Up in Smoke - Katie MacAlister [23]
“A voice of reason at last,” Aisling said, giving me a smile. “Guys, I’m not—”
István turned in the doorway and bellowed out of it. “Pál! Call the midwife! Aisling is in labor! I will call Nora and Rene. They wish to be here, yes? Should I boil water?”
He evidently asked the last bit of Maata, who, as the female member of Gabriel’s attendants, was obviously expected to know the answer. Maata looked surprised. “Would it make you feel better to boil water?” she asked.
István nodded his head vigorously. “It is done, is it not? The boiling of water? It is important. I saw it in a movie.”
“Then, by all means, boil water,” she answered.
István nodded again, announced to the room in general, “I boil water!” and rushed out to suit action to word.
Pál, the second of Drake’s two redheaded bodyguards, slammed into István as he was leaving, scattering apologies as he dashed into the room, a cell phone in his hand. “The midwife’s phone is busy!” he said, offering the phone to Drake as proof.
“Oh, man, if there’s going to be baby juice and blood and guck, I’m getting out of here,” Jim said, sidling around the clutch of people that surrounded Aisling. “I’m going to Amelie’s to be with Cecile. Someone tell me when it’s all over.”
“Hello, can anyone hear me? I’m not in labor!” Aisling said.
“What should I do?” Pál asked Drake, shaking the phone at him. “It is busy! Busy! How can it be busy?”
A little wisp of smoke escaped Drake’s nose as he glared at the phone. “It should not be busy. Go fetch her. There is no business she can have as important as this.”
Pál didn’t stop to answer; he just bolted from the room.
“Oh, for the love of Pete! I’m not in pain! And unless dragons have some sort of painless labor, a notion your mother vehemently says is false, then I’m not having the baby,” Aisling said, but was drowned out by Maata asking if Gabriel needed help at the same time Tipene offered to take over midwife phone duty.
Gabriel stood, putting one arm behind Aisling, obviously about to lift her out of the chair.
“I will take you upstairs to your room and examine you. You could be further along than you think.”
“Gabriel,” Drake said in a low, mean voice, his eyes narrow slits of emerald. I had the feeling he was a cat about to pounce.
Aisling looked at me. “How do you feel about violence against your loved ones?”
I eyed a nearby silver coffee carafe. It looked heavy enough to dent even the densest of dragon skulls. “I’m starting to see the appeal of it.”
“I completely under—oh!” Aisling hunched forward again as Gabriel slid his arm under her legs.
Drake exploded, slamming Gabriel up against the wall, snarling something that sounded vicious, his arm against Gabriel’s windpipe.
Maata and Tipene were instantly at his side but at a gesture from Gabriel backed away.
“Drake, let him down. It’s just a twinge, nothing more!” Aisling said, waving me toward them. “Stop him, May. Although don’t hurt him; I’m rather fond of him as he is, overprotective tendencies and all.”
I tapped Drake politely on the shoulder. “Would you mind letting Gabriel down? I promise I won’t let him hold Aisling’s hand anymore. Or touch her stomach.”
Drake eyed Gabriel for a moment. I have to admit that Gabriel surprised me by not fighting back. Having seen him go at it with Drake’s black-dragon brother, Kostya, I knew he was not one to remain passive when attacked. But he stayed still, not struggling at all despite the fact that his face was gaining a dull red tint due to lack of oxygen.
“All right,” Drake said at last, removing his hold on Gabriel. “But I will hold you responsible for his actions.”
Gabriel’s eyes flashed in warning, but Aisling bursting into laughter defused the situation enough that he could see the ridiculousness of such a comment.
I touched a faintly swollen spot on Gabriel’s neck. “Would you like me to kiss what hurts and make it better?” I asked softly.
He’d been looking at Aisling, obviously about to make some observation about her health, but at my words a new look of interest filled his eyes.