Chapter 128: Episode 127: You are safe.
Rue woke up and couldn’t see her own toes.
She blinked her pink eyes against the bright morning light spilling through the clear glass window. She lay flat on her back on the giant circular bed.
She lifted her head just a few inches to look down. A huge, round mound of pale skin blocked her vision. Her feet were hidden somewhere far beneath the giant bump.
She let out a soft groan. The third trimester was brutal. Her small rabbit body was pushed to its breaking point. She felt exactly like a round melon balanced on two fragile twigs. Her centre of gravity was gone. If she leaned just a bit too far forward, she knew she would tip right over and fall on her face.
She tried to roll onto her side. It took three tries and a lot of huffing. She finally managed to shift her weight.
Knox was there in a flash. The giant Southern panther didn’t sleep at all. He spent the night sitting on the stone floor right next to the mattress. He was a nervous wreck. His golden eyes tracked her every single movement. He looked like a coiled spring ready to snap at the slightest sign of danger.
"Careful," Knox breathed. He raised his large hands. He hovered them an inch over her shoulders. He desperately wanted to scoop her up. He wanted to carry her everywhere. He wanted to shield her from gravity itself.
But he couldn’t touch her.
That was the hardest part of this week. Her nerves were on fire. The pregnancy stretched her skin so tight that even the softest brush of fingers sent a shocking jolt of pain straight through her body.
The growing panther cub demanded too much magic. Her delicate system overcompensated by making her skin overly sensitive. She told them yesterday that their hands felt like hot coals on her arms. Since then, the four men kept a strict distance.
It tortured them.
Rue shifted again and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her spine gave a loud, concerning pop. She rubbed her lower back with her own hand.
My back hurts so much today.
Knox heard her thought clearly through the mate bond. His jaw clenched tight. He looked down at his own large hands. He hated that he couldn’t massage the pain away. He paced back and forth near the edge of the bed. He watched her feet swing over the side of the mattress.
"Do you need to walk?" Knox asked softly. "I will clear the floor. Just wait right there."
He kicked a stray soft pillow out of the way. He shoved a wooden chair back against the wall. He padded the sharp corner of the nightstand with a thick fur pelt. He treated the flat stone floor like a dangerous battlefield. He was terrified she would trip and hurt the cub.
"I just need to stand up," Rue said. Her voice sounded tired and raspy. "I am just a round ball of aches. I won’t break from standing."
She pushed herself off the mattress. She wobbled slightly. Her bare feet hit the cold floor.
The floor was wonderful. A severe summer heat wave rolled across the neutral zone this week. The bright sun baked the thick stone walls of the new house. The air outside felt like a hot oven. But inside the room, it was comfortably chilly.
Caius stood in the corner of the room. The Serpent Alpha kept his eyes closed. He focused a steady stream of his ice magic into the very foundation of the house. He coated the floorboards in a thin, invisible layer of frost. He chilled the air until it felt like a crisp winter morning. He kept the cabin cool to soothe her constant pregnancy fever.
Rue sighed in deep relief as the cold stone touched her bare soles. She looked over at the snake.
"Thank you, Caius," she whispered.
Caius opened his glowing golden eyes. He gave a single, smooth nod. His long black tail flicked once against the stone wall. He wanted to wrap his freezing arms around her round belly. He wanted to offer his physical chill to soothe her hot skin. But he kept his distance. He knew his cold scales would feel like tiny knives against her sensitive nerves right now.
Rue took a very slow step forward. Knox matched her step perfectly. He hovered right beside her, his hands raised just inches from her waist. If she started to fall, he was going to catch her regardless of the pain.
She waddled slowly toward the small padded chair near the window. Drax sat in a wooden chair right next to it. The Dragon King looked very rigid. He had his pale hands clamped tightly onto his own knees. His knuckles were bone white. He forced himself to stay seated. His dark eyes watched her awkward, unbalanced steps. Dragons were deeply possessive creatures. Not being able to touch his mate fought against his deepest instincts. He hated seeing her struggle alone.
Axel walked into the room through the open doorway. The white wolf carried a wooden bowl filled with fresh green leaves and bright red berries. He saw her walking and froze in his tracks. He didn’t want to startle her. He waited patiently until she reached the padded chair and sat down safely.
