Page 16 of Kings
One line. That was all she needed to see. The pink line developed almost immediately, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was the only one.
Until it wasn’t. The second line was faint, but no matter how Ella tried to will it away, it wouldn’t disappear. Even still, it didn’t get as bold as the first line once the prescribed time had elapsed, so maybe it was just a fluke.
She took the test back into the office, and glanced up to find Avery and the nurse waiting expectantly. “This is negative, right?” she asked hopefully, showing the small display to the nurse.
The other queen’s eyes widened. “I’m afraid not.”
Ella’s heart skipped a beat. “But the other line’s barely even there. Look.”
“I see,” the nurse said. “But faint or not, it’s positive. That just means you’re early on in your pregnancy.”
Ella sank back against the edge of the table, feeling like a thousand pounds had just settled on her shoulders.
Pregnant.
The more the word echoed in her skull, the less it seemed like a real word at all.
“Ella?” Avery called in a tone that made it clear it wasn’t the first time. “You okay in there?”
“I have no idea,” Ella choked. Never in a million years would she have thought she’d get pregnant from that first heat. Especially not since she’d been popping twice the number of suppressants she was supposed to leading up to it.
All she could think about was the question the guys were going to ask the moment she told them.
Whose was it?
Chapter 10
Bishop
Bishop had been at the Felidae house for what felt like hours, even though the clock on the wall disagreed. He couldn’t help but wish he’d come up with a sufficient excuse in time to get out of it.
The society was more about parties and unnecessary meetings those days than anything. His father’s interim replacement was undoubtedly to blame. Bishop had never seen eye to eye with his older brother on much, but until he had a better claim to the throne, he would remain in control and power.
At the moment, Nathan was across the room hitting on a queen twice his age. Bishop recognized her as the Matriarch of an adjacent pride, and he could only imagine what they were discussing.
After grabbing another drink and doing his best to avoid anything more than light conversation, Bishop wandered out into the lobby in hopes of making a quick exit. His thoughts had been on Ella all night. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but she was even more on his mind than usual.
“Leaving so soon?”
Bishop froze at the sound of his brother’s smug voice, steeling his patience before he turned to face him. Nathan was seven years older, and he looked more and more like their father each day. The only trait that really identified the brothers as kin was in their similarly colored blue eyes, but Nathan’s had always shone with something that put even his closest family on edge.
Ambition, as Bishop had come to realize. He had no doubt that if killing him would make Nathan eligible to court Ella in his place, he would have done it already. Not only had Nathan already taken a mate for political expedience, but the age difference would have been frowned on, to say the least.
Nonetheless, Bishop knew his brother envied him, and he had long since learned that there was no family bond or nostalgia that would outweigh Nathan's selfish instincts. Another way in which he’d taken after their father.
“Judging from the way you were handling Courtney, I’d say you really don’t need my help impressing the other prides.”
Nathan snorted, drink still in hand as he leaned against the railing of the balcony overlooking the lower floors. “You haven’t been home since your trip. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding us.”
“I’ve had exams all week,” Bishop said in a bored tone. It was the truth, but far from the reason he’d yet to return to his room at Felidae. Nathan was far more perceptive than he would have liked. “It was easier to stay in a friend’s dorm room.”
“Not Ella’s?” he challenged.
Bishop always bristled at the sound of her name on his brother’s lips, but he masked it well. “That would hardly be allowed on campus, brother. Even a Meyer can’t break all the rules.”
“True enough,” Nathan sneered. Bishop could tell from the harsh glint of curiosity in his gaze that he sensed something off, despite Bishop’s best attempts to hide it. "She bears your mark, I’ve heard.”
“You didn’t think I’d come through?” Bishop asked, sipping his wine. He knew showing any hint of emotion would only get his brother more involved. He was a jaguar shifter just like Bishop, but when it came to gossip, he was like a dog with a bone. He’d been able to mask Ella’s scent in his blood with pills, and the formal attire necessitated by Felidae’s gatherings took care of hiding the physical mark, but Bishop knew he couldn’t keep the secret forever. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to keep it at all. Not when they were both working toward the same goal, as different as their motivations were.
