Bound (8 page)

There was no one up here, what was I thinking, that they would hear me back in the bunker? Even if I fired the gun I didn’t think they would hear me that far underground.

I spun and ran back to Momma, shooing away the pack members who had crept close and were sniffing at the fluid. If one of them so much as took a single sip, I would throw up on their heads.

Though I’d read a lot of books in preparation for being a mom myself, I’d never thought I’d be helping someone else give birth. Certainly not in an army camp’s rifle range. I knew that walking was good, so that was the first objective. “Sebastian, I need you to help me get her up,” I called to him, while I tucked myself under one of her arms. Sebastian approached cautiously.

“I mean it, grab her arm and help me get her up,” I said. He took a deep breath and helped Momma stand, where she moaned and wobbled, then tried to lie back down.

“No, not yet. Walking first,” I said, encouraging her to step out with me. She took one step, than another and soon we were making our way around the perimeter of the range, her breathing improving and her face relaxing. A contraction would hit and she would pause but then keep going. I smiled at her and made soothing noises, occasionally touching her belly to feel the muscles contract. Sebastian watched all of this from a distance with a very strange look on his face, one I couldn’t identify and was too busy to analyze. When the other members of the pack tried to approach me and Momma he growled at them, letting us have our space.

We walked for an hour and I could see that Momma was getting tired. I took her to the back of the overhang and found a relatively clean, dry spot for her to lie down.

It was then that the contractions really started. Her whole body would tense and the muscles across her stomach would ripple and harden. Momma would sit up, her hair plastered to her face with sweat as she bore down.

“That’s it sweetheart. You can do it.” I looked between her legs, the crown of the baby’s head showing clearly.

I smiled up at her. “The baby’s almost here, another push.” She leaned forward and let out a wail as she screamed along with a contraction and pushed. The baby’s head and shoulder slid free; a second push and I caught the babe and helped guide it the rest of the way out as Momma collapsed back to the ground, one more contraction and the placenta came out right after. I used a hair elastic to tie off the umbilical cord. Hardly sanitary, but it was all I had.

“It’s a girl!” I shouted and brought the tiny angel child around to show Momma. The little one let out a wail and I laughed, tears of happiness trickling down my face. If Momma could have a baby that was so obviously human, could do this in the wild with no doctor, it gave me hope for the child I carried.

Momma propped herself up on her elbows and reached for the baby, her eyes wide and staring. A cold chill swept over me. The baby was definitely human; would Momma accept her or would she try to eat her? Or was the intensity I saw a look of a mother wanting to hold her firstborn?

Momma’s fingertips brushed the baby girl, a look of hunger flashing over her face, a drive so intense that I knew even her own child wouldn’t be spared. I wanted to believe that what was human inside Momma would override the animal instinct to eat another species’ helpless newborn, but as Momma opened her mouth and snapped at the wailing baby girl, I had to accept this for what it was.

A complete and utter disaster.

13

I jumped clear of Momma’s snarling reach and growled back at her, holding the baby close as she wailed, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do with her. I couldn’t keep the child here in the rifle range; I had nothing to wrap her in, no breast milk or formula, and I wasn’t entirely sure I could keep her safe from the whole pack.

A hand touched my shoulder and I spun with a gasp. Sebastian stood behind me, a quizzical expression on his face at the squalling babe in my arms. “Momma wants to eat her baby,” I said, as if that would explain it all to him. He placed his hand over the still-slick skin and pressed it against her chest.

His big hand covered her entire torso, and the yellow skin against the brilliant pink of the newborns was yet another contrast. Sebastian, still staring at the child, lifted his hand and pressed it against my belly. His understanding went straight through me like a blade; how could I have ever doubted him?

“We have to get her out of here,” I said. “She isn’t safe.”

Sebastian nodded, bent and kissed the crook of my neck, giving me a nuzzle. I leaned into him, his body curling around both me and Momma’s little girl.

A hand brushed up against my leg and Sebastian snarled at the one who dared to come too close. I jiggled the baby, putting my pinky finger in her mouth to give her something to suckle. She latched on and quieted down in my arms, in the shadow of Sebastian’s protection.

A scuffle and a rattle of the gate turned my head. There stood Burns like an angel come from heaven to rescue the baby. “Supper Mara.” Was it that late already? I’d barely noticed the passage of time with Momma’s labour.

“I have to give her to him,” I said, as much to convince myself as anyone else. Sebastian gave me a gentle push and I walked to Burns, whose jaw dropped open in surprise as I drew close.

“Holy crap, the pregnant one didn’t eat her baby?”

My head snapped up. “What do you mean? Was there another one?”

Burns nodded, opening the gate. “Three weeks ago another of the women gave birth; I think it was that one there.” He pointed to a heavy-breasted brunette and I could see that she did indeed have some extra flesh around her middle, not much, but more than any of the others.

“The baby came out, and before we could get in the cell she’d grabbed it and taken a bite out of it. We wrestled her to the ground and took the kid, but he didn’t survive.”

“Well, you’ve got chance number two now.” I stepped close to him and tried to transfer the baby into his arms. He shook his head. “She won’t be any better off with us, Mara. Can’t you feed her?” He stared at me, his eyes dipping to my breasts with a blush. I stared back.

“She won’t survive out here, I have nothing to wrap her in and I don’t know if I can feed her,” I whispered, horror filling my heart where hope had only moments before resided. Burns handed me the basket of food.

“I’ll get you some blankets and some more food for you. But you can’t share it with the rest of them.” I nodded slowly as a lump rose in my throat. I’d helped to bring her into this world; I only hoped I hadn’t done her a disservice.

“I’ll bring up Vincent too,” Burns said. “Maybe there’s something he can do to help.”

