Page 25 of Shadow's Claim

"These will spread," he says, voice low and intimate in the small space between us. "Following your major circulatory pathways as the embryo develops. The shadow essence seeks connection to your life systems."

A wave of vertigo washes over me as the full implications sink in. "It's changing me," I whisper, the words catching in my throat. "From the inside out."

"Yes," Kael acknowledges, his eyes following his hand's movement across my skin. "And that change ensures survival—for both of you."

I step back sharply, breaking the contact. The patterns seem to pulse more strongly in his absence, as though responding to the separation. "And that's all that matters to you, isn't it? Successful breeding. Another victory for the Conquest."

Instead of anger, his expression shows something worse—patience, as if my outburst is merely an expected inconvenience. "You misunderstand the significance," he says, shadows rippling around him. "Shadow demon reproduction with humans has a success rate below three percent. Most hybrids fail within days of conception, unable to integrate without destroying the host."

He gestures toward my abdomen, where the patterns continue their slow pulse beneath my skin. "What's happening here isn't just rare—it's unprecedented. The shadow essence is merging with your biology rather than overwhelming it."

The clinical assessment makes my stomach churn. "So I'm not just an omega breeder," I say, unable to keep the edge from my voice. "I'm a science experiment too."

Kael's eyes narrow slightly. "You are the carrier of something unique," he corrects. "Something that will be coveted by many once knowledge of it spreads."

The statement sends fresh fear coursing through me. "Coveted by who? Sovereign Obscura?" The name slips out before I can consider its wisdom—the ultimate authority in the Shadow Dominion, a being even other shadow demons seem to fear.

The shadows around Kael darken dramatically, swirling with increased speed. "News of this nature doesn't remain contained for long," he says, resignation coloring his tone. "When Obscura learns of it, there will be... interest."

The carefully chosen word tells me everything. Even Kael, with all his power and position, answers to higher authorities. This pregnancy has implications beyond our forced connection, beyond these chambers.

"What will they do?" I ask, sudden terror making my voice crack. "Will they take—" I stop myself, shocked at the protective instinct rising unbidden.

"They will try," Kael says, the simple statement carrying unmistakable threat. "But as I said—no one takes what is mine."

The possessive declaration should infuriate me. Instead, it sends a confusing wave of relief through my system. Better the monster I know than the ones I don't.

"How long?" I ask, needing practical information to ground myself in this new reality. My hand unconsciously moves to the shadow patterns, feeling their alien coolness beneath my palm.

"Six months from conception," he replies. "Hybrids develop more rapidly than human offspring."

Six months. The knowledge should terrify me, but my mind immediately begins calculating. Six months to observe. Six months to find weaknesses. Six months before interrogations resume.

"And then what?" I force myself to ask, needing to understand the full scope of what lies ahead. "After birth... what happens to it?"

For the first time, Kael seems genuinely surprised by my question. "It will remain with us," he says, as if stating the obvious. "Shadow demon young require parental psychic bonding during early development. Separation causes permanent integration failure."

The casual reference to "us" as a unit sends an unexpected chill through me—not because it's threatening, but because for the briefest moment, it doesn't sound entirely wrong.

"Rest," Kael says, moving toward the door. "Your body is undergoing significant changes that require adaptation."

As he leaves, I turn back to the mirror, letting the robe fall open to examine the shadow patterns again. They seem to have darkened just in our short conversation, the tendrils extending fractionally further along the blue paths of veins visible beneath my skin.

I place my palm flat against my abdomen, feeling the coolness of the shadowed skin against my hand. The sensation is alien yet increasingly familiar—as though my body is already accepting these changes as the new normal.

This life growing inside me—this hybrid creature—represents both my deepest captivity and, potentially, my greatest leverage. Kael values it. Desires its successful development. Perhaps enough to make mistakes, to create openings I can exploit.

And yet, as I trace the shadow patterns with my fingertips, I can't deny the strange sense of connection forming—not just to the life within me, but to something larger, something I don't yet understand.

My fingers tremble as I close the robe, the reality of my situation settling into my bones with crushing weight. My body is transforming—adapting to nurture something that shouldn't be possible. Every cell being rewritten to accommodate shadow essence. Where does such fundamental change end? The question that haunts me as I turn away from the mirror is simple and terrifying:

If my body can adapt to shadow, what's to stop my mind from following?

CHAPTER10

DARKNESS SHARED

A month has passedsince the discovery of my pregnancy. The shadow patterns have spread from small tendrils around my navel to intricate networks that follow the blue lines of veins beneath my skin. What started as faint traces now resembles delicate black lace woven just beneath my surface—darkest at my abdomen where the hybrid grows, then branching outward along my hips, ribs, and down my thighs.

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