Chapter 52

"It's too early for the baby to come out!" Jennifer shouted over Priyanka's cries of pain. "We need to get her to a hospital!"

"Well that's what I'm trying to do but since I don't know where we are that is proving a little tricky!" Svetlana yelled back from the driver's seat, looking over her shoulder to glare at the blonde.

"Please keep your eyes on the road!" Thalia barked, grabbing the wheel to right it when they started to drift into oncoming traffic. "Just keep heading towards the city. We will find signs for the hospital soon."

"I don't understand why this is happening." Priyanka whimpered, her eyes wide with fear.

"Just breathe," Miriam reassured the distressed woman, brushing her sweat-soaked hair off of her forehead. "We will find a hospital and the doctors will do everything they can for you."

They had been trying to find a way into the city for nearly an hour and despite her waters only just breaking, Priyanka's labour was progressing rapidly and Thalia was worried they would be delivering a premature baby in the back of a people carrier with nothing to help them keep the baby warm or alive. But, Thalia refused to let her concern show. Someone needed to keep their cool especially as the five other women were understandably terrified. So she focused her keen eyesight on trying to find any clues to where the hospital was in a country where she didn't speak the language.

What they didn't know, and was weighing heavily on all of their minds, was if they were safe or if they were being followed. Every time a car followed them around a corner or for longer than Thalia felt comfortable with, she tensed; however so far, every car had eventually turned off and she had relaxed enough to start thinking again.

"Look!" Laila pointed with her free hand out of the window, her other hand grasping Priyanka's. "There was a H on that road sign. Isn't that like the universal sign for a hospital?"

"She's right, there's another one." Thalia sat up straight. "Take the next right."

The sun had begun to peek out over the horizon, diluting the dark blue sky with pale yellow and blazing orange. She couldn't believe that they had spent a whole night trying to escape their prison. Would Dante have come back by now and discovered them gone? Did he have men preparing to hunt them down? What would he do to them if he caught them?

*No.* Thalia thought. *He isn't going to find us. I'll make sure of it.*

"Oh thank god there's the hospital!" Svetlana sighed dramatically. "We're nearly there little baby! Please don't come out just yet!"

"You're a little nuts, aren't you?" Thalia narrowed her eyes at Svetlana.

"I am?" Svetlana asked, looking confused. "Don't you talk to your babies?"

Thalia opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Instead she sighed and slumped in her seat figuring it wasn't a rabbit hole she didn't want to go down right now. She was exhausted and she still needed to keep an eye out for danger.

Thalia didn't think she had ever been as happy to see a doctor as she was at that moment. The tall man looked like he wasn't much older than them but was donned in scrubs and smoking while looking at his phone. He only looked up when the car pulled up beside him and the door opened to release a cacophony of pained screams and panicked attempts to reassure someone. The look on his face would have been comical if it wasn't for the fact Priyanka's baby was premature and Thalia was still trying to fight off the shock of killing three people.

"Well don't just stand there!" Svetlana barked out of the window at the doctor. "She's in labour! Get us some help!"

That seemed to be enough to snap the man into action and he quickly dropped his cigarette and rushed inside. By the time Thalia was out of the car, he had returned with an army of other doctors and nurses one of which had a wheelchair.

"A-are you all pregnant?" The doctor asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Thalia replied. "Please can you help her? She's not full-term yet."

It was only when Priyanka was out of the car and safely inside the hospital that Thalia allowed herself to breathe. She could feel the dam holding in her emotions crumbling under the pressure but she forced herself to push it back. Now wasn't the time for a mental breakdown. They still needed to figure out their next steps and part of her was desperate to find some way of contacting Kade and finding out where he was or if he was okay.

She didn't want a check up but the doctor's insisted that all of them have one especially when they explained they had been driving all night. None of the hospital staff bought their story that they were on vacation together either.

Thalia didn't have the energy to answer questions about her health. Her babies were fine but she desperately wanted to know if Priyanka would be okay. She prayed to the moon goddess that her baby would survive being out of the womb this soon.

Finally, she was free enough to go to the patient toilets and splash her face with some cool water. Blood still stained her skin and dark shadows underlined her eyes. Despite the clothes she was wearing going on clean, they were now stained with blood that hadn't dried properly or been wiped off. In short, she looked like a mess. No wonder the doctor's didn't believe their story.

Her eyes eventually found the mark Kade left on her. She remembered the moment they had completed the mating bond so clearly that the memory took her breath away. Her mark tingled as if to remind her of the fact that somewhere out there was a man who she desperately wanted to find her way back to. She wanted this all over with even if the end of days was coming. She wanted to be wrapped up safe in Kade’s arms where she would feel love and peace. But was Kade even alive? Dante had told Thalia he was dead. Sure she had told Dante she didn’t believe him but the seed of doubt had been there before Dante even told her the news. Since she learned Kade had died once already and then been brought back to life, Thalia had been harbouring a silent fear that she would lose Kade again. The terrifying thought sat like an icy weight in her chest, squeezing her heart and sending dread through her veins. It was unheard of for someone to come back from the dead. Thalia doubted it would happen again.

Even now her eyes burned as tears threatened to form and the weight of the months and years of anguish threatened to burst the dams she had put up. Her heart ached, forever on the edge of breaking into a thousand pieces. Yet she kept it together. She couldn't break down now.

Splashing her face with water again, Thalia glanced towards the door when she heard a commotion outside. Male and female voices battled with each other but were muffled by the door and walls. Her first thought was that Dante had found them and she froze like a rabbit when danger was near, her heart thundering in her chest as her eyes widened and she glanced around without moving her head. Thalia’s first instinct was to run but she knew she couldn’t leave the others at the mercy of Dante. She had failed them once already and she wouldn’t do it again. No, she would fight tooth and nail to protect these girls and their babies.

A growl escaped her as Maeve stirred within her and she readied herself to shift and take on the threat. She would tear any creature that tried to come in here limb from limb.

“You can’t go in there! That’s a female only restroom!” Someone yelled over scuffling just before the door to the bathroom swung open with dramatic force.

For a moment Thalia’s eyes couldn’t process the sight of the man standing in the doorway. She had been ready to see Dante or one of his goons. Her mind was slow in catching up with what was actually going on even when she saw the familiar shock of chestnut hair which was in desperate need of a wash and cut. It wasn’t until silver eyes closed a circuit with her own brown ones that she realised who it was and her anger and fear melted away.

“Billy…” She breathed, eyes wide in disbelief.

Kade was on her in two massive strides, strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her into him as his lips crashed into hers. The kiss was filled with relief, desperation, love and so many other emotions that Thalia was left breathless from it’s intensity. It wasn’t until their lips parted and Kade’s thumbs brushed over her wet cheeks that Thalia realised that she had begun to cry. Her vision became watery and a soft sob left her as the dam finally yielded and every emotion she had been stuffing deep down inside of her was released like a geyser.

“It’s time to go home.” Kade whispered, pressing a kiss to his mate’s forehead. “It’s finally over. You’re safe.”

"I was so scared I had lost you." Thalia breathed in shakily, her eyes drinking in every inch of Kade's features from those beautiful eyes to his luscious lips and the bruises that were slowly fading.

Kade smiled softly. "Not even death could keep me from you." He said before he leaned down and kissed Thalia again.

---

Don't forget to follow me on facebook and instagram

Insta @ ZaydaWattsWrites
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/zaydawattswrites
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/258362796383416