She knew the instant Dayan awoke. He was there in her mind even as he drew his first breath, even as the sound of his heart filled the chamber with its reassuring, steady beat. Her rock. Her anchor. ‘Dayan.’ She breathed his name, inhaled his scent. Of course he would come to her in her time of need.
His hand moved over her face, a loving, tender gesture. She could feel his love for her pouring out of his heart and soul and into hers. “You will never be alone, my love, not ever again. Whatever happens here this night, I will be with you.”
“I’m glad you’re with me. I wanted Lisa, but I know she would have had a difficult time coping. I couldn’t lean on her too hard. That makes her feel so guilty. She doesn’t realize she has given me so many other gifts. I don’t need to lean on her to love her.” Her breath caught in her throat as the next contraction began to swell like a great tide.
“It is time.” He made it a soft statement. His voice was velvet soft. His black eyes met her moss-green ones, and instantly she was falling through time and space into a deep, fathomless well. Dayan shifted position even as he held her mesmerized within his hypnotic gaze. ‘Her time has come. The baby is coming, and her heart is failing. We have need of healers now.’ He sent the call out into the night, knowing the others were somewhere close by, sleeping beneath the soil in the network of underground tunnels and chambers. His call would awaken them instantly.
He held her in the thrall of his gaze, removing the pain from the experience of labor to rest her heart. He could hear it, the terrible skipping, the heralding of disaster. Her body was already worn out, and she was just beginning.
“I can’t feel the contractions anymore,” she whispered. “I’m supposed to help the baby through this, Dayan. If I can’t feel what’s happening, how can I help her?”
“I am simply blocking the pain as mortals often do with medications when they give birth; you will feel the contractions without the discomfort of labor.” He was outwardly calm, tranquil within his mind where she was safely merged with him. Deep inside where she couldn’t see, a hand was squeezing his heart like a vise. “There is no need to put unnecessary strain on your heart if I can prevent it.” He tried to sound matter-of-fact. The moment the contraction was over, Dayan pulled her into his arms, sensing her need to change position.
Corinne was devoting every ounce of will to keep her heart going, but the labor was depleting her energy quickly. Dayan buried his face in the silky strands of her hair, hiding there for a moment while he forced away his own fears. “I wish I could do this for you, Corinne,” he murmured softly.
She tilted her head to kiss him. “Lisa is fragile, Dayan. She’s my family and I love her very much.” Corinne found it difficult to catch enough breath to speak.
Dayan held her in his strong arms as if that would keep her from traveling beyond his world. “Ssh, honey, I will see to it that Lisa is protected and loved all her life. You do not need to worry about her.”
‘But what if I don’t make it, Dayan? Who will tell her, how will she get here to be with the baby and you? Cullen – ‘
“Cullen is doing very well at the moment, resting comfortably with Lisa holding his hand,” he assured her quickly. “Syndil and Barack are guarding them, making sure no harm comes to either of them. I can touch them at any time, as you are able to do. You have only to send your fears to our brethren and they will reassure you as I am doing. Syndil knows you are in labor; she is monitoring us as I am monitoring them.”
‘Don’t let her tell Lisa anything is wrong. If something happens to me, you go to Lisa yourself. You go, Dayan. You must be the one to tell her.’