Page 180 of The King's Man
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
Lucifer kept talking, but nothing made sense. When Jann turned to walk I stumbled after him, heart shrieking, my mindscrambling. Because if this was true, our entire lives were about to change.
And if it was true… our lives weren’tguaranteed.
I felt the shock shuddering in Jann, the heavy chill as the words sunk in. How he managed to continue speaking and appearing so untouched was beyond me. I shook. Reeling. Searching for any way through this that didn’t end in my death, or his, or…
Or our son?
I looked up at Jann and he snapped his head to look at me, a warning flashing in his eyes.
‘This is not the time. Keep silent until we’re alone. I’ll explain everything then.’
He thought I was angry about Lucifer. He thought my fear was the tremble of distrust.
I sent him a quavering, fragile rush of reassurance, but my head screamed.
My courage staggered, not because Jann was playing both sides of this war. Iknewhis heart. I could feel it.
To reassure myself, I grabbed at the bond again and felt the flicker in him as well.
This loyalty to Lucifer was a ruse. It had to be… yet,why hadn’t he told me?
No. There was no fear of this. Jann was good. I knew that better than anyone. I took another handful of the bond, gripping it, wrapping it, braiding it around my heart and sending him every ounce of confidence and certainty I could muster as he followed Lucifer into the Palace.
But it didn’t change the fact that I was on the end of Jann’s leash and possibly carrying his child. But very definitely following the Fallen angel, Lucifer.
The Nephilim despised humanity. And idolized their own offspring—they raped women to achieve it. Yet, Jann believed hewas cursed, and the birth of a child heralded the approach of his own death.
How was he going to react to this?
Hell… how wouldLucifer?
Did Lucifer know? Was this a game?
Was I even pregnant…?
Lucifer was called the King of Lies… but he was also brilliant. Something deep within me said that there was no gain in lying about this. If he was aware of our bond, he could use me against Jann regardless. And he would. I was certain of it. The Nephilim were so brutal. So ruthless. And Jann so strong among them.
AndIwas his mate.
And pregnant?
Would Jann’s child be seen asmoreNephilim than Gall’s? A stronger heir?
Dread crept up my spine with cold fingers at the picture Jann had painted of his mother’s life in the wake of his father’s death. And suddenly, that wasme.Me, alone in this fucked up society with a son that challenged the King’s primacy.
Dear God… if Lucifer didn’t kill us, Gall would.
Wouldn’t he?
A wave of nausea washed through me as I stumbled after Jann, clinging to that bond.
Never would I have imagined that the discovery oflifewould be an omen of impendingdeath.
God, help me. Help… all of us.
