The witch was too far gone to answer, another scream ripping from her throat. I directed Trego to adjust her position, which allowed her to comfortably crouch against him.

“When you feel the urge, harness it and push your hardest. Don’t bother pushing until the pains come,” I counseled.

The witch, Cassie, bared down, her long claws sinking into Trego’s forearms. He ignored the blood and pain, his eyes locked on her.

“How long has she been in labor?” I asked, thinking it had to have been for a while now.

“Fifteen minutes.”

I did a double-take. “What? Is that normal for witches?”

Trego’s panicked gaze wasn’t helping my level of confidence. “No! Cassie said it’s much too early and that witches don’t give birth until ten months! She’s only halfway through!”

My heart sank. I’d seen enough premature babies to know the likely outcome. Despite this, I plastered on a calm expression and vowed to do what I could. I put a hand softly on her thigh, moving slowly and deliberately.

“I’m going to look and see what’s going on,” I stated, kneeling between her legs. I was alarmed at how bloody it was already. We needed to work quickly. I sniffed the air, the scent of my mates hovering close by annoyed me.

I poked my head outside the tent and pointed a finger at Benedict. Reluctantly, he shuffled inside. I had him take over assisting Trego with holding Cassie up. The upright position didn’t seem to be helping. If anything, Cassie screamed louder, face twisted in more pain.

“Put me down! Put me down!” she begged, and with a nod, I let the men gently settle her back down.

“I don’t understand. This position is best. It’s always worked best.”

I took another look between her legs, startled by the dark head that was trying to push its way into the world. For her next few contractions, I watched as the baby would push outwards, then simply get sucked back inside. Cassie wailed in agony.

“The child is stuck. Hold her.”

Trego and Benedict each took an arm, their faces tight and worried.

“I’m sorry,” I said under my breath to Cassie, and when the next contraction hit, I reached my hands up inside her. Her scream rattled the inside of my head, but I didn’t flinch. I prodded around the baby’s head, pushing the birth canal away from the body in the hopes it would slide free. It didn’t. Something on the baby was stuck, and it wasn’t the head. I racked my brain, trying to think. If it was an arm, the baby’s head wouldn’t have descended this far without me seeing it! My hands threaded through my hair in frustration. If Cassie was truly this early on in her pregnancy, then the baby should be small enough that it wouldn’t get stuck in the birth canal! What was the problem? Cassie screamed again, and I pushed down rising panic.

“Keep going Cassie, you’re doing amazing. Just keep going.”