Page 127 of Crown of Darkness
I think I’m going to be sick.
I bolt for the wash chambers, sliding to my knees in front of the bath. My stomach rebels, but even as I gag, nothing comes up, and I don’t know if this is shock or something more.
A hand rubs my back, soft words rumbling through him.
“It’s alright, Vi. It’s alright.”
It’s the first time he’s ever lied to me since we made our promise.
Finally, I managed to swallow down the urge to vomit. A cool rag is draped over my neck, and Thiago squats on the cool tiles beside me as I drag my knees to my chest and cradle them.
“We will find the crown,” he assures me, squeezing my knee. “No matter what I have to do. She won’t have our child, Vi. She won’t.”
I want to cry, but I just feel so wretchedly hollow.
“I might not be with child,” I whisper.
Our eyes meet.
“I won’t know for sure until….” I can’t say the rest.
But there’s a certain bleakness in his eyes as we nod. We both know it’s inevitable.
The Mother of Night always gets what she wants.
* * *
Thiago’s circlemeets in the usual set of chambers.
Thalia and Eris were there to greet me last night, but not the others. I bend to press a kiss to Finn’s cheek as he welcomes me and nod at Baylor. The gruff giant keeps to himself, and I respect that.
“You look terrible,” Finn says, leaning forward in his chair to peer at me. He turns an accusing glare on Thiago. “Have you not been letting her sleep?”
Usually it’s a joke, but it falls flat this morning.
“I’m fine,” I mutter.
I am not fine. Not at all.
“News from the borders, my prince,” Baylor says, flipping open his set of notes as per usual. “We’ve—”
“Later.” Thiago takes his seat with curt grace. “The borders can wait. Adaia can wait. We need to make the Crown of Shadows our priority, and we need to come up with some means of keeping Vi safe from the fetch.”
They all share a glance.
“I’ll guard her,” Eris says. “Day and night.”
“Well, you didn’t do much of a job of it last time,” says an irritatingly annoying voice from somewhere to my left.
Finn has a knife in hand as he leaps to his feet, “What in Kato’s name isthat?”
Eris hurls her dagger, but Grimm merely vanishes, and two seconds later Baylor yelps as a shadow forms on his lap before leaping onto the table.
“You couldn’t kill me if you tried,” Grimm sneers, managing to walk across all Baylor’s papers and simultaneously kick them to the floor.
“Stop!” I yell as Eris flips another knife into her hand. I glare at the grimalkin. “The doors to this chamber are locked and warded. How did you get in?”
His tail lashes. “Please.There’s not a ward in this world that can stop me from getting into a place I desire to be. And if all else fails, I simply stand outside and meow loudly until someone rectifies their mistake.”
