Page 31 of Carol of the Hells
“Should we tell them?” I whispered as he spun me around to face him. My chest bumped his, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
Now that I’d told Belial my little secret, that there would be an heir to the throne of Limbo, I didn’t want to keep it bottled up any longer. I wanted to tell everyone that would listen; I wanted to scream it from the rooftops.
“Not tonight,” Belial said, one hand curving around the small of my back while he took my hand in his other. He took the first step, guiding me slowly across the floor. “Tonight is all aboutyou, my treasure. You’ve kept this secret to yourself for so long; let us keep it between us for one more night.”
I nodded. “We can keep it between us for as long as you like.”
It was a nice chance, being able to see all of his smile without the mask to hide away his marred features. “Very soon. But tonight, everyone will speak of nothing more than my queen and her Christmas.”
We danced, getting lost among the other twirling bodies. I lost myself in the music and the decorations and the warm tingling sensation spreading through me.
Before I knew it, the corners of my eyes were filling with tears.
“What troubles you, my treasure? Is this not everything you dreamed?” Belial asked, stopping abruptly in the middle of the floor. His finger came up to lift my chin, and I blinked hard to chase away the stinging sensation. A single tear escaped, and he lifted his mask just enough to kiss it away. “What more can I do? How can I make this Christmas more special for you?”
I chuckled, but it nearly came out as a sob. Even after making it snow, decorating the castle from top to bottom, and bringing my Christmas tree back from the dead, my demon king was still convinced that I wasn’t happy. That he hadn’t done enough.
“You can’t.” I shook my head and squeezed his hand. “There’s nothing else to do; everything is perfect.”
“Then why are you crying?”
My lip wobbled and I choked out a laugh. “Because I’m happy. Is that so hard to believe? You’ve given me everything I could have dreamed. More than I ever knew I wanted. It might also just be the hormones…”
His lips pressed into a gentle smile as he pulled me close, guiding me in an even slower dance that didn’t match up to the music. It didn’t matter; we were moving to a tune no one but us could hear.
“Do you hope it’s a boy?” I asked, keeping my voice impossibly low. Belial’s eyes flicked to mine at the question.
“My hopes aren’t based on things so trivial as gender.” He dipped low to whisper into my ear. “I hope that no matter what, they are intelligent and fierce; a force to be reckoned with.” He pulled back to meet my gaze. “Like their mother.”
A blush flamed my cheeks. “What would you name him? Belial junior?”
At that, he threw his head back and laughed, earning us a few curious glances from dancers nearby. “I’ve never thought about it, considering I didn’t think children were an option for me, but I’ve always loved the name Alaric. It means ruler of all.”
“Alaric,” I repeated under my breath, my stomach fluttering. “That’s pretty. And for a girl?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” he asked with another laugh.
I shook my head. “I’m too excited.”
“As am I,” he said, squeezing me tighter. “What would you call her?”
“Desdemona.” The name flew out of my mouth without a second thought, because I’d already thought about names for weeks. I’d made lists and narrowed them down, only to start all over again, but that one finally stuck. “Des for short.”
“Des,” he muttered thoughtfully. “Princess of the Nine Hells. I like the sound of that.”