She patted my cheek, still wearing that malevolent smirk. “Why yes, I can be…or, if you behave and do as told, I can be your saving grace, a heaven-born doctor.” She stared me in the eyes as I breathed through the pain. “So what’s it going to be, Queen Ruckler? Good patient? Or bad patient?”
I shouted, seriously wanting to push out the agony. “I don’t think we’ve got time for good patient/bad patient.” I groaned low, sweat dripping off my forehead. “I need to push.” I started tearing my clothes off. Boots, socks, leather maternity pants, underwear, shirt, bra — everything went as I readied myself to do as my body was driving me to do…even as Bindi froze.
The hell-born doctor stood stunned, then a litany of curses flew from her mouth — damn near proving my point with her extensive vocabulary — as she banged open drawers on the side of the bed, grabbing a hospital gown and shoving my arms through it before yanking gloves over her now glowing hands. “Goddamn…” She mumbled something else unintelligibly, shoving me onto my back. “Queen bullshit…” More mumbling as she pushed my legs apart and performed an internal exam, then she shouted, “Fucking hell!”
Another scream echoed, but the sound was all mine, flying past my wide open mouth even as she yanked her cell phone out of her pocket, blood covering her latex gloves, and dialed numbers.
She glared between my legs as she held the phone to her ear. A pause while I panted, then she barked/yelled into the receiver, “I don’t care if you’re in the middle of killing someone. Your grandchild is fucking crowning already. Get your ass here.” She tossed her phone onto the floor, mumbling, “Thank God he put the protection spell on your tent.”
I screamed, agreeing wholeheartedly as I involuntarily pushed. Antonio had informed me that the Executioner, the one Mystical whose job it was to slaughter any hybrid, was linked with a spell to any hybrid being born, the spell physically pushing the Mystical to go where the child was and exterminate the baby. The protection spell Antonio had put on my tent safeguarded that from happening, but Antonio still needed to put a cloaking spell on the baby, which he had finally perfected two weeks ago, since he or she wouldn’t be able to hide their sleeping powers, and everyone would sense his or her hybrid nature. I hadn’t told Bindi or Antonio I knew the father was a Vampire, since they never told me shit, but because of my own hybrid nature of Vampire and Shifter, I knew the baby would automatically have my genes.
“Okay, okay,” Bindi breathed deeply, and she instantly transformed, rolling her neck on her shoulders, and when she looked back up at me, it was the physician staring at me. “You’re going to push when I tell you to, not when you want to.” Her hands glowed golden, and she pushed my knees up around my large belly. “Grab your knees, and keep them up.” One hand went to my stomach, and she stared between my legs as I relaxed while the contraction was gone…fuck…never mind. “Okay, take a deep breath and push.” Both hands went between my legs, and I screamed, grunting, bearing down as I gripped my legs, pushing with all I had.
That was when Antonio suddenly appeared in his battle attire, splatters of blood covering his face and clothes. Again, ice filled my veins, but not as much as usual, my body feeling too much torture. Pain was overriding any other emotion right now. The blood drained from Antonio’s face as he stared wide-eyed, teetering. He looked like he was going to drop in a dead faint.
Bindi growled at him, “You kill how many Coms daily? And you can’t take the sight of birth?”
I sucked in a breath, groaning deeply as I pushed again when Bindi ordered me to.
Again, her eyes flew to Antonio. “Go wash your hands and get rid of that shirt before you come over here.” She growled. “And you will be coming over here, so get your fucking act together.”
Antonio blinked, swallowing hard, but he stopped swaying where he stood. Nodded. Then raced to the small flap at the back of my tent where the magically enchanted bathroom was.
“Good, Queen Ruckler,” Bindi murmured, her focus back on the task at hand. “You’re doing really well.” Her lips tilted when I stopped pushing to haul in huge lungfuls of air. “A couple more pushes like that and the baby will be out.”
“Thank God,” I muttered breathlessly, shaking my head back and forth, trying to clear my pain-filled blurry vision. “I’d rather be shot…and maybe burned…than do this much longer.”
She nodded. “Natural childbirth, which you’re having since you wouldn’t leave headquarters—” I growled, my wolf shining out through my eyes, and she cleared her throat, “Natural childbirth isn’t easy for any mother. Some might say it is, but they’re lying out their ass because this part is not easy, or pain free, for any woman. But you’re young and healthy, and those few pushes were excellent.” She paused, her hands glowing brighter. “And I want you to push again now.”