Page 75 of Cruel Daddy Dragon

I breathe in her sweet, herby scent for a second before I rest my head on her hair.

“I’m going to be okay.We’regoing to be okay,” I murmur, “We do this kind of thing all the time. We haven’t died yet!”

I chuckle at my weak joke. Sarah doesn’t laugh, though.

“I remember watching you die, Rufus,” she murmurs into my chest, “That’s not the kind of thing you forget. I know it didn’t end up happening, but I can’t have you die on me again. I really can’t! I can’t lose you…”

“You’re not going to lose me,” I assure her, “I won’t let that happen.”

She sucks in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

“Rufus… I have to tell you something.” She murmurs, “I was going to tell you later, but…”

My skin prickles. Her tone is so serious.

“What is it?”

Her eyes meet mine, then flicker around nervously. She looks around for a long moment before she meets my eyes again. When she speaks again, it’s almost inaudible.

“I’m… I’m pregnant.” She whispers.

My body feels like it turns to ice around me; I can’t move for a long second.

“What?” I manage to choke out after a second.

“Please, not so loud!” She pleads, “We don’t need to tell everyone yet. It’s going to complicate everything and we don’t need that right now!”

“B-but are you sure, though?!” I hiss, fighting to keep my voice low.

“Positive.” Sarah says, “Well, the test was positive, anyway. I had a vision a little while ago, and I’ve been taking tests ever since. At first, they were negative, so I didn’t bother telling you. But I think the vision came too early for the tests, and one day, it was positive. I’ve taken a few tests and they’re all positive, so there’s no doubt anymore.”

I’m just staring, mouth open. There are no words.

I’m… gonna be a dad?!

“Rufus,” Sarah says tearfully, “you have to come back from this. It’s not just that I can’t lose you, I’m not the only one waiting anymore. Don’t leave me to figure this out alone. Please!”

“I won’t.” I tell her, “I was going to come back even if you were the only one waiting for me. OfcourseI’m coming back for you and our little one.” She just snuffles her head into me more. I wrap my arms around her, and she squeezes me tighter. I lean my head down and run my cheek over the top of her head. Her glossy blonde hair is so soft on my face. It smells so good… Ithink she’s using a new shampoo. Apple scented. I run my hand over her back a few times, and Sarah just nestles her head into me. I plant a kiss on her head and then move my head down to her ear.

“Sarah,” I murmur to her, “I promise you. You won’t lose me. You remember how I lost Celeste in a fight before?”

I press another kiss onto the side of her jaw, just below her ear.

“I wouldneverdo that to you,” I tell her, “Never. I’d never put you through what I had to go through. Never. And Iespeciallywouldn’t leave you alone with a baby.”

“I wish I could believe you,” she murmurs back to me, “But in a fight, it’s not up to you, is it? Anything could happen…”

I can’t answer her on that one. It’s true; I can’t guarantee that nothing will happen—one wrong move, one strike I didn’t see coming, and I might not be coming back.

Before… that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter to me whether or not I came back. Not that I wanted to die per se, but fighting for my clan and my clanmates was infinitely more important. If I could save someone’s life, that was all that mattered to me.

Things are different now.

I have to come back for her. I have to come back for our future child. The fight is one thing, but I know I need to come back.

“I know I can’t guarantee anything, but I promise you, I’m going to fight hard to get back to you,” I say, “Ipromise.I promise you.”

Sarah just brushes her head back and forth across my chest. A deep shiver passes through me.

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