Page 34 of Bonded Ever After

I try to hold onto his optimism, but it slips through my fingers. “So, I guess you’re somehow going to have to learn how to deliver a baby.”

He looks at me in confusion.

“You’re the only one who can do it.”

His eyes widen, and then he hides his fear behind a calm mask. “I’ll talk to the tree guy, Xarex. His whole home was full of books. I’m sure there’s one on childbirth. Hell, he might even know a thing or two. Or maybe one of his people do, and I can pick their brains over it.”

Okay, that’s actually a pretty good idea.

He takes my hand and starts walking. “So, Michael or Logan if it’s a boy, and Natalie if it’s a girl.”

I smile. Those were the names we’d narrowed our choices down to. “I love them.”

“I love them too.”

Suddenly, I feel a pulling. A sense of something. I know it isn’t the goldarium strapped to Callum’s pack, because that’s in the crystal chest. There must be more.

I glance all over and see goldarium just off the path up ahead.

“That looks easy enough to get,” I say.

Callum shakes his head. “We don’t need any. We have enough to build us whatever we need for our new life. There’s no way we’re going to risk our lives for that.”

He’s right. We’d already talked about this.

As we keep going, I see movement and spot the ogre hiding behind a tree. I stiffen and grab Callum’s arm, pointing. His brow wrinkles, and I realize I didn’t tell him about the last trap I was sure the ogres had set for me.

“It’s a trap,” I whisper.

He lifts a brow. “They’re not smart enough for traps.”

“They set one up for me last time. I think they’re doing it again.”

“No way,” he says, shaking his head.

I frown at him, but we keep going. My gaze slides over everything around us until I pick out four more ogres. Each time, I point them out to him, and Callum looks entirely shocked.

When we fully pass all of them, the roars start. The ogres chase after us, even though they can’t step on the path. They’re roaring, pounding their chests, and screaming. Every step of the way Callum is looking at them like they’ve lost their minds.

His surprise turns to annoyance as they keep following us. He covers his ears. He tries to hurry fast enough so they can’t keep up with us, but the ogres shadow us every step of the way.

It’s hours before they stop. Hours before they drop back. And then we’re left in startling silence. Not even the birds make sounds around us.

“Whoa,” Callum finally says.

“I told you,” I respond, a little smugly.

He gives me an amused look. “Remind me to always listen to you.”

I flash him a smile. “Happy wife, happy life, right?”

Then I realize what I said and turn bright red. Speeding up, I try to outrun the bugger, but he easily keeps pace with me, a smile spreading across his face.

He snags my hand. “About that. I’m thinking we should make this thing official before our baby arrives. I like the ring ‘wife’ has to it.”

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

He shakes his head. “No, when I ask you to marry me, you’ll know it.”

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