Aftermath
Hiroshi
“I’mreallynothappywith this blood pressure. You need to be on bed rest,” Aldrin lectured me as he took my vitals. James was fussing over Tate while Ívarr observed the room.
“I was resting perfectly well at home before I was drugged and kidnapped!” I snapped. My heart was telling me I needed to get back to Roan, to heal him further. The longer he went without detailed healing, the more likely that he was going to sustain long-term damage to his shoulder and arm. He might lose function of the limb altogether.
My head told me that Roan and Tate were right. I was risking the babies further if I did more healing on my mate. We’d already been through something traumatic, been exposed to unknown magic, and waded through the forest after a demented shifter. That was too much for any person to deal with, let alone a shifter pregnant with twins.
Aldrin didn’t take offense, just squeezed my shoulder. “No more healing. I’ll do what I can with Roan. Poppy has made some tea that will help keep your blood pressure down. With five weeks to go, I’d rather not deliver those babies now. Every week that you can give them is precious.”
I nodded. I understood, just felt like I was letting Roan down. With my gift, I’d saved that same arm before. While this injury was worse, crushing injuries left so much damage, I’d hoped our established bond would have boosted my healing.
As I went to get down from the bed, a shooting pain spiked over my belly, a tightening feeling that left me breathless. I stumbled, grabbing for Aldrin.
“What’s wrong?”
“Pain,” I panted as it continued to roll through me. As soon as it went, leaving a tiny echo behind, I straightened. “I’m fine.” I felt the need to shift ripple over me.
Aldrin narrowed his eyes. “No. We’re checking that out.” He helped me back up onto the bed and hooked me up to a monitoring machine just as it spiked again. A shift to my tiger began and then ebbed, completely out of my control.
“Aldrin!”
“Shit!” Oh wow, I’d never heard Aldrin curse before. “You’re in early labor.”
“No, no, no. They can’t come now!”
Tate came to my side, Asher beside him. “Should we get Roan?” Tate chewed on his lip, looking unsure what was best.
“No. He needs pain relief and to heal more.” I was firm, maybe too firm, as Tate moved away.
There was another spike of pain, a contraction, and the shift lingered longer. As it vanished, Poppy rushed into the room, a baby in a sling strapped to her.
“Eat!” she demanded, thrusting some strange-looking herbs at me. I chewed them dutifully as she made complicated motions over me and intoned strange sounding words. They sounded Russian. Poppy pulled a crystal wrapped in leather out of her pocket and tied it around my wrist. Almost straight away, I felt better, my energy returning and the pain ebbing.
“We caught it in time, but his energy is far too low,” Poppy spoke to Aldrin, then turned to me. “Absolutely no healing for the next couple of weeks. Your energy is all over the place and the babies thought it would be safer on the outside.” She ducked to speak to my stomach, chiding the babies, “news flash, it isn’t time for you yet. Wait in there a bit longer while Papa rests up, okay?”
I wanted to laugh, but I was utterly terrified at the harm I’d nearly caused to my babies.
Like your omega instincts would have allowed anything else. Nothing happened. You were in safe hands. Roan’s mental voice was soothing.
But I want —
No. No more healing.
Roan, you could lose function of your arm.
Then that’s what happens. I don’t regret saving Tate.
My eyes strayed to my other mate. He was crying silently. “What is it, Tate?”
“I just froze. I didn’t fight. Roan is hurt because of me. You went all superhero and blasted through the potions they gave you —“
“And drained himself in the process!” Poppy rolled her eyes. “That kind of shifting is for emergencies, and Hiroshi has two babies to protect. You were with the others, you had them to step in. That’s what they were there for, Tate!”
Come here,I urged Tate. He came to my side cautiously. I grabbed his face and kissed his lips. “Roan would have died to protect you willingly. He’ll be fine —“
“But his arm!”