Chapter 37 #2
He nodded, slipping back into his role as detached Master Scholar.
“Yes, the references were not conclusive, and I could find little mention in established medical journals—which is why I had not brought it up—but we are out of options. And I am not sure the aphrodisiac properties in either Odelm’s or my essence will be sufficient since you are not ovulating.
It will not be nearly as strong as it was during bonding—"
I cut off his dithering. I was willing to try this, even with an audience. “It’s fine. It’s worth a shot, if it might help. Where do I sign up? And what do we need to do?”
He gave a sharp nod and came forward to the edge of the tub as he said, “We will try my moss combined with Odelm’s tentacle tips and see if it is enough...” He paused, clearly thinking. “Perhaps Odelm’s tongue...”
The other Circuli in the room shifted, obviously a little uncomfortable. Z’fir climbed out of the water to join V’dim. I forced myself to ignore the crowd and looked up at Odelm.
“Are you both okay with this? I’m willing to try almost anything at this point. I terrified about this getting worse and not being able to handle the pain.”
Odelm looked down at me with a smile in his pale green eyes. “Of course, Selena. If there is any way at all we can help, we want to. It is hard seeing you suffering.”
I reached up to caress his cheek as I angled my body to face him.
Then groaned as another wave of pain swept me under.
As I panted, struggling to focus, Odelm bent and pressed his mouth slit to my lips.
His tongue slid along the edge of mine, three-fingered tip grasping eagerly.
The sweet-salt flavor exploded across my taste buds, though it was clearly lighter than before.
My tongue tingled, warmth and sensation spreading down my throat.
As the contractions eased, I pulled away and lay back. It had helped a little, though I couldn’t tell if it was the distraction or Odelm’s essence helping most.
I turned as Xylo came up beside us and stroked my arm. “Any help, Selena?”
“A little.”
He smiled with relief.
“Bite my moss as well. We will need to flood your system with as much of our essence as we can, since it is weaker.”
He bent to me, pressing a kiss to the side of my head as I closed my lips over his shoulder.
The unique herbal scent that was all Xylo flooded my senses as I crushed his moss between my lips and teeth.
My tingling arousal blossomed, deepened and I shivered.
I felt Odelm’s tentacles sliding between my thighs beneath the water, pressing into me and the tingling warmth spread.
I moaned. As another round of contractions began, I panted through it. But somehow, the edge of the pain had morphed to a bite of pleasure. I sucked in a deep breath at a particularly sharp contraction. The pain was far from gone, but maybe... maybe it was a little more manageable?
“Stars! I am definitely going to knee that ishing frax Aldawi in the balls when I see him for putting me through this then abandoning me.” I growled many hours later.
I heard a snort from across the room and glared over at Kaede, where he still held up the wall. Asshole.
The pain had become nearly unendurable and not even my nestmates’ combined essences were mitigating it anymore. I couldn’t even feel the arousal over the pain.
As I panted through the latest round of contractions, Xylo and Chyox approached with the monitor. They pulled it across my stomach and began discussing my lack of any dilation and whether the cubs had shifted or not. Ayces and Usthu chimed in as they observed via the monitor at the sink.
I tuned them all out and slumped against Odelm, closing my eyes in fatigue.
I didn’t know how much more of this I could take.
It was already late night with no end in sight.
I felt like I’d had enough tea to sink the Destiny—though eating had been next to impossible.
Xylo had begun fussing over my ‘nutrient intake’ and discussing options with Chyox.
I screamed as a searing pain shot across my abdomen followed by the most intense contraction I’d felt thus far. Odelm’s arms and tentacles tightened around me, and Xylo and Chyox bent to the monitor with concern.
“I do not see any signs of a problem, but surely there should be progress by now?” Chyox muttered.
“She should have dilated already... It does not seem possible it would be this slow...” The calm detachment in Xylo’s voice and demeanor had long since vanished.
In fact, everyone had grown tense and anxious. All the Ulax in the room, including Odelm, had shifted past orange and were headed into a panicked yellow. V’dim shaded to black at the edges, and Odelm’s yellow was nearly white with fear. Something had to give, and soon.
