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“I am not spreading my legs in front of Victor”

“Why not, you spread them for us all the time” he says, and I slap him.

“No, we will know when my waters break, how long does it take for them to get back from the caves?” I ask him.

“Flying half an hour,” he says, and I nod the pain easing off again.

“See Braxton Hicks,” I tell him.

“Want me to check?” he says, wiggling his fingers in front of my face.

“No and stop being annoying,” I tell him, grabbing his fingers with a chuckle.

“See, laughter is the best medicine.”

“Says you.”

“No, I didn’t come up with that saying I stole it, sounds about right though,” he says, lacing his fingers through mine and stepping closer, making me look up at him. He lets go of my hands rubbing the sides of my belly.

“You’re fascinated by it aren’t you, you keep rubbing it.”

“Well, this is the closest you have let me get, and the longest you have been in a room with me in months,” he says, and I feel his sadness through the bond, guilt hitting me.

“Don’t feel guilty, I made some bad choices Lora,” he says, his hand cupping my cheek.

“I shouldn’t have killed your father, I’m sorry,” I admit, knowing that is something I should have let him do.

I see his eyes flicker with some strange emotion I can’t identify through the bond. It was so fleeting.

“I should go make breakfast,” he says, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist. He walks out. I try to feel him through the bond when I feel myself suddenly shoved out and blocked, making my stomach drop. Was it something I said? I didn’t understand his sudden mood change or the emotion behind it, felt foreign, felt cold.

Hopping out, I wrap a towel around me and walk into the room. Silas walks out of the walk in with a pair of shorts on.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I tell him, trying to pull some pajama pants on.

“Just argh, just why mention it, you didn’t have to mention it,” he says.

“What, you can apologize, and I am expected to accept it right off the bat because we are mates, but when I do you carry on. I don’t understand you, sometimes you’re such a hypocrite,” I tell him.

“Don’t Elora, just stop. Everything was fine then you have to open your mouth and mention my father,” he snaps.

“Why do I even bother,” I mutter, pulling on my shirt as pain starts moving across my back again, making me clutch the nightstand.

“What? Speak up Lora didn’t catch that,” he snaps at me, and I watch him step forward.

“Nothing Silas,” I tell him, not willing to argue with him while I am in pain. He growls, quickly walking out and slamming the door.

I remain in the room, the pain coming and going. I don’t think I could make it down the stairs even if I wanted to. Getting up, I head for the shower, the pain intensifies, spreading around my entire lower belly. My mind is only able to focus on the pain as I try and breathe through it as I clutch on to the taps, making me cry out as an agonised noise rips from my lips.

Silas walks in staring at me from next to the sink basin. “I am sending for them, hopefully they are already on the way,” he says, and I nod. He walks out and I hear the door shut as the pain subsides and I get out again intending to go ask Silas to get Abbie. Silas walks in, as I am trying to get my shirt on as pain has me doubling over, clutching onto the side of the bed to stop my legs from going out from under me.

“Pluto is going to get them.”

I nod, unable to form words through my gritted teeth when I feel it… my legs becoming drenched, and I feel like I wet myself. Looking down, I see water running down my legs and onto the floor.

“My water broke,” I tell him, and I feel his hand rubbing my back as I try to breathe through the next contraction. I feel my belly tighten, the first give away is the niggling tightening in my abdomen. The pain moves throughout me, my stomach contracting, making me forget how to breathe. Silas grabs me gently and lays me on the bed, the pressure in my back intensifying as I roll on my side trying to relieve the pressure building up. I feel like I need to go to the bathroom, yet I can’t move.

I knew I should have sent for them earlier as I watch her lay there, writhing in pain. I clench my teeth as I feel her pain. Even though I only receive a lesser dose of it, it is still enough to make me squirm.