Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,45
say that I know all too well how it feels to have another woman try to take your husband,” I say with a wry grin. “But I’m sure Rozak will deal with it.”
“I just don’t like the tension in the air, and with nothing to keep me preoccupied, it’s hard for me to relax. Everyone wants to do everything for me because I’m Belvaire’s Massela, and he’s the worst of the bunch. He won’t let me do anything now that I’m pregnant.” Jeanine plants her hands on her hips. “Can you believe he actually tried to take my crossbow away from me?”
“Rumor has it that you shot him with it,” I say, unable to keep my face straight. “And it was more than once.”
Jeanine waves a hand in dismissal, and my smile widens. “He was being an asshole, so that was the only way to get his attention.”
I wink at her, my grin fully on display. “Maybe I should try that with Jaxar sometime.”
“I highly recommend it.” My friend’s beautiful blue eyes twinkle with merriment, and her quiet laughter fills the space between us.
And then it’s followed by a scream.
Which is the first of many, accompanied by battle cries that mix with shouts of alarm.
I scramble to my feet, and Jeanine snatches her crossbow, effortlessly notching an arrow. She watches the door with tunnel vision while I grab my hairpins, and then we creep as a unit toward the opening. Pulling aside the tent flap, I peer out, and the pandemonium raging in front of me has my entire body trembling.
“We have to stay together,” I say to Jeanine over my shoulder. “We have no idea how many of them are out there, but I’ll be damned if I let that keep me from getting to my babies. I have to find them.”
I don’t wait for her to respond because I know she agrees with me. My steps are light, but my heart is heavy as I sweep my gaze over the bodies strewn about the campsite. So much death in such a short period of time. But there are still lives to be saved.
Nothing else matters except finding my family.
“Makayla, duck!”
Without thought I drop into a crouch as an arrow whizzes past my head, landing in the skull of a would-be attacker. I stare at the octopus as it crumples to the ground, vividly remembering the last time I came into contact with the mercenaries. They aided the western tribe and invaded our home, but not only that; they’d discovered the hiding place that held the women and children, taking us all prisoner.
I stand erect and give Jeanine a nod in thanks before I race in the direction of Yania’s dwelling. There’s no way to know for sure if that’s where my children are, but I have to try.
Unfamiliar Boraq, along with the nasty octopus creatures, swarm the campsite like a plague of death and destruction. It’s not hard to see they outnumber us greatly.
Yet the Boraq from the united tribes put up a valiant resistance. When one of my warriors is gutted a mere ten feet away, a blind fury hits me. I sprint with everything I have, and as soon as I’m within range, I bury my hairpins into the flesh of his attacker. The venom paralyzes him immediately, causing his body to plummet to the dirt. But even though he’s incapacitated, I can’t walk away.
So I raise my hands and then plunge the weapons into his chest, directly over his heart. The stone casing offers resistance to the penetration of my hairpins, but they still puncture the organ. I grunt as I rip them from his body, the adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream assisting me.
With my knees bent and my weapons secure in my hands, I edge around the individual battles taking place, Jeanine at my back, her incessant mutterings too low for me to hear. The danger that blankets the atmosphere is stifling, making it hard to push through my fear as my mind overwhelms me with questions that have no answers.
Are my children alive? Where is Jaxar? What about my other friends and tribe members?
My temples pound in time with my accelerated pulse, reminding me that I’m still alive and there’s a chance I can save them. It may be small, but some hope is better than none.
With my head on a constant swivel, I dart between tents, getting closer and closer to my destination. A flame of red catches my attention, and I