Wingless (The Lia Hunter Chronicles #1)
Prologue

Eve was just about to head home when the woman came stumbling through the clinic doors. Her chest heaving from exhaustion, one arm wrapped protectively around her bulging stomach, the young woman looked to be in her early twenties. Strain creased her face, scrunching her pretty features. Startled, Eve quickly made her way around the front desk towards the woman.

“Miss are you alright?” she asked in her calmest voice. The one she’d learned from years of working with volatile patients. The woman reached forward clutching Eve’s salmon blouse between her hands.

“Please. My baby. Please.” She said in heavily accented Russian. Desperation filled her brown eyes as she looked at Eve.

“Dr. Laurens!” Eve shouted as she slowly guided the woman over to a seat. The middle aged doctor came running from within the clinic and quickly surveyed the scene. Rushing towards the woman he knelt down in front of her.

“Hello miss. What’s your name?” He asked calmly. The woman violently shook her head seeking out Eve once more.

“My baby.” She begged and let out a cry of pain, clutching at her stomach. Dr. Laurens began to methodically check the woman over.

“Eve please call an ambulance. She needs to go to the hospital right away.” As soon as the words were out the woman shot up struggling to get away from him.

“No! Please, no!” She yelled hugging her belly protectively. Eve crouched down beside her, resting a hand comfortingly on her arm.

“You need to go to the hospital, we don’t have the proper equipment-” Her words were cut off as the woman gave another cry of pain.

“It seems as though we might not have a choice, this baby is coming now.” Dr. Laurens said, his tone grim. Together they assisted the woman into one of the examination rooms, propping her up on the bed. Dr. Laurens quickly fell into doctor mode, barking out orders at Eve, who rushed around the clinic gathering the necessary supplies.

The woman kept whispering in Russian, tears pouring down her face. Eve tried to comfort her, holding her hand and stroking her hair softly but the woman continued to rant.

After the most stressful half hour of Eve’s life, the woman’s son was born. Eve and the woman laughed in delight at his first cries. Giving the woman’s hand one more squeeze, Eve moved to assist Dr. Laurens. Picking up a towel she held the baby as Dr. Laurens cut the cord. The poor man looked exhausted. The clinic was only supposed to deal with minor things like colds and rashes not hysterical pregnant ladies. She flashed him a proud smile.

“Good job doctor.” He gave her a thankful but tired grin in return. She began to wipe down the baby when she noticed something odd, frowning she turned the baby around. For a moment she didn’t know what she was looking at. It took a moment to click in her mind but when it did she went numb from the shock. A pair of small white wings protruded from the child’s back. Wings.

Oh my god.

Stuck between horror and fascination she couldn’t tear her eyes away from them.

“Mark.” She whispered uneasily. Dr. Laurens quickly looked up, alerted by her tone and lowered his eyes to the squawking baby in her arms. She watched as his face paled at the sight of the wings and they shared a look of stunned shock before turning to look at the woman still lying on the bed. A smile filled with joy curled her mouth even as a new wave of tears filled her eyes.

“Icarus.” She whispered her hand reaching towards her son. The colour left her face and her hand dropped down to her side as her eyes slid closed. Dr. Laurens quickly jumped up.

“Call an ambulance!” he shouted as he tried to stem the flow of blood. Eve quickly made the call, but by the time the two paramedics burst into the clinic it was too late. The woman was dead. Without having even having held her newborn son.

Her winged son.

Icarus.