Page 36 of Warrior

“King will be mad too,” I added, leveling him with a serious look.

His expression shifted, and I knew I’d finally gotten through to him.

“Now, go find King.”

Che took off running, and I exhaled a relieved breath.“Maybe I’ll have one just like him someday,” I muttered, shaking my head with a small smile.

When I entered the room, the smile vanished.Maylin was gripping the bedpost, her face tight with pain as she worked through a contraction.

“What can I do?”I asked quickly.“Axel’s on the way.”

The contraction finally ended, and she leaned against the post, breathing heavily.

“Do you need to lie down?”I asked, realizing I didn’t have the foggiest idea what she should be doing.

“I will when the pains are worse.Please rub my lower back between contractions and stop if one is coming,” Maylin said in a strained voice.

“I can do that.”I moved behind her and began rubbing her back, using firm, slow circles.

“Thank you, it helps,” she said, her body relaxing slightly under my hands.

“Your English has really improved,” I remarked.

“Nokita helps me.”

Interesting.

Axel entered the room just as the next contraction began.He placed his bag on the bed and quickly started laying out items on the small nightstand.His calm, methodical movements were a stark contrast to the tension buzzing through me.

When the contraction ended, I resumed rubbing Maylin’s lower back.

“Sheets and plastic are under the bed,” she said when she could speak again.“Can you put them on the bed before the next contraction?The baby is coming quickly.”

Under Axel’s direction, I pulled a sheet of painting plastic from beneath the bed and spread it over the mattress.I layered a clean sheet and towels over it, working quickly.A woman I didn’t recognize entered the room carrying a pan of steaming water.

I thought boiling water was just an old wives’ tale, but apparently not.Axel began washing his instruments in the water while I deliberately avoided looking at them.Warrior or not, some things were still terrifying, and Axel’s baby tools were at the top of that list.

“Stop, stop,” Maylin half-screamed, snapping me back to the moment.

I hastily jerked my hands away from her back as she breathed heavily, clearly in pain.A wave of panic hit me like a freight train.

Kill.

“You’re an idiot,” I told Ms.Beast.Kill hellhounds, keep babies safe,I explained silently, repeating it like a mantra to calm my nerves.

A strange warmth washed over me, something soft and almost fuzzy, like a shot of expensive vodka straight to my veins.Ms.Beast must have a thing for babies because she quieted instantly, her usual grumbles fading as I helped Axel move Maylin to the bed.

Maylin’s hand clamped down on mine with a grip that could rival a vice.For the most part, she seemed to be handling this better than I was.I guessed doing all the actual work took the fear out of the equation.

“Are you ready to help deliver a baby?”Axel asked calmly.

I glanced at the strained muscles in Maylin’s face and neck as she fought to push the baby from her body.

“Do I have a choice?”I asked desperately, doing everything I could to stay upright and not faint.

Baby.Ms.Beast whispered through me, her voice soft and strangely encouraging.She was just in time for the miracle, and if she didn’t behave, I’d find a way to punch her in the snout.

“You’re doing great, Maylin,” I said, because what else do you say in a completely unreal situation where you have zero analytical data and absolutely no idea what you’re doing?

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