Delmare swallowed. She shakily got to her feet before she said, “I’ll be a minute.”
She ran out of the dining hall, one hand over her mouth. Stefan stood, but I was on my feet before he was.
“I’ve got it,” I told Stefan. He slowly sank back into his seat as I hurried after Delmare, confused as all hell.
I found her in one of the lavatories off the dining hall. I knocked on the door of the wooden stall she was in, and winced when I heard her heaving.
“Mare? Are you all right?” I asked.
I heard the toilet flush. She wandered out of the stall, looking pale. “Food churns my stomach lately,” she admitted. “I’m fine.”
“Are you still sick?” My tone was worried. “You became ill weeks ago.”
“I’m not… really ill,” Delmare admitted. She nervously wrung her hands. Her dark eyes caught mine, and she spat out, “I’m pregnant.”
My stomach churned and my heart stuttered in excitement all at the same time. It made me feel seasick. “You are? Wow, that’s… that’s amazing!”
“I guess.” She shrugged hopelessly, and I wondered why she didn’t seem happy about it. Didn’t she realize what a gift this was?
“Is Stefan thrilled? He must be,” I said.
“He doesn’t know,” Delmare said hurriedly. “You’re the only one I’ve told. I’m too nervous to break the news to him.”
“Why? He’s going to be so excited,” I insisted.
“Maybe, but we’re in the middle of a war,” Delmare said. “We’re both members of the Circle, and we have so much going on already. This wasn’t planned.”
“So what? This is good news. You guys are going to have a family,” I said.
“But it’sdangerousout there, Em.” Her frown grew deeper. “I can’t stop worrying about what’s going to happen to my baby, and I’m not even showing yet. Gabby’s ruthless. She wouldn’t hesitate to harm a child. She's done it before. And she would be all too eager to get her hands onmychild.”
That much was true, but I put my hands on her shoulders and said, “Ethan and I have power now, and endless resources. If we can protect Vara and her twins, we can protect you and your baby, too. I promised myself when I became queen that Gabby wouldn’t hurt my friends, and I’m promising that she won’t hurt my friends’ children, either. Your baby will be safe in the palace, I swear to you.”
Delmare nodded slowly. “I know you’ll do everything in your power to keep my baby safe.”
Then she sighed, and put a hand to her head. “I don’t know how Stefan’s going to take it. We’re still so young. And what if this baby is a girl? The dragon Faction expects firstborns to be boys. It’s the reason my father abandoned me.”
“Stefan’s not going to care,” I said. “You act like you don’t know him at all.”
“People change though, Em,” Delmare worried. “He’s been wonderful so far, but what if this is the one thing about me he can’t accept?”
“He will. He’s going to be so happy about it, boy or girl,” I said. “You should tell him soon, so you guys have time to prepare.”
“I’m not ready to break the news. I’m still trying to process it myself,” Delmare said. “Please don’t tell him, Em.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
I gave Delmare a hug, and her body sagged in relief against mine. She really was worried about how Stefan was going to react.
But I knew my friend, and I was sure Stefan would be ecstatic about having a baby. Even if it wasn’t the best timing.
“I think I need to lie down,” Delmare said, and she wavered on her feet.
“I’ll help you to your room.” I took Delmare’s arm and escorted her to her quarters, then once she was in bed, returned to thePierniwafeast.
My emotions shifted and raged inside of me like a monster who’d been unsuccessful on the hunt and was starving for a scrap of sustenance. Gabby, Vara, now Delmare… waseveryonegetting pregnant these days? It had seemed the gods had chosen this time to test me. My absent womb once began to eat away at me from the inside out, and this time, the loneliness didn’t settle.
It all seemed so unfair. I forced my rampant feelings away as I returned to the dining hall.
