The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 63 - Special Delivery

Santi's training with the others was going better than expected. The darkness had left him entirely, and his features had softened, making him look even more like Randal. His tiger Kip had returned to his normal state and was happy to be out from under the dark fog they'd been under for years.

Randal and Santi were rekindling their relationship and had spent a lot of time together trying to make up for the years they lost. There were still some underlying feelings of betrayal. However, Randal was working on getting past those now that he understood Santi wasn't himself.

Everyone was focused on preparing for the battle while waiting for the arrival of the cubs. Marcella now knows she is having a boy, and Shila is having a girl. Their abilities hadn't been revealed yet, but Anna was sure the mothers would know what they were soon. They had discussed having Shila come to the palace so she could remain hidden from Alice and Marcus. However, she refused because she wanted to be near Gary.

The pair increased their visits to check in as though they knew something was amiss, but they still didn't know anything about Shila. There were no signs that Astaroth knew where Santi was either. Marcus and Alice had appeared near the palace several times. However, with the protection spells that Anna had placed, they weren't able to get close enough to see that Santi was there.

As the weeks passed, the time for the battle was getting closer. Anna and Jaz would have their cubs any day, but that didn't deter them from their training. In fact, they seemed even more restless than usual, and their mates were having trouble keeping up with them.

The two couples and Santi were down in the training room. Anna and Jaz weren't doing much other than supervising while the men did hand-to-hand fighting. The two young men were fighting Santi, who was stronger than he looked but wasn't any competition for his nephews. Just as Kamryn and Micah leaped in the air to attack, Anna and Jaz screamed. All three men froze and looked at the two women clutching their stomachs.

"What's wrong?" Kamryn asked as he and his brother ran to their mates.

"We're in labor," Anna answered while trying to stand up. Kamryn and Micah lifted the women into their arms. They ran upstairs to the room that had been transformed into a double delivery room. Santi mindlinked Randal as they went, who got the medical staff ready for their arrival. A curtain separated the two beds so the women could have privacy while still being close. Two doctors came in just as the women got settled.

"When did your labor start?" Nolan asked Anna while Tyra did the same with Jaz.

"A few minutes ago." The two women answered almost in unison.

Both doctors checked their patients and determined they were in active labor but not ready to give birth yet. All the parents came into the room when the doctors stepped out.

"How are you two feeling?" Lynn asked. The curtain had been pulled back so Jaz and Anna could see each other until it was time to begin pushing.

"I'm doing okay. I can't believe it's already time for our little ones to be here." Anna answered, looking at Jaz.

"Me either. Everything has happened so fast that I feel like we haven't had time to breathe." Jaz held Micah's hand as a contraction hit. With them being witches and not shifters, their bodies had more of the same aspects as humans. So their labor could be over quickly or go on for hours.

"Santi, you can come in," Anna said, looking toward the doorway. Everyone followed her gaze and saw him peek around the corner.

"Are you sure? I don't want to overstep." He looked between Anna and Jaz, who were both smiling.

"You're family and getting ready to be a great uncle. We expect you to be on deck for diaper duty." Anna replied, making everyone laugh. Santi looked around the room at all the glowing happy faces, and his heart felt like it was going to explode. This is what life should be like. Everyone was filled with excitement, waiting for the unique cubs to be born. If he could capture the feeling in the room to save for later, he would. It was a feeling he wanted to experience over and over. Love.

A couple of hours later, Anna and Jaz screamed at the same time while bending over in pain. They had been having contractions off and on, but everyone could tell this was different. The doctors ran into the room to check them and said it was time. They had everyone leave the room except the woman's mates.

Anna and Jaz pushed with everything they had while screaming. Kamryn and Micah's hands would have been bruised if it wasn't for their quick healing due to how hard they were squeezing them. After another thirty minutes of pushing, they each gave one final push, and the cubs came out. Kamryn and Micah cut their cords before helping with their first baths. The little cubs were wailing, but it was the best sound either mother could hear. Their babies had arrived. Kamryn brought the bundled-up little girl over and placed her in Anna's arms.

"Meet Liana," Kamryn said as she looked down at the cub with tears running down her face. Anna's heart melted, looking at the tiny little girl in her arms. She could already see a combination of both her and Kamryn. Liana had Anna's dark brown hair, but some of her facial features were definitely Kamryn's.

Anna ran her finger over her soft little cheek. She couldn't believe she and Kamryn had made this beautiful little cub. When Liana opened her eyes, both of them gasped. No matter what species they are, most babies are born with dark eyes until they change to their true color within a few weeks. However, Liana's eyes were so pale blue that they almost looked white.

"Are her eyes different?" Jaz asked Anna while looking down at Zack. He had a head full of pale blonde hair like Jaz but looked like Micah in the face.

"Yes, they're extremely pale blue. How about Zack?" Anna asked, looking over at her nephew.

"His are pale green," Jaz answered in awe. She was almost afraid to look away from her cub's eyes, worried they might change. She looked up when there were sounds of running footsteps near the door. Everyone flooded back into the room to see the two little ones.

"I can't believe they're here," Lynn said as she cried, looking between her two grandchildren. When she noticed their eyes, she was speechless. Randal saw them too.

"Why do their eyes look like that?" He shivered slightly. They both seemed aware of their surroundings more than any other newborn he'd seen. He could almost feel their power, and he wasn't even holding them.

"That's due to their abilities. They have a lot more knowledge than most newborns, but they don't know how to use it yet." Stanley answered as he lifted his granddaughter out of Anna's arms.

"They're incredible. Anna and Jaz, if I haven't told you recently, I really love having you both in our family. There's never a dull moment with the two of you." Randal stood between their beds and held each of their hands. Maura was cuddling Zack, but he was determined to get his hands on the little prince and princess as soon as possible.

"Wow. So these little ones will play a big part in the battle. That's amazing that something so small can have so much power." Santi looked up at Anna and Jaz before laughing. They were both tiny compared to their mates and powerful, so it should be no surprise their children would be as well.

"That wasn't a joke about our size, was it? I can use hormonal imbalance as the reason for my attack." Anna questioned as she raised her hands like she was going to do a spell. Santi stepped back, almost tripping as he laughed. "Of course not. I was talking about the cubs being small." He watched her hands, making sure they didn't suddenly spit fire at him or something as everyone laughed at him. Santi had seen her throw her fireballs, and it scared the shit out of him.

"Okay, I'll let it pass this time," Anna smirked as he swallowed nervously. She knew he was secretly scared of her, so she decided to use it to her advantage. When she looked at Kamryn, she winked at him, and he couldn't hold back his deep laugh anymore.

A few hours after giving birth Anna and Jaz were able to take their cubs to their rooms with their mates. They decided to have bassinets put in the rooms until the battle was over, so their cubs were never away from their parents. Now they just had to wait for Marcella and Shila to give birth. Soon after, the battle would begin.