Taming the Hellbeast

Prologue: This is my gift for you!

Taming the Hellbeast - Prologue

She had been running for hours. It was still dark, but she kept running, stumbling and fighting her way through the forest on the mountainside. Tripping on some loose rocks, she tried to regain her footing while pressing her precious cargo against her chest. Though her feet ached, the cuts on her legs sent itching pains through her body, and her clothes had been torn to no longer protected her against the rough terrain. She ignored it all because nothing could make her stop. She knew she had a slight head start, and she was going to make the most of it.

Her baby's life depended on it.

Finding the cave entrance was not easy in the dark; if she only had her powers, she would have been able to use them to guide her. But giving birth and healing the child had taken all her magical essence. It would come back; all she needed was to rest.

Rest.

She sorely needed it. If only she could take a breather just for a moment, it would be ok.

Time was of the essence, and her physical need for a respite would have to wait. But she knew her fate, and she would get plenty of rest soon enough.

Her husband had gone away on official business and had given her a window of opportunity. She had been planning for weeks, waiting for the right moment after he left. He had to be far enough away for her to complete her plan, or he would return in time to stop her. She still had two full lunar cycles until the baby had been supposed to arrive, but that was not time she had the luxury of waiting. If she had not risked the unthinkable, it would have doomed her baby.

Everybody would have been doomed.

For years, her husband had slowly but surely taken over their world, fighting a brutal war against the other species for their territories. He had slaughtered everybody in his way to gain ultimate control. His senseless war against all creatures had only escalated when he had gained control of the portal to the other worlds. Through that, he had sent his forces to claim more and more territory. In the end, he wanted all worlds to submit. There were still territories that stood their ground, refusing to give in. Still, he was ruthlessly gaining momentum to take over.

All of the worlds would be lost if he won the war and annihilated the other species and their way of life.

Her husband and his entourage had left a few days earlier. She had known where they were going and knew how long it would take them to get there and how long it would take to get back. His journey back would be significantly shorter if her husband were in a hurry to get to her.

Excusing herself with a headache, she had sent the servants away and asked for quiet time to sleep and had sneaked out to the cabin in the woods. Not before she had stolen the one thing which could make her plan a success. 

In the isolated cabin, she had used her powers to initiate the birth. Her first contraction would automatically alert her husband through their mate bond, and she knew he would move heaven and earth to get back to her. Of course, he would not know that she was forcing the birth; he would think she was in trouble because it was too early for the baby to come. Despite everything he was, he did love her, and he would never want to see her hurt. Mate bond or not, he had loved her from the first day, and she had loved him right back.

Instigating a premature birth was dangerous, as it was a terrible strain on her body and the child was in danger from start to finish, especially since she did it all alone.

With all her might, she had pushed the tiny life out of her. As a result, his development had not been complete, which she had anticipated. He was already dying when he took his first breath. She had saved her powers for that; she could easily have spent some on making the delivery process easier on herself and the baby. But what she had needed to heal her baby and force its growth and development into a full, healthy newborn had been grueling and depleted her magic.