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Eden was glad his close friendship with the toilet had ended; hating the overwhelming hunger that assaulted him before the equally strong wave of nausea that had him contemplating the viability of white porcelain in a vampire’s bathroom. He couldn’t do anything but go with the flow of his body’s mood as it acclimatised to the changes occurring to it – the new life growing inside him. But watching Alric fluff about trying to find a way to alleviate his nausea had been amusing, except the only viable option suggested to Alric by other vampire’s who’d had children in the centuries past, was the one he’d already vetoed: ginger.
But at least now he could concentrate on his classes even if Eden couldn’t attend them in person, not with his very noticeable pregnant bump. Eden ran a hand over it still scarcely believing it was real. Twelve months ago, he’d been human and believed vampires, werewolves and other supernatural creatures were a thing of myths and legend. Would have laughed at anyone who dared to suggest otherwise – had done exactly that when he first met Alric – an would have laughed even harder at the suggestion he’d become a part of that world... yet here was a dhampyre staring down eternity. And the idea of being pregnant?
Eden shook his head, as fantastical as it all seemed, he wouldn’t change it for the world. Well, maybe he’d change the timing of everything, but there was no point moping over something that couldn’t be changed when he had assignments that needed finishing. They wouldn’t even wait for him to be less tired either.
He threw the blankets off and awkwardly hauled himself out of bed, glad Alric wasn’t here to witness his ungraceful movements and waddled into the bathroom for a quick shower. And it would be quick too with Alric at work and not due back till later this evening - possibly not until hours after Eden had finished his classes as the meeting with the Jiangxue coven couldn’t be rescheduled as easily as Alric’s other business meetings – leaving him to shower in peace. Ever since his bump had developed, Alric’s hands were never far from it; caressing it as he talked to their unborn child.
It was one of many ill-conceived notions Eden had to discard since his turning, never expecting vampires to be so affectionate until he experienced it first-hand. If anything, the truth of what vampires were, was scarier than that written in the books of fiction – he’d long since stopped referring to his course books as non-fiction – and purposely so. Alric and the other vampire covens scattered through the world had worked hard to keep the truth from being learned at how seamless they all moved in the human world. Manipulating it to suit their needs...
And it was something Eden too would work hard to protect. This was now his world as much as it was Alric’s.
As enjoyable as the peace was, Eden needed to move faster if he was to reach the library beneath the library to catch the live stream of his lecture. He could just easily watch it while lounging on the couch, or a recording of it later. And he would if and when he needed to, but for now Eden found it easier to concentrate if he was somewhere far from distractions – not that a room full of books was any better – and by watching it as a live stream he could message questions to his lecturer regarding the subject matter just as those sitting in the lecture theatre could.
But what he was glad of being tucked away in the library was that it didn’t require him to wear anything too stylish. Comfort mattered most as he tugged on a pair of sweats, letting them hang below his baby bump; slipped on a comfy sweatshirt and shoved his feet into a pair of sheepskin boots.
He wandered out to the living area and snatched up his satchel, putting his notebook and grabbing the pens he could reach on the table into it. It meant he had a green and a red one, rather than his preferred black pen, but seeing as it was lying on the floor under the coffee table, Eden wasn’t even going to attempt bending down to get it. Yet, he really needed more than the two pens he had, fearing not being able to jot down notes because the ink had run out. He sighed heavily and headed for Alric’s study knowing that there would be pens in his desk drawer. Finally satisfied he had everything, Eden stepped out of the apartment.
Eden walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the entrance to the tunnel that would take him to the vampire library beneath the university’s, pleasantly surprised to find it empty of well-meaning vampires. He couldn’t blame them for all being nosy, when despite the number of couples and the ease at which they could get pregnant, there hadn’t been a child born to the coven for a couple of hundred years. It also meant there was no one to see him pause, lean heavily against the wall as a sharp pain radiated up his side. Eden grimaced, rubbed at the spot until the pain disappeared and continued, trying not to think to seriously about it.
