Cheryl’s POV
I am good and worked up to give my argument by the time Anton returns to the house. He didn’t even have time to put the box down when I was launching into all the reasons why I should be with him during the attack. He lets me speak and just placed the box he was carrying on the counter, and stepped up to me. He put his arms around me as I continued to remind him why I would be needed out there. He just smiled down gently at me and when I stopped speaking he told me that he had “Four excellent reasons” for me to stay here as he motioned to the frame we were standing next to. It was a picture of the four of us, Anton, me, and the boys all smiling at the camera. It was taken right after we moved in, and we looked like a happy family in it. It brought tears to my eyes to see Anton’s arms around both of the boys. He accepted them instantly, and they loved him too.
His hand that he had pointed to the picture with, dropped down to my stomach and he then used both of his hands to rub my stomach. The babies knew who it was are were excited about their father’s voice and touch. They started kicking to get his attention, and his grin widened as he felt their strong kicks. We cannot wait to get to meet them, and clearly, they are excited about getting to meet us too. He has enjoyed every moment of this pregnancy, even if I haven’t. There has been nothing that he refused to do for me, to try to comfort me with. He has been so wonderful throughout my pregnancy. Even with the added stress of having twins, this has been the best pregnancy that I have ever had. Anton got a few tips from Brandon and Justin on what to do for your mate when she is pregnant. I owe them both for that. The foot, ankle, and leg massages would have been good enough, but the back rubs were so nice too. He treated me like I was the only woman in the world, and I cannot believe how lucky I am to have him.
He let me say my piece. He knew I was just so concerned for him, but he reminded me why it was important for me to stay behind. He has done everything he can to protect me from this threat. Over and above what any normal man would have done. He kissed my forehead as I calmed down and said, “You know that this is not the first battle I have been in, my love. I will be fine, only knowing that you and our children are safe will allow me to stay focused while I fight. Our children need you, and no one will protect them more than you will. I will be fine, don’t worry Alexei will make sure of that. We have fought side-by-side for hundreds of years. We will not take any risks. Plus, I want to be near Kevin, as he is insistent on fighting. I can understand why, I already know he has a bone to pick with his brother Forest in this battle. But you, the twins, and Robert being safe in our home, is the most important thing to me. I can focus on me and Kevin, and my coven, as long as I know that you are safe.”
“I just worry about you. I am scared because if they can’t see me, I know that they will be coming for you. I feel terrible that because we fell in love that you are now in danger. I don’t want to lose you, I just found you. I love you and I am not ashamed to say that I won’t do well if you are not here by my side” I told him and looked up into his handsome face. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and said, “You will never be without me, love. I promise you that I will not take any risks. We will deal with them, and I will make sure that Graham never comes back to mess with any of us again.”
I know he won’t do anything to get hurt. Anton is cautious, and he is right, their team of fighters in the coven is a strong one. They have not sustained any losses on their team for over 200 years. But the image of him returning bloody when they came back from Black Moon comes back into my mind. He was almost killed trying to get my son out of there and get him to safety. With my hormones all over the place, I cannot stop the tears that are falling from my eyes. My fear of losing him is a real concern to me, and just like he doesn’t want to lose me, I feel the same way. I can’t be greedy and refuse to allow him to fight. I know that he will be one of the strongest fighters out there. I also know that he will be able to protect Kevin out there as well. I can’t prevent it from happening. The fight will be coming to us, all we can do is keep training and preparing for it.
Anton brushes the tears from my face with his thumbs and gently said, “I will be fine. I will never willingly leave you or our children. Please do not worry about this. We are still a few months away from it. I plan on returning from the battle with our son, and I will try to make sure that neither of us gets injured. I can’t promise that we won’t be hurt. I can promise you that I love you, and I will be careful when the time comes. Do not put additional stress on yourself. You need to be taking it easy, you are still carrying our twins. I don’t want you to become upset over something that we have no real control over. I believe that we will be able to beat them in this battle. We are very well prepared already, and Brandon wants us to start doing drills next week. His plan is for everyone to be in place at the 5-minute mark of Black Moon’s arrival at the gate. He will be doing a mindlink for the whole pack to announce it. Brandon wants there to be no casualties on our end of this.”
