Page 36 of Demonchild

She was looking forward to the equinox, when the demon would finally be freed from his prison. Then she wouldn’t have to trek through the dark woods to see him. He could come toher instead. Of course, that sort of nocturnal visitation would present a new set of risks, but they were risks Malissa was willing to take.

She just hoped Beliath felt the same way.

They still hadn’t spoken about it.

Malissa finished slotting the last of her mother’s books onto the shelf, then she took a step back to admire her handiwork. At a glance, the books looked just like any of the other volumes innocently lining the shelves. Their leather spines gave away nothing about the unholy words written upon their foxed pages. No one would ever know what those books were about. No one but her.

She was just turning around to close the empty trunk when the pain struck—a sharp, shooting pain, low down in her belly.

Malissa doubled over with a gasp.

After a moment, the pain released her, but a moment later it returned, even harder and sharper than before. Something was stirring inside her, twisting, writhing.

The baby?

Even with Beliath’s magic, she shouldn’t have been able to feel the baby yet, but she could. She knew she could. Her maternal instincts told her so.

Something was wrong with her child.

Bracing herself against the bookshelves, Malissa stood up and tried to think. Should she go to Dr. Jaeger? No. She discarded that idea almost as soon as it arose in her mind. The alchemist’s potions and herbal concoctions were too weak to even soothe thenausea she experienced most mornings. They would never help with this.

What Malissa needed was magic. She needed her demon.

And she needed him right away.

CHAPTER 19

She managed, thankfully, to make it back to her bedchamber without encountering anyone along the way. No guards or servants who might have questioned her distraught appearance.

It didn’t take her long to gather the things she needed. The candles, tinder box, and grimoire were already in the satchel, and the satchel was stowed beneath her bed, where she could easily retrieve it for her frequent midnight visits to the clearing and the darkstone ring.

Out of habit, she started to head for the wardrobe where her black gown was stored, but she stopped when she realized she wouldn’t need it. It was daylight. The black dress would do nothing to conceal her. If anything, it would only serve to make her more conspicuous.

Her next stop was the stable.

She was pleased to find it mostly empty. A lone stableboy was on duty, and he prepared her horse while she waited. She wanted to scream at him to move faster, but she restrained herself. Any sense of urgency on her part would only arouse interest, and interest would lead to suspicion. The boy might say something to the stablemaster, who in turn might mention it to the guards. Eventually word would get back to Dr. Jaeger, who had made her promise to give up riding for the duration of her pregnancy. Better to avoid all of that if possible.

The pain inside her belly had receded enough for Malissa to hide her agony, but it had not disappeared completely. She could stillfeel the baby moving inside her, could still sense his distress. In a way, she was glad for that, as it meant her child was still alive.

She had not realized until now exactly how much the baby meant to her.

Only once she was on horseback, away from the castle and riding through the trees, did she finally allow herself to weep, partly from the pain, more so from fear that she might be losing the child.

It was not a selfish fear.

She didn’t care about what might happen to her if she proved unable to give Wulfgang the heir he so desperately wanted. She only cared about her baby now. That was the only thing that mattered.

But was she doing the right thing?

The deeper Malissa rode into the forest, the more her mind became clouded with doubt. What if she was making a mistake? Perhaps it would have been better to go directly to Dr. Jaeger, as much as she disliked the man.

The pain struck again, and she clung to the pommel until it passed. It was a good thing she was riding and not walking. She would never have made it to the darkstone ring on foot.

But did she really want to go there?

What if Beliath was the cause of this pain? Had he tricked her? Had placed a curse on the baby to make it die inside her as some kind of cruel joke?

Holy Creator, how could she have been so foolish as to trust a demon? She thought of all the times she had lain with him,surrounded by his powerful arms, blanketed by his wings. He had made her feel so safe and protected, but all the while he had been plotting against her planning this cruel, cruel joke.

---