"I brought breakfast," Axel said. He set the bowl on a small table in front of her. "I made sure they were very cold. Finding them in this Southern heat was a nightmare. The Northern woods are much better for foraging."
"They look very good," Rue smiled weakly. "Of course I am going to eat them all."
She picked up a red berry. Her fingers felt stiff and swollen. She chewed the sweet fruit slowly. The cold juice helped clear her dry throat. She couldn’t eat meat at all, so these sweet fruits were her main source of energy.
The men surrounded her in a loose circle. They were four terrifying warlords. They commanded armies and ruled vast territories. Yet, they were all brought to their knees by a pregnant rabbit girl they couldn’t even hug.
Rue looked at their tense faces. Knox looked like he might cry from the stress. Axel tapped his foot rapidly against the frosty floor. Drax looked like a carved stone statue. Caius breathed in slow, calculated breaths from his corner.
She felt a strong pang of guilt. She hated making them worry. She missed their physical comfort. She missed leaning against Drax’s broad chest when she felt scared. She missed the cooling touch of Caius’s hands on her neck. She missed Knox’s warm hugs and Axel’s playful nudges.
I wish I could hold your hands. I feel so far away from you all.
"Just a few more weeks," Drax said. His voice was a soft, rough whisper. "You are doing so well. We are right here. We aren’t going anywhere."
Rue nodded. She ate the rest of her fruit in silence. The cold berries settled her upset stomach. Mochi trotted into the room, her fuzzy gray tail swishing back and forth. The snow leopard cub seemed to understand the untouchable rule today. She didn’t jump into Rue’s lap. She just curled up on the chilly floor near Rue’s bare feet. Theron was in the nursery down the hall, playing loudly with his wooden blocks.
The day dragged on very slowly. The heat outside grew much worse. The bright sun beat down on the stone roof. Caius worked tirelessly to keep the inside temperature down. He didn’t complain once. He just kept the frost creeping along the baseboards.
By the time the late afternoon arrived, Rue felt very dizzy. Her vision blurred slightly around the edges. Her rabbit biology struggled to handle the final stretch of the pregnancy. The active cub drained her magic and her physical strength. She sat in the padded chair, her head lolling back against the soft cushion.
She needed a drink of water. The cold clay pitcher sat on a shelf across the room.
"I will get it," Axel offered quickly, seeing her look at the water.
"I can do it," Rue mumbled. She felt a sudden, stubborn urge to do just one single thing by herself today. "I can at least try, how hard can it be?"
She placed her small hands on the arms of the padded chair. She pushed her body up. Her swollen belly threw her balance off immediately. She stood up way too fast. The room spun in a wild, fast circle. Dark fuzzy spots danced across her vision.
Her knees buckled.
Knox let out a panicked shout. He didn’t care about the pain rule anymore. He lunged forward. His large hands caught her right under the arms before she could hit the cold stone floor.
Rue gasped loudly. His sudden touch felt like a harsh electric shock against her sensitive nerves. The pain flared hot and fast. But she was far too weak to pull away. She leaned her full weight against his sturdy chest.
"I’ve got you," Knox chanted frantically. "I’ve got you, little one. You’re safe."
Drax was on his feet in an instant. Caius rushed to her other side, leaving his corner. Axel stood right behind Knox, ready to help lift her if needed.
"I feel so tired," Rue whispered. Her own voice sounded very distant in her ears.
The exhaustion peaked. Her muscles turned to jelly. She couldn’t keep her pink eyes open. The sounds of the panicked men faded into a dull, rushing hum. She felt Knox scoop her up very carefully. He tried to be as gentle as the morning breeze. He carried her straight back to the giant circular bed.
He laid her down on the soft sheets. Caius sent a fresh wave of cold air washing over her flushed face to wake her up. Drax stood beside the bed, his dark eyes wide with rare, raw fear.
Rue tried to speak, but her tongue felt like dry cotton. She couldn’t form the words. She just wanted to sleep forever.
A bright blue light flared right above her face.
[Gestation period reaching critical threshold. Host requires immediate rest.]