Page 14 of Locked Souls

“The Society paired her with David Madden, Maxen, and me. Your mother was sweet, but had a way about getting us to do what we were supposed to,” he says with a small smile. “She was our reward for the long hours of training and work. The Society dangled her over our heads.”

Knowing that the reward was sex with my mom, I push those thoughts out of my head as I grit my teeth against the pain. We wanted to wait to find out the sex of the baby—though we suspect it’s a little girl—so I speak to her or him the best way I can.

Give mommy a break, little one. You’re scrambling my insides. Let me catch my breath.

There’s not a lot of room in my stomach now that she or he is crammed inside, but I swear, I get punched for my efforts. Oh well. If they’re a fighter, then I can channel that too.

Yeah, I hear you, kiddo. I’ll suck it up.

“Uh hum,” I say, singing in my head. God, this pain just won’t slow down.

Dropping to my knees, I lay my head on my arms. I don’t care what he thinks, I can be the crazy girl.

“What are you doing?” he asks, moving over to crouch down by my head.

“These contractions are really close together. I can’t…” It’s a testament to my high pain tolerance that I can say anything at all, but the building contractions steal my words as I scream.

Sometimes, the only way to release the pain is vocally. I hope he doesn’t have any neighbors, or the cops may think I’m being killed. I certainly feel as if I’m being torn apart right now.

Panting, I moan as I rock my hips from side to side.

Two hands press on either side of my hips, compressing hard, and I find it helps the pain.

“This isn’t my first labor and delivery experience, Chastity,” he says with a sigh. “I just didn’t think I’d be doing this with my daughter.”

“Your what?!” I ask, before I whimper, because fuck me, here comes another contraction.

God, why is this happening? I swear, I’m a good person.

“How… Fuck, please don’t stop whatever that is. Are you serious right now?” I ask, panting.

“Yeah. These contractions are really damn close. Do you feel like you have to push?” he asks, going into professional mode.

“No, not yet. It’s just a lot of pressure and pain,” I gasp out. I’m starting to sweat, and I feel really hot.

“The Society rarely tells us when there are children born from the Adam and Eve unions,” he says. “Eves are typically women who have more experience, but Charity wasn’t like that. She was more giving with her smiles and her words, but she wasn’t the whore that Mother Cross pretended she was. Your mother married Maxen shortly after our initiation, and while I was disappointed, I moved on. I lost touch with the school and everyone during my duties for The Society, though I did hear about your mother’s death. I mourned her.”

I can’t see him because my head is buried in my forearms but I nod. The squeezing pressure he’s doing on my hips is helping my contractions, but the baby is also starting to drop. I have a feeling, I’m going to feel like pushing very soon.

Staying quiet, I wait for him to continue. “I lost myself to my assignments even further, the last of my humanity possibly dying with her. Charity was such a bright light. It was like she took the last of the goodness that was inside of me, and I couldn’t find my way back,” he explains.

“I leaned into the insanity and the darkness, but seeing you made my demons perk up. The Society was an excuse to take you, because you’re my daughter, and the last of what’s left of Charity.”

I thought I was coping pretty well, but the next contraction has me losing the thread of the conversation as I scream. There’s a burning sensation along my cervix, and I can feel intense pressure.

“Oh, fuck,” I cry out, gasping. “I have to push. It’s too early; this can’t be happening.”

Tears flow down my face as I see that Snake has moved, and he’s calling someone on the phone. There’s worry and concern on his face as he talks.

I feel like I’m falling down a tunnel of darkness, and I rid myself of my bottoms. He can’t see anything from where he’s standing, and if he’s going to deliver my baby, it won’t matter anyway.

As I scream through the first push, I vaguely hear Snake say, “All I wanted was to keep you safe from Isabella. I’m so sorry.”

ASH

After leaving the tunnels, and having a quick chat with The Dragon, I make my way to the courtyard and sit on the bench once more. Jonas got me good, and I can feel the ache in my ribs. I know he wanted a fight, but I just couldn’t hit him back.

I deserve all of his wrath and pain, and if I’m sore as shit tomorrow, and can’t see out of one of my eyes, so be it. I know what I did was the right thing, and one day, he will see that, but until then, I will keep apologizing and groveling.