Chapter 126

The first thing Beth saw when she came to was Daniel's blurred face. Even though her head pounded so fiercely she could hardly breathe, the sight of his face swimming in her swirling vision sent such sheer joy and pleasure through her that tears sprang to her eyes.

"Daniel..."

"Shhh, Beth, don't try to get up. Rest. I just brought you to the place where I'm staying, and it's a decent place to hide for now, but we don't have a doctor here yet. You need to be seen, something's wrong." He lifted his head, looked at someone over his shoulder. "Go! Find a--"

"Wait!" She grasped at his shirt, fingers digging weakly into the fabric. "Wait, don't. Andrew doesn't know I've escaped. When he finds out, he'll start a search and hunt me down, and anyone would figure out that it was me if they see me like this. I'm a mess."

Daniel leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Maybe, but I'll get you out of here anyway. But something's not right and we have to fix that first. Did Andrew hurt you? What did he do?"

"He didn't touch me--"

"Good, or else I would have torn him apart here and now--"

"Daniel, focus! We need a back-alley doctor," she said desperately. "Find someone who won't report me even if they do figure it out. No, wait, Andrew might offer more than enough reward money to make them risk it. Help me change into something else, and you, too. And you two, find someplace to hide. If we're all traveling in a pack, we'll be too memorable. That way we can just request a normal doctor who'll be too busy to remember a plain old couple."

"You're anything but plain... but you're always full of good ideas. All right. But you'll have to stand to change, are you able to?"

"I have to be," she said grimly as she pushed aside the covers. Damn it, the snow and grass blades she had collected all over her clothes from her escape had gotten onto the bed. But rearranging the sheets would conceal that when the doctor came. "This looks like a decent hotel room, there should be a bathrobe hanging around somewhere. Let me get into that, and we'll say I collapsed in the shower."

Daniel helped her up with both hands as he nodded at the door to his companions, signaling them to leave. Then he smiled at Beth as she wobbled onto her feet. "You're usually so against seeing doctors for your own health," he teased. "I'm glad you're not going to put up a fight about that."

"Well... there's something you should know," she said. "Daniel... I'm pregnant."

***

Her memories were still fuzzy even after the doctor left, but in her half-dazed state, Beth was in good company. Daniel was staring at her, still in shock at the doctor's stern diagnosis that his 'wife' was pregnant, and that he needed to take her back home immediately, not bring her along on this business trip in her condition.

The doctor had left after giving her something for the nausea and instructions to eat, drink, and rest. In the silence, Daniel and Beth stared at each other.

"Daniel...?"

"I'm going to be a father."

She put her arms up, too weak still to sit up, and Daniel nearly threw himself on top of her before remembering just in time to be gentle. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead.

"I'm going to be a father," he repeated, speaking into her shoulder. "You're pregnant."

"I am."

"When did you know?"

"For sure? A week or two... I suspected it a little before that. Just not enough to be confident about telling anyone else."

"And he had you locked up in that place..."

"He doesn't know, thank the Moon Goddess. I hid it from him and he never suspected. That's probably why whatever he drugged me with was so effective, but I feel it wearing off. Even if I can't mind-link yet." She frowned. They had had to lie to the doctor, and she had played the part of an unwittingly pregnant woman who had had alcohol downstairs at the bar.

The doctor had lectured her about that but had gone easy since she claimed she hadn't known. Her returning faculties hadn't warranted closer inspection after that, which was good, and he had pronounced her healthy with some rest. Hopefully he was right.

Daniel held her close again as he lay by her side, arms tight around her. She sighed into his embrace, nestling in deep.

"How did you even find me?" she asked. "You couldn't have possibly known when I was going to escape. Were you waiting outside the walls for me?"

"It's not that, I was looking for a way to break in and get you out. The food supplies cart looked like the best way in."

She chuckled. "We were on the same page. I'd been planning to run out with the cart and find you."

"I'm just lucky I was prowling around when you came out. When you collapsed, I..."

She leaned back and held his face in her hands. "Shh. I'm all right," she said sternly. "You heard what the doctor said. Nothing a little rest can't fix."

"I should have known you would break yourself out. Every time, you outmaneuver me. I was having so much trouble getting past Andrew's defenses, but you jumped out with no problems at all."

"No problems! I dare you to say that again." She pinched his chest, and they laughed together, but in sheer relief more than any amusement. They were together. They were safe. "My parents? They're all right?"

"Of course. One of the Deltas is finding a carriage we can use to get out of this place as soon as possible. I wish we could wait until you're well, but it's too risky."

"We can't stay here," she agreed. "The baby's in danger every minute I stay in the same city as Andrew Troy. I overheard him talking with his Beta, I think, a plan to give me to the rogues..."

***

She had just finished telling Daniel a moment ago what Andrew was scheming, and she had grabbed him to stop him from going off in search of Andrew Troy to kill him with his bare hands, suicide mission be damned. But just then, the door slammed open, not even a single knock in forewarning.

"Alpha!" the man hissed. One of the Deltas who had been here earlier with Daniel -- what was going on? "We need to go! There's a search on, there are men pouring into buildings down the street. They'll be here in minutes! They're searching -- probably for you!" The Delta looked at Beth, eyes wide. "Quickly! They may have already set up roadblocks, we'll be caught at this rate!"

Icy dread washed through her. Already! Andrew's men! They had to be Gold Nation soldiers.

"We can't beat them on foot," she gasped. "We have to shift and take our chances in wolf form. I might still be able to do it."

"No!" Daniel stood and picked her up in his arms. "You'll hurt the baby if it's too late to shift safely. That's even if you can shift at all. Don't try! We'll figure this out. Dorian, how's the search for a wagon, any transport?"

The Delta shook his head. "He's keeping an eye downstairs, every single wagon, carriage, and cart is apparently already rented out. We've got the shit luck to be in the middle of some event where they're in demand. We have to leave on foot!"

"No, I have a way out."

The door had been cracked open, and a familiar voice seeped through the small space.

"Let me in, please. It's me. Matt."

***

There was no time to argue. Daniel shot Matt a harsh look when the other man gave Beth a longing look as he entered the room, but there was no denying that the unofficial Alpha King of Bronze Nation was on their side and had been for a long time. If anyone could get them out of here, it was him.

"I rented three passenger wagons and carriages myself ahead of time. There's a company here who reserves them for me since I do business in Gold Nation a great deal. They're parked on the side, we can make it with time to spare if we move now. Beth, are you okay, did Andrew hurt--"

Daniel moved toward the door with the Delta already holding it open for his superiors. "I've already asked after her health," he said swiftly. "Lead us where we need to go. Dorian--"

"James is already coming up from the first floor, the soldiers must have come in through the main entrance. We need to go!"

"Follow me," said Matt as he headed for the secondary exit at the end of the hallway. "Quickly!"