The Gold Queen (Prequel)

Valentina

Chava cries as we hear another explosion go off in the distance and he buries his face in my chest as I rub his back to soothe him.

“Dada! Dada!” He whines, fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks.

“I know, mijo. I know,” I sigh, holding him tighter. “Dada‘s coming home soon.”

I feel a contraction ripple through me, panic fluttering in my heart. I’ve had several false alarms recently and I could only hope this was just another one.

Please, I mutter to myself as I rub my swollen belly. Please stay in there just a little longer.

Karina returns a few minutes later with Chava’s baby bag to keep him entertained, shaking a bottle of warm milk in her hands. Chava extends his tiny arms out to his mother, crying profusely for his father.

“There, there, Chava,” she rocks him in her arms as yet another explosion goes off. “It’ll be over soon.”

A gust of wind blows the window open, the sound startling all of us. Karina sets Chava down on the bed and rushes to close it, stealing peaks outside to see the progress of the fight.

“How does it look out there?” I ask, clenching my legs together as I feel a second contraction.

Oh f**k…

“I don’t know,” Karina sighs, staring intently outside. “But no matter what, we’ll be safe here. The King left us two guards at the main entrance of the Hacienda. No one’s getting in without us knowing.” Her eyes fog over as she communicates with Emi and Danny for a status report. “Looks like the fighting is dying down. We’re…”

Her voice cuts off and she grows perfectly still as she receives more news. The pounding in my chest grows louder as I wait anxiously for her report.

“We’re what?!” I snap when it feels like time has stopped entirely.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots breaks the silence and we hear shouts from outside my bedroom window, Karina’s eyes widening in shock.

“Duck!” She screams as she throws herself onto the bed, shielding Chava with her body.

The window shatters as bullets fly into my room and I duck under my covers, screaming as pictures, clocks, and other trinkets explode into millions of pieces. I feel a hand push me off the bed and I fall flat on my back onto the floor, the air leaving my lungs momentarily. My hand goes to my stomach as I attempt to pick myself up only to have a hand hold me down.

“Stay down!” Karina snaps as she hands me Chava and lifts the mattress up on its side, creating a shield for us as we hide within the bed frame.

Chava wails as bullets ricochet across the room, shattering my things. In my panic, I begin to sing to the little boy, hoping in some way to soothe him as Karina pulls out a silver revolver from Chava’s bag and rushes to the window, shooting back at our attackers.

“Pin pon es un muñeco, muy guapo y de cartón (Pin Pon is a doll, very handsome and made of paper),” I whimper, feeling a contraction ripple down my lower back. “Se lava la carita con agua y con jabon. (He washes his face with water and soap.)”

I poke Chava’s nose as I sing the lyrics, bringing his attention to me and not the terrifying bullets trying to kill us.

“s**t, they’re coming in,” Karina gasps as she runs towards me. “You take Chava and keep him quiet. I’ll fight off whatever wolves make it past the door,” She instructs, shoving Chava’s bag in my arms and dragging me towards the door.

I burst into tears at the thought of being left alone with my unborn baby and nephew. “No, Kari, don’t leave me,” I plead, holding back my sob. “I-I can’t do this alone. I-I … I’m not strong like you! I can’t shift or protect..”

“You don’t have a choice!” She snaps, shaking me by the shoulders. “You can do this, Vale. I need you too. I’m giving you my son so you better step up to the plate while I hold off the intruders. Do you understand? I need you to get it together. NOW!”

I stare blankly at her as a trickle of water spills down my legs. A small puddle forms at our feet, Karina cursing under her breath at my baby’s horrible timing. The sound of low snarls and heavy footsteps rampaging downstairs echo down the hall of our floor.

“Please, Kari. You can’t leave me!” I hiss, clinging onto her arm in a desperate attempt to make her stay with me.

She cups my face, covering my mouth with her hand as I begin to sob uncontrollably. We hear footsteps climb up the stairs and for a split second, fear flickers in Karina’s eyes. Neither of us move as she comes up with a plan.

“Get to the bathroom in Sofia’s bedroom,” she snaps. “Lock the door and don’t, under any circumstances, open it for anyone. I’ll break down if I have but you don’t move. Gotta it?”

“Where are you..”

“Got it?” She hisses, her nostrils flaring.

I nod weakly, clutching Chava to my chest.

“Wait here,” she says, peeking into the hall. She immediately retracts her head back into the room and pulls out her revolver, reloading it with extra bullets from her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she runs into the hall and begins shooting. “GO!!” She yells over her shoulder. “Run!”

Holding Chava tightly, I sprint down the hall until I reach Sofia’s bedroom, locking the door behind me. I could hear the b***d pumping in my veins as I run to the bathroom, gently setting Chava down in the tub and finding a stool to shove under the door to keep it locked. Grabbing a few towels, I climb into the tub, sifting through Chava’s things to find a pacifier to keep him quiet while we waited for Karina to return for us.

