On a Clear Winter Night: An Irin Chronicles Short Story (5 page)

Malachi felt the welling gratitude in his heart as he pulled Ava’s chair out for her then sat next to his mate. He leaned down and rested his head on hers, wrapping his arms around her back and under her belly. She reached her hand up and put it on his cheek.

“This is good,” she whispered.

“Very good.”

“I think it will be soon.”

“I agree. Try to eat something tonight. The soup would be good.”

“I’ll try.”

“Ava?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m very proud to be your mate. I know you’ll be a wonderful mother.” He heard the sniffling and lifted his head. “Again?”

“I can’t help it when you say things like that.”

WHEN they dream-walked that night, they were on the beach Ava loved. It was north of Malibu, and the cliffs rose above their heads while the sun glistened on the ocean swells.

“Do you miss home?” Malachi asked.

She sank into the sand and pointed her feet toward the lapping waves. She was still pregnant in their dreams, but she moved with more ease.

“I don’t miss home. Not exactly.”

He sat down and immediately understood. “You miss your mother.”

“Yes.”

“You will see her soon.”

She leaned against his shoulder and breathed in balmy ocean air. The salt and sand of the Pacific washed over them as they rested in the shallow surf.
 

He heard laughter in the distance.

“Vasu came to me,” she said. “He had a message from Azril.”

“Azril?”

She put a hand on his thigh. “Nothing to worry about. I think it was a spell Azril wanted to give me. He said I would know when to use it.”

He gently rubbed her belly and heard the children’s laughter come closer.

“This feeling,
reshon
. I have never felt such power. I would die for them. Kill for them. And I have not even seen their faces. This fierce love scares me.”

“Do you think it was any different for your father?”

“No.”

She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her.

“You were loved,” she said. “Now you understand how much. We only fear the unknown.”

“We all fear the unknown.”

“But you—” She broke off with a gasp.

“
Reshon
?”

The laughter was in his ears, but his eyes never left her face. It was shock and fear and surprise and wonder. Every emotion flickered across her face.

She sighed and said, “It’s time.”

HE woke to find her still sleeping, her brow furrowed and her stomach tight with a strong contraction. Malachi bent and kissed her awake.

“Mal,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “I… I think—”

“It’s time, canım. Wake, my love. Our children are coming.”

Chapter Five

AVA BEGAN TO WHISPER the verses Orsala had taught her as Malachi helped sit her up in bed and put pillows behind her back. Astrid and Karen had already prepared the bed with special sheets and pads to help keep things clean. For a second, Ava wanted to throw everything Astrid had said out the window and demand a drive to the hospital.

Screw traditional Irin birth! She wanted antiseptic! She felt hot and uncomfortable. Her whole body ached.

But when Malachi pulled off her shirt and dressed her in the linen robe that would open at the back and front for skin-to-skin contact with her mate and children, she calmed.
 

She could hear the fire crackling in the sitting room beyond their door, and the low snores of their brothers. She heard another brother pacing outside the house, pausing at the lit window. There was a soft tap.

“Malachi? Ava?” Rhys called softly. “Is everything all right?”

Malachi pressed kisses to her shoulders. She felt her mating marks start to glow as Malachi walked to the window and cracked it open. The gust of crisp air cooled her skin.

“I think it’s time for the babies,” Malachi told his brother. “I’m going to wake Astrid.”

“It’s quiet out here. I’ll wake her so you can stay with Ava.”

“Thank you.”

Ava heard Rhys stomping his feet on the front porch before the door opened. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the slow build of tension in her abdomen. She reached a hand out toward Malachi and he grasped it and slid behind her, stripping off his sleep shirt so he held her skin-to-skin.

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Do you remember the songs Orsala taught you?”

She nodded.

Malachi squeezed her shoulders and said, “Then sing, my love. I’ll hold you.”

Ava sang as the slow vise tightened around her middle. Just as she reached the peak, she felt Malachi draw a swirling pattern down her right arm and the pain eased. He rocked her through the last lines of the Old Language as she finished the first spell and everything tense in her relaxed. Her mind. Her heart. Her spirit rose.

Their babies were coming.

There came a soft tap at the door. Astrid’s blond curly head poked through, her curls askew but her smile bright.

“It’s time?” she asked.

Malachi said, “I heard them laughing in our dream. I woke to her contracting in her sleep. She might have been in labor for some time.”

“Midwinter babies!” Astrid sang. “So much fun. I banished your brothers outside, Malachi. I think they might have issues with boundaries. Ava, is there anyone else you’d like to be here with you?”

“Candace,” she panted. “But maybe not until later. I feel like this is going to take a while.”

Astrid made all sorts of reassuring noises while she eased Ava back to check her progress.
 

“Everything feels normal.”

Ava groaned. “Is it supposed to feel like a giant vise is trying to twist my guts out?”

“Yes.”

“Awesome.”

Malachi and Astrid spent half an hour in quiet conversation as Astrid timed Ava’s contractions and confirmed that the greatly anticipated babies would indeed be born on Midwinter morning. Ava tried to concentrate on whispering her spells and not killing anyone making any noises.

“Twins born on Midwinter. So lucky, canım.” Ava could hear the smile in Malachi’s voice.

“Yeah,” she groaned as another contraction began to build. “I’m feeling super-duper lucky right now. Thanks.”

“Just remember,” Astrid said as she watched the clock with a soothing hand on Ava’s large belly, “you get a prize at the end of all this. In fact, you get two prizes.”

Ava breathed out the songs Orsala had taught her as the pain came in ever-increasing waves. Magic filled the room as Malachi continued to press spells to her skin when he felt a contraction approach. Astrid was also whispering magic, but her focus was on the safe delivery of the children and Ava’s well-being, not necessarily her comfort.

