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“No, my love,” I rasped. “I’ve got you. I always told you that I would never let anything happen to you. Just stay in my arms and let me take care of you.”
Eventually, she succumbed to my wishes, again encircling her fingers around my neck, and I laid her on the round mattress. Aradia, Shay, and the pre-natal healer would soon arrive to check her over.
Slowly, I removed her filthy pajamas, washing her down with a cool, damp cloth, studying every inch of her body and wincing with every new scrape and scratch I found. Closing my eyes, I placed my hands over the reddened spots to heal them without much effort amidst Zephy’s protests.
“They’ll heal themselves, Cade. They’re barely anything at all.”
“Which is why it is taking me nothing to heal them,” I replied lightly, kissing the softness of her flesh.
She twined her fingers through my hair as I laid my head against her naked stomach, my heart hammering with worry for our child.
“The baby is fine,” she promised, but I could hear the concern in her voice, too.
As if on cue to our words, Aradia appeared in the bedroom, Shay at her side. The enchantresses both moved toward the bed as I hesitatingly sat back, my hand still clutched to my mate’s.
“You’ll have to let us look at her, Cade,” Aradia told me gently, prying me away. I didn’t want to stand, but she was giving me little choice.
“Where is the pre-natal healer?”
“It’s far too soon for the pre-natal healer to do anything, Cade. The baby is barely developed. If something has happened—”
“Nothing has happened!” both Zephy and I barked in unison.
“Of course,” Shay cooed softly. “Nothing has happened.”
“No, they’re right,” Aradia agreed, waving her powerful palms over my mate’s barely swollen abdomen thrice, her shoulders relaxing. “I can feel the child within. It seems unharmed.”
Relief buckled my knees, and I could have kissed Aradia for the first time in my life, but I settled for a heartfelt “thank you” instead.
“The Queen is in good health, too,” Aradia continued. “There is no permanent damage, but I suspect the psychological damage is much worse.”
Zephy’s smile faded, but I slid closer to her on the mattress.
“We will deal with whatever is upcoming together,” I vowed. “As rulers of this kingdom.”
Aradia grinned at me. “Of that, I never had a doubt. It was you who had the doubts, if I recall.”
Zephy raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” she asked lightly. “Is that right?”
“That was Axel,” I replied dryly, kissing her forehead before pulling up sheets to shield her nudity. I turned my attention to the enchantresses. “Can you send for Maywin—only Maywin—please?”
“She should get some rest, Cade,” Aradia scolded me lightly.
“She will,” I promised. “But she also needs to eat.”
“Sheis right here in the room,” Zephy piped up, exasperated.
We eyed her apologetically.
“Yes, my love, of course.”
Her face softened. “But I would like to see Maywin… and eat something.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I guess maybe you can half read my mind without making decisions for me.”
“It wouldn’t kill me to ask you first, either,” I admitted.
I kissed her again, and when we looked up, the enchantresses were gone, leaving us alone together.