“He won’t help me or her,” I said, my arms tightening around the little girl.

Burns didn’t answer me, just slipped off his jacket, handed it to me, and then shut the gate. The baby startled awake at the slam of it and started to wail. The pack, hearing the newborn’s cries, rushed the fence, snarling and growling, reaching for her. I snapped, kicking and hitting, screaming at them to get away. They fell back from me and I threw the food on the ground.

“There! You’re hungry, go ahead and eat,” I screamed at them. I ran across to the farthest point of the compound, holding the little girl close. A glance over my shoulder showed Momma still where we had left her. She glared at me and I glared back. “Bitch,” I muttered under my breath. A squirm in my arms and a nuzzle at my breast pulled my attention back to the child I held. I didn’t know if I had the milk to give her, but I had to try.

Slipping her under my shirt not only protected her from the breeze, but I was able to hold her to my breast and attempt to get her to latch on. It wasn’t easy—she couldn’t seem to get it right—but after several tries she latched on and started to suck. I had to hope that my swollen breasts would be able to give her some nourishment in time, that my milk would start with her suckling. It was the only hope she had.

“Love.”

I looked up as Sebastian crouched down and slid over to me. I reached out for him with a free hand and pulled him in close. He whispered in my ear, “Love.” His voice was rough from disuse. He wrapped his arms around the both of us, sheltering us again; his large hands rubbed my back as he consoled me. Nothing happened, despite how she suckled; there was no milk yet for me to give her. She gave a quiet mewl then snuggled into my arms. The tears started then, dripping down my face. No sobbing or any more screaming, just the steady flow of pain escaping me. This could be our child in a few short months; we could be fighting off a Nevermore pack just to keep our baby with us.

I stroked the light blond downy hair, still damp in patches. I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing how close the pack was. But maybe if Sebastian claimed her too, maybe then she would be safe.

A short time passed and there was a commotion at the gate. Sebastian stood and growled. I stood and saw that Burns had come back, Vincent in tow. I made my way over to them, the baby exhausted and asleep in my arms. I had no doubt the lack of nourishment was already affecting her little body.

Burns opened the gate. “You can come out now.” He closed the gate behind me, and I was outside of the rifle range. I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize until that moment how on edge I’d been, even with Sebastian watching over me.

Vincent snorted. “This is what you brought me up here for?”

With what looked like a casual flick of his hand, Vincent knocked Burns to the ground, stunning both Burns and I alike.

“Now, give me the baby,” Vincent demanded, and held his hand out, like he wanted a piece of fruit placed in it. Certainly not how you’d offer to hold a child.

“What are you going to do with her?” I asked, holding her tight to me, my heart racing.

“I don’t have to answer to you woman. Now give it to me,” Vincent growled, again reaching for the little girl. I side stepped him, keeping just out of reach.

Chills swept through me. “She’s human Vincent, she isn’t one of them. Look.” I tried to hold her so he could see the pink skin and the pale blue eyes that stared up at me.

“It’ll turn, just like the rest of them, and I’m not feeding anymore monsters. Give it to me or I will take your Sebastian in its place,” Vincent snarled.

I cradled the babe, my hand brushing against the package Burns had given me, the gun he thought I would need against Sebastian and the pack.

“Burns. Hold the baby for me.” I handed the little girl to him before he could say no. He held her awkwardly and she squawked at the jiggling.

With my back to Vincent, I slipped the gun out. A single slow breath in and I turned, with the gun coming up as I flicked the safety off. There was no other recourse now, at least not as far as I was concerned.

Letting the breath out, I took aim and fired at Vincent before Burns saw what I was doing, before Vincent could do more than widen his eyes in surprise.

The trigger was easy to pull; the recoil though was not so nice. I wasn’t ready for the kick, and it threw my arm up into the air, the bullet hitting Vincent in the throat. He fell over backwards, hands scrabbling at his neck, gurgled air hissing through the bullet-made tracheotomy.

The baby wailed. Shaking, I dropped the gun and held my arms out to Burns. “Give her to me,” I said. Eyes seeming to fill his entire blood-drained face, he handed her over to me.

“Mara, I . . .” He stumbled over the words, not even getting a full sentence out.

“This is a dog eat dog world Burns. Vincent was going to kill her, and if not her, then Sebastian. I had the means to stop him,” I said, cradling her to my chest. I needed a name for her; I couldn’t just keep calling her the baby.

My eyes refused to see the still twitching body in front of us, focusing solely on the child in my arms. I cooed to her, rocking her gently back and forth. I didn’t want to think about what had just happened. The previous two deaths I’d caused had been reflexes, accidents. This was nothing of the sort.

“What are we going to do Mara?” Burns asked.

I turned to him, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“About the body; we can’t just leave it here. If the other men find out you shot Vincent, they’ll kill you,” he said.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the pack crowding at the gate, their eyes hungry, and their gazes not wavering off the warm, barely dead body of Vincent. I sought out Sebastian. He hung back, not looking at us or making eye contact with me. I swallowed hard. Twice now I’d stopped him from killing and yet I’d killed three men. Did it matter that I thought what I’d done was right? Did it make any difference in the end?

“I’m putting the body in with the pack,” Burns said, picking up Vincent’s legs. “Can you keep them away from the door, keep them off me?”

I nodded and opened the door, forcing the pack to make room for Burns and the body. I looked at where Vincent had died; a trail of blood following from there into the rifle range. “They’re going to know. They can follow the blood and see that he was shot outside,” I said, my voice monotone and strange, even to my own ears.

Burns gave the body a last heave and the pack fell on it. As I turned to step out something snapped down on my calf, and I screamed as teeth sliced into my flesh.