Even with magic, it was really hard work.

The sun rose and Candace woke with it. She brought a tray to Ava and Malachi’s room with tea for Malachi and warm broth for Ava. She cracked the windows and aired out the room that smelled of sweat and ashes. As clean air swept into the room, Ava felt a renewed sense of purpose.

Her children needed to
come
.

She opened her senses and heard their minds. No words, but tiny murmurs and coos. New souls nearing transition into the world of men. Normally bright and innocent, her children’s soft voices were tinged with confusion and fear.
 

Ava placed Malachi’s hands on her belly and said, “They’re frightened.”

She sang, and Malachi drew along her skin as the glyph glowed in the morning light, gold shimmering on her pale, swollen abdomen. The contraction passed and the spike of fear from the children eased. There was still confusion, but it was quieter.

Ava laughed.

“What is it, canım?”

“Their voices,” she said. “They sound so grumpy.”

Astrid said, “I’m not surprised. It’s quite crowded in there and now there’s all this tensing and jostling. Come, babies…,” Astrid cooed to Ava’s belly and stroked a hand over the rise. “Come now, listen to your mama’s voice.”

Astrid started one of her healing songs, then motioned when it was Ava’s turn to join in. It wasn’t the smoothest singing she’d ever produced, but it seemed to get the job done. The next time Astrid checked her, she pronounced her ready to push.

AVA pushed. She pushed for hours. She pushed until Astrid began to frown and small lines creased Candace’s forehead. The gentle reassurances from Malachi were gone, and she could feel his attention focused tightly on Astrid.

“What does she need?” he asked. “Are there other spells I should be doing?”

“The children are not in distress,” Astrid quickly assured him. “I’ve been listening to them as Ava has. There are no signs of trouble. They simply don’t want to come out.”

“Oh my gosh,” Ava groaned. “I fail at pushing. This
sucks
.” She felt hot tears well up. “Serves me right for mating with the most hardheaded man on the planet. Of course his kids are being stubborn. They’re
his kids
.”

“Canım—”

“Don’t talk!” she snapped. “Just… no one talk. Unless you know a way of getting these kids out of here, you’re not allowed to talk.”

Astrid had a hand on her belly and felt the contraction building again. “Okay, Ava, get ready to push.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk?”

She could see Astrid fighting a smile.

“And no smiling either! This is not funny.” She clenched her eyes shut and searched her mind for the gentle songs Orsala had taught her to coax the babies into the world, but they were escaping her. Ava wasn’t in a coaxing mood anymore. Coaxing passed her by about an hour ago. She was approaching two hours of near-constant contractions, and while the babies were in no distress,
she was
.

“Okay, kids, time to get out of there.” She pushed herself up and felt Malachi bracing her hips and shoulders. “Thanks, babe.”

Because he was a wise man, her mate continued tracing spells down her arms and didn’t say one word.

He said you would know when to use them.

Well, apparently Azril, the angel of death, knew her kids were going to be a handful. Maybe it was inevitable that children born from the union of two mortal enemies were always going to be trouble. She was ready for trouble. She was also ready to have her children leave the building.

Ava took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she breathed out the ancient words. “
Agatavyah boh.
”

Astrid stood up straight. “Ava, what was that?”

“Spell.” She gritted her teeth and placed both hands on her belly. “Hold my hips,” she told Malachi. “Lift them up a little.”

He did and she groaned it out again.

“
Agatavyah boh!
”

“Ava.” Astrid was starting to look concerned. “I don’t know that spell, and I’m not sure you should be using it. You don’t know what it could—”

“Stop,” Candace said, speaking forcefully for the first time. “Look at her belly. Do you see?”

Ava couldn’t see, but she could feel it. There was a painful roll and twist, and a small complaining whine in her mind.

Enough of this nonsense,
the distinctly male whine seemed to say.
Let me out of here.

“Oh.” Astrid reached down and felt for the babies. “Someone pushed his sister out of the way. He’s ready to come.”

“So it is our
daughter
who was the stubborn one.” Malachi finally spoke. “How very interesting.”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

There was a great burning pain and Malachi pressed silver-lit arms around her. Their mating marks flared to life, lifting Ava past the pain, her mind arrowing in on the small soul being born into the world.

An angry cry and a triumphant shout from Candace. “Well done, Ava!”

A squirming warm body was placed on Ava’s chest as Candace threw a blanket over the baby boy. Malachi was laughing, and he didn’t stop, even when her body tensed for another strong contraction.

“Geron,” Malachi whispered. “Hello, my wise boy. What a good boy you are.”

Ava closed her eyes and took a moment to glory in the sound of her mate speaking to their baby boy.
 

Her son!

She started laughing, too. She laughed and she cried until the vise in her belly tightened again and a mutinous little voice batted against her mind.

Ornery little baby…

Vasu’s words came back to her. “
…ayatah agatavyah if they are being stubborn.
”

Well, of course her daughter was being stubborn.

Ava cradled baby Geron to her chest, holding his tiny squirming body on her breast as she spoke firmly to her daughter.

“
Ayatah agatavyah
, Matti.”

Another rolling turn.

“Oh, that stinker,” Astrid said. “She turned faceup.”

“Come on, kid. You don’t have a choice in this.” Ava pressed a firm hand to her stomach and mentally pushed her daughter with every bit of magic she controlled. She pictured the tiny stubborn girl exiting her body. Pictured her safe and sound and crying angry tears next to her brother. “
Ayatah agatavyah,
Matti!”