Silver eyes watching me like I'm something precious.
CHAPTER 8
Adrian
The doctor's office is too quiet. There's no sound except for Sera's soft breathing and the beeping of the medical equipment. Not that I am processing anything else, but what I've been told.
Sera is pregnant.
With my child.
An heir.
Shit.
I stare at her unconscious form. Her face is pale beneath the blood that had splashed across her when I took out Dimitri. There's a bruise forming on her cheekbone, dark purple spreading rapidly. The doctor said there was no breakage, and I'm surprised. Already, there's a knot, and if Dimitri wasn't already being dissolved in acid, I would make sure he died screaming.
Sera looks fragile. Breakable.
Not that she is. I watched her fight Dimitri Morozov. She might not have won, but it was a lot closer than it should have been considering her size. It's impressive, and yet…I don't want her to have to fight.
I want to protect her from harm.
The idea of someone, anyone, putting hands on her, makes me want to burn shit to the ground.
I chalk it up to some sort of biological imperative. Sure, I want to fuck Sera again. Maybe, even explore what makes her tick, but I have never felt this protectiveness about anyone before, not even the women in my own family.
Even now, thinking about what may have happened…
I don't finish the thought. If I do, I'll murder anyone who looks at me wrong.
Pregnant.
All this time, she's been walking around with my child growing inside her.
Did she know? Did she plan this?
The question eats at me. She said she was on birth control. The shot. I'd trusted her, wanting to leave my mark inside of her body against my better sense. And yet, here we are. The one fucking time I'd come inside a woman, and now, she's pregnant.
And while I want to believe this is accidental. I can't ignore reality. There are plenty of people out there, enemies and friends alike, who'd love me to be distracted by Sera.
Her life isn't exactly easy, so I couldn't blame her if she took money for a job.
Seduce the heir. Get pregnant. Watch things unravel and take my child from me.
It's exactly the kind of play Bianca would make if the roles were reversed. After all, there's no better way to control a person than with the people they love.
The way she looked at Dr. Reeves when he declared she was pregnant—my gut tells me that she didn't know.
And at this point, it doesn't matter if she is working with someone. Not really. She is carrying my child; however, we ended up here, doesn't matter. She's trapped. The heir in her belly makes it so.
"Mr. Nero."
Dr. Reeves approaches carefully. He's worked for my family for twenty years, so he knows when to speak and when not to.
"How is she?" My voice comes out rougher than intended.
"Stable. The baby's heartbeat is strong. The bleeding has stopped." He glances at his notes. "She has a mild concussion from the impact with the wall. Bruised ribs. Facial contusions. But nothing that won't heal."
