Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Ileaned against the crib, my eyes barely able to blink open.
Kayla finally went down. Eva said it was best to feed on demand, but I was losing my mind.
She always wanted to eat. She would wake up screaming, only to chomp down and empty an entire side, then fall asleep again.
Supposedly, she was supposed to sleep for hours, but she just kept waking up to feed.
It was important to let her, but even Eva was surprised by how much she was willing to not just feed, but interrupt anything she was doing to do that. Dean had come in yesterday and done her one-month checkup. She was gaining weight, eyes bright, and there weren’t any issues.
My chest hurt constantly. Eva said that my production was through the roof and it might even out, but I was having to pump between her many feeds too, just to stop them from hurting so badly. I was leaking all over the place and I couldn’t remember the last time I had more than an hour of sleep.
The door to the nursery opened, and I couldn’t even muster the strength to open my eyes. I couldn’t move though, because if I did, Kayla might wake up and I would end up having to feed again. There was a soft sigh before I felt someone sit next to me on the floor. My head fell onto her shoulder.
“Colt…you need to sleep.” Beau whispered, careful not to make too much noise.
I shook my head. “I can’t. She hasn’t been down that long and I…if I sleep…she’ll just wake me up in ten minutes.”
“Let Mom or me feed her. You have enough milk saved up. We can heat it up and bottle-feed her. It’s okay. You need to sleep.”
Grabbing my shirt, I peeled up away from my chest. “I pumped not that long ago and I’m already leaking. If I let it go…”
“Colt, stop.” Her command came through, and I shivered, her scent slamming into me. “You need to sleep. For you and for Kayla.”
Sighing, I rubbed my eyes. “I’ll just…rest my eyes…for a little.”
As if it had been a command, my body relaxed against her, and I fell asleep.
I woke up in pain. Groaning, I reached down and winced.
My chest, both sides, were huge. They were also leaking a lot.
My pads were soaked through, and my shirt became completely soaked as well.
Looking at the clock, my eyebrows shot up.
I’d been asleep for over an hour. Moving to sit up, I pressed my hand to my head.
A migraine was hitting, and I knew I probably was because I was dehydrated.
Standing, my light-headedness got worse, and I swayed. Grabbing the chair, I held myself up so I wouldn’t fall. A hand grabbed my arm, and I looked up. Eva was holding onto me, and I closed my eyes against the room spinning.
“Alright. We need to do something about this. We need to figure out a schedule for everyone. It’s about time, and with how you try to take on too much, not having one isn’t working for you.”
“What?” My voice croaked.
Eva sighed. “Shower first. You need to pump afterwards. I’ll check with Candice when Kayla last fed. Then we are working on a schedule for you. Got it?”
“I’m fine, Eva. It’s just new. I’m slowly getting used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to. It’s been four weeks, yes, but that little wyvern is drinking you dry, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. You need a helper, maybe three. Plus, you need time to sleep. So right now, shower, and we will get you situated.”
I nodded, knowing it was useless to fight her. She led me to the bathroom and then disappeared. Stripping off the wet shirt and wrap, I turned on the water and waited for a minute before stepping into the hot stream. The water washed over me, and I sighed.
When was the last time I took a shower? I chuckled.
If I couldn’t remember, then it was probably over a week.
Looking from the outside, having a baby seemed a lot easier than facing the reality that was parenting.
Even if Marcus were here, the two of us probably would have needed help.
My eyes closed, and I stepped into the stream as it pounded against my face.
Finishing my shower, I got out and towel-dried my body.
The heat had softened my chest and wasn’t painful, but now I was just dripping.
I felt better, though. Going into the bedroom, the pump was already ready for me on the bed.
Sighing, I pulled on some pants from the closet and grabbed a shirt, but didn’t put it on.
“Gods, that looks rough.” Eva came in just as I sat down in the large chair in the corner to pump.
Her hands reached out and pressed the edges, milk pouring out, and her eyebrows rose. I chuckled, swatting her away so I could attach both sides of the pump. Once it had started, I sighed in relief.
“Kayla just topped off when I went down, so it would be good to empty to set up for the next feed.”
I nodded, grabbing another four empty bottles and setting them next to me on the table. “Thanks, Eva. I needed that. I hadn’t showered in a while.”
“I’m going to stay for a couple more days to help.”
“You don’t…”
Her glare cut me off. “I do. I’ve got nothing else going on. We need to make sure you are taking care of yourself so you can take care of Kayla.”
“I know…I just…” My emotions felt too overwhelming lately.
Eva kissed my head. “I understand, Colt. More than you know. Can I get you anything? I know you need water. Your lips look more cracked than a desert in a drought.”
“I’m okay, Eva. Thank you.”
She frowned. “I’ll bring up a snack then. You’re not eating enough either.”
I looked down, still amazed at how fast my body had recovered.
It was like looking at myself before all this happened.
The issue was that I was having a PCDHS episode nearly every day.
They were shorter, lasting about two to three hours, but the frequency was hitting my body hard.
