Page 85 of Taken By the Blood God

When I opened my mouth to tell her that I was already well on my way to doing that, she lifted a hand to silence me. “Stop, and really think about your answer. It’s not just about forgiving him. It’s about letting the past go. That’s part of it. You can forgive someone but not be able to get past whatever wrong they did to you. If he never did anything like that again, do you think you could trust him eventually?”

I followed her advice. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and thought of all that Talant did to protect Ally. Everything hedid for his brother. Everything he had done for me. All that he kept doing for me.

The answer was simple. Yes, I could forgive him.

Before I could tell them what I decided, Ally chimed in, “Even if you can’t forgive him, he deserves to know that you’re pregnant.”

A moment after the words were out of her mouth, the back door flew open, and we all turned toward the sound, rushing into the sunroom to see who had opened it.

Talant stood in the threshold, his hands curled around the doorframe. The spell I’d created to keep him out was sparking and crackling as it fought to push him out of the house. But he planted his feet and gritted his teeth as he refused to let it.

“Is it true?” he asked. “You’re pregnant?”

Of all the times for him to eavesdrop…

I looked over at Ally and Sela. “Can we talk tomorrow?”

Ally just smiled and came over to hug me, but Sela glared at Talant until I cleared my throat. Finally, she came over to hug me as well.

“If I don’t hear from you by noon tomorrow, I’m coming back over here with back-up.”

I smiled and hugged her tighter. “Thank you for being a good friend.”

With that, Ally and Sela left. I waited until I heard the front door close behind them before I waved my hand and released Talant from the spell I’d used to bar him from the house.

He stumbled through the door, almost falling on his face. I had to bite back a laugh because it was the first time I’d seen him truly off balance.

Once he recovered, he walked over to me, stopping just a few inches away. His eyes lowered to my abdomen. “Is it true?”

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“Yes, but not intentionally.”

I frowned at him. “How can you unintentionally eavesdrop?”

“I was trying to take a nap when they came over. Even with your spell in place, I can hear you talking when you’re in the kitchen. I was trying to ignore it when you started your discussion with Sela and Ally. At first, I wasn’t listening, but then—” He paused, looking chagrined. “I was hoping that I would get some clue as to how you were feeling about me. I…” He trailed off, pausing before he continued. “I was afraid it might be too late, and you were never going to forgive me.”

I sighed. “I’m already starting to forgive you,” I admitted. “But it will take me some time to get there. And you will have to be brutally honest with me about everything for a while before I can automatically trust anything you say to me again. The fact that you lied to get what you wanted is why it felt like such a betrayal. It wasn’t about protecting me. You were thinking of yourself.”

He nodded. “I was. I was desperate. I never wanted you to doubt how I felt about you. I wanted you to know how much I loved you before you discovered the truth. You’re not a replacement for Cassia. I know you’re not her, and you never will be. You may carry her power and her memories, but everything else about you isyou.”

“I understand that now,” I admitted. “I’ve been having more dreams, seeing the world through Cassia’s eyes, and we couldn’t be more different.”

“So, what’s next?” he asked.

I took a deep breath. “Well, I suppose you should move back in the house to start.”

“And?” He moved an inch closer to me, his expression full of hope.

“And you take care of me while I grow our babies.”

There was a pause. “Babies?”

“According to my grandmother’s grimoire and the spell I cast, I’m carrying twins. I’ll have to make an appointment with a midwife to confirm, but I’m confident the spell is accurate. My grandmother knew her stuff.”

“Twins?” he repeated, blinking rapidly.

“Twins.”

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