She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “It probably just hasn’t come up.”
It hasn’t come up because my mate’s avoiding the conversation. I nod absently and rub at the cramp in my belly again.
Georgie gets a weird expression on her face as she looks at me. “Hey, Harlow?”
Oh God, what now? “Yes?”
“I think your water broke.”
Chapter Ten
RUKH
I won’t stop running until I get back to the tribal caves. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been running across snowy hills for hours. All that matters is Har-loh. I can’t stop thinking of the sickening way my gut churned as one of the hunters crested the hillside and headed straight for Raahosh and me as we hunted a dvisti herd. He scared away our prey, and Raahosh snarled at him…until we found out the reason why he’d chased us down.
Har-loh is in labor.
Raahosh stayed behind with the exhausted hunter, who’d run a long way to find us, and I raced back alone. My mind rips through all the hours that have passed since they sent the runner. Is my Har-loh in pain? Is the kit well? Did something go wrong that caused her to give birth today? A thousand worries crush me until I can’t breathe.
But I still race forward.
Relief shoots through me when the rocky cliffside that houses the tribal caves comes into view. I race a little faster, the end in sight.
I skid into the cave a few moments later, flinging aside my pack. There’s a crowd of people hanging around in the caves but I ignore them, heading straight for my cave. The curtains are shut and Vektal paces just outside, a concerned look on his face. I move right past him and push into my cave.
Har-loh is there, seated on the blankets. Georgie, the chief’s mate, is at her side, gripping her hand. Maylak is on the other side of her, and her expression is so calm that some of my panic disappears. The moment Har-loh sees me, she cries out. “Rukh!” She releases Georgie’s hand and reaches for me.
“I am here, my mate.” I move to her side as Georgie gets up, and I brush the sweaty hair off of her smooth brow. “Everything is all right.”
She pants, and her hand grips mine tight, her nails digging into my skin. “You’re sweaty, too. Did you run all the way here?”
“All the way,” I agree.
She chuckles at that, and her laughter turns into a groan a moment later. Her face scrunches up and she grips my hand so hard it feels as if she will snap the bones.
“What is happening?” I snarl at the healer. “Why is she hurting?”
Maylak frowns at me. “This is normal, Rukh.”
“Con-track-shuns,” Har-loh adds between pants. “They’re coming really fast now.”
I press my mouth to her hand. “How can I make them stop?”
Har-loh stares at me, confused.
“You are in pain,” I explain. “I want to make it stop.”
“Then get this bay-bee out of me!”
I look at the healer. “How do I do that?” I feel useless.
Maylak just shakes her head. “The kit will come out on its own. Just hold her hand and support her. That is all you can do.”
I’m relieved that there is not something I’m missing, but at the same time, I hate that I cannot take the pain from my mate. She has suffered so much.
“Water, please?” Har-loh asks a moment later.
I nod and scramble for my water-skin, frantic. It’s empty, and I stumble out of the cave, looking for more. “Water!” I bellow at Vektal and Georgie, still nearby.
Vektal silently hands me a water-skin. It is good that he does not smile, or else I might shove him. I snatch it from his hands and race back into the cave, drawing the curtains closed.
As I step back inside, I notice that Maylak is helping Har-loh into a squatting position. My mate is naked, I notice for the first time. “What are you doing?” I ask. Is she getting up? She can’t get up. She’s having our kit.
“The child is coming,” Maylak says. “She is getting into position.”
I watch, helpless and clutching the water-skin as the healer coaches her through. The healer rubs Har-loh’s shoulder and whispers encouraging words. My mate groans and as I watch, she bears down, her hands curling into fists against the stone floor of the cave. Maylak moves the furs between Har-loh’s legs. “It’s coming. One big push.”
Har-loh screams, the cords of her neck showing, and I clench the water skin so tightly in my hand that it spills over. She sounds as if she is in such pain. I feel helpless at the sight of it. I remain frozen as the healer reaches between my mate’s bent legs and pulls something free.