Loved by a Beast - Miranda Bridges Page 0,61

whatever Braxton’s saying. He lost me at “cesarean.”

At a leisurely pace, I stroll about the campsite taking in my surroundings. A number of people are outside, conducting various tasks, and I can’t help but smile as I catch the smiles of others. However, there are sounds of weeping that bring tears to my eyes and cause pain and stab my chest. I may not have lost anyone close to me, but my children are still missing, and not knowing anything is slowly killing me.

Even though we were attacked, driven from our homes, and held captive, these people, both human and Boraq, have recovered from the horrific events. In this we are united, and this fellowship is clearly seen in the interactions going on around me. It helps encourage me so that I hold on to the hope in my heart instead of falling into despair.

I may be the Massela, the one people look to for leadership, but now it’s my people who are leading by example.

I stop as my foot sinks into an indentation in the soft grass. After a quick examination, I realize it’s the footprint of an octopus alien, a fresh reminder that our lives were threatened not too many hours ago. Although, some people, such as Grefina, were not just threatened but actually lost their lives. The arrival of the Dravians was enough to have the octopussies retreating, hightailing it back to their spacecraft. However, the members of the western tribe were either too stupid or too prideful to surrender. Some fled, but the rest who couldn’t see past their hatred were quickly subdued. Egathi and Nyota being among them.

My inner Boraq must be a bloodthirsty wench because I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for them. And neither did my friends. So I guess we are a crew of heartless bitches. And I’m totally okay with that.

When we move back to the south, I will make a banner.

I bend down and grab a handful of grass and dirt, filling in the footprint. I can’t get rid of every one or even the memory of the aliens, but erasing their mark on our land is therapeutic. This is the same patch of earth where we will lay our fallen to rest by sprinkling their ashes.

And they will fill in the other prints until there are no more.

With a sigh, I rub my hands together, brushing away the dirt and bits of grass. Then I stand and continue on my walk, trying not to feel guilty for being unproductive. Jaxar said it’s a time to mourn and that we will get back to a normal life after.

Without my children, there is no such thing for me.

I clutch my chest as it throbs in pain, and when I hear a trilling noise, I know I’ve officially lost my mind. The sound repeats, followed by a series of chirps, and I close my eyes, trying to fight against my imagination. Of course I’d think of Shadow at a time like this, since she’s always there whenever I’m going through something.

But when something warm and soft rubs against my legs, I nearly scream. I fling my eyes open and immediately drop my head to look down only to find Shadow sitting on my feet. Without hesitation I pick her up and snuggle her. Once her purring fills my ears, I know I’m not hallucinating or conjuring this interaction due to my depression.

Before I’m ready, she jumps down and trots away, halting once she reaches the tree line. She looks back at me as though expecting me to come, and I easily recall Zaden saying that he eventually followed Shadow and she led him and the others where they needed to be.

I start off walking, but then I’m sprinting to Shadow. She, in turn, takes off, and I pick up speed to keep her within sight. We dart through the forest, and even though my body protests after a while, I keep going. We run and run until I feel as if my lungs will burst, but I don’t give in to my body’s suffering and match her pace.

Until she stops.

I nearly trip over her, cursing as I stumble. Shadow cocks her head and stares at me as if the fault is all mine and not hers.

“Look here, you little…”

My words die as a voice flits through the air, distant but familiar. With my heart thundering in my chest, I stand as still as possible, wanting to hear it again. And when