Page 27 of Taken By the Naga King

Azha

Azha rolled over, stretching her arms out and yawning. Gravon was still asleep next to her, so she curled up to him, thankful for his warmth. She felt unusually cold this morning.

It had been about a week since she had moved into Gravon’s room, which was now hers, too. Before, she had been thankful for the privacy her separate room had provided, but now, she was thankful for any extra moment she could spend with Gravon.

As a king, he was, of course, very busy. But he always made time for her, no matter what. She listened to the sound of his breathing and let a hand softly trail along his skin.

“What are you doing?”

Azha smiled. She had known her touch would wake him. She had wanted it to.

“Nothing,” she said innocently.

He easily flipped her onto her back, his menacing stare sending chills throughout her body.

“Is this what you wanted?” he asked, sliding under the covers.

But as soon as he was fully under, a sharp pain shot through Azha’s body, and she cried out.

Gravon ripped the comforter off him, his eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”

She clutched her lower abdomen, shaking her head. “I don’t know, I—”

She cried out again. The pain was even worse this time.

“Azha, what’s going on? Is it your human bleeding cycle?”

“No, no, I’m not due yet. And that has never given me pain like this.”

Azha slid to the edge of the bed, feeling nauseated. When her feet touched the ground and she tried to stand, she nearly fell over. Gravon caught her and lifted her into his arms.

“We’re going to the medical wing, now.”

“Maybe we should wait. Maybe it’ll go away.”

“No. I don’t care. If something is wrong, we need to see a healer.”

“Ow!” she shouted, her hand going to her stomach again. “It feels like a cramp, only much worse. Like a stabbing pain.”

Gravon began darting through the palace so fast that everything was a blur. His expression was wild, and his eyes threatened anything in his path. She clutched him and tried to ignore the pain, but it was nearly impossible.

Finally, they slammed through a door to the royal medical wing, and Gravon began yelling.

“I need a healer immediately! Someone, please!”

“Yes, Your Majesty, please follow me,” a young healer said before leading them into an exam room. “I will go and get the royal healer.”

“Quickly,” Gravon snarled.

A moment later, a male Naga entered the room and shut the door behind him. “Your Majesty, what seems to be the problem?”

“I don’t know. She woke up and suddenly started having sharp pains that seemed to be coming from her stomach. She was also nauseated and almost fell when she attempted to stand.”

“Please, set her down on the exam table so I can look at her.”

Gravon seemed hesitant to set her down but ultimately did as the healer demanded. She felt anxious as the doctor moved toward her. He gently pressed a hand to her stomach, and when she did not cry out in pain, he pressed harder.

“Does this hurt?”

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