The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Twenty-Four

He had been in his study when he felt Armaita's pain. In an instant, he had teleported himself back into their room only to find that she wasn't in their bed.

"Ahhh," he heard her cry from the en suite washroom. He appeared beside her in a cloud of smoke.

"Sweetheart?" She sat on her knees, her palms pressing into the stone ground as she breathed heavily.

"Huh, huh," she breathed, her beautiful face the picture of agony. He knelt beside her, feeling her pain through their bond.

Pressing his palm to her belly, he felt the muscles in her abdomen contract violently as she screamed aloud. His heart kicked into overdrive as everything fell into place.

It was time.

Wordlessly, he scooped her into his arms and teleported her to the bedside, resting her gently against the pillows.

"Adramalech," he called, afraid to leave his woman's side at this crucial time.

The Chancellor appeared beside him in a burst of fire. "My Lord," he bowed eagerly, awaiting his command.

"The queen is in labor, seek out the high priest immediately. See to it that Charmeine comes nowhere near this castle. Place guards at every entrance and wards if you must. Allow no one to pass unless I say otherwise."

Adramalech nodded, bowing his head again. "Yes, My Lord." He disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"Asmodeus," Armaita groaned, "something's wrong..."

He sat on the bed beside her, his hand resting on her forehead. She was cold and clammy, the sweat from her brow beading across her hairline. Her face was flushed and her breaths so shallow he feared she might be right.

"Are you certain it's more than labor pain?" He scanned her with his power, searching for any signs of danger.

He stilled when he heard a flutter from within – his child's beating heart. Never before had a demon child been born with a functioning heart. As demons they were cursed from birth, doomed to feel the fires of Hell coursing through their blood – their hearts lifeless within the cavity of their chests.

His eyes burned suddenly, and he found himself blinking tears away. Shocking as it was for the King of Demons to shed tears, nothing humbled him more than the very existence of his unborn child. His heart swelled, and he felt the love for his offspring burn hotter than any flames he'd ever felt. But his queen was right. Something felt...off.

Armaita squeezed his hand tightly – her short claws digging into his flesh as another contraction sent her into a frenzy. Her head slammed into the pillows and she arched her back, a blood curdling scream exploding from her lips.

The bed flooded with warmth and he realized her water broke. It wouldn't be long now. Where the fuck was Adramalech with the damned priest? The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention and electricity arced down his spine in warning.

A wall of fire burst upward from the ground before him and Charmeine stepped through the flames – a dark smile on her face.

"My King," she modulated, her honeyed voice penetrating his skin like alcohol on an open wound.

Instantly, his anger flared, and he shot to his feet – ready to defend his woman and child. "You have made a grave mistake coming here," he growled, the hatred obvious in his roughened voice.

"Allow me to make this perfectly clear," Charmeine cooed, "without me, both your wife and child die. You need me, and if that child is born without my aid, you will lose all which you hold dear."