“What can I do?” Jimmy asked quietly.
“There’s some napkins in the basket.” She had to stop as another pain hit, when it passed she nodded to the loch. “Can you soak them and hold them to the back of my neck?”
Jimmy didn’t say a word, calmly doing as she asked with speed only a Shifter child could do. When he placed the first cold cloth on her neck, she thanked him.
“Thank you, Jimmy.”
“I won’t leave ye, Miss Kirsty. I’ll stay right here and look after ye.”
“I know you will, Jimmy.” Kirsty grabbed one of the napkins, shoving it between her teeth and biting down as a far more powerful pain stabbed her insides. She felt as if someone were ripping her apart and she prayed that Kade would get here soon.
She needed him. Now.
“Kade, come to me, baby. I need you.” She said the words aloud but also used their burgeoning mating link. It was there, just growing slower than normal due to her being human, but she’d try anything at this point. She needed her man and she needed him right now.
She felt a spark in her head, a tingling sensation a second before she heard him. “Princess? What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“Kade! Thank goodness. I’m at the loch. I need you, now.”
“I’m on my way but tell me what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Do I need guards? Are you in danger?”
“No guards, just Fiona, but I sent Isla. Please, I can’t concentrate on talking right now, darling. Just get here.”
“Do you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Holy hell! I won’t be long. Ten minutes, Princess. Ten minutes. Hold on.”
“I’ll try, but Kade, my water’s just broke. Hurry.”
Jimmy jumped back as the liquid gushed between her legs. His voice pitching high as he yelped. “Uh oh, I know what that means. Ye need someone else here, Miss. I canny do it. I mean, I just canny. Yer the Alpha, it wouldnae be right me helping you wae that.”
“Kade’s on his way and Isla will be here soon with Fiona. It’s okay, Jimmy, you won’t need to do anything.”
“Whew!” Jimmy whistled out. “When the Alpha gets here I’ll take Leia home and let the Pack know what’s going on.”
“Thank you.” Kirsty was going to say more. Tell the lad how much she appreciated his help and a ton of other stuff, but right then a pain so intense overtook her that all she could do was throw her head back and scream.
Sweat dripped down her back, down her face and chest and damn it, she needed to rid herself of her panties. They were drenched and uncomfortable but she couldn’t do that with Jimmy standing there. Tears pricked her eyes as her entire being was taken over by pain again, one contraction morphing into the next. Surely this was supposed to take longer?
Hours. Not this short. Damn, if Kade and Fiona didn’t get here soon she’d be delivering her own damn baby and she had no idea how to do that.
Her tears spilled free, running down her cheeks to mix with the sweat pouring from her body. Her legs shook with the strain of holding her up, her arms shaking as she held herself against the large boulder. What a sight she must be.
A small hand landed on the base of her back, rubbing in small circles. “It’ll be okay, Miss.”
Jimmy’s worried voice did little to allay her fears. The thought of giving birth without Kade tore at her heart, almost shattering it into tiny pieces. Her breaths coming in short gasps as she fought against the pain that seemed intent on tearing her apart.
“Hey, Princess.” Kade’s warm voice at her ear was her undoing, her sobs breaking free in loud cries.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it!”
“Nothing would keep me from this.” Kade’s strong arms held her, taking her weight and holding her firmly. “I’ve got you, baby. Now, do you want to stay on your feet or do you want to lie down? I don’t think we have time to get you home.”
“Jimmy, you can go home now,” Kirsty managed to gasp out.
“He’s already gone, love,” Kade whispered against her cheek.
“Thank goodness.” She let out a tight laugh. “Get my underwear off, please. They are sodding wet and very uncomfortable.”
“I could make a joke about that but I guess now’s not the time.” Kade chuckled, reaching under her dress to tug them down. “There you go. Back to my original question. What position do you want?”
Kirsty had a brief reprieve from pain, and looking over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow. “I could also make a joke about how that question got me into this in the first place.”
“Indeed it did,” Kade replied softly, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
“I think I’ll stay like this. If you can keep hold of me. My legs are weak and I can barely hold myself up but I’d much rather give this little bugger all the help I can.”
“I’ll always be able to carry you, Princess. How far apart are the contractions?”
“They seem to be running into one another, Kade. They’re not giving me much time between them and . . . oh shit. Kade, I need to push. Shit. Where’s Fiona. I can’t do this. I can’t.”
“Yes, we can, baby. We’ll do this together.”
Kirsty’s heart was fit to burst as panic took over. How could they do this? Out here in the wilds of Scotland with no help? No, no, no. She couldn’t.
“Yes, Princess, we can,” Kade said again, more forcefully and she realized he’d been inside her head again.
It wasn’t fair he had more access to her than she had to him.
“I’m scared,” she finally admitted, both to her mate and to herself.
“I will never let you do anything alone, Kirsty. I’m right here and I’ll always be right here. You mean everything to me, Princess. You know that. Come on, where’s that feisty girl that faced a pack of rogues with nothing but a damn shotgun?”
Kirsty felt it then.
