A hush falls over the crowd at my words. I expect some people to protest or argue with me, but they don’t. Instead, they all lift their arms and cry out their battle cries. Then they chant my name.
“James.”
“James.”
“James.”
“As long as I am the ruler of Devilrise, I will fight for our land, our people, and the country itself.”
Another cry erupts all around me. I lift my hand and wave to them as I turn and head out into the desert alone. I don’t tell anyone where I’m going, they needn’t know. I have another group to thank and I cannot do that with all of the men around.
Are you available and near?
I don’t know where they are hiding out, but I know that they must be close. There is a moment of silence, then I see them making their way toward me. They are so majestic, their movement’s slow and steady, seemingly harmless as they move toward me.
We are here. The alpha states.
I want to thank you for this day. You aided in the victory more than you could ever know. He hums, sitting back and tilting his head to look up at me.
We did and you are welcome.
Clearing my throat, I nod my head a couple of times. It could not have happened without you and I thank you for protecting my home, my position, and my wife.
Where is she?
My lips twitch into a grin. She is safe.
He stands, turning around and begins to lead the pride of lions away from me. He stops suddenly, turning his head to look back at me.
She is good. Take care of her and we will remain close if and when we are needed.
Without another word, they walk away from me, and I watch them. I continue to watch when they disappear in the distance and I stay where I am for much longer than I should. The sun begins to set and when a cool breeze of air washes over me, only then do I turn and make my way back into the house.
I should reach out to Arion tonight, this is, after all, my wedding night. I don’t. I need this time away from her, not just so that I can ensure her safety, but also so that I can put distance between us.
The moment I think about distancing myself from her, I get a sharp pain in my middle, it’s so intense that it almost brings me to my knees. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I close my eyes and let the breath out slowly.
Something is wrong.
I can feel it.
BIRDIE
Sitting up, I close my eyes and take a full cleansing breath before I slide my legs over the edge of the bed and attempt to stand. The stone flooring is cold, even though there is a fire burning in the room, and I have to tiptoe to the bathroom as quickly as possible.
Once I’ve taken care of business, washed my hands and face in the small basin, I practically sprint back to bed and crawl between the warm sheets. Just as I’m getting settled again, the bedroom door opens.
Turning my head, I look over to see Sybilla coming my way with baby Elias. She’s all smiles in her fancy dress and perfectly styled hair.
“I let you sleep all day yesterday, Birdie.”
“Okay?”
Her nose scrunches and she shakes her head once. “Not today,” she snaps. “We’re having a lunch picnic and we’ll talk while Elias crawls around and eats grass.”
My eyes widen as I stare at her. “Is that safe?” I whisper-shout. “That grass is purple.”
She almost giggles from my observation. “It is, both safe and purple. This place is crazy, right? You’ll have to tell me what’s weird where you live.”
Live. That’s funny. I was a guest, at best. An annoyance, and a burden more like it. I give her a shaky smile and nod my head.
“I’m sending in some girls with a couple of dresses and shoes, since it didn’t look like you brought luggage?”
“I didn’t,” I agree.
“My girls will help, they’re great. I’ll see you in a few?”
I think about closing my eyes and catching up on much needed sleep. I want to sleep forever, my body still aches and I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I have a feeling nothing good is going to come from this pain.
Nothing good at all.
It doesn’t take long for Sybilla’s girls to swoop in, practically toss me from the bed and dress me in a gown that is similar to hers, but not quite as decadent and fancy. It makes sense, Sybilla is the queen.
The girls guide me down to the main area of the castle and I feel exhausted by the time I reach the foyer. Closing my eyes, I inhale a deep breath, then let it out on a sigh. I’m not even trying, but the sound of Elias’ voice fills my head.
Spinning around, I look, but he’s nowhere near, I force all other thoughts from my head and concentrate on what he’s saying.
I’m unsure what to do. My man is still in Devilrise and I need to bring him home, however, do I send Birdie back with Arion to do that?
Arion can sense the babe. It would not go well to keep her here.
He is sure. The babe is new, but still very much inside of her body and thriving.
The prophecy concerns me, I am unsure of what happens when a couple forces themselves apart. I know how I felt away from Sybilla and I can see that same pain and anguish in Birdie’s eyes.
“Birdie?” a voice calls out.
I spin around to see Sybilla and one of the women who helped me dress, Jasmine, standing directly across from me.
“Yes?” I say, clearing my throat.
“We called your name, you didn’t even twitch. Are you okay?”
I open my mouth to tell her what
