Hunter - Book 2 of the Hunted Series

Chapter 25 - New life

Another dream came, as real as the first, and I sank into it away from the horror of the first. I heard angry voices. A contraction. Panic. Smelt panic. So much pain, pain that must have come into my dream from my waking state. I could only lie there as my body beared down. Or did I wake? I didn't know what was real and what was fake anymore.

Another contraction, pain, and voices again. There was nothing in there to push out. I didn't know what it was doing. My babies. My eyes flew open and then cringed in the bright light of the room, arm trying to rise up to shield them, trying to get legs off bed. Babies. Had to get them safe. Find them. The world felt like it was half dream, half reality, I could hear one of them crying, I could feel the agony in my stomach, but at the same time I could hear those voices, even though the room was empty. Even though I was alone. I couldn't move, I couldn't stand, my stomach was one giant gaping hole. I lay there, shaking, shock flooding through me.

"I don't know what he did." That was a voice I knew somewhat. Paige? Upset, she sounded like she was very upset, her voice shaking.

Clayton swearing. Nick nearby.

Had they found me? Had they found it?

I opened my eyes and saw only an empty room. Felt the arm of my wriggling baby beside my head, my paralized head, and saw no one. Smelt Clayton. Smelt Elena too. But the house was still, early morning sunlight filtering in through one of the windows, Pav's body where it'd been abandoned.

"You're the leader of your fucking coven. Get that thing off her."

Voices. Voices that might have been in the door but the door was closed. And I could sense no one there. It confused me. I blinked, tried to stand again, but I couldn't. I was weighed down by the drugs and my own pain.

Another contraction, which made me groan and cry, tears leaking down my face as my wounded body tried to push with muscles that'd been torn. It was empty. Why did it keep trying?

"Nick, sit, you know she can't release it yet. Calm down or we'll have to pu-" The voice faded away, drifting, and Elena's smell vanished with it. I smelt Nick, just briefly, smelt him right beside me, but then it was gone. Like they were ghosts. Or was I a ghost? Was I dead, lying here, caught in this death and hearing them in the room? I wondered how ghosts experienced death. I'd have to ask the necromancer.

Something gushed then, with a contraction, a distant scent of something strange as fluid gushed out from between my legs. I couldn't move, could only lie there as the pain washed over me, but when it was over I blinked, seeing only the devastation of my stomach there, wondering if I'd wet myself. Maybe.

If I was dead, that would explain why I saw Pav for a moment, just a flash of movement from the doorway, but that made no sense either. Her body was on the ground.

The voices faded away and was replaced with just the sound of birds outside, my own harsh heavy breathing, dripping on the floor and I wondered if I'd imagined them. Made them up to make this reality less difficult to deal with. My baby was quiet now. I didn't feel it moving and I couldn't turn to see.

The pain fogged my head so badly and I was so confused. So so so confused.

Another contraction, adding to the agony, adding to the helplessness, and I could only dig my hands into my palms and whimper. Just make sounds. There was the sense of something brushing against my face, something forcing my palms to uncurl, but I couldn't see or feel who it was.

Flickers of movement, just sometimes, as the hour continued, as the sunlight got higher. I didn't think I could speak any more. When it was over and my eyes were open, the room was clearer, less wavy, making it obvious that I'd probably been dreaming their voices, wanting them to be here so badly that I'd started to hallucinate.