Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,27
pillows and blankets, instructing me to keep my legs parted and to bend my knees.
This is it. The grand finale of my life so far. There will either be fireworks or a funeral, but either way, it will be done.
After my first round of bearing down to push, I want to weep, but after several episodes, I want to enter into oblivion. Everything hurts, and I’m exhausted. My mind tells me to hang in there and that the end is near, but my body is weak and unwilling. Anwa must see this in my eyes because her gaze becomes clouded with worry.
“You cannot give up, Massela,” she says, her voice pleading.
“I just can’t.”
The sound of wood creaking has me turning my head to face Jaxar. With a muffled groan, he gets to his feet, swaying unsteadily. Anwa rushes to his side and stabilizes him, but she isn’t strong enough to support all his weight. He takes a step and pitches forward, landing halfway on the bed, his knees hitting the floor.
“Leave me be,” he says to the healer.
Then he lifts his head from the mattress and snakes his hand across the space between us to take mine. I want to pull away on principle, but I can’t find the strength to do so. And truth be told, I want his comfort right now.
“You will do this, Makayla.”
I sigh, but it’s more of a wheeze. “I can’t. I’m so tired.”
Jaxar shifts, leaning closer to me, never looking away. “Do you know why I love you?” I frown and slowly shake my head, prompting him to continue. “Because you’re not selfish. You give everything you have. Even now, you’re giving your body and energy to our youngling. But unlike you, I am not selfless, and I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for our child or even for me. What I want is for you to live because I need you.”
“I don’t have a choice in this,” I whisper.
“Yes, you do. Continue to fight.” He lays his head on our joined hands, his voice so quiet I almost don’t hear him. “I will die without you.”
I close my eyes, my heart fluttering in my chest. As much as I want to survive, and as much as I love Jaxar, that is not enough. Not this time.
“You must wake, Massela.” Anwa pulls back my eyelids, forcing me to view her. “You must exercise your mind and use it to command your body.”
When my eyes roll to the back of my head, Jaxar’s roar echoes in the night. The bed shudders with movement as he hauls himself onto the mattress beside me. The heat of him radiates into my skin, as does his breath when it skims my cheek. He settles his tail just under my breasts, molding it to the top portion of my protruding belly.
“Look at me, wife.”
I lift my lids halfway, staring at him in a daze.
“That’s it,” he coaxes. “Come back to me.”
“I’ve sent for Brannick,” Anwa announces quietly. “If she doesn’t expel the babe soon, we will have to remove it.”
A low moan of protest slides from my throat like molasses. I know what that means, and so does Jaxar.
“You can’t!” His hand trembles, the vibrations skittering up my arm. “I won’t let you.”
“Then I will have you removed from here,” Anwa says, her tone as hard as stone. “Masse or no, I won’t let your mating bond get in the way of saving her life.”
Brannick enters the tent a moment later, his gaze darting like a pinball, bouncing off me, Jaxar, and Anwa. “What must I do?”
“Her body will not last any longer,” Anwa says. “We have to assist her.”
A noise that has to come from the deepest part of Jaxar’s soul fills the air. It slides over me, and the timbre of mourning and sorrow has my skin prickling. Something about that tortured sound stirs something within me. He’s right. I would readily sacrifice my life for my baby or him, but…
Maybe I can try one last time.
My lungs fill with air as I inhale deep, mentally gathering my inner fortitude. I channel it to the core of my being and center this ball of energy just behind where my child fights for its life. My body is weak and drained, and I may still end up passing away, but I can’t go without a fight.
“Makayla, please.” Jaxar’s voice cracks, his anguish easily heard. “I cannot bear to watch them hurt you.”
With what little strength I still