I almost leap out of bed, well, I would have, had it been possible. As it is, I climb my hefty person out of bed as he helps me. He opens the door and Aida is standing in her usual post and stops us from leaving. Remiel mutters to her in Dragon and she looks less than happy but doesn’t defy him when he leads me out of the room. Christ. He has more power here than I thought. I knew Tiamat was keeping him here having decided all was forgiven once I had resurrected him, but I didn’t know he was the almighty. I guess his own Chosen status holds more weight than my own. He quietly walks me down the stairs and we head down a long corridor at a slow pace. I take in everything as we walk past. I was Astralled straight into the room with the view from Hell from my bathroom at home and I haven’t left since. I need to know how to get out of here when the time comes for me to make my escape. I don’t want to be wandering around the halls of this enormous palace looking for a way out. Especially with a baby in my arms. Even if my mother gives me my Powers back, there is only one place those of us who aren’t Tiamat or Remiel can Astral from and I need to find it. Yep, seems even now I am lower on the food chain than I was led to believe.
“How long have I been here?” I ask him.
“Four days,” he says to my utmost surprise. Seems like longer than that, especially considering my size. My brain quickly does the math and I gulp, realizing that I have been gone over five months in Earth time. I have no idea how to process that. Although, now that I think about it, if my body is still working on Earth time, it figures I would be so huge now as that much time has passed. Man, this time shift really is a bitch to keep up with.
“Oh,” I say and run a hand over my stomach.
He sees me and says, “Yes, it has been quite the surprise how quickly this has progressed once you got here. We had no idea that in just a few short days you would get so…” He holds his hands out and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Be very careful where you go with that,” I warn him, and he laughs. He has a really nice laugh and it makes me giggle in return.
“Beautiful,” he finishes with a twinkle in his blue eyes that hides his growing desire. It snaps me back to my mission. I am not here to go goo-goo over him, although it is a struggle. Whatever way he has, it is strong, and I am not the only one it affects.
I preen at the compliment and I know I have him firmly on my side. For now. He won’t take it too well when I disappear with our child, but tough. I will think about that when the time comes.
“How much longer, do you think?” I ask him to keep him distracted from my darting eyes that are making short work out of figuring exactly where we are in relation to not only my room, but to the rest of the castle. Castles, in my experience, are pretty standard, and this one seems no different, except in its vast size. It is huge, bigger than Drake’s palace and that place is enormous. He is clearly leading me down a merry path on the assumption that I won’t have a clue where we are, but as we step into a corridor so high and so wide I know we are fairly close to where I can at least exit this place in Dragon form. That must mean that the launching pad is close by as well.
“I couldn’t say,” he says. “I wouldn’t have thought too much longer.”
“And then what?” I ask him, tightening my hold on him to show him I trust him and need the truth from him.
He returns the squeeze and says, “And then you will be free to leave.”
I turn to him in surprise. I had not been expecting that. There must be a catch. “Without the baby, I presume?” I ask, more than a little annoyed.
r /> He averts his eyes and it is all the confirmation I need. I am surplus to requirements once my part is over. He looks back at me with a little hope dawning as he sees my angry expression. “You could stay,” he says quickly. “Here with our daughter, and me.”
“Stay?” I croak. “I can’t do that, Remiel. I have family back home. I want to take my child and go home.” I am treading in dangerous territory here, but I can’t help myself.
He shakes his head fiercely. “No,” he says. “That is not an option, Aefre. The child stays here with me. Whether or not you decide to stay with us is up to you.”
I gulp. He is angry and I didn’t want that to happen. I need him genial, so I take his hand tightly with a fearful look on my face. “What about my family? My responsibilities?” I ask him.
“You make a sacrifice,” he says shortly, still not happy with me for ruining our happy time. “You choose: your child or your ties.”
A sacrifice. It is a huge sacrifice. How can I choose between my husbands and lovers and my child? A normal woman probably wouldn’t hesitate and would immediately choose her child, but I am not normal. My charges need me; they are suffering right now in ways I can only imagine because of my long absence from them. They will shrivel up and suddenly all I can think about is Gustav. It hitches my breath and Remiel is watching me closely.
“There is no need to decide right now,” he says suddenly. “But know that those are your only two options, Aefre.” He takes my arm, looping his through mine again and silently leading me back a different way than the way we came.
My brain scrambles to say something that will make this right. He is suspicious of me now and that won’t do. I cannot have him watching me even more closely. I open my mouth to say something placatory, but we are back at my bedroom already and Aida steps to the side to allow us in.
“Rest now,” he says to me. He helps me into bed and his hand automatically goes over my bump, but this time he hesitates. I grab his hand and place it on me, keeping mine firmly over his. I see the tense set of his shoulders relax a bit and I know my actions have reassured him. “I will check on you later,” he murmurs and pulls his hand out from underneath mine. I nod sleepily and I am out for the count before he has left the room.
A presence in the room startles me and I sit up, opening my eyes with a gasp, that turns to a rapid beating of my heart when I see who my visitor is.
“Xane?” I ask incredulously.
He turns from the window grimly, clearly having been looking at the push-off point and smiles at me.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi,” I say, holding out my hands to him. “What on Earth are you doing here? How are you even here?”
He crosses over to me and takes my hands, kissing them both before he sits on the edge of the bed. “I have friends in high places,” he says, amused.
“Your mother,” I growl at him and he nods. I am so mad with Xanthe for allowing this to happen to me while she was supposed to be watching over me, I could kill her. I don’t know if she helped or just sat back and let Remiel seduce me during my Heat, but either way, next time I see her she has a bunch of apologizing to do.
Xane is casting his eye watchfully over me and I cringe. “Not so attractive at the moment, am I?” I ask archly.