He hesitated. I felt it in his heavy breathing. So I moved my finger the tiniest bit and pressed it up against his fang. I didn’t flinch as it pierced through my skin. Nor did I flinch when he took one hard pull before gently grazing my finger with the tip of his tongue, pulling my finger from his mouth. He hadn’t swallowed, and I watched him as I took my hand back to my lap, fisting them again as he swished my blood inside his mouth, his head still bowed.
He swallowed, lifting his hand and dragging it over his lowered face. “She’s pregnant.”
All of the air left me at his rasping words.
There was silence for the barest moment — no one moved or even breathed around me — before King Kincaid growled, “Now, Lily. Tell me who the f**k he is.”
My body jolted brutally as his command unleashed on me. Groaning, I trembled, my teeth clenching hard. I saw Ezra’s head snap up, his eyes flashing furious green. I knew in that moment that it wasn’t only Shifters who reacted to pregnancy with an animalistic manner.
“Stop!” the medic shouted, placing a steely grip on King Kincaid’s shoulder. I also knew in that instant she was the one who saved King Kincaid’s life. He didn’t even see Ezra’s face because of the way the medic had positioned her body in an attempt to stop him from using his power on me. But…Elder Merrick did. He stayed very still, not making any sudden movements as he watched Ezra. The medic shook King Kincaid’s shoulder. “With all due respect, Your Highness, you cannot do this to her right now. She could be miscarrying and you’re not helping.”
King Kincaid’s power cut off abruptly. “Miscarrying?”
Golden hair bobbed. “It’s a possibility. I need to get her to an examining room.”
Ezra blinked real slow-like, his eyes flying to my stomach, before his dad placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back, saying, “Son, get back. They’ll need to move her.”
My head swam again, but I shook my head. “Pregnant?” My head thumped back on the trash can, listing to the side drunkenly.
King Kincaid gripped me like a child, lifting me as he stood. “How much of a possibility?”
“Let’s just get her to an examining room,” she stated in a clipped tone, turning and shouting at everyone to move out of our way.
My stomach cramped heavily, and I grunted, grabbing at it and turning my head into King Kincaid’s neck as we started moving. As soon as they made it through the horde of onlookers, King Kincaid started running, as did the Mage. My watering gaze opened as he raced with me in his arms, and I blinked into spring green. Ezra was right behind us, keeping pace. I could see Elder Merrick next to him, watching him, but he didn’t try to stop him, or Cahal, who was behind him, along with Pearl and Jack, whose faces were whiter than ghosts.
Ezra’s eyes held mine the entire way, never once glancing away. His gaze held fear and worry and shock, but no condemnation. It was the same as mine. I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant.
Yet apparently, I was.
My breath shuddered. A few wayward tears slipped down my cheeks. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Pregnancy was supposed to be taken care of.
“Lay her on that bed,” the medic stated, sounding winded. We had been on the bottom floor, and were now somewhere near the middle. I wasn’t sure how fast we had gotten here, but it seemed as if time had flown by quickly, staring at Ezra. “I’ll be back in just a minute.”
King Kincaid lowered me onto the medical bed inside the clinic, then turned to everyone who had followed us into the small room, opening his mouth.
Ezra slashed a hand through the air, stopping whatever King Kincaid was to say. “Do. Not. Tell. Us. To. Leave.” His Vampire growled, and he started pacing the small area of the room, his muscles bulging under the too-bright golden sparks.
“Elder Zeller, get your son out of here,” King Kincaid muttered.
Elder Merrick waved a hand. “Let them all stay.” He blinked at King Kincaid’s shocked expression. “They’ll be ruling together. Possibly during a war. They have a lot riding on this outcome. Not just her.”
King Kincaid’s eyes were still wide, but he peered down at me. “Lily? It’s up to you.”
“They’re staying,” I moaned, rolling on my side as another cramp took hold. “Where the hell did Cindy go?” I didn’t like brats, nor did I really want one of my own, by any stretch of the imagination, but if I was pregnant and lost it…I wasn’t sure how I would feel.
“Bindi,” King Kincaid said absently, glancing left and right for her.
Ezra bumped him out of the way, leaning over the bed to pull a blanket over me. He pulled a chair over with his foot to sit directly next to the bed, his face aligned with mine. King Kincaid stared as if Ezra had lost his mind, but Ezra only thumped his thumbs on the bed in an urgent rhythm, eyes darting to where Bindi had rushed off to. He cleared his throat, his eyes going far over my head, then back to the door she had left through. “King Venclaire, can you check on the medic and hurry her ass up?”
I blinked, rubbing my forehead, not even realizing King Venclaire had come here. I hadn’t even known he was in the fighting arena. Maybe he hadn’t been, and had only seen everyone running up the walkway. I was too out of it to notice much right now except for Ezra’s chest rising and falling way too quickly.
“I can hear her,” King Venclaire said softly, his voice strained. “She’s coming.”
King Kincaid finally sputtered, “Ezra, get the hell away from her.”
“Fuck off,” Ezra muttered absently, straightening in his chair to peer out the door better.
King Kincaid’s eyes flashed, but I could tell that Bindi must have come through the door behind me by the way everyone became silent inside the room. I heard her clear her throat, followed by Elder Merrick saying calmly, “Everyone’s staying.”
“Alright,” she mumbled quietly. “Then everyone can get the hell out of my way so I can work properly.” I heard shoes scuffing on the ground, then she said politely, “Thank you.” She came into view at the end of the bed, lifting the blanket off me and patting my feet. “You need to undress, so I can examine you.”
My blink was gradual. “Okay, King Kincaid’s right. Everyone get the f**k out.” I actually heard said King hum in approval, and I shot him a glance. “Even you.”
Ezra stiffened, not liking it at all, but left the room with everyone — the last one to leave, finagling that somehow — and I did as told, undressing with the medic’s assistance once she closed the door. After performing her internal exam, I pulled the blanket up over me, having her let everyone back in. Somehow finagling it again, Ezra was the first to enter the room this time, swiftly returning to his vacated chair, his face as drawn as it had been when he left.