Page 97 of The Stolen Kingdom

“You are—“

“Ah! Ah! Don’t remind me I am carrying twins. Believe me, I know.”

“Then why are you so careless?” Isen asked, his hands on his waist.

“Isen, don’t baby me. I am not being careless. I am being helpful. The Sealians are my people more than ever now that I am about to give birth to two of them. I know you worry, but…” She hissed as a contraction cut her off.

Isen sighed, rubbed his face, and then turned to Maris. “Well, I have something for you.”

Maris arched her brow. “Oh?”

Isen nodded at Maris before rummaging through the supplies in the wagon. He yanked out what appeared to be a holster before tossing it to Melvian, who caught it effortlessly. “For the trident. It would be easier for you to have both hands free,” Isen said before moving the supplies.

With Melvian’s help, Maris placed the trident in the holster and strapped it across her back. She was grateful for how the item distributed the weight and that her hands were free. She was much more comfortable now. She tried it out, reaching for the trident and finding it much easier to grab and pull out.

“Perfect!” Melvian said, her face wrinkling slightly.

“We have a couple of wagons to work with,” Isen mentioned, jumping off the wagon and next to Maris. “If I am not mistaken, we have a couple more carts to fill before we can head out. It’s not much, but it’s enough to get us by until we get the formations.”

“Good…” Maris smiled, her arms akimbo, before she turned to look back at the movement of people around them. Everyone was focused on preparations or helping others. Yet she couldn’t brush away the feeling of someone missing. “No news on Eyphah?”

Isen sighed and shook his head. “I am getting worried. She disappears, but not for long. It’s usually a day before she comes back.”

“Where do you think she could’ve gone to?”

“New Agenor perhaps?” He shrugged. “That’s the only place she has ever called home after the disaster. She literally has nowhere else to go.”

“I don’t think seeing a bunch of corpses will help her mental state,” Melvian said, grabbing Isen’s forearm firmly. She grimaced slightly as she hissed again.

As soon as Melvian touched him, Isen focused on his mate. Melvian’s writhing expression made Maris move closer.

“What is it?”

“It’s just… That one actually hurt a bit.” She gasped, her grip on Isen’s forearm tightening.

“She is lying. It didn’t hurt a bit. She is in pain.” Isen sat her down at the open door of the wagon and locked his eyes. “Tell her the truth.”

“It’s a contraction,” Melvian moaned, her hand squeezing Isen’s shoulder. “Aaaand another one!”

“The contractions are too close to one another. We need to get her back to the inn so I can have a look at her.”

“I am—”

“Don’t you dare say you are fine because you are not! We will return to the inn, and Maris will be the one to determine if you are indeed fine.” Isen huffed, and just when he was about to gather her in her arms, Melvian uttered a soft yet surprised squeak. A dark wet spot spread underneath her.

Her eyes grew wide as she turned to Isen and gave him half a smile, trying to hide the panic brewing inside of her. “My water just broke.”

A heavy weight pressed against Maris’s chest. It was happening. Melvian was about to give birth, and suddenly she felt like she had just forgotten everything she had learned in the past eight months!

Shit! Shit, shit, shit.

“We must go back to the inn. Now!”

21

Isen gathered Melvian in his arms and fled while Maris followed him close behind. Now she would have taken the time to call the town’s healer to help her out. But this was Melvian, and she was sure she wouldn’t allow anyone but her best friend and mate to be in the same room as she delivered the babies. Running through the busy streets deepened her anxiety. Having the babies now would probably delay their trip, but there was nothing they could do.

Once they reached the inn, Isen didn’t even turn to look at the dumbfounded innkeeper, while Maris ran up the stairs, two steps simultaneously.

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