Page 134

“Your face did.” Draugr's mouth twitched as I shaved another strip of peel away. Then Bryn stopped talking and everything inside me noticed before my mind did. The bond changed, sharp, sudden. Her hand slapped flat against the counter.

“Viking.” I turned my head, her face had gone pale.

“Bryn?” She sucked in a breath, and then she cried out. The apple hit the floor and so did the knife. I was across the kitchen before either stopped moving.

“Bryn.” Her name came out on a roar. Her fingers gripped the edge of the counter. “What hurts?”

She looked at me like I was an idiot. “My stomach.”

“Where?”

“All of it!” Panic detonated through me.

“Get Dragan.” Draugr didn't move, I looked at him. “Draugr.” Still nothing. His eyes were fixed on the floor, I followed his gaze to see the liquid pooled around Bryn's bare feet. For one second, my brain refused to understand what I was seeing. Then Draugr went pale, actually fucking white.

“Viking.”

“What?”

“I think...” His eyes lifted. “I think her water broke.” The world stopped as Bryn groaned, my heart nearly tore itself out of my chest.

“No.”

Bryn snapped her head toward me. “No?”

“It's too early.”

“Apparently the babies didn't get your schedule.”

Another pain hit her which had her doubled forward. I caught her before she could fall. “Fuck…Fuck…Fuck.”

“Viking.”

“I've got you.”

“Don't panic.”

“I'm not panicking.”

Draugr looked at me. “You dropped a knife.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Bryn grabbed the front of my shirt. “Viking.” My attention snapped back, her breathing was fast, too fast. “I think this is actually happening.”

“No.”

Her eyes widened. “Stop saying no!”

“They're early.”

“They're twins.”

“I know they're fucking twins.”

“Twins come early!” I knew that, of course I fucking knew that. I'd read everything, books, medical journals, human pregnancy, Vampire pregnancy, Hybrid pregnancy, twin pregnancy and all the birth complications. I had terrified myself so thoroughly over the last seven months that Dragan had eventually banned me from asking questions after midnight.

None of that mattered now because Bryn made another sound of pain. That sound nearly killed me. I scooped her into my arms. “Clinic.”