Opening the door and stepping into the tunnel, Eden squawked loudly as a voice echoed through the dimly lit tunnel. “You took your time getting here, Eden. And you might have been late for class if it weren’t for this-” a loud clang as a foot hit metal drew Eden’s focus toward Albie who was leaning against a golf cart. He didn’t even want to think how they’d managed to get it into the tunnel. Wasn’t even going to ask whose idea it was, over-protective buffoon; the library was only a hundred metres away.
“I can walk-” he folded his arms across his chest and glared at Albie while ignoring the sharp pain that had returned. “-it’s not that far.”
“Don’t be an idiot. You’ll be exhausted by the time you reach the library... just as you have been for the past few days-” Eden’s eyes narrowed further, not liking that a certain dhampyre had been telling tales. Didn’t matter that they were true. “-just for once stop being so damned stubborn.”
Another sharp stab of pain streaked down Eden’s side and this time he couldn’t hide it. Doubled over, he clutched at the wall, hissing out a pained breath.
“Eden... are you okay?” Albie raced to his side, panic etching his voice as though it had been the first time he’d seen a vampire in pain.
Eden closed his eyes, sucked in a slow breath, and then another, straightening up as the pain subsided. “I’m fine, Albie, so you can put that blasted phone away. There is no need to notify Alric every time I get a little twinge – and that’s all it is – and besides he doesn’t need the distraction today while he’s meeting with the Jiangxue coven.” He chuckled at the scowl forming on Albie’s face at the mention of the neighbouring coven. For whatever reason the vampire did not like them; complained bitterly every time he needed to liaise with the dragons in charge of the Jiangxue’s security. And if it hadn’t of been for the unfamiliar vampire – or dhampyre, there was no way to tell without asking – Eden had seen leaving Albie’s apartments on several occasions, he’d have thought there was some unresolved sexual tension there. “But that is why you’re here today and not Skylhr.”
“That maybe, but unlike Skylhr I’m not so easily brushed off, and I’m not sure that you are fine. You look paler than normal... maybe we should head for the medical centre and talk to a doctor.”
Eden wanted to point out that he was pregnant, not an invalid and didn’t need to go running to the doctor with his every niggle. Sometimes he wondered how vampires had survived on the earth for thousands of years; getting pregnant and giving birth before the days of modern medicine. He’d asked once, curious to know why Alric and Albie had looked at a complete loss trying to figure how to answer. Turned out that the last pregnancy in the coven had occurred several hundred years ago, just as Alric was taking over the coven and a lot had changed since them.
“No, I don’t want to go to the cli-” his words interrupted by another sharp pain that Eden couldn’t pass off as a twinge. It was like his insides were being squeezed in a vice, he supposed they were in a way, but it was enough to make him pause and wonder if these twinges were something more. Another wave had him gritting his teeth as he tried not to cry out. Gasping for breath as panic dug its claws in realising he had no idea how he was supposed to deliver this baby. Eden thought he still had a couple of months to figure it out.
“Eden, I don’t care what you want anymore... we’re going to see the doctor.”
“Fuck, it’s too soon.”
Albie shook his head, wrapping an arm around Eden and guided him back out of the tunnel. “But then nothing about you has happened on schedule. We probably should have considered that this would move just as fast.”
“Four weeks early maybe... but this is eight weeks before they were due to arrive.” Digging his fingers into Albie as another excruciating contraction brought tears to his eyes.
“And can I call Alric now?” Albie asked, while flagging down another vampire walking through the hallway, getting them to race ahead and let the doctors know Eden was on his way.
“He’d fucking kill you if you didn’t,” he replied through gritted teeth, stopping again as his contractions came closer and more intense. “But, if I’m going to continue this trend of doing things faster than normal...” Eden was already beginning to believe that was the case, though he didn’t have the urge to push like he’d read about in the pregnancy books he’d bought... then again, they were written about human pregnancy, not a male dhampyre one.”
“Yeah... he might not make it here in time.”