Page 30

"It's fine, Vael. Really." Trinity sighs, suddenly looking tired. "I'm used to demons treating me like I'm nothing. It's not exactly a new experience."
Her words hit me like a physical blow. I cross the porch in two strides, crowding into her space. "Is that how you think I treat you? Like you're nothing?"
"No." She doesn't back away, meeting my gaze steadily. "But you're the exception, not the rule. And even with you, I'm still just a means to an end."
Something hot and dangerous unfurls in my chest. Before I can stop myself, I cup her face in my hands, tilting it up toward mine. "Is that what you think?" My voice drops to a growl. "That you're just a convenient womb to me?"
Her pulse jumps beneath my fingers, her pupils dilating. "Isn't that the arrangement? You've been very clear about the transactional nature of this... situation."
"The situation has evolved." The admission escapes before I can contain it, surprising us both.
"Evolved how?" Her voice wavers slightly.
I should step back. I should release her and reestablish the professional distance we've maintained outside the bedroom.Instead, I find myself stroking my thumb across her cheekbone, captivated by the softness of her skin.
"I don't know," I admit roughly. "But I do know I won't tolerate anyone threatening you. Not Domemri, not anyone. And not because of our arrangement or my honor, but because the thought of you being afraid or in danger..." I trail off, struggling to articulate the unfamiliar protective rage surging through me.
"Because what?" she whispers, her breath warm against my wrist.
"Because it enrages me in ways I don't fully understand." I hold her gaze, letting her see the truth of it in my eyes. "Tell me if anyone treats you with disrespect again. I don't care who it is. You deserve better than that."
Trinity's eyes widen at my confession, a flicker of something—fear? uncertainty?—crossing her face. She steps back, breaking contact with my hands, and a cold feeling settles in my gut. I've pushed too far, revealed too much of whatever this strange, possessive feeling is that's been growing since I first saw her.
I already knew that she was tentative around demons. I knew she didn't want someone else to use her, claim her. But here I am, crossing linesIset.
"I should..." Trinity wraps her arms around herself, suddenly looking small despite her defiant posture. "I need some water."
I nod, giving her space. "Of course."
She takes three steps toward the kitchen before stopping abruptly. Her face drains of color so quickly it's alarming, and I'm at her side before I can think better of it.
"Trinity?"
"I don't feel—" She claps a hand over her mouth, her whole body tensing.
I recognize the signs instantly, sweeping her into my arms and rushing her to the bathing chamber just as she begins to heave. I set her down gently before the waste basin, gatheringher long brown hair in my fist to keep it from her face as her body convulses.
"Let it out," I murmur, keeping my voice low and steady. "I've got you."
She retches painfully, her small frame shaking with the force of it. I hold her hair with one hand, my other moving in awkward circles on her back. I've never comforted someone like this before, and the unfamiliarity of it makes me feel strangely vulnerable.
When the heaving finally subsides, Trinity slumps against the basin, trembling and pale.
"Stay here," I tell her, as if she could go anywhere in this state. "I'll get a cloth."
I wet a soft cloth with cool water and return, kneeling beside her to wipe her face. Her skin is clammy beneath my touch, and there's a fragility to her I've never seen before—not even in the dungeons.
"Sorry," she whispers, voice raw. "This is... embarrassing."
"It's pregnancy," I correct her, continuing to dab at her forehead. "Nothing to apologize for."
Trinity's lips twitch in a weak attempt at a smile. "Still not the most dignified way to end an argument."
"We weren't arguing." I help her to her feet, steadying her when she sways. "We were having a discussion."
"Is that what demons call it when they loom over someone and make intense declarations?" There's a hint of her usual spark in the question, despite her pallor.
I guide her to sit on the edge of the bathing pool. "Stay. I'm going to make you some tea."