Chapter 90 : Heartbeat
Troy
Chaos wasn’t the right word to describe what had happened. | watched in horror as Maeve collapsed in Rosalie’s arms, her eyes going still and sightless.
Ethan was screaming at the pilot to land the plane, and sud denly we were plummeting to the ground, holding on for dear life as the plane landed roughly in a field just outside of Mirage.
Ethan told me it would be a bumpy landing, even though this seaplane was equipped to land on the ground. Still, it needed a runway, and all we had was a field.
I carried Maeve out of the plane, Ethan close behind me with Rosalie in his arms. Steven was talking frantically into a radio, try ing to find someone to help us, to help Maeve, who was panting in my arms as I laid her down in the grass.
“Warriors are on their way; they’re going to get her to the hos pital. It’s only-only half an hour from here-” Ethan stammered as he struggled with Rosalie, who was fighting against him.
“Let me go, Ethan!” she snapped.
“You need to calm down!” he retorted, but she elbowed him sharply in the chest, and he loosened his grip just enough for her to dart forward, landing on her knees in front of Maeve, “Troy, we can shift. We can carry the women-” Ethan said.
I looked down to see Maeve’s eyelashes fluttering. “I don’t want to have these babies in the grass. That would be… be silly.” Maeve said weakly, her mouth twitching into a smile.
I could feel her energy waning. Every minute that passed felt like a lifetime as we waited for help. Maeve cried out in pain, and I felt absolutely helpless.
“Something’s wrong!” she said, over and over.
Rosalie was praying, running her fingers through Maeve’s hair. Rosalie looked at me, her eyes full of tears.
“We need to deliver them, right now,” I said, not sure how the words had even formed in my mouth. I hadn’t meant to say it; hadn’t even been thinking about it.
“How?” Rosalie pleaded.
She looked exhausted; her face twisted in pain. Goddess, it felt like Ethan and I were about to lose them both.
“Do you have the moonstones?” Ethan’s voice sounded out behind me, and I turned to look at him, nodding.
“In the plane,” I answered quickly, turning back to Maeve, who was gripping my hand.
She was gray in color, her arms trembling in the wet chill of the air. I took off my sweater and draped it over her, trying to keep her warm.
“Troy, I wanted to get married,”
“We‘re going to get married, Maeve. I promise,” I choked, try ing to maintain my composure.
“What about right now? Just so I can say… can say we did it…”
“What are you talking about?” I laughed, despite the situation.
She gave me one last soft smile, then her eyes began to
close.
her awake, and Maeve groaned, shaking
Maeve’s words
is our wedding, underneath the stars. Under the moon. Open your eyes, Maeve! Do you see
into me, almost knocking me over as he slipped in the wet
“Got them,”
That ring? We need it, now!” I could
was a simple gold band with a dainty clear stone in a shallow setting, and dropped it into my hand with the moonstones.
to Maeve, looking down at her, admiring her, taking in every inch of her. | slowly handed
hint of red within her palm. I hadn’t realized she had in jured herself during the rough landing,
over Maeve, kissing her on the
the ceremony that bound Maeve and I as husband and wife, but I
his office. He pulled a small box from the safe beneath
- ly.
my name besides the clothes on my back, and even those
is not how I imagined this moment in our lives
my hand, turning it over in my palm as Rosalie’s strained words filled the air around us. Rosalie nod ded
her finger and laid
a soft rumbling beneath us, an earthquake it seemed. Goddess, could
Ethan said, looking
my skin as
to blow up? What’s that sound?” | said
turned to Ethan, who was looking at Rosalie, who was on her knees next to Maeve, her eyes downcast as she looked
stone in the ring
It’s
moving in slow motion, a blinding light passing over me, and through me, as I flew through the air. I hit the ground, knocking my head against the ground, which sent a sharp
anything besides the pain radiating through my body. I heard voic es around me, someone
me, looking down
shouted, reaching down to pull pieces of grass
“What-where’s Maeve?”
***
fluorescent lights were blinding,
walls and yellow paint, and even further from the stone-walled infirmary at the castle where Maeve and I had both prepared for
crisp white coats hovered around the room where I was standing, shell-shocked, their voic es a faint murmur in
low blood pressure,
what was currently happening, and what had hap pened when I slipped that unassuming ring on Maeve’s finger
all to us, but I could barely understand her. Ethan was standing next to me, clutching Rosalie’s
helpless, watching Maeve
but she’s far gone. It’s a miracle her heart is still beating. We can likely save at
| shouted, squaring my shoulders as though about to enter into a fight. I drew in my breath, letting the cool,
stammered, taken aback
which gave me a glimpse of Maeve laying
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