I was trying to keep up with the intake that Eva wanted me at, but it was a struggle.
“Yes, Eva.”
She disappeared from the room, leaving the door open a crack.
I changed the bottle soon after, since both of them were full.
This was ridiculous if I was going to end up getting two bottles every time I pumped.
That was four full bottles every single time, and somehow Kayla was still hungry all the time.
Before, I was struggling with having space in my mind. That was not the case now. I could barely focus on the book in front of me. Tyson brought some materials from the Archives and was having me translate them, but it was a struggle to find the time.
Maybe Eva was right. I needed help. It hurt to admit that I wasn’t enough for my own daughter. Even with everyone telling me they all got help, how was I supposed to wrap my head around that. My hormones definitely couldn’t.
My phone rang on the desk and I put it on speaker. “Hey, Mike.”
“How are you doing?”
I shook my head. “I think Eva just forced me into an intervention. I apparently am not doing well.”
He chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you’re getting help. Rin is like a fly in my ear, trying to get us to come over every weekend. I’m about to go crazy.”
“She has class! What the hell is she doing saying anything about leaving?”
“Trust me, I know. I’m afraid she’s just going to show up one night at the house with Kayla-withdrawal-syndrome. She acts like a crazy person sometimes.”
I laughed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “I’m sure she will get better.”
“Let’s hope.”
We lapsed into silence, and after a minute; I rolled my eyes.
“What did you call for, Mike?”
“I think we’ve found a location.”
My spine snapped straight, and I tried to settle my heart. “Marcus?”
“Yesterday, Ebony made another trip to the east. This time I was ready. Even though she went dark through all the systems, I had my team follow her.”
“And?”
He took a breath. “She disappeared under an overpass in the middle of nowhere.”
A sob broke out of me, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Wait! I know…shit. There was a door that was built into the overpass. It went underground. It’s a maze. Someone built it when they built the overpass, but it feels like a bunker from World War 2 or something.”
I tried to take a breath, but it hurt. “Mike.”
“They are sweeping the tunnels. It goes deep, heading north. The entire area is owned by Juniper Corporation. Which is a subsidiary of Petrov Unlimited.”
Nodding, I knew where he was going. “Petrov is a subsidiary of the Genesis Company. Dylan’s family’s company.”
“Exactly. It’s barren. Completely. There is nothing on it. It turns out there is something under it.”
“Did Ebony leave?”
Mike let out a long breath. “Yes. It seems like she’s packing for a trip.”
“A trip?”
He let out a soft chuckle. “Bikinis, hats, sundresses…everything that would indicate she’s leaving for the beach.”
“That doesn’t sound like something to wear in an underground bunker.”
“I agree. Which is why I think they are moving him. I don’t think this bunker was the first place they had him either.”
I leaned back in the chair. “If he gets moved before we can find him…”
“I’m not worried, Colt. If they are moving him above ground, then it’s going to be easier to track him. Even easier if it’s the both of them. We are ready. I’ve got my team making sure we don’t lose Ebony.”
“If they’re letting him be in the light of day though…what condition does that mean he is in?”
Mike was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. No matter what, we will screw his head back on straight.”
How did I tell Mike that I was wondering if that was the right thing to do. That I was already alone, drowning. If they had done something to Marcus…if Ebony won…who was I to break them apart.
“Colton. No. We are getting him back. He is your mate. Your happiness. We will rescue him. End of story.”
I let out a breathy laugh. Of course, he knew what I was thinking. Shaking my head, I turned when I heard a noise outside the door. Eva pushed the door open, handing me a water bottle and a plate of snacks. I set them down on the table, thanking her.
“Keep me updated. Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy to get even that information.”
“I will. Take care of yourself. Make sure you’re eating.”
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “Yeah, yeah. Text me.”
The call ended, and Eva was standing next to me with her hand on her hip. She looked down at me expectantly, but I just smiled. Reaching out, I grabbed my book, Domingo’s journal, which I was reading through for the third time.
“We’ll figure out a way, Colt. He’ll come back to you.”
“I just…in what state is he going to be in when we finally find him after all this time? That…scares me the most. I might not get him back at all. I know I need to accept it, I just…it’s been months now…”
Eva sighed, but smiled. “It’s okay not to accept it, Colt.
He’s your mate. You love him. He loves you.
Everyone could tell that from the moment they saw the two of you.
It might take time, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept anything.
Not yet. Be angry. Fight. Don’t let them win.
Don’t give up. Not when you have Kayla, too.
You both deserve to have Marcus. No matter what. ”
“Thanks, Eva. I’ll be okay.” It was the only thing I could say, because anything else might break me.
“When you’re done pumping, come down. We will get working on that schedule and bring everyone in on it.
So everyone gets some sleep.” I opened my mouth to argue, but she glared at me.
“Don’t even think about it, little wolf.
Don’t you even think about arguing. You’re going to lose.
You know it, I know it, so just don’t bother. Save your breath.”
Chuckling, I let out a long breath. “Fine. I’ll be down in a few.”
“Good boy.”