I stuff a small towel into my mouth and bite down hard, my body tightening with a contraction. I grip the sides of the tub as I ride out the pain, little Chava trying to climb out of the tub.

I spit out the towel and pull Chava back inside. “No mijo, stay here!” I scold him, large tears welling in his eyes at the harshness of my voice. “No, no, no,” I coo, wrapping him up in my arms and rocking him. “No llores, mi niño… (don’t cry).”

He pouts, spitting out his pacifier and preparing to scream. Panicking, I try to shove the pacifier back in his mouth but he refuses to take it, still upset that I yelled at him.

I let Chava rest his head in the crook of my neck and rub his head and back. My lips quiver as I feel the start of another contraction build up and I begin to sing to myself.

“Pin Pon es un muñeco…” I whimper, the pain reaching a crescendo.

A muffled g***n leaves my lips as contraction after contraction flows from my back down my legs, the pain unbearable and knocking the wind right out of me. Chava whines and I pat his tiny head to reassure him that we would be okay, although it was mostly for my own sanity.

Suddenly, we hear the door to the bedroom burst open, heavy footsteps shuffling through the room. My hand goes to Chava’s lips, tears springing to my eyes as I wait in silence. Chava struggles against me and I have to hold him down tightly to keep him from banging against the porcelain tub.

Please Moon Goddess, I pray. Please make the intruder go away.

I hear the wolf come up to the door, the sound of its sniffing almost as loud as my own heart beating against my ear drums.

Goddess please help me!

Almost as if the Moon herself is with me, I hear Karina’s scream as she attacks the wolf. Loud bangs make the wall tremble as Karina and the wolf fight for dominance. B***d begins to spill from between my legs, painting the white porcelain tub red. I let go of Chava’s face and let out a b***d curdling scream as the urge to push becomes unbearable. Chava’s wails begin to match my own as the fight outside the bathroom only intensifies, the bangs against the door growing more violent.

We are not going to die in a bathtub, my wolf, Irene snarls. You have to fight for us. For our baby.

Mustering the last of my strength, I limp out of the tub, every step shooting pain up my legs. I stagger towards the several drawers and sift through them, searching for any weapon I could use to defend us. I find Mateo’s razor blade, gripping the handle as the door bursts open.

A large tawny wolf enters the room, her fur drenched in b***d. I let out a small sigh of relief as Karina shifts to her human form and helps me back into the tub.

“I mind-linked Daniel,” she pants as pulls Chava out of the tub and sets him down in the shower, locking the shower door as he cries. “H-he’ll be here soon.”

My eyes begin to grow heavy as exhaustion takes over. Small taps against my cheeks jolt me awake, however, Karina hissing at me to stay with her. A wave of contractions arrive and I squeeze her hand.

“I’m so tired,” I heave, struggling to keep my eyes open.

Karina runs around the bathroom collecting supplies and bringing them to the edge of the tub. She then lifts my nightgown up past my h**s and pulls down my drenched panties to inspect my dilation.

“No time for sleep,” she murmurs, running a towel under the sink and wiping the beads of sweat lacing my forehead. “Your baby needs you now. When you feel the pain again, you have to push, okay?”

I shake my head, feeling my body tense up again as I brace my legs against the porcelain walls of the tub. “No.. I can’t,” I weep. “I… AHHHHH!!”

I squeeze her hand with all my might as I push, mentally cursing Danny for doing this to me.

“That was good,” she says as she wipes my forehead. “You’re doing so good, Valentina.”

She peaks down between my legs. “But I need you to try again.” I g***n in frustration and she shakes her head. “Come on, Vale. I know you can do this.” She wipes my tears and smiles at me. “You can do this.”

I gulp a big breath of air and nod, bracing my legs once again against the tub walls. I grip her hand and mentally prepare myself to push. I lose count of how many times I push, but I could feel my strength drain with every attempt I make.

“One more, Vale. Just one more,” Karina pleads.

One more, Irene whispers. One more push.

I stare at the pool of b***d in the tub.

I can f*g do this, I snap at myself as I brace for another contraction.

Inhaling deeply, I push once more, letting the air out of my mouth in a long steady stream until I hear a tiny cry. Karina pulls out the red and swollen baby from between my legs, gently wiping away the b***d from its face.

“It’s a boy,” she murmurs, unclogging its nose with a green bulb syringe from Chava’s bag. “Oh my, Vale. He’s beautiful.”

I stretch out my weak arms to her and Karina gently lays my son on my chest.

“I have a son…” I hiccup, feeling the darkness looming over me. “I have a …”

Sleep caresses my eyelids, the adrenaline finally starting to wear off. Karina’s face fills with worry.

“No,” she taps my cheeks. “You can’t sleep yet. Stay with me.”

But my strength had all but dried, sleep enticing me into its cool darkness and before I know it, Karina and my son fade into oblivion.