CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Shouldn't you be at the clinic or something?" Chase paced the room trying not to look at his sister during contractions. He couldn't bear to see the pained look she got each time one of the waves hit her.
"I'm fine. Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, Chase. I can handle it too."
"Women have not been giving birth to two babies that they didn't even know the species of since the beginning of time, Ar. You should be somewhere they have doctors and real medical care."
"Doctor Song already checked me and the midwife is here. Once they drag the ultrasound machine over, we'll have everything we need right here. Well, except Alexander. Someone will need to tell him."
"I already sent someone for him."
"Chase! I told you not to bother him until things were further along. We don't need to worry him any sooner than necessary."
"Screw that. If I have to worry, then so does he."
"What are we worrying about?" Alexander walked in the room and stood near Chase, unsure if he should go further.
"Nothing. Everything is fine. Come here." Ari smiled at her mate and did her best to assure him everything was fine. Chase wasn't buying it and neither was Alexander.
Alexander went to Ari's side and scooped her into his arms. She snuggled against him and relaxed. At least until her next contraction. Rebecca, the midwife, said it was early labor and things would progress slowly, but Chase noticed the time between contractions was getting closer. There was only about five or six minutes between them, when only an hour before, it was twelve. If things continued on that schedule, she'd be popping those out kids in no time.
"I thought we had more time." Alexander stroked Ari's hair and cooed in a soothing voice. Even Chase felt more relaxed by his presence. Maybe that was just his damn vampire powers though.
"So did I, but I guess the babies didn't agree." Ari giggled, happy for the moment. She probably didn't realize she was about thirty seconds from her next contraction.
When it hit, she groaned and grabbed her belly. Alexander's eyes widened and wrapped his arms around Ari tighter. She promptly pushed him off and yelped.
"She doesn't want to be touched during the contraction dude. Just give her a minute."
Alexander hopped off the couch and went straight for the liquor. "How long has this been going on?"
"Awhile. She wanted to wait until it was further along to tell you, but damn if I gotta watch her suffer alone." Chase took the glass Alexander handed him and downed it without a thought. It was harsh and burned his throat, but he was grateful for the way it made him feel. Even if it wouldn't last.
"Why didn't you take her to the clinic?"
"She won't go."
"You both know I'm right here, right?" Ari, finished with her contraction, raised her brow at them.
"Of course love, but don't you think we should go to the clinic?"
"You don't think I tried that?" Chase asked, but Alexander ignored him.
"No. I'm fine. The doctor was here and she will be back with any equipment she needs. The babies can be born right here. I'm having children, not getting surgery."
Chase didn't point out that those two things weren't always mutually exclusive, but he wanted to. The last thing he'd ever want was for something to happen to his sister. He'd already begun to love his niece and nephew, but the life of his twin was far more important.
And he knew that Alexander would agree.
Doctor Song swept into the room and pulled the ultrasound machine behind her. She glared at Alexander on her way past as usual.
"How are you feeling, dear? Contractions still coming regularly?"
"Not too bad. And yes, they're still about the same."
"They're twice as fast," Chase added and Ari shot him a puzzled look. "Every five or six minutes now."
"Really?" Ari and Doctor Song said in unison.
"Yeah." Chase figured Ari hadn't been paying attention and why should she? She had the hard job, the least the people around her could do was keep track of the damn time.
"Well things are going much faster than we expected then, which is good for you anyway." Doctor Song set up the ultrasound machine and squeezed a bunch of clear goop on Ari's belly. She pushed the wand around and around, looking at the babies and their positions. It just looked like a bunch of static to Chase, but what did he know?
"Baby A has dropped into the birthing canal and is ready to meet his mommy and daddy soon. I don't see anything concerning, so we can proceed as planned."
"But at the clinic, right Doc?" Chase still thought she'd be better taken care of surrounded by all the latest medical equipment.
Ari glared at Chase as she wiped the goop off her belly.
"She's fine right here," Doctor Song said. "I don't see any reason to turn a natural thing into something medical. I'm here if she needs me and so is the midwife. Stop worrying Mr. Summers. Just be here to comfort your sister."
Protecting her was hard enough. Comforting her wasn't exactly Chase's area of expertise. It wasn't like he'd had a lot of practice. Ari wasn't the fragile type, physically, or emotionally, so he'd never had many occasions to comfort her. That was probably more Alexander's role.
Ari and Lex snuggled in on the couch and prepared for the next wave of pain to hit. Chase was glad Lex was there. He knew exactly how to keep Ari focused and calm. That was all she needed. She didn't need Chase there, though he didn't want to leave her either.
The next contraction hit and Ari groaned. Lex cooed into her ear, likely using his vampire abilities to soothe her. Chase didn't have any cool new abilities, other than the usual that all vampires had. Only some vampires, Lex of course was one, had special abilities that most didn't have.
The things that idiot could do were just ridiculous.
