Page 37

I nod, stepping through the gates. Exhaustion and relief war in my veins as I cross the familiar courtyard, noticing staff skitter away, shock written on their faces.

I ignore them, forging on until I reach the main entrance.

Sahrine meets me just inside, her blind eyes fixating on me with uncanny precision.

“Mira,” she breathes, voice trembling with empathy. “You returned?”

I can hardly form words. “Yes. I... I have to see him. Where is he?”

She angles her head toward the corridor leading to his private study. “He’s there, locked in discussion with Velna again, I believe.”

My heart thuds painfully. “Then that’s where I need to go.”

I slip down the corridor, each step firing adrenaline through my tired limbs. The heavy door to his study stands ajar, lamplight spilling across the threshold. Low voices drift out Vahziryn’s deep timbre laced with tension, Velna’s polished, scornful tone.

I push the door open. Inside, Vahziryn stands behind a desk scattered with scrolls, tail coiled in frustration. Velna lounges in a chair, elegantly draped robes accentuating her green scales. She halts mid-sentence at the sight of me, eyes widening in surprise.

Vahziryn’s face blanches, shock morphing into panic. “Mira?” he utters, voice dropping to a hush.

Velna rises gracefully, a toxic smile curving her lips. “So the human returns. How... interesting.”

I barely glance at her, locking eyes with him. My chest tightens with a thousand emotions. He crosses to me in a flash, tail brushing my leg as though confirming my presence is real. “What are you doing here?” he breathes, voice thick with conflicting relief and anger. “I told you to stay away.”

Tears threaten, but I steady my voice. “I couldn’t.” I shift my hand to my belly, a trembling gesture that reveals everything. “I’m pregnant.”

The word detonates in the hush, echoing off the stone walls. Vahziryn’s amber eyes widen, shock and awe colliding on his features. Velna hisses sharply, her facade of control cracking.

“Pregnant?” she repeats, voice rising in disbelief. “With a half-naga spawn?”

Fury explodes in me at her sneer, but I focus on Vahziryn. “I found out soon after I left. I tried to continue, but... I can’t hide this from you. I won’t let them punish our child before it’s even born.”

His eyes drop to my abdomen as his tail coils protectively around my waist. The shift from confusion to fierce protectiveness is instant. “Mira,” he chokes, voice trembling. “You should have... you shouldn’t have endured so much alone.”

A sob wracks my chest. “Then don’t push me away again. If you truly want me safe, we’ll face this together.”

Behind him, Velna regains her composure, lips curling in a snarl. “How scandalous,” she mocks, though her eyes glitter with triumph. “This is all I need to confirm your heresy, Vahziryn. A half-breed child. The council will have a field day.”

He whirls on her, tail tightening around me as though shielding me from her venom. “Shut up, Velna,” he hisses, fangs bared. “You step too far.”

She smirks coldly. “Oh, dear warlord, you have no idea how far I can step. This child’s existence will ruin any hope you have of avoiding the council’s condemnation.”

My body trembles, the weight of her threat crushing. But Vahziryn straightens, a dangerous light igniting in his eyes. “Then so be it. If you mean to use this against me, do your worst. I won’t let you harm her or our child.”

Velna’s nostrils flare. “You think you can protect a half-breed abomination from the entire nest? Your illusions are pitiful.”

Vahziryn lunges forward, tail forcibly shoving Velna away from me, voice resonating with quiet menace. “Yes, I do. And if you so much as breathe a word of this to the council, you’ll not leave this estate unscathed.”

Velna recoils, though a feral smile lingers on her lips. “Threatening me again? Watch your tongue, or the council will hear of your violence.”

He stands tall, looming, scales glinting in the lamplight. “I’ve grown weary of your blackmail. Try me, Velna. Let’s see which one of us stands when the dust settles.”

An electric silence fills the study. Velna’s gaze darts between us, weighing her next move. Then she gives a theatrical sigh, smoothing her robe. “This is far from over.” With a final glare, she glides out, hips swaying, leaving us in suffocating tension.

The door thuds shut behind her. My legs threaten to buckle, exhaustion from the journey colliding with the emotional toll of this confrontation. Vahziryn catches me, arms snaking around my waist, tail coiling gently.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says, though the note of awe remains in his voice as he slides a hand across my abdomen. “By the gods, a child... ours?”

Tears spill, a mix of relief and heartbreak. “Yes. I discovered it too late. I couldn’t keep it from you.”

His eyes drift to my face, a storm of conflict raging in their golden depths. “I tried to push you away,” he murmurs brokenly, “thinking it would save you from the council. But now, with a child at stake, I can’t lose either of you.”

My chest heaves with sobs that refuse to stay silent. “I was so afraid. Afraid you’d see this as another burden. But I couldn’t bear the idea of our child growing up never knowing its father.” My voice cracks. “Not when part of me still hopes we can fight this.”

He draws me close, tail wrapping firmly but gently around my hips, forging a sense of security I haven’t felt in days. “We will fight,” he says, each word resonant with fierce conviction. “I made the mistake of thinking banishing you was the only way. No more.”

Fresh tears spill, relief warring with the knowledge that our enemies won’t vanish overnight. “Velna still holds powerful sway.”

A flicker of fear shadows his gaze, but he cradles my face in his scaled hands. “Yes, and the council remains a threat. But we stand a better chance if we face it united. No more exiling you against your will. If war is coming, we’ll meet it with every coil and fang.”

My breath shudders. I lean into his touch, letting the tension of the past days seep out. Despite everything, my heart beats with a fragile hope. “Thank you,” I whisper. “I was so lost after you made me leave.”

He bows his head, letting it rest gently against mine. “I’m sorry,” he breathes, tail drawing me against his chest. “I thought I was sparing you from a worse fate. I never meant to break you.”

I cling to him, tears soaking the collar of his robe. “Promise me,” I say quietly, “you won’t let me go again without a fight.”

He closes his eyes, inhaling unsteadily. “I promise.”

For a time, we stand entwined, hearts pounding in sync. The hush around us crackles with the knowledge that our moment of unity won’t deter Velna or the council. But at least now, I’m not cast adrift, and my child—our child—has a chance at belonging somewhere, no matter the cost.

Eventually, he guides me to a nearby chair, urging me to sit. “You look exhausted. Let me bring you food, something warm.” His voice holds a gentle insistence that nearly breaks me with gratitude.

I manage a small nod. “I’ll stay here. I... my body feels so weak.”

He presses a tender kiss to my temple, tail brushing my thigh in a soft caress. “Rest. I’ll return soon.” He strides out, tension still stiffening his shoulders, but a glint of purpose in his eyes. I sense he’s already planning our next move, bracing for the onslaught Velna promised.

Left alone, I cradle my stomach, heart thrumming with cautious joy.

The break-up he forced upon me is undone by the life growing inside me.

Fear still lurks, but hope sneaks in, fragile yet persistent.

If the world wants to tear us apart, so be it.

I refuse to live in the shadows anymore.

I won’t flee, I won’t hide. I’ll stand at his side, no matter what the council, Velna, or any law deems unthinkable.

Lightning flashes through the window, revealing a darkening sky, another storm gathering.

But this time, I straighten in the chair, pressing a hand over my abdomen.

We won’t face it alone. Vahziryn is coming back with food and, more than that, a plan.

And for the first time since I left, the hollow ache in my chest eases, replaced by a steady beat of resolve.

I’ve found my way back to him, carrying a child that might upend everything.

Let the world rage. We’ll meet it with all the love and defiance we can muster.