Page 50 of Her Shifter Babe

Jamie finally let go of my arm.

I gasped from the pain that flooded into my flesh the moment he released his death grip.

He pulled open the drawer roughly, grabbed all my clothes and dumped them on top of the bed. “Hurry up.”

I nodded and swallowed back the tears in my throat that threatened to reveal just how close I was to breaking down. Jamie hated tears and he’d double down on me if he saw them. Luckily for me, I already had some underwear on but was forced to sit down and wriggle on some leggings, before attempting to struggle my way into a maternity top.

Jamie was watching me like a hawk with a keen eye trained on his prey.

I turned my back on him to pull on my oversized top, not wanting to allow him the privilege of seeing what was no longer his.

“I’ve seen it all before Stace. I’ve kept you naked a lot in the past, or have you already forgotten?”

I tried to hide my shudder as the memories returned, and the body shaming I’d endured as a result of being with a man who was never happy with anything short of perfection. But I kept it all inside, and as I dressed, I answered him simply. “Okay.”

Without warning or expectation, a strange sort of calm settled upon me, though I wasn’t sure why or even how. But all I knew with complete clarity was that I had to survive whatever was coming next. Not for my own sake, but for my daughter’s. I’d gotten away from him once before, and I could do it again. I’d find a way to do it while she was still little, so that she’d have no memory of him. I would protect her from those scars no matter what it took; no matter what I had to personally sacrifice.

I didn’t grab anything else from the room, though it broke my heart to do so. I left behind the pink blankets Nancy had bought for me, as well as the baby clothes in the top-drawer Tommy had dropped off just yesterday. I’d planned to give birth here and to hold my daughter for the very first time in my arms. I couldn’t bear to disturb that vision in my mind, so I left it untouched, like a beautiful, untarnished memory of what could have been.

“Let’s go,” he said, almost urgently. “You’re taking too long.”

Is he worrying that one of my new wolf family will show up for me?

“Okay,” I said again, staying as calm as I could force myself to be.

Jamie opened the door and pulled me out into the brightly lit hall, one hand on my arm, the other firmly at the small of my back.

I shuffled along, my body literally screaming at me to lie down again, to take the load off my feet. My back ached with every step and my belly felt too heavy now. But I kept moving without complaint, knowing that this entire situation was a marathon and I needed to pace myself if I was going to survive it.

“Hurry up,” he said, pressing his hand more aggressively against my lower back and pushing me along.

I stumbled and almost fell, catching myself just in time. “I’m moving as fast as I can,” I hissed at him, grabbing my huge belly to accentuate my issue. I’d likely pay for showing him outright aggression and attitude like that, but it couldn’t be avoided.

Jamie looked me over with more scrutiny and seemed to wrap his head around the problem. Since he couldn’t carry me out of the hospital without raising suspicion from the medical staff, he just set his jaw and continued to guide me onward.

Though he couldn’t know it, I took my time as much as I dared. I could have managed to hurry more, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of running to his car, as though he was some kind of hero rescuing me. He was kidnapping me against my will. He was the damn villain, so I would make this as hard as I could for him without arousing his ire any further.

Ursula, a nurse who was good friends with Tommy, walked toward me, her brow furrowed. She knew what was going on with me as far as mine and the baby’s health went.

She’ll realize something is up. She’ll raise the alarm with the boys.

I shook my head at her, only ever so slightly, but she got the move.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed, Stacey,” she said, shaking her head at me.

Jamie grabbed my hand, hard, willing me not to break character. “We’re just going for a short walk,” he explained with a forced smile that made me sick to my stomach. “We won’t be long.”

I gave Ursula a pointed look and a grimace. “Won’t be long,” I repeated with a strained smile and continued to shuffle along the hallway.

“Hurry up!” Jamie hissed at me again, his anger rising to the surface once more.

Surely, he won’t slap or hurt me in public?

Like the sound of angelic trumpets signifying the arrival of Heaven’s cavalry to the rescue, an unholy growl filled the air around us.

I closed my eyes on a sob, the sweet taste of relief overwhelming my senses.

I’m saved. Thank God.

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