His eyes find mine and he looks surprised. “Liv, you look beautiful,” he says.
“Hah,” I scoff. “Such a charmer. It’s okay, you can say it. I’m huge.”
“Beautiful,” he says more firmly and carefully places his hands on me.
He is the first of my lovers to see me in this manner and it suddenly makes me very nervous. I lick my lips and ask, “Does this upset you?”
He doesn’t answer for the longest time and then surprises me when he shakes his head. “No,” he says. “This is meant to be, clearly. It doesn’t mean it will be the only child you have.”
“Oh,” I say softly. He sounds so serious.
“Liv,” he says suddenly, looking back into my eyes. “I can take you from here,” he adds quietly. “We can leave right now and never look back. Just the two of us. Three of us,” he amends. “I will love this child, as I love you, as mine.”
“What?” I ask, struggling to sit up straighter. “What are you saying?” I whisper in panic. If anyone overheard him, we would both be extra crispy outside in the moat.
“They won’t let you take the baby, Liv. You know that. If we left now…” He trails off as I shake my head.
“No,” I say. “No, Xane. I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” he asks earnestly. “Do you plan to stay here with him?” he challenges me.
“I don’t know,” I say cautiously. Something doesn’t add up here and I need to be very careful with what I say next. “I haven’t decided what to do once the baby is born. But she will be born here.”
Xane’s eyes flash and I except anger from him, only I get something far, far more shocking. Remiel shimmers into view right where Xane had been sitting with a smile on his face.
A test!
I knew it. Well, I didn’t know it, but I knew something was up. I want to snarl at him for tricking me, but my ice is spread so thin after our earlier conversation I just glare at him to explain.
“I’m sorry, Aefre,” he says. “I had to know. For sure. I had to offer you a way out to see if your intentions are true.”
“I already told you I wasn’t leaving here before the baby is born,” I say, annoyed at him.
He grabs my hand and I sniff slightly, pretending to be only slightly pissed off with him. “I know,” he says quickly. “But after our difference of opinion, I had to make sure.”
“Your ultimatum, you mean. Making me sacrifice one of my lives.” The tears well up and I can go no further. I am genuinely upset over this, but his desperation at my tears makes me half laugh as he hurries to find me a tissue. Shit, this feeling of hating him and yet wanting to please him is driving me insane.
“Do you believe me now?” I ask, wiping my eyes.
“Yes,” he says. “I apologize for coming to you as your lover. I know you must miss him,” he adds sadly and lowers his eyes as I just stare at him. Compassion? Since when?
“It hurts my heart,” I say just as sadly. “I miss all of them.”
“I know,” he whispers with a wretched look, which hardens when he adds, “but I am your Chosen One. We are supposed to be together.”
I shake my head. “Cole is my Chosen One,” I say.
“No,” Remiel says forcefully. “He was Chosen in my absence. Now that I am returned, the honor is mine.”
“What?” I ask, confused. “What do you mean Chosen in your absence?” I am getting tired now and my back is aching, distracting me.
“I was, for all intents and purposes, dead, Aefre. In line with the prophecy, the next man of my blood was Chosen for you,” he explains, and my mouth drops open.
“Come again?” I whisper. “Cole is descended from you?” I go queasy and my head starts to spin.
“Not descended, no,” he says cryptically, and the intrigue focuses me again.
“What do you mean then?” I snap at him.