The Vampire King's Possession-Chapter 797. Labor

Jael stood at the top of the tree as he looked around the barren lands. He could count the number of trees around the area. He squinted his eyes as he stared hard, hoping to catch any sort of movement.

Palers were extremely hard to find these days. It was almost as if they knew they were being hunted, and he found that they were spending more time searching than anything else. He was glad that they had reduced their population enough for them to be hard to find, but that was not the focus. They needed to completely eradicate them.

Louis landed on the same branch he stood on. He glanced at his brother and narrowed his eyes. Louis hadn’t taken any break in months; from teaching humans magic to getting mauled by Palers, Louis was working nonstop. Jael found he was a little worried.

"Find anything?" Louis asked.

"No," Jael replied.

"We haven’t seen any signs of Palers in nearly two nights."

"Do you think we’ve gotten them all?" Erick asked from a lower branch.

"I highly doubt that," Jael said and jumped.

He bounced off a nearby tree before landing on the ground with a loud thud. He frowned as he landed. Even the loud noises they made didn’t seem to draw the Palers out.

He was worried they might have to start going into caves, but that was dangerous, as one might never know how many Palers were lurking in the dark caves until too late.

Jael lifted his head; he could sense a presence he had told not to leave the camp. He wasn’t annoyed; he was worried. Danag wouldn’t risk leaving the mages alone unless it was absolutely important.

"Get down; Danag’s here."

As he spoke, he rushed towards Danag’s direction just as Erick and Louis followed after him. When Jael got to where Danag was, he looked relieved as he saw Jael, but then his expression quickly changed to horror.

"Sire."

"What is it?" Jael asked with a frown.

"It’s Her Ladyship," he quickly responded.

"What’s wrong with Mauve?" Louis asked as he caught up.

"She is in labor."

Danag’s words sounded as loud as lightning in his ears, and for a moment, Jael could not function. "Doesn’t she have at least two more weeks?" he mumbled, more to himself than expecting a response from Danag.

"A messenger arrived a few moments ago with the news," Danag explained.

Jael looked into the distance and turned to Louis. "You, with me."

"Your Grace," Louis protested. "Wouldn’t it be best if I stayed behind?"

However, Jael wasn’t listening. "Danag, you, Erick, and Damon are in charge. Should anything arise, I shall provide support. Unfortunately, from this moment onwards, I am no longer a part of this expedition. Return to the stronghouse and keep up the work. I will send further information and plans when I can. Let us go, Louis."

"Jael!" Louis called.

Jael stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Louis. It was hard to keep hold of his thoughts. His entire body was screaming. If he could teleport, he would. All he could think about was how fast he could get to her.

"Wouldn’t it be best if I stay here and you go with someone else? They can’t lose both of us."

"No," Jael said. He wanted Louis to get some rest, but that wasn’t the main issue; he would also need support. If they were to run into a Paler, Jael was sure they would be able to deal with it or at least outrun it.

"You are the only one who can keep up with my speed, and I am sure Mauve would want you there. You can’t refuse, Louis." Jael stared intensely at him.

Louis looked torn, then he sighed. "As you wish, Sire," Louis said and started to sprint in the direction of the castle.

Jael rushed after him. There was no time to stop by the stronghouse; they would have to head to the castle from here. There was still some time before dawn, but the trip to the castle wouldn’t be swift, and Jael was extremely worried.

It had taken the messenger some time to get here; he couldn’t believe she was dealing with it alone. He had thought he still had some time to clear up the situation here, but he should have gone back to her as soon as things were less heavy.

---

Mauve sat on the chair with sweat dripping down her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, with tears running down both her eyes and nose. She sat with her legs apart, not a single shred of dignity about her pose, as she gasped in pain.

Two servants stood next to her with huge feathered fans blowing as hard as they could to offer her some reprieve. Mill moved closer to wipe the sweat, tears, and snot off her face for the umpteenth time.

Mauve’s vision was blurry and her voice hoarse from screaming so much. She was in so much pain, her thoughts simply bounced around in her head without being articulate.

The midwife, Madeline, had been a little concerned at the intensity and frequency of the contractions, but Lady Marceline explained that this was just how birthing was for a vampire.

The worst part was that the baby wasn’t ready to come out yet; it was just making a show. Mauve was exhausted; her contractions had started just before dusk, but she didn’t think much about it. She had no experience with pregnancy.

It wasn’t until Mill came to wake her up and saw her groaning in pain that Ferguson and the midwife were called, and she realized she was in labor. Ferguson had checked on her, but after that, he had to leave the room.

However, it was no simple feat. The contractions only worsened, and each time the midwife checked, it was clear the baby wasn’t yet ready to make an appearance.

"Jael," she whispered. She wished he were here. Her eyes swelled with tears. She was almost certain it would be so much easier if he just held her in his arms.

She let out another wail as the contractions ripped through her body. Her abdomen was on fire. She gripped the arm of the chair hard enough to break it, and if she hadn’t been so tired, it would have broken.

Mill looked like she might faint; the only ones who didn’t seem terrified were the midwife and Lady Marceline.

"Water," she whimpered when the pain allowed her to talk.

Mill was quick to help put a cup to her lips, and Mauve felt the water go down her throat, but it did nothing to appease her thirst. It wasn’t until after the third drink that she felt better.

"I want to stand," she cried. "Help me."

No one refused her; they knew better. Whatever she wanted to do, she was allowed. Mill easily lifted her and kept a hand around her to make sure Mauve didn’t fall. Being a vampire was convenient, as she had enough strength to keep Mauve on her feet as long as she wanted.