“That is a good idea, I think that he and Raven are doing all they can to ensure that no lives are lost on our end of this. I am glad that the council is helping us to keep an eye on them. I just can’t shake the worry that I feel over what Graham has planned for us. He is going to try to kill all the ranked wolves, and I know that he will be gunning for me, and the boys. I already know he will be trying to kill you and our babies. He has destroyed enough of the people I care about. I just can’t step back and watch him do it again. He already took one mate away from me, I don’t know if I am strong enough to survive it if he took you away from me too. Don’t underestimate him, Anton, he is the lowest of the low. If he gives you an opportunity to take him out, do it. Don’t hesitate at all” I told him.
“I will not give him an opportunity to escape. I believe that we can end this quickly. I believe that the Goddess is on our side and that she will take care of it. I don’t want you to worry at all about what is about to happen, OK. Just stay calm and take care of yourself. Just focus on the babies, this should all be over soon my love. Trust me, we all want this to be over with quickly, with minimal losses” Anton told me stroking my hair with one of his hands, as he hugs me into his chest with his other hand. He knows that I am really worried about this, and he is trying to provide me comfort.
“Come, let us eat, and then you can go take your shower,” Anton said and winked at me. I knew what that meant, and I was glad to go along with him for us to eat at the island in the kitchen. We wouldn’t be physically eating much, but I needed to eat some food, just for the nutrients for my body, and I also got to up my protein as well. We usually had our biggest meal at dinner, as a family. We just got used to doing this, so although we usually survive with just blood, I needed more for the babies to get what they needed too.
He is always so caring and he went to go grab a drink for me to have with dinner after I got into my barstool. I was ready to go straight to the bedroom and get our night started, but he was right. We needed to take care of the babies, as I would do nothing to jeopardize their health. We had a nice dinner together and he had a glass of wine with his. I saw that he had recreated our first date meal, and got us steaks, asparagus, and salads, and it was a perfect meal for me. I was wondering if he realized that this meal was a duplicate when he mentioned it himself.
“I don’t love asparagus, but it grew on me after our first date. Alexei told me you asked, and got some tips for our first date. Honestly, no matter what we would have had. it would have become my favorite meal” Anton told me.
“That was a perfect night. I bet that was when we got pregnant too. Because I was turned by the fifth day after that” I smiled at the memory. It was a wonderful night.
“We should recreate that night, I was thinking about that as well,” Anton said and gave me a smirk. He knew he had me wrapped around his finger since that night. He was the complete opposite of Blake and I shuddered in pleasure at the thought of what he was planning on doing to me. That was a magical night, and I think he has a great idea. Unfortunately, I was heavily pregnant right now. I just don’t know how that is going to happen.
“Don’t you worry about it, I have you” Anton told me as he scooped me off the barstool and carried me into the bedroom. I forget that he can read my mind sometimes. I have to stop myself from telling him to put me down. I was always told by Blake that I was too heavy for him to carry when I was heavily pregnant. I wasn’t, as Blake has always been strong. He would always say that he was joking when he said it, but he wasn't, he was just being a jerk. He knew it was going to make me feel bad about me being healthy while I was carrying our pups, that was always upsetting. He never understood that it hurt when he did it, and he teased me through all 4 of our pups. I was thankful that this experience has been a lot better. Anton has been nothing but caring and compassionate to me through all the phases of the pregnancy. He missed nothing and he would even mention to Doctor Gurin when he was here for our weekly visits if I failed to mention something new I was experiencing. Doctor Gurin was taking notes about everything, to write it up in a journal. So he liked to be told everything, down to the minute detail.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as Anton carried me to our bed and laid me down carefully. I would expect nothing less from him. He knew as well as I did, that the babies would be arriving soon. He would take more care of me tonight because of that fact alone. He loves the babies already, I cannot wait to see his face when he finally gets to hold them. He has slowed things down, as he is scared to get too vigorous with me lately. He is worried about pushing me into early labor, but the babies are fine. They are perfect in fact, Doctor Gurin said that from the last images, they got of the babies, they are ready to arrive. They will be early, according to Doctor Gurin, but at the 15th-month mark, that just doesn’t seem early to me. He assures me that they developed very early for vampires but with no problems noted. He will give them both a thorough checkup after they arrive.
Anton slides the maxi dress I was wearing up my legs and I lift up to assist him in helping me out of it. I felt a little embarrassed at first around Anton, but I learned very quickly with Anton that he loved me, and he wanted me. My heart still beats faster for him when he looks at me like he is now. Bared before him, and pregnant with his babies, I still felt sexy and loved in his eyes. He kisses my stomach on both sides and smiles down at me as he started to take off his shirt. Pulling the t-shirt up and over his chest as I lay there taking in the excellent view now bared in front of me. When he finished undressing the evidence of his arousal is clear to see, and I cannot stop myself from chewing on my lower lip as I blatantly check him out. I am so thankful that the Goddess gave him to me.
