Page 85 of Beastly Armory

We’re gearing up for war, and I feel it in my bones. If only we could collaborate with Ace now that he’s agreed to take Arianna’s hand. It seems our parents were right, that our combinations could create peace. It’s just going to take a lot of violence to get there.

“Max! Max! Lion!” My breathing stops at the sound of Livia’s panicked voice before the front door slams, causing the mirrors on the walls to shudder. Jumping from my chair, it tips over in my hurry to grab my wife.

“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?” Reaching her, I grasp her waist and tug her into me, scanning her bodyfor any hurt, bruise, broken anything… She’s safe, though, and a large smile paints her face.

“Lion… My lion.” Snaking her fingers through the back of my scalp, she pulls me closer and presses her full lips against mine in a warm morning greeting. “I need to tell you something.”

“What? You’re killing me, what is it?” Sliding a hand down my arm, she grasps my fingers, tugging me toward the stairs. “Livia, seriously, what.”

“Come on.”

“If it’s dick you need, I’m down for it, but just tell me.” Biting her lip, she smiles coyly and continues to pull me toward our new bedroom. When we get in, I press her against the back of the door to close it and lift her up so we’re face to face. “Foxy. Please…”

“Maggie gave me a checkup today.” Her face beams with something I’ve only seen when we exchanged vows at the courthouse.

Heart thudding against my ribs, I try to will my pulse rate down. “Yeah?”

“She thinks I could be pregnant.” Stunned, my chest stops rising. “Max?”

“Wha-what?” I hear my voice come out shaky, but it seems so far away.

“She says it’s too early, but I had her test my hormones about a month ago. She says there’s nothing wrong with them, that perhaps there never was. Are you okay? Are you… fainting, Max?”

My vision starts to go blurry, but I maintain a grip on her. “Repeat. What just happened? I don’t understand.You rejected me because you said you couldn’t have children. And I said I didn’t give a fuck if you could or not. I’m confused.”

Carrying her over to the bed, I place her on it and squat in front of her as she places her hands on my shoulders, her legs surrounding my torso. “Maggie. She looked at the old charts I had from that specialist I went to five years ago, the one who told me I couldn’t have children. He never even commented on infertility in his note. She even showed it to me. When she looked up his credentials, that doctor didn’t exist, but Maggie knew ahealerwho worked withStraussby the same name. Says she eventrainedunder him.”

“I thought healers didn’t play our games, Livia.” Rubbing her thighs, my mind races with a thousand questions. “Did he have his healer tell you a lie to-to, what? Keep you from me?”

Despite the gravity of what happened, she still can’t shirk a small smile. “Maggie says she believes so. She went over everything with me, saying there was nothing in there that would mean I couldn’t have children. That my hormone levels from the lab results back then were completely normal and my irregular cycles were from iron deficiency anemia.”

Brushing the tail of her hair over her shoulder, I gaze into her smiling eyes. “And she thinks you’re pregnant now?! We’ve only been together… maybe a couple months?”

Lifting a shoulder, she looks a bit worried, her eyebrows stitching together. “I was never on birth control.Didn’t think I needed to be. And I’ve never had unprotected sex until youtookme.”

Fuck yeah, I did. Maybe my sperm can break barriers, heal her womb, and cure cancer. Lifting my palm to her face, she rests against it as I finally allow myself to believe. Could she be carrying my child? Our child? Our heir? “Foxy… how do you feel? What are your thoughts?”

“I-I guess I had given up on the possibility, so I’m shocked. Obviously, I want to kill Strauss, and we will. I know that. But I don’t feel that rage right now as much as really excited.” Looking at her lap, she pauses. “Mainly, though, I’m scared, Max. What if I get my hopes up and it’s not true? I can’t take another time of feeling broken all over again. I just can’t.”

Grasping her in a tight embrace, I place my lips over her ear. “You’re not broken. Not at all. I don’t want to hear you talk about my wife like that. You’re Mrs. Freidenberg, and you’re mine. You’re part bear now and bears aren’t weak.Youare not weak, Livia, never have been. You can face this. And this time, instead of taking that news alone, you have me with you to lean on. If you can’t have faith, I’ll hope for the both of us. If you can’t handle the disappointment, I’ll take your pain. Whatever the answer is, I’m here with you.”

When I pull back to look at my beautiful wife, tears flood her golden eyes and pour onto her flushed cheeks as she smiles. Grabbing her lips with my mouth, I meld into her body, letting her know we’re one now, that I’ll be strong when she can’t handle something, just as I knowshe has done for me. She pulls back to take a shaky breath and wipe her eyes.

Leaning her forehead against mine, she says, “My-my pregnancy test was positive. She ordered a blood test, and we’re waiting for the results now.”

“When will we know?”

“Could be today, maybe in a day or two. Ugh, I seriously can’t wait.” Scooping her in my arms, I lay her gently on the bed and settle next to her on my side. Some of my bandages tear, but I barely notice, the irritation replaced with anticipation of something new.

“Meh, it’ll give us time to murder Egon, Gemini, and Strauss. And whoever that healer is. Basically, baby, that kill list is growing. You and I will destroy every one of them.” Lacing our fingers together, we continue to study each other’s eyes, our dazed smiles mirrored. “Baby…”

“Yeah?”

“I mean…” Nodding to her stomach, she smiles broadly. “Baby. You could have my baby.”

“I could—” Before she can finish her sentence, her phone rings from her pocket, and we both freeze. That call could bring her joy and some peace, but it may also cause her to crumble. Either way, I’m there and will hold her. My head bobs toward it, encouraging her to answer. She inhales deeply, then slides it out of her pocket and lies on her back. “Hey, Maggie. What’s up?” she says, attempting to sound casual, but her voice shakes.

Licking my lips, I strain my ears to hear, but can’t make out anything.