Page 129 of Married to the Devil

The hair stands up on the back of my neck at the castigation.

“And you’re angry at me for this?” I ask.

Stoneheart’s eyes narrow. “Excuse me if I don’t jump for joy that my wife is carrying another’s child.”

“You were just as involved as anyone else. You gave him permission!” I’m grasping for logic to throw at him, to shield me from this revelation.

“Except for that last time.”

Now I actually want to throw something at him.

“Don’t act like you weren’t slinking in the shadows waiting to be able to punish us,” I say.

There’s a light of surprise in Stoneheart’s expression. As if I can’t tell when this gargoyle enters a room. It just made what happened last night better.

Until now.

He shakes his head and turns away, logic not making any headway. “It was supposed to be mine! You are supposed to be mine.”

Rage shakes his words, but I don’t cower. If anything, the anger distills the moment. The shocked panic that sent me to my lovers in need of reassurance evaporates with my own frustration.

I tighten my fists. Last night I would say I was his, but this morning, he’s quickly losing that privilege.

I can’t belong to someone who would discard me and everything we have so easily. I’m not that kind of masochist.

“I’m not an object to be owned,” I say.

The look he shoots me over his shoulder is scathing.

“We will speak about this later.” The growl in his words can’t be contained, just like the gargoyle himself. He throws open the balcony doors and, just like that first night not so long ago, leaves.

The numbness in my chest has teeth.

How did I expect this all to go?

I stare out the open balcony doors, lost.

I’ve lost.

I lost Ben. I lost Stoneheart.

It’s just me. Alone.

But I’m not alone either.

“My lady.”

I finally look up at Silas. His brow is creased in worry. He’s probably been trying to catch my attention for a while.

I wipe my cheeks, and the tears there are burning brands of shame. How can I possibly be so heartbrokenly disappointed and angry at the same time?

“Are you okay?” he hesitates. “Do you need me to contact a healer?”

The only reason to see a healer now would be to make the pregnancy go away. It’s a simple thing with it being so early, a magic trick. One moment there’s a thing in your life that’s set to disrupt everything, and the next it’s gone.

But that’s not true in this situation.

Even if there was no pregnancy anymore, I can’t reach for Stoneheart again. I don’t know if I’d trust him with my vulnerabilities.

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