4. Thana

CHAPTER 4

Thana

HAPPENS BEFORE KLAUS CHRISTMAS AND BEFORE DISCOVERED.

My morning starts like any other morning: coffee, a shower, and then head out the door. I plan to walk to the bakery for a muffin and a snack before I head to the park to read. As I stroll towards the center of town, it gives me time to reflect on the past week's events.

I still don't know who is stealing my shit at work. Raphael is ridiculously handsome, and it's distracting when he's in my wing. Having drinks with Christian and his squad was a riot, especially because of the karaoke. He told me there are bars like that all over China and Japan. Apparently, it's a common after work activity to go bust out a song.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out of my pocket to see who it is. Mark's sent me yet another meme about coffee and books. He likes to make fun of the reverse harem books I read, but he doesn't know why I enjoy them. Most Nephilim end up in a polyamorous relationship, so I figured I needed to do some research.

When I get to the bakery, I see Jayce rushing around and Klaus trying desperately to calm him. The bell rings and the scent of baked bread assaults my senses as I watch the two love birds fuss at one another. Jayce is talking to someone on the phone, his tone frantic. Klaus looks like he's going to pull his hair out strand by strand.

I have to help.

Striding over to Klaus, I take his hands and hold them, so he stops yanking at his hair. "What happened?"

His gaze is full of fear. "Aurora is in labor, and we're three hours away."

I flick my eyes over to Jayce, hating the tears that run down his cheeks. "Theres more than that happening. Tell me, maybe I can help?"

At my offer, he stops pacing. His eyes open wide when he remembers I'm a nurse, and he abruptly hangs up on the person he was speaking to. Facing me, he gives me a pleading look. "The baby is stuck."

His admission makes my chest constrict. Lycans frequently have difficulty with carrying babies to term and, even worse, issues giving birth. Aurora may not be a pureblood Lycan, but even a drop of their blood increases her chance of birthing issues. I weigh my options as I pace across the bakery floor. If I shadow walk to her, it means I have to embrace my darker nature. I've suppressed it for so long, but this is an emergency. "Where are they?"

"They are in Dominik's pack. It's an hour past my pack lands." Klaus sounds defeated, and his acceptance that either Aurora or the baby could die decides for me.

"Lock up. I will get us there as fast as possible. Take me to the darkest part of the store." My nerves get the better of me as I watch them get their business shut down. I feel jittery, but my best friend and her baby need me to be strong right now.

"Are you sure, Thana? We don't want you to get in trouble." Jayce bites his bottom lip, clearly worried about what Azrael will do to me.

Taking a deep breath, I nod. "Let's go before I chicken out." Klaus takes me to the storage room and turns out the lights. The shadows whisper, and I feel them seep into me. "What you see today cannot ever be shared with anyone else."

My friends nod their heads as I unfurl my wings. Flexing them several times, I extend my hands to draw them to me. I wrap my wings around us all to help lessen the effect of the shadows. Luckily, I went to Dominik's house for the Easter hunt this year, so I know where I'm going.

"Close your eyes and hold on tight. It will feel like the initial drop of a roller coaster." After warning the guys, I focus on my intended location. Sifting through the shadows is the quickest way to get anywhere without being seen.

In a matter of seconds, we manifest in a closet in Dominik's home. I open my wings to see Klaus stabilizing an unsteady Jayce. "We're here."

As the words leave my lips, they rip the door open and a furious Dimitri stands in front of us with his bear damn close to breaking free. "Thana…" Dimitri growls. His bear settles when he sees Klaus and Jayce with me. "What have you done?"

Pushing my shoulders back, I stare up at the mountain of a man. "Aurora needs me, and I'm here. Consequences be damned." I allow my eyes to blacken as I stare up at him, unwillingly to budge on the topic.

Sighing, Dimitri grabs my hand and drags me through the hallways to the bedroom where Aurora is struggling. I watch her, my heart in my throat, and allow myself one moment of fear before I turn coldly clinical. "I need hot water, clean towels, and a coffee." My last demand makes Alaric do a double take, but he and Arnulf take off to gather the supplies, regardless.

"How's my bitch doing?" I joke as I look at my best friend.

Aurora grunts and forces a grin. "Peachy keen, fluffy. How the fuck did you get here so fast?" A contraction hits her, and she lets out a long, low growl. Dominik is holding her hand as she crushes it, wincing from his place by her bed.

"You needed me; fuck the consequences. I shifted us through the shadows." I point to Jayce and Klaus with a grin.

Aurora relaxes a little once she sees her two wayward mates, giving me a nod. She screams again as another contraction hits her. Arnulf returns and offers me my coffee and Alaric has everything I asked for and sets it up on the side table. Chugging my coffee, I finish it quickly, then head into the bathroom and wash my hands before heading over to Aurora.

I pull back the sheets and look the situation over, assessing what I need to do next. "Let's move her to the edge of the bed so I can get this baby out." This is going to be much tougher than I originally expected because I can see the baby's heels.

The guys jump into action and maneuver Aurora into place, chuckling as I joke with her about getting all up in her business. Turning to one of her mates, I point to the several areas of stretched skin. "Alaric, I need to you chill this area right here."

Alaric touches where I asked, numbing the skin so I can continue to get Aurora ready. I smile when Arnulf offers me sterile gloves, sliding them on with a snap. Once I'm prepared, I inch my fingers in along the legs of the baby.

