Chapter dedicated to Timewarptime. Thanks for reading and reviewing! You are awesome, my friend.

Chapter 38 – Out of Time – Myrnin's POV

My phone rang. I glanced down, happy to see it was Claire, but curious why she was calling since I had just left her a few minutes ago. I pressed the accept button and said, "Hello, little bird."

It wasn't Claire.

My blood ran cold when I heard Shane hiss urgently, "It's Shane. You need to..." He wasn't able to finish his sentence over Claire's shrill scream in the background.

Every protective instinct in my body felt like it had been compressed into tiny pieces of kindling and lit on fire. I was already in motion toward the portal and didn't bother with a reply. As I stepped through, I called Theo. When he answered, I barked fiercely, "Get to the Glass House now!"

The line went dead. I knew he would get Amelie to assist him through the portals. Unfortunately, there wasn't a portal in his house. The closest one was a few minutes away at one of the Founder houses.

My attention zeroed in on Claire the instant I made it through, and I crossed the room to her in a blur. The scent of her blood was shockingly strong as it washed over me. I knew right away – there was way too much of it – I could lose her and the baby at any moment. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Shane had slid to the side to allow me room. Eve stood at her head. I quickly moved her to the floor and stripped offher pants. She was gasping hard as tears streamed down her cheeks. Another pain hit her. She arched her back and let out a high-pitched scream. The sound was physically painful to me, clawing at my insides. I comforted her fervently, "It's going to be okay, little bird! I'm here now. Theo is on his way."

I didn't really believe my words.

I could tell that Claire didn't either. She was too knowledgeable. I could see it in her eyes. She knew she had lost too much blood.

Shockingly fast, I felt the portal open behind me and Theo was by my side. I grasped Claire's hand tightly and let him work. He spoke soothingly but I could see the concern in his eyes, as he instructed, "Okay, push for me now."

Claire's face scrunched in concentration as she pushed. It was only a second later that my daughter was born. I felt like I was floating in someone else's reality, not quite believing she could be mine. But I knew it was true. A part of me had known from the very first moment when I sang Welsh lullabies to her in the lab. I had felt connected to her in some unexplainable way then. And now I knew why. She was absolutely mine.

Theo briskly rubbed her body, suctioned her nose and mouth, and applied two clamps to her umbilical cord. He handed me a pair of scissors, and I quickly snipped the cord. Claire watched with the same anxiety painted on her face that was curling uneasily through my belly. We were both waiting for the same thing.

Our little one still hadn't cried. Her eyes were open, but she looked drowsy. Theo continued to stimulate her tiny body. And then the most beautiful sound I ever heard came out of her mouth. She let out a wail of discontent. I brushed away the tears flowing down my cheeks.

Theo wrapped her hurriedly in a blanket and placed her in my arms as he instructed, "Tell her hello quickly. She needs to get to the hospital. Her breathing is still labored and she needs oxygen."

I stared down at her in awe. She was the tiniest human I had ever seen. She couldn't have been more than five pounds. Her tufts of silky soft chestnut colored hair stood out in stubborn disarray on her head. She had calmed down, and her large, round hazel eyes stared at me with an amazing amount of clarity and understanding.

I held her close to Claire's face, so she could see her as well. Claire's expression had started to look vacant, but she forced herself to focus. She kissed her tiny little head and whispered, "Mommy loves you, baby."

Abruptly, Claire's eyes turned glassy. She looked for me, but I wasn't sure if she could see anything now. Her words sounded very much like a goodbye as she barely breathed, "I love you," before her eyes closed and unconsciousness overwhelmed her.

Eve cried frantically through her tears, "Heal her! Heal her with your blood!"

I hissed, "I can't! She has already lost too much blood volume. If she drinks mine now, she will turn."

Eve stared at me with wide, frightened eyes as she understood.

I was out of time.

I brushed my lips to our little one's pink cheek and reluctantly handed her to the nurse who was waiting by my side. I looked at Eve again and said forcefully, "Go with my daughter. Stay with her."

Eve's expression morphed into fierce determination as she snapped to her feet. Immediately, Michael was right behind her. She looked down at me and swore fervently, "We will make sure she is safe and healthy for you."

They had better. I couldn't even force my brain to conceive an outcome where I lost her. They disappeared from my vision, and all I could see was Claire. I knew she didn't want to become a vampire... Not now. I had told myself I was ready to make that choice for her, but I didn't want it to happen like this. I had to do everything I could to save her without it.

Theo interrupted my chaotic thoughts, "Myrnin, if you do not turn her now, she will die. You are gambling with her very life by delaying even another second."

"Does she need surgery?!" I interrupted, as my brain spun through the human obstacles I faced.

He shook his head, "No, I've delivered the placenta and manually contracted her uterus. There are no tears. She has just lost too much blood to survive now. Honestly, I'm not sure how she hasn't already died."

I knew the answer to that.

I had known the moment I felt the air disrupt around us.

The House was keeping her alive...