Page 36 of Expensive

“Edward Monroe. Yes, I remember. What can I do for you, Andrew?”

I take in a deep breath. “I, uh, have a bond ache.”

“I’m so sorry, son. When I heard that Red magically tied an eighteen-year-old boy to Edward, I worried this might happen.”

So Red did it. My alpha father never mentioned which warlock he’d hired.

“I need to get it removed.”

I’m tempted to tell him all the reasons why, but that would require me to admit that I have an adult legal guardian, and he may not be willing to help me if he knows that.

“I don’t know, Andrew. I only perform spells that heal, not spells that harm. And spells of that complexity rarely go well. But… a bond ache is a terrible fate. And you’re so young…”

I hold my breath as he silently deliberates.

“Is it getting worse? The bond ache?”

I nod before realizing he can’t see me. “Yes. Much worse.” Especially since spending the weekend with Timber.

“Do you know what kind of magic I specialize in, Andrew?”

“Uh, no.”

“Well, some warlocks focus on a particular kind of magic, like magical ties or memory spells. It allows us to have a deep understanding of the spells we cast and minimize the risks for our clients. That’s why we often charm our business cards to only display our contact number to the type of client who needs our services. For instance, most healer warlocks charm their business cards to hide their number from clients who want violent or destructive spells. Or warlocks with high casting fees charm their business cards to only display their number to the wealthy. My cards are very specific. They only show my number to an omega who is pregnant.”

My stomach drops. A part of me knew pregnancy was a possibility. Timber and I had a lot of unprotected sex last weekend. But how can he be sure so quickly?

“Maybe the business card was wrong,” I say.

“In the ten years I’ve been working as a prenatal warlock, my cards have never been wrong. Not even once.”

“But I haven’t had any symptoms.” Dragon shifters have very short gestation periods. Most of us are pregnant less than a month. That kind of rapid growth normally causes drastic symptoms. Extreme hunger, irritability, strange cravings, swelling in the feet, and a higher sex drive, just to name a few. Surely, I would have felt something.

“I actually believe that you have. Sometimes pregnancies exacerbate things like bond aches. If your bond ache was tolerable before, and you’re making this decision solely on an escalation you’ve felt recently, it may subside after the pregnancy is over. We can postpone this decision until after the birth or the pregnancy is terminated if you’d like. I just want you to understand that there’s a good chance that the extremity of the discomfort you’re feeling right now is temporary.”

Terminated. No. This is Timber’s baby. I couldn’t imagine…

But if I give birth, what will happen to our child? While our baby’s gestation in my womb will be quick, the time the egg will take to hatch is much longer. Normally three or four months. Will I be able to hide an egg that long? And even if I do, what then?

“I… I don’t know. I have to think. I wasn’t aware…”

“I understand. Call me back when you know what you want to do, okay? Best of luck, Andrew.”

“Thanks.”

My fingers tremble as I snap my phone shut. But it’s only closed for a second before it beeps. I open it to find a message from Timber.

Hey, baby boy.

What will he think when he finds out about the pregnancy? He’s the one who asked to forgo a condom, but maybe he didn’t think about the consequences. A year ago Marjorie’s girlfriend broke up with her over a pregnancy scare. They’d been together for a full year. Timber and I have only been together for a weekend.

Another message comes through.

I miss you.

Those three words make me feel a little calmer. Timber has been nothing but kind to me. Maybe it will be okay.

I miss you too.

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