The pain in Asteria’s abdomen was intensifying. The fact that her home base was about to be infiltrated weighed heavily on her mind, but she felt like this might be it, that her baby might come bursting into the world at any second, and while she had no reason to doubt Hines’s medical skills, the fact that the doctor with the crazy hair might be the one to deliver her child terrified her. She’d almost just as soon do it herself.
As if she’d somehow summoned him just by thinking about him, despite not having used her telepathy to do so, the doctor appeared in her doorway, an ancient book in his hand. “Your Majesty, I think we might’ve found something.”
Another vicelike contraction squeezed her midsection, and Asteria fought the urge to scream every curse word she’d learned in the last millennia at him. “Shut up, you idiot!” she screeched. “Can’t you see I’m busy right now?”
His mouth hung open for a minute as he surveyed the situation, and then he set the book gently on the dresser behind him and rushed over to her. “Are you in labor? Do you think the baby is coming?”
“You tell me, you asshole! You’re the doctor!” She screamed as another pain ripped through her. She felt like the baby was trying to claw his way out through her stomach muscles, rather than exciting the usual way.
“All right, my Lady. Calm down. It will be all right.” Hines set about rearranging the pillows and scooting Asteria back against the headboard. She opened her eyes to see Venette was there, along with some other petite woman with white hair and an expression on her face that made her look even more feeble-minded than the other idiots in the room.
They were discussing what all was needed, but since they’d never delivered a Vampire baby before, no one knew for sure, and then they began to scurry about the room, and Asteria decided she was just going to have to rip her own abdomen open and pull her child out by herself.
“Lean back, my Queen, and let me check you,” Hines insisted pressing her legs apart.
Asteria was wearing a gown, but she still had on her underclothing, which he discarded somehow—she didn’t want to think about how—and then his clammy fingers were on her, and Asteria wanted to scream for other reasons altogether.
“Oh, dear,” Dr. Hines mumbled. His tone did not sound hopeful. “Your Majesty, I’m afraid there’s no way this child can be born the natural way. He is far too large.”
“Do you think, you taint licking imbecile?” The pain was increasing substantially with every passing second, and the messages from Melbourne began to pour in about the same time. Her fortress was under attack, and she could do nothing to help them. She’d have to trust those she’d left behind to fend off the assaulting forces.
“There’s really no need for such name calling,” Hines mumbled under his breath, his feelings obviously hurt.
“Listen, you little shit,” Asteria began as she stretched her arm beyond its usual limits to grab the tuft of hair closest to her and drag the doctor over closer to her snarly face. “You get my baby out, now! And if you so much as harm a hair on his head, I’ll put you down faster than a lame dog that eats its own ass, do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Hines sniffled. “I’ll need my black bag, though. I’ll have to put you under. I’ll need to make an incision, and I’m afraid, if you’re awake, you’ll be too angry and move about too much.”
She let go of his hair, more because of another sharp pain than so he could do what he needed to do, and she wrapped her hands around her bulging belly, trying to keep in another scream as he hurried off.
The two women were back now with a bowl of water and towels. “There won’t be any blood, you morons!” Asteria shouted at them. They placed their loads on a nearby table and hurried out the door, nearly colliding with Hines as he was coming back in.
“No, wait, I’ll need your help!” he shouted after them, but neither woman paused, and Asteria tried to remember that she could accidentally kill one of them if she didn’t get her rage under control.
Hines was fumbling with his bag at the foot of the four poster bed, but eventually he got it open and pulled out a needle. Asteria recognized it as the same sort of injection he’d used to put Paul Larkin under, and she didn’t trust Hines for a moment to use the sedative on her, but she felt she had no choice now since each second was turning into murderous torment. He didn’t even bother to find a vein, simply plunged the needle into the flesh of her thigh, and she shouted at him again, only because she didn’t know what else to do. A few seconds later, her head began to swim, and then, Asteria fell into a deep slumber.
Larundel looked like anything but a sanctuary as Paul’s team moved into position. Even in its hay day, he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to drop a loved one off at this facility. The whitewashed walls glistened in the moonlight through his binoculars, giving an eerie glow to the parts of the outer walls that were not covered with graffiti, and he thought it looked haunted even from here. Yet, it wasn’t specters and phantoms they needed to fear that night. It was something far more dangerous.
There were tall hedges and concrete walls beyond the initial fence that had been standing there for almost eighty years. He assumed these were Holland’s creations, and they wouldn’t be easy to get through. Even in the near darkness, peering through his binoculars, he could see that there were sharp, thorn-like objects protruding from the walls and bushes. And it looked like there were some sort of water obstacles beyond that, though he couldn’t see what they were. Hopefully, his team would be able to wind their way through all of those hazards without getting hung up, but he was worried about the Hunters getting pinned and taken out before they could make it through. Now would be a good time to learn how to fly.
“Looks messy,” Jeb said beside him. He wasn’t holding up binoculars because he could see through Paul’s IAC.
“Understatement of the year,” Paul replied, putting the tool in the pocket of his leather jacket. “We need to be extremely cautious.”
“Don’t worry, boss. We’ve got this,” Derek said, on his other side, but Paul wasn’t so sure. They were all three perched on the top of a residence a few blocks down the street from the facility while the rest of the team moved into position. The Guardians who would secure the back were almost into place, and then he and the other two could go join the team at the front and move in.
