I didn’t know if that possible, especially for someone like me.
That fluttering returned to my belly, and I gasped.
“Dallia?” Kaldur asked quickly, rounding the table to stand near me. He crouched until we were eye level. “What’s wrong?”
“I felt it move,” I whispered, looking down at my rounding belly. “Right here. Ekor said I might feel it soon, but I?—”
I pressed just below by belly button, a surge of emotion welling up in me.
It was silly, but itfinallyhit me that I was pregnant. Logically,I knew that. But I’d been so emotionally drained in Laras, and upon my return to Vyaan, that I hadn’t reallyfeltit for myself.
“Oh gods,” I whispered, a rush of tears falling my eyes. “I’m pregnant. I felt the baby.”
Kaldur pulled me into him as I began to sob, the strong wave of realization, of fright, of relief, of awe drowning me beneath it. I’d bottled up my tears for so long that they just came pouring out of me so forcefully it was jarring. This was more than the acceptance that I was pregnant, however. It was also Kaldur’s confession. It was all the emotions I’d kept wrapped around me like armor.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered against him, my face pressed into his chest.
“Don’t,” he said, his hand coming to hold the back of my neck, his other going around my waist. I felt it rest on my side, his fingertips skimming over the bump. The warmth of his hand felt comforting, even through my nightdress. “It’s all right. I’m here.”
A part of me hated that he was like this. That one moment he could make me burn and the next he was a strong column of support to lean on.
Maybe I wasn’t wrong about him,I thought. And that thought only made me cry harder.
“It’s okay,dallia,” he whispered, his hand resting on our growing child. “I’ll take care of you both. I promise.”
CHAPTER 37
ERINA
The week that followed was a blur of activity, and it passed by more quickly than I realized.
Ekor came to visit me a couple more times at Kaldur’s insistence, the Bartutian a quiet male with sharpish features and an imposing bulk. He rarely said anything, but when he spoke, Ireallylistened, mesmerized by his soft voice. He had a patience about him that put me at ease.
Kaldur was always standing nearby during those visits, his arms crossed over his chest, watching Ekor and me closely. On his second visit of the week, when Ekor had lifted my top to reveal my growing belly, Kaldur had seemed struck for a moment. I’d caught him studying where our child was growing inside me, a peculiar expression on his face. One that I thought might be awed or frightened or determined—I couldn’t be certain.
Iwasgrowing at an alarming rate. My joints ached though the nausea was finally beginning to wane, especially if I took my tea preemptively every morning as I got dressed. Maudoric showed up with a tray and a steaming cup every morning at my door.
Ekor assured Kaldur and me that the growth rate was to beexpected for a hybrid pregnancy. And it relievedbothof us to know that the child was strong and healthy with no complications. Yet.
The morning after our night in the kitchens, a guard had been assigned to me. A Kylorr female, whose name was Braanelle, a soldier at the very top of the ranks within Vyaan’s army, or so I’d been told upon introduction. I couldn’t tell if she was pleased with her new position as my personal guard or not. Her expression was always the same: neutral but stern.
Her black hair was always pulled back in a tight braid, making her ears appear even sharper, her horns ramrod straight from her head, like twin daggers.
I’d commented on her horns during a stroll in the garden once, telling her I’d never quite seen horns like hers, that they were beautifully unique.
Her response?
“Makes it easier to kill,” she’d replied, running a hand over one in what I thought was appreciation.
I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not…but that was the last I’d mentioned her horns.
But Braanelle took her job very seriously, her eyes constantly sweeping the areas I’d walked into, whether it was the quiet gardens or the village square. Her hand was perpetually resting on the hilt of a blade, tucked into the sheath at her hip.
As for Kaldur, he seemed utterly overjoyed with his choice of a guard, even though I had my reservations, considering I didn’t know what harm could fall on me in the gardens, which was where I spent most of my time. But for her part, Braanelle gave me my privacy, keeping a far enough distance away. As the week dragged on, I started to forget she was there.
So, I was healthy and protected, just as Kaldur had wanted. But even though I took my notebook and my pencils with me everywhere I went—more of a habit now than anything—I stillhadn’t worked on my stories or drawings once. Not for over a month now, and the lull was beginning to worry me.
When I wasn’t in the garden, I was usually in the village, though I made sure to wear my bulkiest dress and apron, overlaid with a sturdy coat. It wouldn’t be much longer until I wouldn’t be able to hide the pregnancy, but for now, I did what I could. Kaldur hadn’t said anything about announcing it yet, and I didn’t want to be the subject of whispers and gossip.
