Page 4 of Blood of Dragons

I stared at her for a while, seeing the way she’d tried to stay up and wait for me to come home. Her dark hair was all over the pillow, a couple strands right at the corner of her mouth. She slept so soundly I didn’t want to wake her, but I also didn’t want her to sleep there and hurt her back on the thin cushions.

I kneeled down in front of her, gently scooped my arms underneath her, and lifted her with me, the blanket slowly sliding off and hitting the rug.

She stirred slightly, her cheek resting against my chest.

I carried her upstairs, and by the time I got her on the bed, she was awake.

Her eyes were open but sleepy, and her nightdress had shifted up above her belly. “I was worried…” Her voice was raspy because she must have been asleep for hours.

I lay on the bed beside her and placed my hand over her stomach, feeling the bump she couldn’t hide anymore. It was warm to the touch, full of the life we’d made together, her skin so soft. “It was a rough day.”

Her hand moved over mine as her sleepy eyes continued to look at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” My eyes moved to her stomach, where my son or daughter continued to grow in the safety of her perfect belly. I could feel her stare hard on my face, feel it pierce my cheek. But I knew she wouldn’t ask me again. “How’s our love?”

“She’s good.” Her mouth stretched into a soft smile.

“Still think it’s a girl?”

“I know she is.” Her hand remained on mine, her fingertips soft where mine were hard and calloused.

“How?”

“I can’t explain it…I just know. We’ll keep trying until I give you a son.”

I smirked. “I’d want to keep trying even if we had a son.”

Her smile widened, and her eyes lit up as she stared at me, the way they always lit up for me and no one else. “One day, I’ll give you an heir. A beautiful boy to take your place when your time comes…and to care for me as I grow into old age.”

My fingers spanned her entire stomach. “I don’t care about that.”

“Yes, you do,” she whispered.

“My father has never treated my sister differently because she’s a girl. And if Silas and I had never been born, I think the crown would be hers. My father would change tradition for her, so I would do the same for our little girl.”

Love burned in her eyes. “I love you.”

My eyes struggled to meet hers because I felt like I didn’t deserve her, even though I busted my ass to deserve her every day. “I love you too.” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her swollen belly, cupping it with my hand as I loved my child I hadn’t met yet. “With all my heart.”

It was almost dusk, the warm sun setting over the horizon, the ocean deep blue and still. We stood on the royal terrace, clay pots with olive trees placed near tables, colorful flowers pouring over trellises. Torches burned on their pillars, becoming brighter as the day passed into night.

My father sat at the head table, my mother on his right wearing a deep blue satin gown that exposed one shoulder. His brother sat on his left, the two of them locked in deep conversation until they both burst into laughter. The rest of the terrace was full of friends and acquaintances from our other lands, family members we liked and hated. My father insisted on inviting everyone because he preferred to bring everyone together rather than divide them into cliques. Some people thought those moves were about political influence, but I knew his gesture was genuine.

My arms rested over the back of Vivian’s chair, her soft strands coming into contact with my skin when the breeze moved through her hair.

Her hand rested on her swollen belly over her dress as she stared at my father across the terrace. “He looks happy.”

“My father has told me stories about him and his brother. Quite the troublemakers.”

She smirked. “I can see that.”

“Drove my grandmother crazy.”

“Well, I know you and Silas did the same to him.”

“And still do.” I spotted Silas across the terrace, a glass of wine in his hand, mingling with the Earl of Dena.

My brother caught my stare then gave a nod, telling me to meet him on the opposite side of the terrace.

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