Page 82 of A Seed Of Peril

My incessant cycle of thoughts faded away like a plume of smoke. I rolled my head to find Dominic staring, like he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned. I inhaled, looking back at the ceiling as I slowly released my breath.

“I must’ve zoned out.”

His diminutive chuckle scratched at my nerves. “Daydreaming, are we?”

I fucking wished.

My mind refused to pump the brakes on my intrusive thoughts.Were we truly ready if Vincenzo came today? What was Dominic going to do? I wasn’t ready. What if Dominic passed out during delivery? No, Lilith, that’s absurd. He has gutted men and eaten their flesh; surely, he could handle childbirth. But what if I needed him and he wasn’t there? Was our other mole in the family planning something against me? My son? Oh, God, I was already turning into a horrible soon-to-be wife. Get a grip. But was I overreacting? Did we really have contracts on our heads? Were we strong enough to take on the Aleskeis? Did we have to? What if Dominic missed his son's birth because of all of this?

Julie removed her latex gloves with a snap.

“You haven’t begun to dilate, but your cervix is beginning to soften.” She then helped me move my feet out of the stirrups, leaving the sheet across my lower half.

“That’s good, right?” Dominic asked, apprehensive.

“Yes,” Julie assured. She slid on a new pair of gloves to begin my sonogram. She squeezed the cold gel on my belly. “I also noticed your son’s head has dropped some more since your last visit.”

That only added to my web of thoughts.

“What?” Dominic asked.

Julie moved the wand to different spots on my belly.

“Your son’s head has descended into Lilith’s pelvis.”

“Is he okay?” I wondered aloud, unblinking at the ceiling, my focal point for this appointment.

The silence that followed was fleeting, unintentionally loud in its own right.

“He looks great,” Julie told us in her comforting way.

Overcome with emotion, I swallowed away the feeling in my throat and parted my lips, my gasp soft and silent as tears burned my eyes. I blinked, a teardrop sneaking out.

Dominic squeezed my hand tighter, letting me know without words that he was right here with me on this journey.

Julie finished using the wand. “These next couple of weeks will probably feel like an eternity, but you’re almost there. I promise.”

I squeezed Dominic’s hand as I messily wiped tears off my temples. “Are you sure?” I asked her nervously.

“You have my word.”

Nobody’s word could be trusted lately. It was at that moment that I related to Dominic on another level. The way he explained trust just weeks ago—I got it now.

“Can I hear him?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Julie smiled. “I was just about to get to that.”

As Julie moved the wand around, she flipped a switch on the machine and played Vincenzo’s heartbeat.

“His heart still sounds good and strong.” A few more beats passed. “Feeling anything strange lately? Don’t worry—this is just routine.”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head.

“Any bleeding?”

“No.”

“Concerning pain or just anything you have a question about?”

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