Page 20 of The Pregnancy Pact

The coast is clear.

Satisfied, I ducked back into the Overlord’s closet and reached for the picture. It was secured in a heavy silver frame, and I knew at a glance it must be a family portrait from several years ago. Asterions aged wonderfully well, but I could tell Overlord Ellax Pendorgrin was certainly a bit younger. He stood on a balcony of white stone with intricately carved railings. Beside him was an Asterion woman, nearly as tall as him. She was breathtakingly beautiful, in the way Asterion women were beautiful. Slim, willowy, cold, regal. Although her features could have been carved from marble, her stare was hard and lifeless. Why? Was it her—was she the difficult one? Or had years of marriage to him, Overlord Ellax, caused her to harden herself?

I shuddered. Of all people, I knew how the pain of a difficult and unfaithful spouse could harden you into someone you never thought you’d become.

On either side of their parents, were the sons. Like their parents, they were both handsome and arresting, beautiful. Silver skin—a shade or two lighter than their father’s—golden eyes, wedge-shaped ears, and the darker silver hair. One’s hair was cut far shorter than his father’s, in a manner typical for humans rather than Asterions. His brother’s was long, like Overlord Ellax’s. I didn’t know which son was which, but they were both handsome young men. Which one was now dead and which was alive?

The longer I stared at the portrait, the guiltier I felt, knowing what had happened to this family. His wife—gone. One son—gone. The other estranged. And Ellax, the Overlord, either so ashamed of his family or so determined to deny his grief, had hidden their portrait away as if it embarrassed him.

So sad, I thought with a sigh, and replaced it in its hiding spot.

None of my business. I had to get off this ship. I had to get back to my ship. I didn’t think I’d do myself any favors trying to plead my cause by appearing a drunken floozy, either. I needed to come off as strong and resilient as I possibly could, given the circumstances.

To that end, I stepped into the Overlord’s private bathroom to clean up a bit. I had no change of clothing, and didn’t want to risk offending the Overlord by borrowing his without permission, so I took off my blouse and slacks, did my best to shake them free of wrinkles, then put them back on. I used the Overlord’s hairbrush and comb to bring my wild, matted hair under control and into a sleek ponytail, cleaned under my armpits, and stepped out of his bathroom in time to see the door opening.

Uh oh.

Inwardly, I braced myself for him to snap at me for borrowing his bathroom.

Instead, the mere sight of his face made my guard go up. He wore the strangest expression. Something between shock, disgust, alarm, and—something else entirely, when his focus slid to me. I froze, bracing for the shouts. The angry words. The vitriol. Was he that mad that I’d dared to trespassed in his private space?

“Is—is everything alright?” I asked quietly, hating myself for the nervous catch in my voice.

“No,” he replied, shutting the door behind him. “No, it is not.”

He walked fully into the room, not looking at me. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he started pacing.

While I stood there, watching, my nerves now screaming, he walked up and down the length of the room, from his doorway, past the foot of the bed, to the opposite wall with its window that gazed out into the starry heavens, and back.

“Lorelei,” he said, “Have you any memories of the proceeding night?”

“The proceeding night?” I echoed stupidly. “You mean, last night?”

“Yes, last night.”

“Some. Right up until we started drinking.”

“No memories of afterward?”

I scrunched up my face, searching my foggy recollections of the night before. “I sort of remember waking up at some point. Seems like you woke up too. I can’t recall what we said or did, though.”

“I cannot either.”

He was still pacing. Up. Down. Restless. What on earth could he have to say that was so bad it warranted this level of nervousness?

“Well, there seems to be a problem.”

“A problem?” I repeated dumbly. My brain was struggling to put everything together. To jump left, right, backwards, forwards, and figure out what he was getting at. For the life of me, I couldn’t. We hadn’t had sex, right? Surely, I would’ve known, even if I couldn’t remember the actual deed. It couldn’t be that. Could it?

“When I went to speak to Captain Osiris,” the Overlord said gravely, turning to face me. “He informed me of some rather strange tidings.”

“Which were?”

We were soaring among the stars, and the entire universe seemed to hold its breath, hinging on whatever this alien male had to say.

“Captain Osiris claims we came to him last night and asked him to marry us.”

Chapter 10

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