Corinne blinked rapidly as tears ran down her face. ‘She’s suffering because of me, what you’re doing for me!’ The cry was torn from her heart. ‘It hurts her. I can feel that it hurts her!’
At once her heartbeat was irregular, sounding loud and uneven in the cave. Desari reached around Dayan to squeeze Corinne’s hand. “Corinne.” Desari spoke aloud so the sound of her voice would be an anchor of calm. “Dayan’s blood is the only thing keeping both you and the baby alive. Conversion is difficult on the body, and it is painful. Darius is doing what he can to minimize the baby’s pain, and we are adding our strength to his, but we cannot take all of it away. Her body is tiny, and a small amount of blood will cause major changes in her. You have need of conversion. The repairs to your heart are not going to hold more than a day or two, perhaps only hours. The child will be born, and we must be ready for that. We are giving her time you can ill afford. With this blood, with her body changing, we hope her heart and lungs will be mature enough to withstand the outside world. It is a trade-off none of us are happy making, but it is deemed necessary.”
Dayan leaned down, his dark eyes moving lovingly over Corinne’s face. “You cannot panic now, my love. We have chosen a path and have already embarked upon it. We are on the journey together. She will grow strong – trust Darius. He is family. Our family, her family. And put your faith in Gregori. He is a great healer and will do everything possible to protect our unborn child. Neither Darius nor his brother lose the battles in which they choose to engage.”
Corinne reminded herself to breathe oxygen for the baby, or perhaps it was one of the others reminding her. She was aware of the minds sharing together, a path slightly different from the one she used exclusively with Dayan. Theirs was private, seemed intimate, sensual. This was different, yet still felt comfortable and caring. Cradled as she was in Dayan’s arms, she felt sheltered and cherished by his family and friends.
She was exhausted, and she didn’t want to feel that way. They were all trying so hard, and Gregori and Darius were expending tremendous energy on her behalf. She wanted to be better for them all, but her heart was stuttering, and throughout her body a strange lethargy was spreading. It left her weak and unable to do more than lie in Dayan’s arms, breathing in and out as slowly and steadily as she was able.
Desari glanced apprehensively at Darius’s face. He was drawn and pale from the fight for the child’s life. Gregori shook his head. “One rising, perhaps two at the most. The child will benefit from every hour we can win for her.” He put his hand over Corinne’s. “She is a fighter like you. She accepts what is happening to her, taking her example from you. I know this has been difficult – it is all new and completely foreign to you – but you are doing very well. We will not lose your daughter. She is willing to fight with us, and that is more than half the battle.”
“Thank you.” Corinne forced her voice to speak aloud, a thin, reedy whisper of sound, but Gregori heard her clearly. She gave up after that, closing her eyes and snuggling closer into the warmth and strength of Dayan’s body.
“She can no longer regulate her body heat,” Dayan said anxiously to Gregori. “Why is she not responding to the blood and your healing?”
“She did respond, Dayan,” Gregori replied quietly. “Her heart is still beating despite the fact that it is disintegrating at a rapid rate. She is using all her energy just to live. When she can no longer continue with her strength of will, with the strength we are lending her, then you must convert her immediately. We must be prepared. It will happen fast. Pray it happens during our strongest hour, not when the sun is at its peak.”