.”
After she finished the last word, the three of them glowed bright before the light faded away from their skin. Their bond had been recognized and in her mind, was completely binding, forever.