After about another half a minute, she slumped back, breathing hard. She pointed to a glass of water on the side table.

Fuck! He was so damned useless. Torrent scrambled to grab the glass and almost fell on his ass.

Candy smiled as she took the glass from him. He helped her sit up so that she could drink. “Here.” He brushed the hair from her face. “You’re doing great.” He kissed her temple.

She gave him a smile that spoke of exhaustion. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“A couple more contractions and the young prince will be born.” The healer gave Candy a reassuring smile. “You are doing well, my lady.”

Candy clutched Torrent’s arm and rested her head against it.

* * *

Her break didn’t last long. Her contractions were coming fast. It felt like it was happening one after another with barely enough time to catch her breath. Her whole body felt achy. Candy had never felt more tired in her life. It was like she had just run a marathon and was being forced to drop and give one hundred pushups.

There was no backing out. No stopping it. She could feel her belly tighten. Her muscles gripping tighter and tighter. It felt like her entire midsection was being ripped in half. She cried out, gripping her belly. It was so hard. There was a pushing sensation down below. Like she needed the toilet ten times over.

The overwhelming urge to push hit her. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Candy gripped the back of her thighs and pushed. The she-dragon was saying something but she couldn’t hear a thing. Pushing brought a strange kind of relief. It still hurt but it also felt… good. Although good wasn’t the right word. It was like massaging a knot on your back. It hurt to do it but it was a good kind of pain. A relief. After hours and hours, she could finally do something other than hang in there.

She sucked in another deep breath and pushed again, giving it all she had. That feeling of pressure increased.

The contraction finally eased. Torrent whispered words of encouragement. “Do you want some more water?”

She nodded. Her mouth felt dry.

He helped her sit up and held the glass while she drank.

“You should stay sitting, my queen. That way you can use the earth’s pull to help birth the child.”

Candy shook her head, she lay back down against the pillows in her semi reclining position. There was no way in hell she could sit and push.