Page 21 of Kings
Maybe it was just because she was the only thing he didn’t feel the need to escape.
“You’re mine,” he muttered into her hair, kissing the top of her head. “That makes the baby mine by extension, no matter whose DNA it is.”
He fully expected one of the retorts she was never short on when he reminded her that she belonged to him, but instead, she hugged him closer, snuggling up against his chest.
When her breathing slowed to the point where he was pretty sure she was asleep, he finally let himself mumble the words that had never come easily to him. “I love you.”
He waited, his breath held, to see if she’d respond. When she didn’t, he felt relief mingled with something else.
One day, he’d have the courage to tell her when she was awake. Until then, he’d have to settle for showing her.
Chapter 13
Ella
Waking up in Axel’s bed felt more comfortable than Ella would ever admit, even though he was gone by the time she got up. No note, but as much as he’d changed, he was still the same Axel, and she didn’t expect miracles.
At least she didn’t feel as nauseous as usual. She dressed to head downstairs for class, making it halfway down the hall before she realized it was Saturday and therewasno class.
Sighing, she decided to at least stop by the infirmary so the trip wasn’t a total waste. The hallway was quiet, but she knew better than to hope the office would be empty. At least the waiting room was.
“Can I help you, dear?” the receptionist asked without looking up from the papers in front of her.
“I was just hoping I could get a look at my test results,” Ella said, deciding to come out with it.
The receptionist looked up, frowning in confusion. “We usually send those out by mail. You should get it in your campus inbox in a couple of days if it was recent.”
“I already took the test in person, it was just a follow up blood test,” she clarified, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was just...hoping I could see it in person. That might make it more real.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened in understanding, and she gave Ella a second glance. She was sure the woman saw her oath to patient confidentiality as a curse, considering how obvious the wheels were turning in her mind, but if she didn’t get answers, she was going to lose her mind.
“Well, I suppose it’s nothing you don’t already know,” she finally said. “I’m quite busy, though. You’d better come back this afternoon.”
Ella glanced forlornly at the file cabinet in the next room. “I could get it myself,” she offered. “I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
The other queen hesitated, before she finally sighed. “Alright, but just a minute.”
“In and out,” Ella promised, sure she was only being given the pass because of her future position. It had to have some advantages.
She slipped into the office to make sure she was alone before locating the A-D file drawer. She rifled through until she found her file with the blood test results on top. They only told her what she already knew, but she’d hoped there might be some reference to the other test along with it.
She really shouldn’t have been surprised. Axel and the others would have made sure the doctor covered his tracks. She was close to putting the file away when she found a copy of her birth certificate. Emily had always taken care of her paperwork for school, so she’d never actually seen it before.
Name: Ella Doe
Place of Birth: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Every other box was empty, too, with the exception of the signature at the bottom. She could barely make out Harlan Kemp. That must have been the director of the hospital she’d been taken to after Emily found her. Strange that it wouldn’t be the family doctor.
The thing that truly caught her attention was the date. Emily had told her that her “birthday”, or at least the day she’d been found, was June 7th. The date on the certificate was January 8th. Surely the birth certificate had been written the day she was taken to the hospital. If it had been dated later, that would have been easy enough to understand, but six months before?
She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the receptionist wasn’t watching before she tucked it into her pocket and put her file back. She closed the drawer and walked out into the waiting room. The receptionist was so busy she didn’t even seem to notice her, so Ella headed for the door and froze when she heard her name being called.
Her heart pounded as she looked back, convinced the woman somehow knew what she’d stolen. “Yes?”