Even though Chase never wanted to become vampire, he'd gotten used to it, maybe even come to enjoy it. The strength, enhanced senses, and accelerated healing were all amazing. It just seemed unfair that an asshole like Lex could have special abilities, and even his sister, who wasn't a vampire, could collect their abilities like trading cards, but Chase had only the bare minimum.
Lost in the pain and anticipatory excitement, Ari was oblivious to Chase's thoughts. It was the first time since she'd been with Lex that Chase had his mind to himself. He was grateful for that. She didn't need to know how worried he was, or that he'd considered what his life might be like if she didn't make it through the birth.
The twin bond was something you just couldn't understand if you weren't one. No matter how much he argued with his sister, or disagreed with some of her choices, nothing in the world meant more to him than her. She had to come through things all right. There was no other way for him.
"Snap back to reality." Lex growled and shoved an empty glass into Chase's hand. It took him a moment to realize Lex wanted him to refill Ari's water. When he did, he hurried off to the kitchen.
"How are things going in there?" Dex appeared silently behind him, almost causing Chase to drop the filled glass.
"Fine, I guess. Shouldn't Kai be here with her? I bet she'd appreciate her best friend with her right now."
"Kaia is sick. She really wanted to be here, but we can't risk getting newborns sick." Dex swallowed after the last words and they both knew that human illnesses may not be an issue.
It wouldn't be until they were born that anyone would know exactly what the babies were. Probably not even then. Chase and Ari didn't know they were part nephilim until that year. Chase wasn't even sure what a newborn vampire was like, or if you could even tell they were one.
"Makes sense to be on the safe side."
"Yeah." Dex glanced toward the direction of Ari's groan. "She's in a lot of pain. Can't they give her something?"
Dex's superpower was feeling people's emotions. He was able to tune in on what they were feeling, which carried over into physical pain. Even if he hadn't shared blood with Ari, and she hadn't permanently kept part of his abilities and kept them connected, he would have picked up on it.
"She doesn't want it. She's always been stubborn."
Dex laughed. "That's one word for it."
Chase felt Lex in his mind, summonsing him back with the water.
"Tell Kai everything is going okay. I'll call her after the babies are born and let her know how everything went."
Dex nodded and Chase returned to give his sister the drink. She was a bit paler than earlier and her hair was hanging around her face in wet clumps. Doctor Song sat, uninterested, in the corner with a trashy romance novel. Chase wanted to grab her by the neck and tell her to do something to help his sister. He wasn't sure exactly what she could do, but there had to be something.
"Relax, Chase." Lex warned him, reading his thoughts like the intrusive bastard he was.
"I'm fine."
"You can go get some air, or whatever your kind does," Doctor Song said. Even for a human, her distaste for vampires was strong. She was less hostile to Chase than Lex, but she still made it clear that she didn't want them around. Not that she had any choice. She would do her job regardless of her feelings.
"I'll be staying right here with my sister."
"She's right," Lex said, smoothing his hand over Ari's hair. "We still have plenty of time here. Why don't you take a small walk? Your pacing is stressing out your sister."
Ari didn't argue with him.
Leaving her side was the last thing he wanted to do, but if Lex wanted him gone, he had little choice. He'd do as he was told and take a walk.
A short walk.
At least that was what he'd intended. An hour later, he wandered through the park, unsure if he should go back or not. He hated seeing Ari suffer, but every warning bell inside him told him something bad was going to happen. He had to be there for her. Lex was more capable of protecting her, but he wasn't her twin.
"You okay?" Willow grabbed Chase's hand and pulled him from his thoughts. Her hair was down around her shoulders in soft, dark waves and her usual face of makeup was missing. She looked softer. More vulnerable.
His first thought was to grab her, kiss her, use her mouth to drown out all the awful thoughts in his head. And he did just that. She didn't fight him on it. Instead, she melted around him, took his rough assault with an opposite soft response. When he pulled away, he fully expected her to slap him, or kick him in the nuts.
Anything but what he got.
Which was a soft frown, still holding his hand, and a clear invitation to help however she could.
"What's wrong?"
"Ari's in labor." He pulled his hand from hers and turned. The emotion was too much. He wasn't even sure he wanted to be there talking to her. That was a lie, at least partly. He absolutely wanted to be there with her. He just wasn't so sure he wanted to be talking.
"Is something going wrong? Are the babies okay?" Willow put her small hand on his back. It was warm and comforting, even though Chase didn't want it to be.
"They're all right so far." He swallowed hard and intended to tell her he had to get back. "I just can't shake this feeling."
So much for getting back.
"What feeling?" Willow twisted around him, bringing them face to face once again.
"That something is wrong. That she isn't safe." He didn't want to confide in her, but there he was, spilling his deepest fears.
"One thing I've learned over the years is that you shouldn't try to ignore those kinds of feelings. Trust your instinct. Don't you two have some twin bond thing? Like reading each other's minds or knowing when the other is hurt?"
"I don't know about reading minds, but we have a close bond. You're a twin. You should know what it's like."