As the long wave of contractions eased, I slumped back against Odelm. Chyox gave me a few sips of tea then bathed my face in cool water again. I smiled gratefully at him.
“Xylo”—my voiced cracked—“is there nothing else we can do? I don’t think I can take much more...” My voice died, so I added mentally, “How much longer do you think it will be? Is there any sign of anything happening yet?”
Xylo wrung his hands as his vines writhed in agitation.
“Nothing. There is no dilation. No sign your cervix has even softened in preparation. I see the cubs have moved, but we do not know if that indicates anything. It does not look as it did in the medical text—perhaps because they are not fully human...”
He and Chyox removed the scanner and headed back over to join the other healers at the sink. Xylo turned his focus on another case and started rummaging through it. I tuned out again as all four healers began a technical discussion. Far too much medical jargon to follow.
Another round of contractions had me nearly passing out.
I caught the trailing edge of a panicked thought Odelm sent to Xylo before my mind blanked from the pain.
As I came to, I saw the princes had moved to the tub.
They were sitting across from us as they studied the room.
Their vines and tentacles were tightly intertwined as though they were comforting one another.
“Is there anything we can do?” V’dim asked.
“Surely there is something else that can be done?” Z’fir demanded at the exact same moment, gesturing to me. “Selena will not be able to keep this up much longer. Is there any way to speed things up? Or a medical procedure to remove the cubs?”
I groaned as another contraction started. Odelm massaged my shoulders as the room focused on Xylo, waiting for his answer. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the soothing massage, though tears leaked from the corner of my eyes from with sharp pain of the contractions.
As I tried to drag in another deep breath, a sob emerged. Odelm started humming, sending a gentle vibration from his chest to my back. The other Ulax increased the strength of their calming blanket, but it wasn’t enough, and I could see V’dim starting to feel the strain from the effort.
“Medically, we cannot see anything wrong.
The data from her medical bracelets, all her vitals, the scans.
.. we cannot find anything amiss. But I do not know if there is something we are not aware of—we simply know so little about human pregnancy!
It certainly seems the cubs should have arrived by now.
And her vitals are starting to reflect the stress of the prolonged pain and lack of rest or adequate food—"
Odelm broke in, “Can you not see how much pain she is in, nestbrother? There must be something else we have not tried!”
I could practically hear Xylo swallow from across the room.
Then he squared his shoulders as though needing to prepare himself, force himself to continue.
He sighed, then said in a quiet voice, “There is only one other possibility mentioned in the homeopathic texts... Male ejaculation contains a hormone, something called prostaglandin, that it was claimed could induce labor. When introduced prior to dilation, the texts claimed it helps stimulate and soften the cervix. And female arousal, then orgasm, release oxytocin which can blunt the pain as well as possibly aid the effects of the prostaglandin.”
He paused, glancing uneasily around the room.
“Most of the Children have the same basic hormones. I did not want to mention this as an option, because clearly, Odelm and I are not biologically capable of helping in this way until she starts ovulating again. The only option would be one of you—which would mean a courting bond and Selena immediately making that bond permanent. She would have to take another nestmate. And even then, there is no guarantee that it will hurry her labor along or reduce her pain. It is a greater sacrifice than I was willing to suggest either she—or any of you—make.”
Silence fell in the room.
Another wave of contractions hit, and I squeezed my eyes closed as I struggled to breathe through the pain. Oh Stars... I was never doing this again. Ever. As the pain passed, I collapsed in Odelm’s embrace and opened my eyes.
Everyone was focused on me with a variety of different looks on their faces. The princes seemed conflicted. Chyox looked between Xylo and me in horror, while the other two healers appeared confused.
When my eyes roamed to Kaede, still leaning against the far wall, he stepped forward.
“I could do it.” He brushed his hair back. “I mean, I could try. I don't even know if it is possible for me to become aroused. My half-sisters said something about needing another to help them, that it wasn’t something we could control on our own.”
He surveyed the room.
“At the least, we know I’m not Circuli, so there would be no need for Selena to take a nestmate not of her choosing. And no one else in this room would be pressured to permanently bond with her.”