“Okay, okay, I promise,” he says, holding up his hands.
I lower my voice to an almost whisper and say, “I’m pregnant.”
His mouth drops open and then he closes it quickly to form a grim line. “Oh,” he says flatly. “I take it you don’t know who the father is yet?”
I feel myself blush with embarrassment as I shake my head.
“Well,” he says and huffs out a breath, “I don’t really know what to say to that. Congrats, I guess.”
“Dev,” I say but he stops me by holding a finger up to my lips.
“Sorry,” he mumbles. “It’s just weird and difficult for me.”
“I know,” I say. “I’m sorry too.”
“Powerful little thing though,” he adds, shaking out his hands again.
I chuckle and agree. “She flung Thrace across the room, not once, but twice when he tried to touch me.”
“She?” he asks.
I just shrug. Of course it’s a girl.
He frowns. “He knows?” he asks worriedly.
“Knew. Sebastian killed him and took back his throne,” I say morosely.
That catches Devon off guard. “He is King again?”
“Yeah. And my father wants me to be Queen of his Kingdom. Queendom? Whatever.” I shrug and Devon whistles.
“How do you plan on getting out of that?” he asks. “I’m not sure I want to go and live in the Dark Fae Kingdom.”
“You might not have a choice, Devon. Once I go for my daughter, the Dragons will be coming here and probably lay waste to the Underworld trying to find her. I need you and everybody I care about to be somewhere safe where they can’t reach you.”
“How is the old man taking the news of your daughter?” he asks with typical Devon nonchalance after that sinks in.
I snort with delight that he hasn’t lost all of his humor in the face of everything that has happened in the last couple of days. In fact if anything, he is almost back to his old self. I delight in that, as I was worried for him.
“As well as can be expected,” I say. “Shocked, like the rest of us, but he rallied and said he would accept her as his own.”
Devon nods. “Sooo, you think you guys will stay together now?”
“I hope so,” I say carefully. “The conflict going on between my four personas is very much a problem.”
“You don’t think Aefre is strong enough?” he asks, just as carefully.
“Not without the Vampire,” I say and then shut my mouth as CK enters with a tray full of food that makes my mouth water. I smile to cover up my worry and he places the tray on the rug next to me. I can tell that Devon is itching to resume our conversation, but it will have to wait. I am not asking CK to leave us alone as he is looking rather forlorn and it breaks my heart. I take his hand and he kisses it before he scoops up a mini quiche–someone must have been to the supermarket recently–and pops it into my mouth. It tastes delicious and soon I have polished off the tray of appetizers, only allowing Devon to steal one vol-au-vent before I slapped his hand away.
Replete, I lie back against Devon, while CK holds my hand and we all stare into the dying fire with our respective thoughts. Mine are all over the place and the dull ache at the base of my skull is starting to thud as my eyes begin to close. I need a rest from all of the commotion going on in my brain that only sleep can provide and soon I feel CK Teleporting me upstairs and putting me into bed.
I awake the next morning quite early. It is still dark out and I am in an unfamiliar bed. I look around after I re-light my three bedside candles and discover I am in one of the guest rooms and a familiar leather duster is thrown over the armchair in the corner. For some reason, CK agreed to let me sleep in a room with Xane last night. Although, that thought surprises me, I have to admit it was a good move. Had anyone come looking for us, it wouldn’t have seemed that we were very “united” had we been in separate bedrooms. The throbbing in my head has not abated and I call a bottle of Aspirin to me and pop two out of the container when there is a knock at the door. I wait a moment, expecting whomever it is to just barge in, but when no one does I call out, “Yes?”
Cade pokes his head around the door and asks, “Can I come in?”
I smile broadly at him and gesture him inside. “Of course,” I say and scoot over so he can sit on the bed. I grab the bottle of water from the nightstand and guzzle back my tablets while he looks at me with raised eyebrows.
“Aspirin?” he asks.