Page 232 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“I’ll help her push,” Rayell said.
By Arius, this was not how he imagined this going.
“Maybe I should help her push, and you deliver the babe,” he ventured.
“Axel! Get down there and deliver your son!” Rayell ordered. “We don’t have a lot of time. Cienna is handling Miara, but as soon as she realizes this was a set up, Bree will be back. We need to be gone.”
Rayell hadn’t been wrong. When he moved down the bed and adjusted Kat’s gown, he could see just how close they were. He glanced at Cade. “Do not let anyone in that door.”
The male nodded, turning away from them, and Axel turned back to Kat. Lifting his eyes, he met her gaze. Her eyes were muted and exhausted. Tears were streaming down her face, and her hair was matted to her brow.
He took a deep breath. “Okay, kitten. I’m going to wash this blood off my hands, and then we’re going to do this. Together. Because it’s always been you and me against the realm.”
She nodded, a broken sob escaping her.
Axel climbed off the bed, stripping off his torn and stained shirt and quickly washing his hands in the small connected bathroom. There wasn’t much he could do about the pants, but he cleaned up as best he could in the minute he had.
When he came back, he stopped at her side and took her face in his hands. “Let’s meet our son.”
In the end, it was as awful as he’d expected it to be listening to Kat scream as Rayell helped her push. Contraction after contraction came and went, and Axel could tell she was lagging, her strength and energy gone.
“We’re close, kitten,” he urged. “We’re so close. You’ve been so strong this entire time, trying to keep him from Bree, but I’mhere now. She’s not touching him. It’s you and me and him. One more time, Kat. Ready?”
“No,” she cried, shaking her head. “No, I’m not.”
But nature didn’t care as another contraction came.
“Push, Katya,” Rayell demanded, holding her hands and helping her lean forward.
“Last time, Kat. I swear it,” he urged, and gods, he hoped he wasn’t lying to her.
She screamed, and there was a head. He didn’t know what to do. Did he pull? Help? Just…
But Kat knew, pushing one last time, and the babe was there, his cry filling up the space. And holy fuck. They’d done it.
“Cade, towels,” Rayell commanded, easing out from behind Kat.
Everything was muffled and muted for a different reason now as he held a tiny life close to his chest.
“Take him to her,” Rayell said, her voice low and hushed.
He nodded, moving ever so carefully to Kat’s side and gently placing the babe on her chest. She was crying, fresh tears on her face as she clutched their son close.
“You did it,” he murmured, sitting beside her and pulling her in. “You were so brave and strong, and look at what you did, kitten.”
There was a knock on the door that had Axel on his feet.
“Relax,” Cade said, reaching for the doorknob. “It’s our help.”
“Help?” he repeated.
The door opened and the Shifter Alpha and Beta strode in, Cienna behind them.
“We can’t stay here,” Rayell said, moving out of the way as Cienna strode forward. “We’re going to Kylian and Giselle’s.”
Cienna was at Kat’s side, checking the babe over while Kat still held him close. Then violet eyes lifted to his. “You did well, Axel,” Cienna said. “I tried to get here sooner, but I had to?—”
“Handle Miara. I know,” he said. “Can we get the fuck out of here?”