"Sure, but it's different for witches. Especially blood witches. I don't know about humans, or humans turned into vampires, or part nephilims, or whatever you two are. But you would know if something was wrong. What I'm trying to say is that you should trust yourself."
Chase didn't want to trust himself on that one. Trusting himself meant that something could happen to his sister, that he could lose her. And that wasn't something Chase wanted to consider. No matter how deep it pushed itself into his head.
"I should get back." Chase started off toward the house, but Willow followed.
"Want me to come with you? Just in case?"
Part of him wanted her to go the hell away and never bother him again. The rest of him never wanted her to leave his side. He hated that part, the part that made him weak, made him want her.
"No. I'm fine and Ari doesn't need a circus in there while she gives birth." He turned to leave, but stopped and took her chin into his hand. "But thank you." He wanted to kiss her again. Feel her soft lips on his for one more moment to shore up his defense, but it was too intimate. He dropped her chin and left her there without another word.
***
"I don't understand how you can all be so incompetent. How difficult is it to keep a small group of vamplings safe and contained?" Samuel paced the room with his hands balled up.
The security team watched him, silent. Michael stood off to the side and waited for whatever would happen. He had little stake in the well-being of the vamplings. Other than the fact that Finn was taking so much heat about it, he couldn't have cared less. The only reason he'd even agreed to help was because he needed to in order to be part of their community.
"We've all done our job. This can't be blamed on anyone here." Jayce, a red-haired shrimp of a vampire, stepped forward when even Dex and Gabe knew enough to keep their mouths shut.
"No? You can't be blamed? And why is that?" Samuel came close to laughing. Michael wasn't sure he was capable of actual laughter. Even if it was sarcasm. The guy was far too tightly wound. And Willow thought he had a stick up his ass. She should get to know Samuel.
"Because not only have I not been near these kids without you present, I also haven't been alone. So go ahead and blame me, but explain how I managed to be involved with Gabe, Lex, or yourself around me at all times since they went missing."
Samuel opened his mouth to talk, then closed it again. He glared at Jayce a moment longer, then turned to Dex. "Half of the kids are gone. What do you suggest we do to make sure the rest don't find themselves with the same fate?"
Samuel wasn't really asking Dex his opinion. It was more of a dare, a challenge, to see if Dex could come up with something better than Samuel himself had to begin with.
Michael didn't think there was a good solution. He'd been working on a spell to track the remaining kids, but it wasn't something that was quick. It took time to work, and the last two were gone before he could complete it. It might not do them any good, but the rest should be protected. Not from being taken, but if they were, he would be able to track them easier.
Tracking was his specialty. For some reason, he'd been unsuccessful in even getting a lead on any of the missing kids, or who might have been involved in taking them. Whatever it was, either had strong vampire abilities, or was working with a witch. Or, maybe it was both.
Without the knowledge of anyone, Michael had also been working on another spell with his sister. They'd been putting a similar spell on the adults who have been in contact with the kids. It was unlikely that so many kids could go missing under the noses of so many others. The most likely scenario was that someone on the inside was involved.
It wasn't Finn. Michael was sure of that. Who else might be involved, was beyond Michael's imagination. He hadn't been in Vampire City long enough to get to know most of the people in question, so he wasn't about to trust anyone. He hadn't told Willow exactly what he was up to. Mostly, it was to protect her, in case things backfired and she found herself being blamed. That wasn't just it though.
He didn't want to think Chase was involved. He seemed like a decent male and Willow, whether she would ever admit it or not, had feelings for the guy. But Michael couldn't know that he wasn't involved either. He knew the history with Chase and the things he'd done, to his own twin even. So he wasn't about to clear him of any of this without being certain.
That was where the spell came in.
If any of the adults were involved with the disappearances, Michael would be able to track them. Hopefully, they'd lead him back to the missing kids, solving the whole thing. Problem was, he didn't know any of them well enough to know if they had special abilities that might interfere with his magic work. He also couldn't be sure that another witch hadn't already protected them from magic, making his spell useless.
All he could do was hope for the best.
Samuel and Dex were still going back and forth, and Michael was tired of listening to it. He almost hoped that one of them would turn around and find another kid missing. At least then, Samuel would stop blaming everyone else, and they would find out how well the spell worked.
It was a terrible thing to wish for. Michael knew that it was. He certainly didn't want to see any children hurt, but he worried what was happening to the others, and wanted them found as quickly as possible.
After the strigoi mess, Michael saw the aftermath of what that thing had done to the vampires. It was one of those most horrifying things Michael had ever seen. He couldn't imagine those young vamplings going through anything even similar, but he feared that was exactly what was happening.
Michael was avoiding being alone, that way if anything did happen, he couldn't be blamed. But he had to get out of there. He needed to recharge in case his spells were activated and he needed his strength. Without the notice of the arguing vampires, Michael slipped out and headed for home. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to need that rest more than he knew.