Page 96 of Emperor of Corruption
I swallow, still staring down at the test.
“The good news is that she seems intent on taking care of it,” Locke says. “I checked through her call logs—she made an appointment with her gynecologist for the day she gets back to the city. I had your IT guy check into the doctor’s system; reason for the visit is to terminate a pregnancy.” He leans back. “It won’t be a problem.”
“She’s not terminating anything,” I hear myself say, and as soon as the words are out, recognition dawns on me. The strange flutter in my chest isn’t anxiety—the emotion sending my blood singing isn’t horror. It’selation.
I haven’t felt elation since I was a boy who was gifted a puppy that I didn’t get to keep. I haven’t felt bright in years—my life has been a series of goals and ambitions that I dedicate myself to achieving. Fatherhood has always been low on the list, but now that it’s a reality…
My god, I want it. And not just with anyone—withLyra. This is the perfect excuse to keep her and to make her my own. This is the opportunity I’ve been subconsciously searching for, thereasonto hold onto Lyra I’ve been looking for. Now, shecan’tleave… and I realize I don’t want her to.
I wasn’t ready to be done with her. The end date of our arrangement—a mere two days away—was repulsive. I figured I’d keep her around for a while, but now, I recognize that I don’t want her to leaveat all. I want her,period,and if there’s anyone who’s fit to give me children, it’s her.
There’ll be a steep learning curve. She’ll need to learn to live in my world, something I previously considered impossible, considering hertemperament and convictions… but her resistance may prove to be a good thing. Her stubbornness and dedication to useless morals is admirable—she has many admirable qualities, ones I hope are passed onto our child.
Our child. The verythoughtfeels right, like it’s the last piece of a puzzle I didn’t know I was missing.
Yes, there’ll be a learning curve for both of us. I’ve never aimed to dull Lyra’s fire—merely ensure it wasn’t turned towardsme—and that’ll remain the case. I’ll have to learn to accept the fact that she can’t be boxed in, and she’ll have to learn to accept me as I am and let go of her futile resistance.
“Killian,” Locke says carefully. “Think this through. Having a child with her out of wedlock—”
“It won’t be out of wedlock.” I finally pull my eyes away from the pregnancy test and meet Locke’s gaze. “We’ll get engaged shortly, and marry before the baby’s born.” My brows touch. “Or after. I’ll leave that up to Lyra.” I’ll have to learn to cedesomepower to her. A queen to my kingdom can’t remain as powerless as a fuck-buddy I keep around for personal amusement. Lyra will need to learn to wield power, and I’ll need to learn to give it to her—in measured doses.
“Killian, can you hear yourself right now?” Locke demands. “You’re talking like someone who belongs in a mental asylum. You don’t want Lyra to sire your children. The plan was—”
“The plans have been changing for some time,” I say sharply. “Just because I haven’t let you in on the changes yet doesn’t mean they haven’t been brewing.”
Locke’s eyes close for a moment, and he shakes his head. “Iunderstand you’re infatuated—”
“I’m more than infatuated.” I don’t yet have the courage to put a name to the emotions I feel towards Lyra, but I know damn well they’re much stronger than mere infatuation. “I’m… attached.”
Locke stares at me. “You’re in love,” he realizes, sounding shocked. After a moment, he shakes his head and stands. “If you decide to keep her, there are several problems.”
“I’m quite well aware,” I respond drily. “I’ll figure it out. I’m a man with endless resources and endless ambition. I get what I want.”
“There is, of course, the hurdle of her counting down the hours to the end of your arrangement,” Locke says. “I mean that literally, Killian. She installed a countdown app on her phone.”
My lips curve upward with amusement. My Little Bird’s resistance is as cute as it is pointless.
“I’ll handle it.” Somehow, I will. Lyra’s eager to leave because she’s only seen one side of me; the man who wants something very specific from her, and will go to extremes and use force to get it.
The landscape has shifted. I’m no longer interested injust sexwith her. If I’m honest with myself, I passed that phase weeks ago, though I’ve been loathe to admit it.
Now, I wanteverythingfrom her, and I’ll get it.
There’s much work to be done, naturally. I’ve put no effort into forming an actual relationship with my Little Bird, because she made it abundantly clear she wasn’t interested in one, and I wasn’t particularly interested, either. There’s wooing that’ll need to be done, in foresight and in hindsight.
I’ll make it work. I always find a way to achieve my goals. And, I have to admit, it’ll be fun to break through Lyra’s resistance and her protests… one step at a time.
“I want security on her around the clock,” I say, pocketing the pregnancy test and switching over to think logistics. “Choose the bestprotectors on the team. I want her to see them, too.” It’s probably for the best that Lyra understands she’s cornered sooner rather than later; then, she can learn to enjoy the bars of her cage. “And get me all the information I could possibly need on pregnancy. Do’s, don’ts, what’ll make Lyra comfortable, any complications to expect—I want all of it.”
Locke stares at me for several more minutes uncertainly. He gives his head a slight shake, mutters something under his breath, but finally nods. “Are you sure about this?”
I take a beat to consider it, but the answer is clear. The excitement and elation at the prospect of building a family with Lyra and keeping her tells me all I need to know. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so certain about anything.”
I have a marked pep in my step as I head towards the room. I’m not sure how I’ll inform Lyra that I know she’s carrying my child and that I’ve decided to not only extend our arrangement, but to enter a permanentrelationshipwith her, but I suppose I’ll improvise and figure it out as I go along.
For now, I just want to see her. Drink her in. Once we get back to the states, I’ll find the best OBGYN—in the interim, we’ll need to have a very serious discussion on why it’s unacceptable for her to plan on terminating a pregnancy without even having the grace to inform me she’s pregnant.
My phone rings yet again on my way back to the suite. This time, I recognize the number; it’s Aisha.
