Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,3
is for him. Boraq males do not handle well seeing their silanas, or fated mates, in pain.
He halts at our arrival and dips his head. “Massela, thank you for coming.”
I disentangle myself from Scarlett and walk up to the warrior, placing my hand on his forearm. “I’m happy to be here.” His arm shakes under my fingertips, and I give it a tiny squeeze in a show of support. “Everything will be okay.”
He nods, but I can tell by his dilated pupils he is still scared out of his mind. Poor guy. It makes me wonder if Jaxar will be the same when it’s my turn. Actually, I don’t have to guess; I know he’s going to lose his shit.
A cry of pain hits the air, and I rush inside with Scarlett on my heels and Frixon’s growl in my ears. Vivian lies on a bed in a nightgown that’s damp with sweat, her face contorted in pain. Then she sucks in a breath like Anwa directs before letting it out as a tortured groan.
Maybe Jaxar won’t be the only one freaking the fuck out. Looks like I will be too when it’s my turn.
I rush to Vivian and sit on the bed while Scarlett does the same across from me. As soon as Vivian relaxes, I take her hand in mine. Her gaze snaps to me, and a smile, which is more a grimace than anything, splits her pretty face.
“Hey there,” I say gently. “You thought you could do this without me? How rude.”
Vivian sighs instead of laughing, but her eyes gleam with amusement. “I got pregnant without your help, so…”
I grin at her and press a kiss to our joined hands. “Glad to see you haven’t lost any of your sass.”
“Of course not,” Scarlett says in her charming accent. “She’s been saving it for you.”
Vivian opens her mouth to speak but then squeezes her eyes shut and grits her teeth. Anwa places both her hands to Vivian’s belly, skimming it with her palms. It doesn’t take a genius to know Vivian is experiencing a contraction, but for some reason, I didn’t think it would be so long. Or maybe it only seems that way because it’s hard to watch her suffer. And she definitely is.
“Is there anything you can give her for the pain?” I ask, directing my question to Anwa.
The healer shakes her head, eliciting a whimper from Vivian. “The herbs are strong and must be handled delicately,” Anwa says. “Too much will make her sleep, but she cannot or the baby will not be born. She must be able to push the youngling from her womb. That is something I cannot do for her.”
“Can you give her a wee bit?” Scarlett asks, her eyes wide. “She’s really in a bad way, aye?”
“Perhaps. Humans react to our medicines differently, and it is something I have to be cautious of.” Anwa grabs a damp cloth and hands it to me. “Keep her as comfortable and as relaxed as you can. It will help.”
I nod and run the material over Vivian’s forehead, wiping the sheen of sweat. “You’re doing great,” I tell her. “Just imagine how wonderful it will be to hold your baby.”
“Do you reckon he or she will have blond hair?” Scarlett asks. She massages her slightly rounded belly, a look of contemplation on her face. “Draal wants our baby to have red hair, but I’m not sure how that would look.”
I shrug. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”
“I don’t care what color the hair is,” Vivian mutters. “I just want to be done already.”
“You have a while yet,” Anwa says from the foot of the bed.
The problem is she’s not wrong.
Several hours pass with Vivian in agony, and it takes everything inside me to keep from crying. And it’s not just because of my hormones. Seeing my best friend like this is beyond upsetting. Especially because it’s clear she’s getting weaker as time passes, and there seems to be no progression to her labor. Not only that, but Anwa’s golden eyes are dim with worry.
Obviously if the healer is concerned, then that’s a bad sign.
At some point the healer leaves the tent for just a moment to speak to Frixon. Their hushed voices make it hard for me to hear the conversation, but the urgency is easy to pick up on. Then shortly after that, a Boraq male enters with Anwa, a satchel slung over his shoulder. I recognize him as Brannick,