Awakening Hope (Book 2 of the Bloodmoon Academy Series)

Chapter 30: Belle

I slowly woke up remembering Jake getting me down and out of that hell hole, me trying to tell him it wasn't his fault, and trying to tell him that I tried to protect our baby. It all felt like one long horrible nightmare. I opened my eyes and looked over where I felt a hand cupping and gently caressing my cheek. I met warm beautiful sapphire eyes and smiled.

"Hey love, how are you feeling?" He asked leaning into me and pressing his lips to my forehead.

I vaguely remembered him healing me in one of my bouts of consciousness, and closed my eyes for a moment. I gently turned my head to face him pressing my cheek further into his palm. "I feel a lot better, thanks to you." I couldn't help the smile that crossed my lips. It felt like I had been with that bastard for years not just a month, and feeling Jake's warm touch after so long felt like an absolute godsent.

Taking a breath I took slow inventory of my body, but I didn't feel anything, no pain. I felt surprisingly good after everything. Looking back up at Jake he had a slightly sad smile on his face as he watched me. "Honestly you probably won't feel much of any pain for a while, well to be honest you won't feel much of anything for a while from below your chest." He took a breath looking away from me for a moment. "I know you probably won't remember everything that happened to you there, nor do I want you to go diving into those memories, but your back was broken severely in three places and it was done with something that is taking much longer to heal than other places." I just watched him for a long moment. I didn't know what to say. I knew it wasn't good, but I also didn't realize just how bad it really was. "It's only been three days, and you were only awake long enough for me to heal you once so far, so don't freak out  about this because there is a very good chance it will come completely around and be fine, but for now you're currently paralyzed from about the center of your spine down." 

I swallowed hard, but I honestly thought it would be far worse than that. I reached one shaky hand out to him and he leaned into me pressing his cheek to my palm. I just needed to touch him in some way just so I knew he was here. Just so I knew I was actually out of that place and feeling the slight stubble across his jaw from him staying in here with me was the proof I needed.

"There is some good news through all of this though." He said before taking my hand in his other and pressing a kiss to my palm before twining his fingers with mine.

"What's that?" Asked hesitant to know if there even was any good news or if it was just simply something better than me being seriously injured.

"Everything must have played out perfectly, along with your abdomen being completely untouched. Which I assume you had a major role to play in, it's honestly a miracle. You're still pregnant Belle." I felt my eyes go wide before tears streamed down my cheeks. I saved our baby from that monster. Relaxing back I closed my eyes once more this time in pure relief as he brushed the tears off my cheeks with his thumb.

"I... I made a deal with him, when I first got there... I wouldn't fight if he didn't outright hurt the baby." I watched as realization hit his face. Then I took a long slow breath, attempting to slow my racing thoughts. "Is he... did you..." I took a sharp breath worried that he was still out there, but not really being able to put words to my fear.

"No, he wasn't there when we rescued you and Jaz. With your condition I wasn't about to go hunt him down. You were far more important than that." I just nodded to him. I wasn't even about to say that I wasn't scared of that monster because I was. I was terrified of that man. He would come back and find me, there was no doubt in my mind that if he had a chance I would be stuck there again.

"He knows Jake... He knows what I am and he will come back for me. I know he will I'm worth too much money for him to not." I said starting to panic at this point, what if something happened and he got ahold of me again? I couldn't do a single thing right now to stop him. I would simply be at his mercy once more.