"Did I wet myself?" she whispered against Mill’s shoulder.

Mill glanced back to see what she was talking about, and sure enough, there was a wet mark, and at the foot of Mauve’s leg was a small pool of water.

"No," the midwife said and fell to her knees.

She lifted Mauve’s dress and ducked under it before checking Mauve. She could feel the midwife fiddling around, but Mauve didn’t care as she stood with her legs apart to give the midwife easy access. If she had offered to push her hand in and pull out the baby, Mauve would have gladly accepted.

The first time the midwife had lifted her nightdress to see, Mauve had been utterly embarrassed, but now the pain wouldn’t even let her process that emotion.

Madeline came out and shook her head, and Mauve thought she might go mad. Her stomach was pulling downward, yet, the baby wouldn’t come out.

Mauve did her best not to think dark thoughts, and once again, she wished Jael were there, but she had told them not to bother him. She didn’t want him distracted while he faced off against Palers. She could do this on her own, and when he was ready, he would come and see their child, and he would praise her for a job well done.

Mauve couldn’t even smile at this thought; she grabbed her stomach and rested her back against the wall. She didn’t even realize she had moved this far with Mill.

"Do you need anything?" Mill asked.

Mauve almost yelled her mate’s name, but she just shook her head as her legs gave out and she slid to the floor. Mill carefully lowered her so she wouldn’t hit her behind too hard on the floor.

She was breathing hard and sweating again. Mill once again cleaned her up and tried to cool her down. Mauve didn’t know how long it had been, and she wasn’t so sure she could last much longer. She rested the back of her head and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the loud sound of the door crashing open forced her to open her eyes, and standing by the entrance was a certain vampire with blue eyes.

Mauve pushed her lower lip out, and she immediately started to wail again, stretching her hand to Jael, who appeared by her side in moments. He lifted her off the ground, carrying her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed on his shoulder.

"Jael," she called with a soft groan. It was strange; the pain was still there, but she felt a little relief.

"I’m sorry; I should have been here much sooner. You shouldn’t be doing this on your own."

"Jael," she replied, rubbing her face against him, "it hurts."

"Oh, my love," Jael’s face contorted, and he looked as if he was in pain too. "I am sorry."

Mauve let out a cry against him, and Jael’s vision blurred. His helplessness felt like a gut punch.

"Can’t she get something for the pain?!" he yelled to no one in particular.

The midwife jerked, and fear coursed through her body at Jael’s yelling. It was his aunt who had to reply on her behalf.

"No, Jael, we cannot do that. Delivery is imminent; she needs to be alert."

"Can’t you see she is in a lot of—"

"I understand," she quickly replied. "But just comfort her; I am sure she already feels a little better with you here."

Jael wanted to argue, but he did not want to make things worse. He kissed the top of her head, and she leaned closer, panting against him. He could tell how much pain she was in; he could feel it.

She groaned louder; it sounded as though the only reason she wasn’t screaming was that she had no energy to do so. He hated that he couldn’t do anything but just watch; he would cut off his hand in a heartbeat if it would help with her pain.

"Jael," Lady Marceline called. "Please sit so the midwife can examine her and Mill can try to cool her down."

Jael then realized that her temperature was pretty high; he was used to it, as it had been this way since she got pregnant, but it was slightly more than normal.

"Where?" he asked and was immediately pointed to a cushioned seat. Mauve’s favorite one since the pregnancy.

He sat down on it and placed her on his legs; she was seated facing front, her legs hanging off his. A hand was gently placed on her stomach while she leaned on him.

The midwife stepped closer, and he had to part his legs to widen the space between her legs so the midwife could check.

As soon as she went under, Jael heard a soft curse from the midwife. She pulled her head out and started issuing orders. "Get me the towels. Lady Mill, come here. Lady Marceline, please keep track of her expression. If you suspect she is losing strength, alert me. Your Majesty, please hold on to her."

"Is the baby ready to come out?" Mauve weakly asked.

"Yes, but this is not the easy part, Mauve. I need you to bear with me, and when I say push, please do so. Don’t push with all your strength at first, until I tell you to. I don’t want you to lose consciousness."

The midwife was sweating now, and she lifted Mauve’s nightdress. She parted Jael’s legs to help Mauve open her legs even wider. Jael didn’t argue, and he could be heard telling Mauve how much he loved her.

Madeline’s eyes almost popped out of her sockets as she realized the baby was already crowning. She had checked moments ago, and even though she could tell the delivery was imminent, there was no sign of this. But this was good; the labor wouldn’t drag on for too long, but that was when the bleeding started.

Madeline could not comprehend what was causing the bleeding, but there was barely any time to figure that out now, not with the baby crowning and Mauve groaning in intense pain.

"Push."

Mauve let out a groan as she pushed, but the baby didn’t move an inch; there was just more blood. The towels she had placed on the floor were already stained.

"More towels," she yelled out.

Madeline knew she had to speed this up fast; at this point, the mother was likely to bleed out before labor was over. "Mauve, I need you to push with all your strength as soon as I give you the signal."

She looked up to look at Mauve, and the poor woman was pale; Mill helped with wiping her down, but it was clear she did not have much longer.

"Are you ready?"

Mauve nodded, taking a deep breath. Her entire body was on fire, but nothing compared to the burning pressure she could feel between her legs.

Madeline looked at her one last time before she returned her attention down. "Push, Mauve. Push with all your strength."

As soon as she heard these words, Mauve did as she was told, pushing with all her strength. She let out a scream as she felt the baby push out and then everything went black.