“Fine. Let’s call Alexander and Ranulf—”
“It’s the middle of the night!” I screeched, stopping him as he was about to stand. “We can discuss this later at a decent hour.”
Bash shook his head. “This is too important to wait. Especially if you’ve already received a threat from Abaddon. They must be told now.”
I didn’t stop him when he strode out of our bedroom to ask William to call Ranulf and bring both him and Alexander to our chambers.
This was going to be a long night.
Bash and I were in the common room when Ranulf and Alexander walked in together. Ranulf was all geared up as if he never went to sleep, while Alexander was wearing a robe over his striped pajamas.
“What is so important that it needs to be addressed in the wee hours of the morning?” Ranulf grumbled.
“Have a seat.” Bash motioned to the sofa across from us and Alexander went to sit while Ranulf stayed standing, crossing his arms over his chest.
Alexander’s gray eyes traveled to me and he took in my drenched hoodie and long wool coat. Definitely not nightwear. “What’s wrong, darling?”
I ran a trembling hand over my wet, knotted hair and took a deep breath. “I learned something last night … from Ophelia.”
“Did you learn what the demon is after?” Ranulf asked with a raised brow.
I shook my head. “I found that out from Abaddon himself.” Both their eyes widened. “He sent me a package … here to the castle.”
“What does he want?” Ranulf demanded, taking a step toward us.
“What did Ophelia say?” Alexander asked gently.
I pressed my lips together for a quick pause. “They were the same thing. Ophelia told me something I have, and Abaddon told me he wants it.”
“Well?” Ranulf urged.
I looked over at Bash for reassurance and he nodded, smiling for me to keep going. He reached over and squeezed my hand comfortingly, not letting go. My eyes went back to Alexander and Ranulf, who alternated between patience and annoyance as they waited for me to respond. I took a deep breath.
“I’m pregnant.”
A hush fell over the room and it felt as if everyone held their breaths. Bash never once let me go as we faced them and waited for a reply, a reaction, anything in response to what I just said.
“Yer what?” Alexander whispered, looking stunned.
“I’m pregnant … with child … bun in the oven … knocked up … I don’t know how else to say it.” I swallowed loudly. “Are … are you mad?” I winced.
“Mad?” Alexander let out a boisterous laugh. “I’m bloody ecstatic!”
I jerked back as he jumped up from his seat and ran over to me, engulfing me in a huge hug.
“This is such a relief, darling,” he whispered in my ear and squeezed me tightly. When Alexander pulled back, his eyes were glossy. “The family line continues.”
I didn’t feel an ounce of relief whatsoever.
“We have nae had any little ones running around the castle in a long time,” Alexander beamed. “Oh, this is wonderful! We can—”
“We can’t tell anyone,” I interrupted. “At least not right now. It’s too dangerous.”
“Is the baby what the demon wants?” Ranulf asked shrewdly.
“Yes,” Bash answered. “He sent her a package with a baby rattle and this note.” He handed everything over to Ranulf, who took it and looked over the note.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.
The first trimester is always the hardest.
-A”
Ranulf read the note aloud and tossed it back in the box. “He’s threatening ye.”
“I figured,” I muttered. Then I decided to bite the bullet and tell them the rest. “There’s something else you don’t know about me.”
“What is it?” Ranulf asked cautiously.
“Before I left New York City, I made a deal with the fae. In exchange for their help in certain matters, I gave them … a vial of my blood.”
“What?!” Alexander shouted. “Tell me ye did nae!”
“Oh, she did,” Bash grunted.
Charging ahead, I continued, “They found fae magic in my blood. That’s why I didn’t want Dr. Harris running any blood tests on me.”
Ranulf exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “Hells bells, Yer Majesty, what else have ye been keeping from us?”
“Nothing, I promise, that’s it.” I held up my hand to swear I was being truthful. “I don’t know if the two things are related, but they just might be.”
Alexander shrugged. “We’ll have to talk to Dr. Harris to find out. We must be able to tell him, darling. Ye have to see a doctor.”
I nodded. “Bash and I already discussed it. We’re okay with letting Dr. Harris know, as long as he doesn’t tell anyone.”
“Very well.” Alexander turned to Ranulf. “Make an appointment for first thing in the morning with Dr. Harris. I want his earliest appointment. Better yet, tell him to clear his schedule for the whole day. We need his undivided attention.”
“Other people need to see the doctor, too,” I grumbled. “It’s not fair—”
Alexander glared at me. “Ye and the baby are the main priority of the entire Lycan race.”
I huffed but didn’t argue. There was no point. He would insist on the appointment regardless of my protests.
For the rest of the night, we discussed how to handle the situation going forward. To say I didn’t get any sleep would be an understatement.
3
The next morning, I showered and changed into clean clothes, tossing the rain-soaked clothes that were now dry and stiff into the hamper. Escorted by the Queen’s Guard, I was taken to the dining room where breakfast was waiting for me. I was famished. A huge, steaming mug of coffee awaited and I nearly tripped as I raced to the head of the table to reach it. I needed caffeine pronto. I was running on no sleep and needed something to keep me awake.
When I plopped down on the chair with two guards behind me, I grabbed the massive mug and took a big gulp—spitting it out immediately. The coffee flew out all over my breakfast and the dining
