Page 152 of His Darkest Desire

More tears stung Kinsley’s eyes, and her lower lip trembled. “I just want to go home.”

Home.

It wasn’t the secluded cottage she’d rented, wasn’t her room at her aunt’s place, wasn’t her apartment back in the States or her parents’ house. Her home was in another plane, another world.

Her home was Vex.

“We’ll take you home soon,” Emily said, squeezing Kinsley’s hand. “It’ll be better once you’re back with us. You’ll have time to recover, to forget—”

“No.”

“What?”

Kinsley pulled her hand from her mother’s. “I’m not going back to the States, mum.”

Emily drew in a slow, deep breath, and turned her body more toward Kinsley. She spoke her next words calmly. “I understand how much you love traveling and how much your platform means to you. But you’ve been through something. Something you won’t tell us about. And it happened while you were alone and still healing, love. You should take time off to be around your family, so we can support you while you recover from...whatever happened.”

Kinsley’s heart clenched, and she found herself fighting back the sob catching in her throat. She couldn’t speak. She didn’t know how to make her mother understand. Going back to Oregon meant being thousands of miles away from Vex, away from the place she truly longed to be. She didn’t want to forget him, didn’t want to forget what had happened, didn’t want to move on. She…couldn’t. Not from this.

“We’re worried about you,” Emily said softly, brushing her fingers down Kinsley’s arm.

“Mum, I…”

There was a gentle knock on the door. It opened a moment later, and Dr. Ames stepped inside.

“Results for your urinalysis are in,” the doctor said as she rolled a stool closer to Kinsley and sat down on it, settling her computer on her lap. “Perfectly healthy. But there’s something I need to discuss with you regarding these results. Are you okay with your mother being here, dear, or would you like me to speak with you alone?”

“She can stay,” Kinsley said.

When her mother took her hand, Kinsley didn’t pull away.

Dr. Ames nodded, leaned a little closer, and held Kinsley’s gaze. “Kinsley, are you aware that you’re pregnant?”

Everything froze within Kinsley. Her heart, her lungs, her thoughts—everything but those words echoing in her mind.

Kinsley, are you aware that you’re pregnant?

She was…pregnant? That wasn’t…

“What?” Kinsley rasped, her heartbeat roaring back like thunder in her ears. She must’ve misheard. There was no way Dr. Ames had said what Kinsley thought she had.

But before the doctor could respond, Emily’s fingers squeezed Kinsley’s hand. “That must be wrong.”

“I take that as a no,” the doctor said, frowning. “I could run another test, if it would make you more comfortable.”

Kinsley shook her head. “I…I had a tubal ligation. It’s not possible.”

“A tubal ligation is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, but in very rare instances, pregnancies can still occur. And according to the tests we ran on your urine, this is one of those very rare instances.”

Stunned, Kinsley settled a hand on her belly and looked down. She was pregnant. Pregnant. She didn’t know how it was possible, and she didn’t care. After everything she’d seen and experienced these last few months, how could she deny this was real?

Magic existed. Impossible didn’t hold much meaning anymore, did it?

And if she was pregnant, that meant Vex would be—

“Free,” she breathed so quietly that she barely heard her own voice.

Her mother’s hand settled on her cheek, guiding Kinsley’s face toward Emily’s.

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