Page 21 of The Dragon King's Pregnant Mate

"Just tired." I force my voice to remain steady as the room spins lazily around me. "The baby takes so much energy…"

"Ah yes. The child." He takes his own seat, watching as servants lay out the first course. That cloying sweetness rises from the soup, stronger than ever. "Such a precious gift. Though I wonder if you truly understand its significance, even now. I endeavour to teach you, Calliope. But even my brother seems to have identified that you’re…something of a slow learner.”

I stare into the golden liquid, fighting a wave of nausea. "What do you mean?"

Ulric’s voice takes on that fever-bright quality I'm learning to dread. "I’m willing to give you your time, of course. But the child will be born in due time, sooner or later, and…”

The way he says it makes my skin crawl. I push the soup away, no longer trusting myself to hide my revulsion. "I'm not very hungry—"

"You must eat." All pretense of charm vanishes from his voice. "For the child's sake, if nothing else."

Thechild. Notmychild.

A threat lurks beneath the words, sharp as the knife beside my plate. I force myself to lift the spoon, to swallow past the fear closing my throat. The soup tastes of honey and something darker, metallic.

"There." Ulric’s smile returns as I continue eating. "Isn't that better? We must keep up your strength."

I wish I could kill you,I think but don't say. Instead, I ask the question that's been burning in my mind: "Why the fine foods? I know there has been famine in the north.”

"Because you deserve better than what my brother offered." He reaches across the table to catch my hand. His skin is fever-hot against mine. "Because I see your potential, your true worth. Arvoren would cage you, control you. I want to set you free."

The lie is beautifully crafted, wrapped in just enough truth to be dangerous. But I've learned to recognize the hunger in men's eyes. Arvoren's possession was fierce but honest—he never pretended to be anything but what he was. Ulric's desire is something colder, more calculated.

"And what would you want in return?" I make myself sound uncertain, yearning. Like I'm actually considering his offer.

His thumb traces patterns on my palm that make my skin crawl. "Only your trust. Your…cooperation." His eyes drop to my stomach meaningfully. "A chance to help guide that child toward its true destiny."

The room spins faster as whatever poison he's fed me takes stronger hold. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision. Through the haze, I see something move in the shadows behind him—shapes that might be faces, might be wings. The tower's strange magic feels heavier suddenly, pressing down like a physical weight.

"I…" The word comes out slurred. I try to pull my hand away, but my muscles won't obey. "Something's wrong…"

"Shhh." He's beside me now, supporting my head as it lolls back. "Don't fight it. The draught simply helps you rest. Helps keep that storm of yours under control while we…talk."

Arvoren, I think desperately as darkness creeps in.Please. Where are you?

Viscerally, I miss the scent of him, the feeling of him. The taste of his lips on mine. The eternal warmth of him, his hands, his body. The solid and unshakeable truth of what he was willing to do.

And somehow, impossibly, I feel him answer. A pulse of warmth beneath my ribs, a sensation of wind and wings and fierce determination. The connection between us flares stronger than ever, cutting through whatever drug Ulric has given me.

His voice whispers in my mind. In the haze, I cannot make out the words.

But he is there. His presence is within me somehow. I know it like I’ve never known anything before.

"Take her back to her chambers," Ulric orders someone I can't see. "Make sure she's comfortable. We have much to discuss when she wakes."

Rough hands lift me from the chair. As consciousness fades, I catch one last glimpse of Ulric's face. The mask of charm has slipped entirely, revealing something cold and hungry beneath. Something that sees me not as a person but as a tool, a vessel, a means to an end.

I’ll die before he takes my child, I know.

The last thing I'm aware of is that pulse of warmth inside me—Arvoren's presence, growing stronger with each passing hour. Whatever game Ulric is playing, whatever poison he feeds me, he can't sever that connection.

I fall into dreams of snow and winds and a voice calling my name across the endless dark.

Wait for me,it says.I'm coming.

And this time, I believe it.

Chapter 10 - Arvoren