Straightening, I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the aches wracking my body. I couldn’t tell if I felt any different. Hell, I couldn’t tell if there was anythingwrong.
I knew cramping wasn’t good. I remembered my mom rushing to the doctor when she was pregnant with Maisie because of cramps and bleeding. I remember being scared, researching what it could mean, freaking out when I thought she might be miscarrying.
It’d been a false alarm, a request for bed rest and less stress.
Of course, neither of those things could be afforded to me.
The Fae guard cleared his throat, gaze moving to the other male. Neither spoke, though I could read the discomfort in his eyes. Something about my words unsettled him.
And I couldn’t tell if I liked that or not. Ofcoursethesemaleswould get uncomfortable about pregnancy. Because that meant something to them.
The only reason Dante cared about my life now was because of the two babies growing inside me. It was the only reason why I wasn’t facing the full wrath of Rowan’s visions. Why I wasn’t being tortured, having my breath stolen from me, why I couldsit hererather than be in the ring myself.
First, I was a vessel for power.
Now, I was a vessel for Dante’s control.
Maybe that’s what I hated about all of this. Not the being pregnant part—because the dreamer in me, the part of me that had given up on love and marriage and children, who’d been traumatised by years of being told I was less than because of my size, was happy. But being controlled for it fuckinghurt.
Knowing that this wasn’t my choice anymore, that it never had been, was painful. And now, I couldn’t be excited for something I only ever dreamed of because soon, these babieswere going to be ripped away from me and used as pawns against my mates.
It was because I was never meant to be anything other than a vessel. A vessel for Nyx and her power. A vessel for the future of her realms. A vessel for Dante’s insanity. And now, a vessel for his control.
I just wanted to bemeagain.
When I opened my eyes, I was met with the worried stares of the two Fae males. They’d moved to stand in front of the cage. Icy-eyes watched me with serious concern, while the other, who looked a little like Jack Frost with his ice-white hair and blue lips, tapped his chin.
“What?” I asked, voice low.
Icy-eyes broke contact first, clearing his throat. “Are you—do you feel?—?”
“Is there an issue with your pregnancy?” Jack Frost interjected, hand dropping from his chin as he straightened.
I blinked hard at the pair of them, sitting back and crossing my arms as I did.
If I told them about the cramping, then chances were, they would take me to the bitch who put the spell on me, and the last thing I wanted was to be put under so she could play doctor with the lives of my babies and me.
But if I lied and said nothing, then I risked possibly hurting not just them, but myself.
Before I could decide, the lights in the arena dimmed. I sat up a little straighter, tearing my eyes from the Fae to take in the sudden hush falling over the Pit and the tension that seemed to follow.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Dante with the team of soldiers he’d walked off with. But there was no sign of Hawk.
Bile rose in my throat, and for the first time in weeks, I couldn’t hold it back.
I puked all over the dusty boots of the Fae males.
It burned my throat and mouth, each heave painful as itwracked my body. I couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in my ears or the harsh breaths I sucked in as I tried to control the hard spasming of my stomach.
I watched through bleary eyes as the vomit froze and cracked before being whisked away. How fucking convenient. Pressing a hand against my forehead, I finally lifted my head, only to find a hand had breached the bars of my cell to offer me a…handkerchief?
I frowned as I stared at the simple piece of material Jack Frost held out to me. With trembling fingers, I took the fabric without saying a word and used it to wipe my mouth. All I could do was nod my thanks to him as Dante appeared with his swarm of guards.
“Do not interact with the prisoner,” he hissed, slamming himself onto his throne.
Both icy-eyes and Jack Frost jumped away from the bars. All I could do was look at Dante from the corner of my eye. “I puked all over their shoes. They kind of had no choice.”
Dante’s furious eyes snapped to mine. “Oh, did you now?”
