Soon, like always, that soft kiss became something more and it was a long time before they emerged from their washroom, flushed and clean and sated.
And as Taylor fell asleep in Vikan’s arms later that night, tucked securely into his side, in their luxurious bed of furs and cushions, she listened to the sound of his deep breaths, to the gentle hissing of the ocean waves beneath them and placed her hands over Vikan’s, which were resting protectively over her growing belly.
She felt his love for her through their blood bond, even though he was already asleep, and Taylor smiled, knowing he would find her that night in their dreams.
Her eyelids grew heavy and soon, she fell asleep to wait for him.
* * *
Taylor’s eyes drifted open slowly, that feeling of love and calmness crossing beyond the boundary of the dream with her, back to reality in their little cave, somewhere close toLopixa.Her lips parted and for a moment, she swore she felt the heavy touch of the blood bond in her mind, just the way she remembered it from the dream.
But soon, it faded.Her vision, however, did not and her hands skimmed down her naked body, grazing over Vikan’s heavy arm, which was slung over her hips, until she touched her stomach.
A child.
Vikan’s child.
She’d been pregnant in her vision.
Taylor bit her bottom lip hard, a thousand emotions hitting her at once.The logical part of her brain said that it might have just been a dream, nothing more, that she shouldn’t get her hopes up.
Because the truth was that she’d always wanted children, had always seen a family in her future, but had lost some hope over the years of her ever making that dream a reality.
And now…she’d just been hit with everything she’d wanted most in life.A caring, protective partner, a child—and the possibility of many more—in their future, safety, security…love.
Happiness.Intense happiness, the kind she never thought was possible.The fairytale kind.
The logical part of her brain said it was too good to be true, that the amazing sex last night was just messing with her mind.
But…what if it is true?she thought.What ifeverythingwas true?The visions, the Fates, the blood bond, the pregnancy?What if choosing to stay on Luxiria, to build a life with Vikan, would be the best decision she would ever make?
She was so confused.All of her adult life Taylor had been proud that she was the type of person who knew exactly what she wanted.And here she was…confused about the most important decision that would change the course of her life forever, and she couldn’t pull the trigger.
Taking a deep breath, she turned slowly in Vikan’s arms so that she was facing him, side-by-side.Her body ached in protest, muscles twinging that she never even knew existed.The cave floor wasn’t the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but she had a feeling that she’d sleep on a cactus plant if it meant being next to Vikan.
Beyond the soreness, she felt amazing.All because of him.
Surprisingly, her Luxirian warrior was still sleeping but she supposed that the amount of energy he’d exerted last night during their marathon of sex had exhausted him.Every so often, she saw his eyes flicker behind his lids.The suns were still low in the horizon that early in the morning, so most of his skin still appeared a soft gray, just like his eyes, and flashed golden whenever the firelight hit him just right.
Beautiful, she thought, her eyes flickering over the masculine, strong lines of his face.If she closed her eyes, she could still see him, so perfectly that she could draw a portrait of him.
And it suddenly hit her, out of nowhere.The answer was clear.
Taylor couldn’t say goodbye to him.
She drew in a deep breath before exhaling softly, relief making her sore muscles relax.
Perhaps it was reckless.Perhaps it was unlike her, to make such a spontaneous decision after knowing Vikan for less than three weeks, ever since he’d rescued her from the Pit.
But she also knew that despite her fears, she trusted her judgment.She trusted her intuition and everything told her that the dreams that had been plaguing her since she first saw Vikanwerevisions.Visions of their future together.Not just a possible future, butthefuture.The only one.
And in that future, they were happy.
And that was all Taylor had ever wanted.She’d already begun falling in love with Vikan.From her visions, she knew that love only multiplied and grew to astonishing heights and she simply couldn’t imagine just throwing that away.
She wanted to stay with him.Forever.
Taylor smiled, reaching out to touch her mate, trailing her fingers over the sculpted lines of his chest.
