Firstborn [malexmale]

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I was standing in a dark room. Everything was bathed in darkness, darkness so oppressive, it actually hurt my eyes to try and see, so I clamped my eyes shut, taking a deep breath. I could feel wind in the room, hear something rustling, like curtains billowing. The air was cool and wet, like it was raining, and I could vaguely make out the sound of rain falling against the side of the house.

It was another nightmare, I dreaded as I opened my eyes once more. This time, something lit up the room and it was lightning from outside. The lightning splashed the room with stark white light, lighting up the image of a nursery. Shelves and decorations across the walls, dresser, baby changing dresser, some toys on the floor, a rocking chair, a sofa... and a beautiful crib with gauzy white drapes coming from a point on the ceiling and falling down around the crib.

And suddenly the sounds around me became louder. The crack of thunder that rattled the windows as they banged open against the walls, the curtains hissing as they flew into the room, the wind knocking things off the wall and sending the drapes around the crib flying.

Instinctively, I ran across the room and snatched the windows shut, forcing a lock over them, even while they rattled and the storm outside boomed. The rain had picked up and sounded like hail pinging against the glass of the windows, snapping against the sides of the room. I shuddered and spun back around to the bed, coming over when I heard gurgling sounds. I swallowed hard, wishing I could stop myself from reaching out, but I couldn't. It was like something was controlling me, forcing me to pull the curtains back.

Inside the crib, blood caked the edges, soaked the little fluffy mattress.

I screamed and shot up in bed, breathing hard and grabbing for Thorn in the darkness.

"Thorn, the lights! Turn on the lights!" I shouted. I heard Thorn curse and scramble, knocking things off the nightstand to turn on the lights. At the same time, I heard the bedroom door fly open and Tristan came in along with four other guards. I threw the blankets back, looking down at my stomach. Still uncomfortably distended, swollen tight with child. My hands were shaking and I could feel tears running down my face, but I couldn't stop.

"Shit," Thorn muttered, scooting over to me quickly so he could wrap his arms around me, "Ambrosius, are you alright? What's wrong? Is it the baby?" I couldn't speak. I just shook my head, glancing nervously over at the guards, who all watched impatiently.

"He's fine for now," Thorn told them, sensing my wanting them to leave, "I'll call you in when you're needed again." They nodded and dispersed. Tristan lingered a little while longer, watching me. It was the first time I saw a different expression on his face. It was... alarm. He looked afraid for me. I met his eyes and he stared back for the longest time before he inclined his head and ducked out of the room to give us privacy.

We sat in silence for a while. Thorn kept his arms wrapped around me, and my body continued to shake. I grimaced, putting a hand over my stomach as I felt the baby shifting and stretching, like it, too, was starting to wake up due to the commotion. I leaned against Thorn, cradled in his arms and trying to find my cool long enough to tell Thorn about my nightmare.

When I finally managed to calm down enough to tell him in a trembling voice, his grip on me tightened. He tucked me up against him.

"You're alright," he said softly, stroking my hair and kissing me on the head, "You're fine. The baby is fine. It was just a nightmare." I swallowed tightly.

"But the shifter-- Theo said it can invade your dreams and that means it's nearby and--"

"Ambrosius, take a deep breath. You're not going to be able to do anything about if you panic, and it's not good for you or the baby to panic, okay? So, big deep breath with me, come on. In... and out." I forced myself to mimic Thorn's breathing techniques until I could settle down. He had a point. Stressing myself out wasn't going to help me or the baby, let alone the situation. Panicking is how people got killed. So I kept that in mind and reached in me to find that soldier Hades had beaten into me.