“Yer Majesty, are ye okay?” The guards rushed over to me as coffee dripped down my chin and onto my shirt.
“What – what the hell is this?” I asked, staring ahead, unblinking. “Can someone ask the kitchen why I was given decaf, and how in the world they even have decaf? I told them it was forbidden!” I shouted as I slammed the coffee mug on the table, coffee sloshing over the rim, sure I looked like a mad woman.
I knew I was being ridiculous, but I was in the middle of an existential crisis. I hadn’t slept in over thirty-six hours, there was a tiny human growing inside me, and I needed the elixir of life as soon as possible or I might start to cry.
“Aye, Yer Majesty.” One of the guards bowed and sprinted out of the dining hall through the back door that led to the kitchen.
After a few minutes, the guard returned with a luna from the kitchen. She bowed before me and asked, “Is there a problem, Yer Majesty?”
I tried to calm my racing heart. “Why was I given decaf?” I said as calmly as possible. I didn’t want to be rude. I wasn’t that type of Queen. Especially not over coffee. I couldn’t be.
She worried her hands in front of her apron and nodded a couple times in understanding. “King Alexander came to the kitchen at dawn during prep and told us under no circumstances were we to give ye regular coffee. No matter what ye say. And if ye won’t drink the decaf, we’re to give ye tea.”
My jaw dropped and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t drink coffee. That was what they were saying. I felt like a smoker who had just been told they couldn’t smoke for nine months. This was absurd. How would I survive?
My hands trembled with the need for my morning drink and I looked down at my soggy breakfast that I’d destroyed by spitting gross coffee all over it. I wasn’t even hungry anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Yer Majesty.” She bowed and excused herself before leaving the dining hall.
“Yer Majesty, would you like the kitchen to make ye another breakfast?” one guard asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine,” I answered mindlessly. “I’m not hungry anymore.” I pushed back my chair and stood to leave, tossing the napkin onto the table. I needed to have a word with Alexander. This was not okay.
I stormed out of the dining hall, my guards hustling to follow me out. I didn’t need to go far, because halfway down the corridor, Alexander was coming toward me, most likely on his way to eat breakfast.
“You!” I shouted, pointing a finger at him.
He pointed at himself in confusion and then realization dawned on him and he chuckled. “Nae a very good brekie, I suppose.”
“You think this is funny?” I scoffed.
Alexander walked toward me and grabbed my upper arms. “Darling, ye know ye cannae drink coffee right now.” He looked around the corridor at the guards and then back at me, widening his eyes for me to catch his drift.
The baby.
I couldn’t have coffee because of the damn baby. At least not regular coffee. And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t an obsessive coffee drinker. I couldn’t be trusted to just have one cup a day. This would be torture! Absolute torture. There was no way I would survive this. I needed something to replace the caffeine.
“Alexander, I need …” my voice trembled.
“I know, darling. I’m working on it.” He smiled softly. “We’ll figure something out, but for now, no coffee.” He squeezed my arms and then let me go. “Come on, we need to get ye to yer appointment.”
Alexander hooked my arm in his and led me down the corridor toward the main foyer of the castle where Ranulf, Bash, and William were already waiting.
“The rest of ye are relieved from yer duties for the day,” Ranulf dismissed the guards. They looked at one another in confusion and then nodded before departing. “We’ve briefed William on what’s going on,” Ranulf added for my benefit.
“Okay. Did you make the appointment with Dr. Harris?” I asked.
“First thing this morning,” he confirmed. “Now let’s go. He’s waiting for us.”
Bash took my hand and we followed Ranulf and Alexander, while William took the rear as we exited the castle. Crossing the drawbridge, we waved to the guards on duty and I saw the questions in their eyes. Where were the Queen’s guards?
“Aren’t we making it a little too obvious that something’s up?” I whispered to Bash once we entered the village. “I never travel alone.”
“Technically, you’re not alone,” Bash whispered back.
“You know what I mean,” I deadpanned.
He smiled down at me. “I know, but this is a necessary precaution.” Bash released my hand and wrapped an arm around me. “I know the timing is bad, but I’m really excited.”
I snorted. “I bet you are. You’re not the one going through the trauma and body dysmorphia.”
Bash threw his head back in laughter. “Body dysmorphia? Seriously, Mackenzie? What else are you going to come up with?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ll tell you as they come to me.”
Bash leaned down and pressed his lips to my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “You’re going to love her.”
Her?
“You mean him?” I corrected.
He shook his head. “It’s a girl.”
I frowned. “No it’s not.”
He stopped walking, making William bump into him. “Yes, it is. I saw her,” he said.
I looked back at him. He was completely serious.
“When?” I raised a brow and crossed my arms over my chest.
“During the mating ceremony, when we took the nightshade. It was a girl.”
William cleared his throat. “Ye may nae want to have this discussion in the middle of the road.”
“I saw a boy!” I whisper yelled. “He was a teenager and he looked just like you! Unfortunately …” I muttered the last part. “But he had my eyes. It’s definitely a boy.”
“Excuse me?” William tried again.
“I’m
