Page 17 of The Magic of Eternity
Then the bleeding. The fear I’d felt when she gazed upon her bloodied palms had been so visceral, so consuming, that I couldn’t breathe. And nobody was helping her. Not at first. I’d raged in my head, completely helpless, my entire being shaking with a primal force unlike anything I’d ever encountered.
“I can hear your mind working from here, Sloaney,” Red murmured, her voice husky from sleep.
I tightened my hold on her, no longer needing to be concerned with waking her up. “There’s a lot to think about,” I whispered against her head. “How did you sleep, baby? Are you sore?”
“Just the normal aches and pains that come with this”—she waved her hand over her belly—“monstrosity.”
I hummed as I allowed myself to caress her new shape. “It’s crazy to me that there are two babies in here. Right now. What will they be like?”
She laughed, and I felt movement beneath my palm. A foot, most likely. “Itiscrazy. I got so much bigger while I was in that coma. I thought I had stretch marks before, but this is like… a whole different level. Plus, right after I woke up, I pissed myself.”
My eyes widened at that. “Like… full-blown golden shower?”
“No, you idiot,” she huffed, pushing herself into a sitting position so she could glare at me. “It was just a bit. One of these babies jabbed me right in the bladder and it was game over.”
I had to roll my lips inward to stifle the laugh threatening to slip out. She really might’ve hurt me if I so much as smiled at her predicament. “My poor kitten,” I cooed, moving to sit now. I needed her in my arms. “C’mere, Miss Peabody.” She gasped in outrage, but was quickly tamed as I arranged her between my legs and started rubbing her back. “You’re so gorgeous like this,” I whispered into her neck. “Naked, in a cave, pregnant with my babies…”
Her head fell back to rest against my shoulder and she gazed up at me. “You’re different.”
I frowned. “How?”
“Softer, somehow. Less guarded. Like you’re fully here with me, and happy about becoming a father.” She linked her fingers with mine. “I was worried you wouldn’t want this.”
Oh hell. I freed one of my hands and tucked some hair behind her ear. “I can understand that. A year ago? No, I wouldn’t have wanted any of this. When we first met? Nope. I was an insufferable dickhead and I regret so much about my behavior in the beginning, baby. I hurt you and my brothers. I thought that was the worst part, you know? Being cast out of my family for the first time in my life.” Her eyes were boring into me, like missiles heading right for my soul.
“I realize now that wasn’t the worst part. I think this is—knowing that my actions have placed so much doubt in your mind about me. About my dedication to our family.”
“Sloane,” she interrupted, twisting around slowly to face me.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “No, baby. I was such an asshole. I was scared of the changes, scared of what you being a part of us would mean. But I’ve never been happier in my entire fucking life—despite the current life or death situation. The only thing I’m worried about is fucking my kids up the way my dad fucked me up. What if they hate me?”
There it was. My ultimate fear.
She gave me a sad smile and shook her head, disagreeing. “You’re a proud man. You’ve been through a lot. They’ll adore you, just like I do.”
Her face blurred, and I dropped my gaze, not wanting her to see me cry. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I willed my emotions to get the fuck under control. “Will you forgive me, Red? Can you ever trust me again?”
“You’re a stupid idiot,” she declared firmly, before pulling our foreheads together. “I’ve already forgiven you. A long time ago.” Relief sang through me. “Gods, I more than trust you. I love you so damn much.”
Oh.
“I don’t deserve you,” I confessed before taking her mouth with mine. Maybe I didn’t deserve her, but she was right—she was mine. And I was hers. I was never letting go. We kissed like it was the last thing we’d ever do, like there was an urgency to stake a claim on the other.
With a sigh, she leaned back and stared at me. “What happened to you when you were taken? I want to know everything.”
“It’s kind of a long story…”
“Good thing we have some time while I conjure us up some clothes and essentials,” she replied. “Help me up?” I hopped up and pulled her to her feet, tossing up how to begin.
“After the fight in the throne room, I was taken to some sort of holding pen a few miles away from the castle. Asrael has some serious power. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s able to take magic away from whoever he pleases. That’s why I wasn’t able to help you, baby.”
She frowned, wrapping her arms around my waist. “It wasn’t your fault. He took my magic away while I was there too. He’s scary, Sloane. Nobody should have that much power.” Hearing her reassurances, I felt the tension of guilt leave my shoulders. “Tell me what happened next,” she urged.
I stepped out of her hold, feeling the need to move while I explained. “There were hundreds of dragons there, and I learned there were several of these facilities spread out now across the capital and the outskirts. The wards were reinforced by mages and demonic magic. If any of us wandered too close to the perimeter, we were given one hell of an electric shock that knocked some dragons out for hours at a time.
“After the first couple of days, and being shocked repeatedly in my attempts to break free, a group of male dragons approached me. They’d sensed my grief and panic. I’d been so focused on escape that I hadn’t even tried to communicate with the others, and even if they’d been trying to communicate with me, I had been too far gone to hear it.
“It was then that this huge male dragon approached me…” I let my mind take me back to that day; it had been the turning point for me. It was very likely I would’ve killed myself, or others, had I been stuck in there for a long period of time.