“Stop biting your lip, love. I have plans for you and I won’t last with you looking at me like that. We have plenty of time tonight, and I have some very definite ideas about what I would like to do to you tonight” Anton told me and I could already feel myself getting wet from his statement. Every time he told me that, it turned out to be a great night for us. I have to hold back the whimper of excitement at the thought of what he possibly had planned for us tonight. He settles between my legs and gave me a wink before he laid down on the bed to get comfortable, sliding his arms under my legs and holding my waist before he lowered his mouth to me. Anton is an expert at this, and he soon had me worked up and screaming out his name, in no time. My legs were still shaking, when he lay down next to me on the bed and I knew what he was wanting me to do. We have been either letting me go on top, or me getting on my knees as the pregnancy has progressed so far that we can’t do missionary positions anymore. I had mentioned my frustration to Raven and Reagan who both told me that I could lay on my side for us to have sex. I had never done that, but they had both mentioned Anton being able to reach over me to rub my clit in this position. I made a mental note to mention it to him. I just forgot, because of pregnancy brain, which is honestly a thing.
I quickly explained about the new position as my legs were still a little shaky, and Anton was fine with giving this a try too. I lifted my leg and he slide right into my warm heat, and I had to hold back a moan. This felt great, and Anton was a quick study and very quickly got his pace to where I loved it. My head dropped back towards him and he slowed down a little to press a kiss to the side of my head, before picking up again. He knew all the little tricks to elicit the most pleasure from me. He built me up and slowed the pace to bring me back down again. It was delicious torture, and I was glad that we could cry out as we wanted tonight. Sometimes we held our cries back, to make sure no one heard us. But we were alone tonight, so we had no reason to hold back anything tonight.
Anton leaned forward to press down on my clit as his tempo increased. I knew he was close too, and I let go as I crashed over. The pleasure that he brought me just kept my orgasm going, as I cried out his name. I knew he felt me clenching him as I came, and he went over a few strokes later. He pulled me to his chest and then slid out of me pressing kisses on my shoulder. I felt safe and secure in his arms. There was no place I would rather be right now. He was all I needed right this moment, as I lay content in his arms. I couldn’t resist teasing him, so I asked, “So, what are your plans for later?”
Anton turned me so that I was on my back on the bed and licked my nipple nearest him before he said, “Oh, don’t worry about me, love. I have some very serious plans for you tonight.”
I could already feel him stiffing up against my hip, and I was surprised at how quickly he was ready to go again tonight. He was toying with me, flicking my breasts with his tongue. They are much heavier now that my milk had come in. He was teasing one, and then the other, when I felt the pain. It got my attention quickly as I have felt this pain before. I knew what it was, and I knew I needed to keep Anton calm too. We will be having a long night together, but it won’t be the one he planned for us.
I stroked his hair and waited for him to stop sucking on my nipple, still in his mouth. As he released it, I see him look up at me. I can see the excitement gleaming in them when he asks, “Wait, are you thinking that the babies are coming?”
I nodded at him, and he gave me a quick kiss before getting off the bed and running to get dressed from his clothes all over the floor. He brought me new underwear and the maxi dress that I had on earlier. He ran to get my luggage from the closet. I have been packed for 2 months now. I couldn’t help it, I just liked to be prepared.
I could tell that while I got dressed that Anton was getting in touch with Alexei, and Doctor Gurin. I mindlinked Raven and Reagan to let them know that I was going into labor, as I got dressed. I do not know how long this next part will last. I wanted to know but when I asked Doctor Gurin was always vague in his answers to me. The real answer was “We don’t know.” It is all because of our unique circumstances with the babies. I know that Doctor Gurin was going to be ecstatic. I also linked Doctor Max, as he was supposed to be there too.
I feel another stronger contraction hit, and I decided that maybe we should drive over to the hospital, instead of walking. I don’t think that I will be able to make it under my own power. This is already really hurting and I would like to get there before another one hits. They are 5 minutes apart already, and I don’t know if that is because I have already had children before, or if it is because it is unknown territory. I do know that I am ready to go to the hospital right now, and Anton guides me to the car to help me in. I am gritting my teeth in pain, as he quickly heads over to the hospital. I have a feeling that this is going to be a really long night.
The Babies are Here