Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,10

immediately falls back against the pillows with a wheeze. “Fuck me. That hurt.”

With a furrowed brow, Anwa puts a hand on her patient’s shoulder. “Your body has been through much, and you must rest.”

“But—”

“I will have the youngling brought to you when she wakes,” Anwa says. “And after you have eaten.”

“Okay.” Vivian scans the room, and then she frowns. “Where is Frixon? Why is he not with me?” Then she smiles and nods. “He’s probably with the baby.”

I try to hide my grimace, but I’ve never been good at that type of thing. And even though she hasn’t been awake very long, Vivian is alert enough to catch my grim expression.

“What happened?” she asks, her voice increasing in volume.

“He threatened the Massela,” Anwa says bluntly.

Vivian’s gaze swings to mine. “Is this true?” Her tone is much quieter than before, and the defeated look in her eyes has returned.

“Yes,” I whisper, almost strangling on the word. “He was worried about you and became angry when I got in his way. It was my fault because I know better than to get between a male and his mate, but I didn’t want him to hurt the healers.”

“Frixon was wrong.” Anwa’s wings flare a little and then collapse with a snap. “It is not justifiable to threaten a female under any condition. That is not to say a male cannot defend himself, but the Massela was not going to cause him harm.”

Vivian blanches and seems to shrink into the bed. “But why would he hurt anyone, especially Makayla? It doesn’t make sense.”

“You were going to die,” I say. “The baby was positioned incorrectly, and there was no way for you to deliver it. So I explained what a cesarean is to Anwa and Brannick in hopes they could perform the procedure and save you.” I drop my gaze and fold my hands to keep them from shaking as I recall the fury in Frixon’s eyes. “Your husband wanted to see you, but I knew if he were to witness that surgery, then he would assume they were hurting you.”

Anwa huffs. “It’s because of the Massela that you and your youngling still live.”

“Makayla,” Vivian breathes. She covers my clasped hands and runs her thumb over my knuckles. “Thank you.”

I shrug. “You’re my best friend. I would do anything for you.”

“Just because you would doesn’t mean you should.” Vivian closes her eyes briefly and then gives me a tired smile. “But I’m still grateful. Is… Is Frixon okay?”

“He has been imprisoned until the Masse decides what to do with him,” Anwa says.

Vivian covers a yawn. “At least he’s still alive. I’m so glad your husband didn’t kill mine.”

“That would definitely put a strain on our friendship,” I tease.

Anwa’s tail taps my shoulder, and then she jerks her head toward Vivian, who looks on the verge of passing out. I nod once and then get to my feet, stretching to relieve the soreness from my back.

“Why don’t you rest for a while?” I say. “Actually it’s nighttime, so perhaps you should sleep longer than just a couple hours. And then I’ll come see you in the morning.”

Vivian is already asleep by the time I finish speaking, so I quickly say goodbye to Anwa and thank her once again. I rub an aching spot on my belly and earn a kick, which has me smiling as I step outside. The moon is high in the sky, but its light doesn’t penetrate the surrounding trees as effectively as the sun, so I step carefully as I walk. After almost falling a couple times, I’ve finally accepted that gravity plus a huge belly is a recipe for clumsiness.

A minute later I enter my tent, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness, only to realize no one is here. Panic rises for a moment, and I have to take several deep breaths to calm down. I know Jaxar would not let Tika be anywhere that isn’t safe, so she’s probably still with Yania. Maybe he arranged that so I could spend as much time with Vivian as I wanted.

But that doesn’t explain Jaxar’s absence.

Indecision wars within me. Part of me wants to know where in the holy hell my husband is, but the other part of me wants to go to bed with the assumption he will return soon. It’s not uncommon for Jaxar to come home late at night, but after the day I’ve had, I really need him to hold me and tell me that everything will be