Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“Ready,” Nicole calls.

“Ready,” I call on and hear Kristy answer. I wait a beat for Naomi to be ready as well and then hold up my hands.

“Earth, air, water, fire,” I begin, chanting in a low voice. “Earth, air, water, fire. Earth, air, water, fire.” I summon hellfire in both my hands. “I call upon the element of fire. Surround us with your warmth and protect us from harm is my desire.” I thrust my hands up and feel the fire burn hotter.

“Earth, air, water, fire.”

My friends do the same, and I can sense the spell connecting the four elements. A bright line of yellow magic circles the house, glowing bright as lightning for a moment and then fading away. I keep my hands up, fueling the spell, and then let out a breath and step back.

“Done,” I tell Lucas. “Told you it was simple.”

“Sometimes simple is best.” His hands land on my shoulders. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired and a little nervous.”

“Let’s go in and relax while we can.”

“Okay,” I say, thinking I still have at least five minutes before the next contraction. We regroup with everyone in the kitchen, and only a minute or so later, I have another contraction. I don’t need Lucas to tell me that fifteen minutes haven’t quite passed yet.

“You guys don’t have to stay,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Like hell we’re leaving,” Kristy retorts.

Nicole claps her hands together. “It’s baby time!”

I grip the counter so hard it’s a wonder I don’t break it. Lucas is at my side, looking more than a little panicked again. He holds onto me, and I want to swat him away, but I can’t move. Fuck, I can’t even breathe until this contraction is over.

Letting out a breath when it ends, I look around the room and try to imagine myself in the kitchen with a baby in my arms.

I can’t.

“They’re coming every fifteen or so minutes. It’ll be a while before she’s here,” I say only to calm myself. It’s too early. I’m not ready. Would I be ready on her mid-June due date?

Probably not.

“Statistically, home births progress faster than hospital births,” Lucas tells me, and I glare at him. Now’s not the time to show off your pregnancy knowledge, mister. “We should let Maryellen know your contractions are getting closer together.”

“She said not to worry until they’re ten minutes apart, give her the heads-up, and then let her know when they’re seven minutes.” I flatten my hands on the counter. “I do need to let Tabatha know.”

No need, Binx mentally tells me. Lucas tips his head, hearing them just a second after my familiar. He speeds to the door to let them in.

“We’ve had a small change in plans,” I say when they come into the kitchen. Tabatha must be able to tell exactly what’s going on from the grimace that’s still on my face.

“How far apart have they been?” she asks, shrugging off her sweater.

“How far is who?” Evander eyes me with confusion.

“Callie’s in labor,” Kristy exclaims. “She’s been having contractions every fifteen minutes for the last hour or so. The last one was more like ten minutes, so in about eight minutes, we’ll know if they’ve gotten closer.”

Being pregnant has been a weird experience overall, but one of the weirdest is how being pregnant gives people a free pass to talk about you like this. At least she didn’t bring up my many trips to the bathroom like Lucas did.

Tabatha’s face lights up like a kid on Christmas. “Does Maryellen know?”

“I was just about to call her,” Lucas tells her, mirroring her excitement. I love that he can’t wait to meet his daughter, but I’m one more minute closer to another contraction and I don’t want to see any smiling faces.

“You guys need to chill,” I say, wanting to pull a classic Callie and deny what’s actually happening, because right now, I’m doubting my ability to be a parent and questioning why the universe is trusting me with the responsibility of a child. “I might not actually be in labor.”

Tabatha smiles warmly at me. “I was nervous too,” she says, and for some reason, her words bring tears to my eyes. I blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears away, and realize why this is hitting me so hard. The loss of my mother was sitting heavy on my heart, but my mother has been here all along. “You’re going to be just fine.” She takes my hand and wipes a tear from my cheek. “Let us know what you need right now.”

I nod, having to actually think about what I do need. There’s a running list in my head of things to do and ways to prepare, and I’m coming up blank on everything. When it comes to material items, we’re as ready as we’re going to be. There are diapers and wipes ready in our bedroom, the family room, and the nursery. Lucas and I picked out Juliet’s first outfit. It’s a black onesie with little gold stars printed all over and matches the much-cuter-than-hospital-issued gown I’m supposed to change into.