Abort! Abort!

Elias:

Sitting quietly at the desk examining the liquor reports for the past month, unable to focus on the numbers with the bright red circle staring back at me indicating the approaching Paschal Moon, and Elicia’s estimated due date two weeks out.

The past year came and went like a smooth sailing ship, minus the temperamental hormones that would catch us off guard, but a little swooning and wild animal sex sated her into manageable.

No complaints from me or my brothers for the matter, but we learned quickly what happens when she explodes, and do I mean ‘explode’. A minor disagreement about baby names, and Boom! Half the house exploded, which is why we are currently staying at the Castle so that mom can help us keep her calm.

Right before she started to show, we had a small ceremony at our house making her an official Nightshade, just family and close friends overlooking the pastures. She was beautiful in her figure-hugging lace and silk gown by Eve, and the after-party, we’ll blame that on the hormones because my brothers and I couldn’t walk straight for two days. Randi and Rex tied the knot a few weeks after on a beautiful beach in Greece, but I swear if I ever hear ‘OPA!’ and see a shot glass, I’ll punch a motherfucker.

Bailey and Peyton welcomed a beautiful little girl, Katri Star Moirana, and are expecting their second in a few months. Jorvik loves having them around, even though he puts Peyton through the wringer with training and punishment, but Thyra and Rocko are close by if they need to step in. Malik has learned how to FaceTime, thanks to Randi and Rex so Elicia and him talk weekly, he’s planning on spoiling the great-grandbabies with reserved requests from us to not go overboard.

What else, oh yeah, we found out why Hilo was M.I.A. during the whole Helmer fiasco, turns out he was on fucking vacation in the Greek isles with Ella from the Elder Council. He says he dropped their phones in water, but we know better than that, especially if you haven’t had sex in forty years. Surprised his dick still worked after all that time.

HAH! Talk about a serious case of Blue Balls.

Oh, and Maxine met her mates. Jayden and Greyson, she’s currently visiting their adoptive parents in Russia but will be returning late summer because they start medical school in the fall.

That will be interesting for sure.

Leaning back with a sigh, rubbing my temples to soothe the thumping that raged against my skull as rushed footfalls approached the doors, slammed open with flailing limbs and panting faces as they shut the doors behind them.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Shouting out in curiosity as mom shushed me with a shaky finger panting wildly as Dad leaned against the door listening with my brothers all crammed together, flustered and rigid.

“Sorry honey, but this one is out of my control.” Mom gave me a sympathetic smile as she gave my brothers the stink eye.

“We didn’t know.” Roger hissed back with a puckered expression.

“Didn’t know ‘what’?” Leaning my palms against the desk with a scowled expression as they looked at me like I had two heads.

“Chocolate-covered Cherries, my son. They ate the last ones.” Dad hissed out in panic, pressing his ear harder against the door with pinched brows, shushing the panting maniacs.

Dropping my head to hide my amusement, biting my lip to suppress the laughter fixing to peel from my chest.

Only three things mattered to Elicia during her pregnancy, well, five, if you count sex and music, but that was a given with her hormones and natural love of the arts, but bloody steak, fresh brewed sweet tea, and her sacred Chocolate-covered Cherries were her must-haves. Walking around the desk to the wall safe, pulling back the family portrait of us together on New Year’s at our gala, removing the secret contents as banging roared through the office.

“LET ME IN! LET ME IN, GODDAMNIT” Harrison yelled with the barking command of Ragnar through the door as the huddled pile of scared faces shook their heads in refusal.

DAMNIT! The damn dog was trapped outside.

“Open the Damn door. The poor man gets enough Hell from his wife.” Motioning them away from the door with an eye roll, opening the door as Harrison flopped to the ground in a panicked state, looking down the hallway with large bug eyes.

Turning in time to see my very sexy, very pregnant Kitten stalking down the grand hallway with blazing golden blues narrowed to slits.

“Kitten, take a deep breath, here.” Holding my hand up in surrender as her eyes snapped from me to my brothers huddled tightly to my back, lifting the gold box with her favorite sweets.

Okay, she’s not slowing her approach.

Abort! Abort! Back-stepping into the office with extra bodies blocking my retreat as her hand snapped out, flinching back in preparations for a painful retaliation. Stunned stupid as the box was snatched from my hand, watching her curvy figure sink into the leather sofa biting into a chocolate cherry with a heavenly eye roll and head bob.

“Izzy, you want one?” She held out the box to mom still stuck on stupid, quickly snapping out of her daze as she slid next to her with a soft smile, rubbing her large belly while feasting on a chocolate cherry.

“Thank you Honeybun,” Smiling brightly, puffing out my chest with a smug smirk directed at my brothers as they slowly approached the other sofa.

“Fucking ass kisser.” They grumbled in our link as they relaxed into defensive poses just in case she was playing coy with them.

“Smart man.” Dad patted my shoulder with a relaxed smile as we watched on in amazement at how quickly her moods switched, leaning onto the back of the chair as her face contorted into an angry grimace.

“Kitten, what’s wrong?” Looking at my brothers with panicked expressions, sliding around the chair, kneeling to see her golden blues staring at me with a unknown expression.

“I…think my,” She stood with her half-eaten cherry in hand as a whooshing wave of fluid ran down her legs onto the hardwood floors. Looking at the massive puddle between her legs, to my mom then to dad with a creepy smile, over to my brothers doing this weird ‘stooges’ routine and back to my fearless Kitten as she perked a questioning brow.

“OH, SHIT!” Jumping to my feet with my brothers as mom grabbed her trembling arm, walking her toward the door with a worried look as we scrambled around the office.

“I’ll get Amelia, you boys get her down to the clinic.” Dad poofed away leaving us to our scrambled brains as mom snapped her fingers to get our attention.
“Some help would be nice.” Her growling words sang through our link as we rushed over to her, offering her my arm as mom held her other, walking gingerly down the hallway to the clinic at the end.

Halted by the bone-crushing squeeze against my forearm as her knees buckled with the first serious contraction, lifting her up into my chest as her stomach muscles tightened under my hands.

“You’re lucky I love you.” She gripped her stomach with a snarling grunt.

“Breath, Kitten. And We love you too,” Rushing down the remaining twenty feet of hallway, kicking open the door to the clinic as Roger rushed past into the delivery room we had prepared ahead of time. Sliding her into the medical bed, removing her shirt and sweats as Ben and Chris assisted her with the medical gown.

“AGH! FUCK-SHIT-FUCKING-TWAT-COCKSUCKING-MOTHERFUCKER!” Her colorful assortment of words had us smiling behind our fists, even mom blushed a little at her choice of words.

“That’s enough to make any Sailor blush.” Amelia laughed brightly as she walked in the room with Dad beaming ear to ear. Offering my hand as Chris and Ben tag teamed her other side, following Amelia as she wheeled around the room laying out blankets, and other medical equipment she might need during labor.