But he did.
“I don’t know how to repay you,” she said in disbelief.
He shook his head. “You’ve already done more for me than I thought a fae ever would for a human,” he said. “Let me do this for you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you, Lawrence,” she breathed.
Tomorrow, they would be telling the council she was pregnant, and a human was the child’s father.
“Who knows, maybe a half-human heir could help change things here,” he said with a small smile, glancing up at his cottage. “We could learn to live together again.”
Hope swelled in her heart. “I’d love nothing more.”
Seventy-Nine
Evelina
Evelina pacedbeneath the twinkling lights of the grove. She needed to see Daimon—to talk to him. It was supposed to be impossible, but so was having a child in the dream realm—so was everything that had happened up until now.
Dream orbs lined the forest floor, casting a warm glow through the dark trees. A memory crossed her mind of the attack that had left two Nox dead, when Evelina had been too late to save them.
But that was before she left to be a healer on the war front. Before she opened her heart up to Daimon again. Before she lost her mother and sisters and brother. Before she became queen and lost Daimon, too.
She wasn’t afraid anymore—not of the shadows, or Nyx, or even Vidaris.
She was going to change their fate.
“Okay. This is going to work.” Her voice was shaky as she closed her eyes.
Thishadto work.
“Nyx,” she whispered, slightly unsure how to pray to a dark god. Praying to Eurydice was as easy as breathing, something shedid before going to sleep at night or waking in the morning, but this was unfamiliar territory. “I need your help.”
This was the last thing a Manor queen should be doing. Evelina herself had seen the punishment Carwyn had suffered for doing so.
But life had taught her things weren’t always so simple. She was going to be raising this child alone.
Evelina needed to at least tell Daimon that she was having their child. To get his blessing to go forward with this plan.
So much had changed in ways she never expected. The pregnancy with Leda wasn’t lonely; she had Senna by her side. He had sat with her through the days she couldn’t keep food down, brought her water and warm broth when she couldn’t get out of bed.
This time was going to be different.
She just hoped Nyx would be willing to help.Please, Nyx,she begged in her mind.
She had hoped coming to Nocturna territory would help, but as the minutes turned into hours, her hope began to fade. He wasn’t coming.
With one last longing glance at the glowing dream orbs around her, she turned in the direction of the palace, thinking through how she would protect the child.
“Evelina Manor.” A voice as thick as night snaked through the dark forest. “I’ll admit, I was surprised to receive a prayer from you.”
She slowly turned around, her heart beating wildly as her eyes landed on the God of Fear and Dreams. “Nyx.”
A feline smile curled across his face, his eyes gleaming with delight. He looked just as he did in the Celestial Plane, his gaze holding the same look of knowing far more than she wished.
“Well, don’t be shy.” He tilted his head, watching her closely.
She steeled her spine. “I need your help.” He nodded, waiting for more. “I need to speak with Daimon.”
