Page 167 of His Darkest Desire

And she welcomed all those things with delight. Every discomfort was worth it, and she’d endure it all a thousandfold for her child. For Vex.

She missed him so, so much. Missed his deep, smooth voice, missed his stories, his dry humor, and his earnest, heartfelt words of love and adoration. She missed the sound of his laughter, his kisses, and his gentle caresses. Missed how perfect she felt while she was in his arms, how perfect everything felt while she was in his arms.

Even when they’d spent time in his cottage separately, she’d always been comforted by knowing he was only a short walk away.

The nights were worst of all. They were so lonely without him, and the darkness felt so empty.

She and her mother bonded further over that. Though Emily talked to Aiden every day, it was clear that she felt that sense of loss, felt that distance between herself and her husband. In over thirty years of marriage, Kinsley’s parents had never spent more than a couple weeks apart from each other.

Kinsley refused to take anything for granted. She thanked her parents for what they were doing, for all that they’d done. Told them she knew how hard it had been on them.

And they told her they’d always do everything they could for Kinsley and Madison…and for their grandchild.

Though they rarely lasted long, rainstorms often struck the loch. Kinsley got her money’s worth out of the rain gear she’d ordered. The sound of raindrops breaking on her raincoat was actually kind of soothing.

When the weather was nice, she’d bring a book along to the fairy ring. The wisps enjoyed listening to her read, but it wasn’t just for them; it was for Vex and the baby too.

Spring became summer. The days were pleasantly warm, the glen was breathtaking in its beauty, and the baby was strong. Damn strong, based on how hard some of their little kicks were getting. Kinsley’s daily walk from the car to the fairy ring took a little longer each week, and soon enough, her mother insisted on walking alongside her to ensure Kinsley made it down there safely.

Soon.

Kinsely spoke that word more times than she could count during those long summer days. She said it to her mother, her aunt, her father and sister, to the wisps, to Vex, and to the baby. Most of all, she said it to herself.

With every repetition, it became heavier, larger, more solid. With every repetition, it took up more space in her heart. Anticipation, anxiety, impatience, excitement—it was all that and more.

Soon could never be soon enough.

Vex said it right back to her, albeit through the wisps. They said he’d been restless, broody, and irritable, that the fire in his gaze was fiercer than ever. They didn’t describe a man fallen into despair and despondency, but a fearsome beast eager to escape his cage so he could rush forth and claim his mate.

Whole lifetimes had passed over the months. Kinsley had watched seasons come and go, had watched the land and her body change. She’d felt the baby change. And as summer approached its pinnacle, the forest increasingly resembled Vex’s realm. Her already immense longing for him expanded further.

Every day, she went to the fairy ring. She refused to let anything stop her—not the weather, not her swollen feet, not the belly that forced her to groan each time she got out of a chair. It didn’t matter how much she had to waddle to get around, or that she felt like she had to pee every five minutes because she swore the baby slept with a tiny foot directly on Kinsley’s bladder. Every day, she showed up to tell Vex and the wisps that she was still there.

She told the wisps soon every day, and every day, they repeated that word back to her, carried from Vex’s lips to her ears, to her heart. The summer air was abuzz with life, with the future.

When her back ached so intensely that she’d almost been unable to get out of bed, she still made it to the circle. When her eyelids were nearly too heavy to keep open after a long, restless night during which no position known to man or fae had provided even the slightest semblance of comfort, she still made it to the circle.

Until the day she couldn’t.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

With one hand under her belly to support it, Kinsley leaned over the arm of the sofa and cried out as she was struck by another contraction. The pain started in her lower back and quickly radiated through her core. She dug her fingers into the upholstery, squeezed her eyes shut, and gritted her teeth.

The contractions were growing in frequency, intensity, and length, and this one was overwhelming enough to steal her breath.

Emily rubbed Kinsley’s back. “Breathe, love. Just keep breathing. You’re doing so well.”

Kinsley forced her lungs to work, drawing in deep, measured breaths. They helped a little. Though she’d watched a dozen videos on breathing techniques and had practiced them so many times, though she’d consumed all the information she could find about childbirth and home deliveries, she didn’t feel like she was prepared at all for the reality of labor.

And with each contraction, the anxiety and fear she’d fought so hard to hold back surged in a tidal wave, crashing over her.

Her baby was coming. What if something happened?

Even if I don’t survive this, as long as the baby lives, as long as Vex is freed…

The contraction eased, allowing Kinsley a moment’s respite. She knew the next would come all too soon.

“Okay,” she said, slowly straightening.

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