Page 13 of Forbidden Pregnant Mate

All thoughts of our earlier discussion had completely evaporated with Freya’s arrival. There was an injured patient who needed immediate attention before it was too late. What was more, she was clearly someone Jenn cared about. There was no way in hell I was letting anything happen to this girl, even if I had to do it while arguing with Jenn. “She looks like she’s about to pass out, and I don’t think she can take more than a few steps on that leg. So unless you want her sitting out here all night, stop being stubborn and move.”

Jenn blinked, her mouth dropping open, but I barely noticed. I was too preoccupied with her injured friend, scanning her for more injuries that might get worse if I picked her up. When I was sure there weren’t any, I said, “Freya, right? Okay. Bend your knees and wrap your good arm around my neck.”

Her eyes had drooped, and she looked vaguely at me, as if confused by what I was saying. I was fairly certain she was about to fall asleep. But she nodded sluggishly and obeyed.

One of my arms slipped beneath her knee, and the other around her back. Then I stood and carried her into the house, a panicked Jenn following behind.

Chapter 6 - Jenn

“Where does your dad keep his medical supplies?” Klyte asked as he hauled Freya, now close to unconsciousness, up the stairs.

“Downstairs closet,” I said.

“Go get it. Spare bedroom?”

“Second door on the right when you reach the landing.”

I raced to the closet door, fumbling until my hands wrapped around the large first aid kit Dad always kept fully stocked. My heart was thundering. Freya didn’t look great. I couldn’t tell how extensive her injuries were, but based on what I saw, it wasn’t good.

By the time I had raced to the spare bedroom, Klyte had already placed Freya on top of the bed.

“Here,” I said, putting the bag down beside him.

“Thanks.” He barely looked in my direction. “Get me some clean rags and water.”

“I want to stay—”

“I need to get a better look at her without all the dirt,” Klyte said. There was no mocking or derision in his voice, no cocky arrogance or playfulness like I was used to. I don’t think I had ever seen him this serious.

“Klyte—” I began.

“Do this one thing for me, and I promise you can hover and mother hen to your heart’s content,” Klyte said, already rummaging through the bag.

That was more like the Klyte I knew, though the seriousness in his tone was still startling. I grit my teeth but obeyed.

I followed his orders as quickly as possible and then returned to the room.

“You’re going to be all right,” Klyte told Freya. “I want to look over your injuries before I give you any painkillers, but after that, you can get some rest, all right?”

Freya nodded, then looked up at me as I arrived at Klyte’s shoulder with two buckets of water and several rags.

“I want to help,” I said.

Klyte nodded. “Fine,” he said. “We need to clean up the injuries.”

I went to work. The water I’d brought slowly turned murky and brackish from all the dirt on Freya. Every time I brushed against an injury too hard, she would wince.

Next to me, Klyte was muttering to himself, taking stock of Freya’s injuries and what he needed to do for each. He was an entirely different person now, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what my dad had said about him. There was more to Klyte than I’d given him credit for.

As I kept washing Freya, my heart pounding with anxiety over my friend, she stayed mostly still. But when I went to look at a bruise on her shoulder, her arm shot out to grab my wrist.

“Jenn,” Freya said, her hand gripping me with surprising strength for someone who looked like they’d gone through hell. “Isaac’s coming…”

An icy fist gripped my insides, and I froze in place, staring down at my friend.

“He’s…” I swallowed, then lowered my voice. It was pointless; Klyte could hear everything, but instincts made me lower it. “Are you sure?”

Freya nodded. I glanced over at Klyte just in time to see his eyes dart away from my face. I waited for him to demand an answer, but he didn’t. He was too preoccupied with making sure all of Freya’s injuries were taken care of.

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