“Because you’re so good at everything else,” he said. “All I know is what I’ve seen in movies. Boil water. Tear up sheets.”

As usual, I clung to logic to try to calm myself. “You could boil water for sterilization. But the sheets? That’s not really—”

A scream from outside interrupted my babbling. Adrian moved his body protectively to shield Olive, and I summoned a fireball to my palm. We all stared wordlessly at the dark window, unable to make out what was happening. We heard shouts and another scream, making my imagination run wild.

“I wish Neil was here,” Olive whispered.

“Me too,” I said, thinking I’d feel a lot better with him standing by the door with a silver stake.

Adrian squeezed Olive’s hand. “You’re going to be fine. Sydney and I will protect you. Nothing’s going to come through that door that we don’t want.”

Just then, the door burst open and Rand Ivashkov appeared, face frantic.

“What’s happening out there?” I demanded.

He slammed the door shut behind him and sank into a chair. “Strigoi. Dimitri told me to come stay here with you guys.” He eyed Olive’s state uneasily. “In case you needed help.”

“Not unless you’ve got a secret medical degree you’ve been hiding from the family,” snapped Adrian.

“How many Strigoi are there?” I asked.

Rand shook his head. “Not sure. Probably only a few or we’d all be dead by now. But a few can do a lot of damage if they get the drop on you.”

Olive made a small cry of pain, and we turned back to her.

“Another contraction,” I noted.

“At least it’s been a few minutes. Maybe he’ll wait until this is all over,” Olive replied.

“He? You know it’s a boy?” Adrian asked.

“Not for sure,” she admitted. “But I just have a hunch.”

“I believe in hunches,” Adrian said seriously.

Another scream sounded, and I tried to provide a distraction for Olive. I might not know everything about labor and delivery, but stress like this couldn’t be good for a pregnant woman. “What are you going to name him?” I asked her.

Adrian followed my lead. “Adrian Sinclair has a nice ring to it,” he said.

Olive’s eyes, full of fear, watched the window and door, but her lips curled into another smile at the joke. “Declan.”

“Nice Irish name,” I said.

“It would work,” Adrian conceded. “Declan Adrian Sinclair.”

“Declan Neil,” she corrected.

I wondered how Neil would feel about having someone else’s child named after him. In the nonstop chaos that had ensued since we’d arrived, there’d been no opportunity to talk to Olive about the circumstances that had driven her here to the commune. And as we continued our anxious vigil, it seemed unlikely we’d discuss matters anytime soon. Conversation dried up as time passed. All we could do was watch and wait. The sounds outside eventually quieted, and I didn’t know whether to be reassured or more alarmed. Equally disconcerting was that Olive’s contractions kept getting more frequent. I wondered if we should be boiling water after all.

The door opened again, and I nearly hurled the fireball at the newcomer until I saw it was Rose. Her face was streaked with blood and dirt. “We got them,” she said. “None of our people died, but there are a lot of injuries. Their doctor’s away right now, and we were wondering, Adrian, if you could . . .”

She couldn’t finish, but I knew what she wanted. Adrian did too. He turned from her to me, his face full of pain.

“Sydney—”

“She said no one’s dead,” I interrupted.

“Some might be close,” he countered. “Especially if the doctor’s away.”

I glanced back at Rose. “Are there people who might die?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know. Some are clearly in pretty bad shape, though. I saw a lot of blood when I was back at their infirmary.”

Adrian began moving toward the door. “That’s it, then. I’m going to help.” He paused to look back at Olive. “She needs someone too. Right now. The baby’s coming. Sydney—”

“No, I’m coming with you. I know basic first aid,” I said, though my true motivation was to keep an eye on Adrian. “Rose, can you help Olive? Or get someone who can?”

The look on Rose’s face showed she felt as completely unprepared for that as I was, but she gave a quick nod. “I’ll try to find someone who actually knows what they’re doing. There must be plenty of people who’ve helped with that before. But Sydney, are you sure you want to go? There’s an Alchemist on the way to help destroy the bodies.”

“An Alchemist?” Olive gasped out.

I froze, and suddenly, a whole new sort of panic took over. “On the way?”

“Not here yet,” Rose concurred. “I think they said his name was Brad or Brett or something. Works out of Marquette.”

“Don’t risk it,” Adrian told me. “Stay here.”

I hesitated, knowing that was the smart thing to do. It would be idiotic to risk myself now after everything I’d done to avoid recapture by the Alchemists. Yet, at the same time, I was just as afraid of what might happen to Adrian if I left him alone to wield spirit. I shook my head. “Brad or Brett isn’t here yet. I’ll keep out of sight when he shows up.”