My eyes shift to the chrome color of my powers, and I can see the life force of the baby. It gives me a faint outline of how it's positioned inside, so I know how to adjust. With gentle turns and twists, I get the baby lined up, and it progresses more easily. Reaching into the birth canal, I position the baby's arms, making minor adjustments with every contraction.

After a few agonizing moments, the baby slides free. Lifting it up, I clear the airway and we hear her first cries. Smiling with relief, I cut the cord before offering her to Aurora. I pass my hand over the child, using my healing light to make sure that she's completely healthy. "You have a beautiful daughter."

Dominik stares at his little girl in wonder, then looks up at me with a grateful smile. "I don't know what we would have done without you. Klaus's grandmother is at the castle of wolves. She won't be here for at least another hour, even if she flies."

When he describes what happened before I arrived, I realize without my intervention, the baby would not have made it. It makes the risky decision to come here seem worth it. I couldn't have lived with myself if my friend had lost her child because I wasn't brave enough to defy the edicts.

After Aurora passes the placenta, I heal the damage from childbirth, smiling as I watch her feed her new daughter. I wash my hands in the basin after I remove my gloves, whispering to my friend. "What are you going to name her?"

"I'm not sure. Do you have a suggestion?" Aurora kisses her daughter's cheek as she replies, not taking her eyes off the nursing infant.

I look at the babe in her arms, considering as I see how enamored Dominik is with her. "How about Isabella? You can call her Isi or Bella or Bells for short?"

"That's perfect. Isabella, you shall be, little one." Aurora burps her, grinning broadly before offering her to me.

Cradling the baby in my arms, I unfurl my wings and rock her. Kissing her temple, I whisper her name to imbue it with power. Either at birth or later, I bless each every child I help bring into this world. "You're going to do great things, little one."

I flex my wings once more before putting them away. Aurora's house is one of the few places I can expose my wings without breaking angelic law. With these males already mated, I am not breaking protocol at all. I will miss that freedom when I leave. "I should get going."

Greeting Aurora's other children as they come running in, I walk around the room to give my friends their hug good-bye. I watch the large family with a pang of jealousy—I don't know when or if I'll ever have something like this myself. Once I've said farewell to everyone, I head back towards the hall closet I manifested in when we arrived.

"Thana, wait!" Dominik shouts over the pounding of his boots behind me.

I stop with my hand on the doorknob, spinning to face him. His tone has me prepared to rush back into the room where my friend is. "Did something happen to the baby? Am I still needed?"

He laughs as he holds his hands up in supplication. "They're fine. I didn't mean to scare you."

It takes a moment to catch my breath—fear had almost closed my windpipe. Tilting my head to the side, I study him, wondering why he came rushing out.

"I want to give you a gift. I appreciate all you do for our family." His fist is closed around something small, and he's looking at me with an earnest expression.

"You don't have to give me anything; you guys are like family to me." I step towards the closet, but something tells me he won't let this go.

"I get that, but I wouldn't feel right. Take this as my token of my gratitude." Dominik places something small and warm in my hand. When I open it, tears well up in my eyes. The key to the black SRT Hellcat sits in my hand.

"Dom, you can't be serious! This is your baby! It's your favorite possession." I offer him the key back, unable to fathom such a generous present.

Aurora wobbles over, wrapping her hands around mine. "She's yours. I've been wanting to give her to you for a long time, Thana."

I lunge forward and hug them both, unable to find the words to express how I feel. This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. I've delivered a majority of their children, but I didn't expect anything in return, much less something so valuable.

"Come on. Let's go introduce you to your new ride," Dominik says as he takes my hand. He leads me down the hall, not commenting on my stunned silence.

Just outside the front door is Aurora's lifted black diesel—nicknamed Black Beauty aka the Beast. The sleek jet black SRT Challenger—aka the Harlot—is right next to it. They named the Challenger after the song "The Beast and the Harlot" from A7X, which is one of Aurora's favorite bands. Approaching it reverently, I run my fingers over the curves of the car.

Dominik watches me with a big grin. "I can tell you're gonna love her like I do." He steps over and opens the driver's door to show me a perfect interior I couldn't see because of the blacked-out windows.

Sliding into the driver's seat, I press the brake and clutch pedals and the roar of the engine makes my heart race. The rumbling purr rattles my very soul and I can't help the manic smile that crosses my lips. Wiggling the shifter left to right, I look up at Dominik. "Anytime you're in the area, please come visit your car. I know she'll miss you."

He nods, laughing as he shows me the spare fob in his hand. "I intend to. Thank you again for all of your help, Thana. I don't know what we would do without you."

Turning to face him, I beam. "I love you guys. If you need me, I'll always be there." My word is my bond, and Dominik knows I'm serious.

"Enjoy the rest of your day off. I'm sure Aurora will video call you later."

Saying goodbye is never easy, but I know I have friends for life in Aurora and her mates.

I flip through the channels until I find the Black Veil Bride's ‘Fallen Angels'. It's the anthem of my life, and I sigh in happiness. Dominik closes the driver's door as I drop into first gear. Mashing down on the pedal, I launch onto the road.

The roar of the engine rivals my loud singing. The song I love so much is about not being accepted for who you are, and it feels like they wrote it for me. All four of the band members are Dark Nephilim, so they know how I feel.

According to GPS, I have an almost four-hour drive back to reality. Grinning, I look at the screen, accepting the challenge—I'll beat that time in minutes to spare.