“How is that even possible?” I exclaimed. “You had no King for how many years?”
“And as I said, we had to hide during that time. We were weak and could do very little to stop the Winter Court from hunting and hurting humans, from plotting to release the Queen,” she returned. “But not only that, we were not…fruitful.”
“Fruitful?” I repeated.
The centers of her cheeks flushed. “Our Court has not been as plentiful as it once was when we had a King and a Queen. Our…fertility is tied to theirs.”
Oh.
My.
God.
Did these people not believe in science?
Did science not exist for them?
“I can tell you do not believe me.” Tatiana shook her head sadly. “But we are not governed by the biology humans share. There is a…an essence to us that connects us to the King and Queen. When we had a King before, families had six or eight children over the course of their lifespans.”
Good God.
“Now, we are lucky if we have two or three, but that has already begun to change. Without a King or Queen, our race will die out.”
I lifted a hand and then dropped it back to my lap as I refocused on Tatiana.
“I came here to implore you to do what the King cannot. Not because I love him. I don’t. I do not know him well enough to feel that. But because I love my Court. He could still keep you. If that is what you both wish,” she continued. I jerked. “Or he could choose a fae other than me, as long as he chooses one of us. He needs a Queen.”
Unease had rapidly spread like a weed, tangling with every part of me. I had no idea what to say. Caden knew this, knew what a risk it would be to choose me, and he still did.
That was…flattering, and also batshit insane.
“I hope that because you are a member of the Order, you will understand the danger Caden will place us in, the risk he will place all of mankind under.” Her eyes glimmered with tears. “If we fall to the Winter Court, mankind will fall next. You know that to be true. Is love really worth that?”
Looking away, I took a breath, but it seemed to go nowhere as the implication of what Tatiana claimed settled over me. Was love really worth that? Yes, screamed a selfish, not-so-tiny voice inside of me.
But the potential downfall of the entire Summer Court? And mankind?
I closed my eyes.
“I wish I was here to wish you well, but…nothing good will come to my people or to the King if he gives up his throne,” she said quietly. “So, I ask a better question. Do you love him enough to save him?”
The breath expelled out of me in a harsh cry. How could I answer that? How could I be with him if it would weaken him and put him at risk?
I already knew the answer to that.
I just couldn’t speak it aloud.
I really didn’t even want to think it.
How could I go from feeling hope to crushing dread in the matter of an hour? To having something ripped away before I even had a chance to hold it?
Because that was how it felt. Knowing what I did now, there was no way I could allow Caden to do this.
“I think…I think I need to be alone,” I said, my voice hoarse as I opened my eyes.
“I understand.” Tatiana rose. “I am sorry.”
My gaze cut to her. She turned, walking toward the door, her steps light. I started to look away as she pulled on the handle, but her startled gasp stopped me.
“Oh. Sorry!” Luce exclaimed. “I was just about to knock. Would’ve been your face had I done it a second earlier.”
“I am glad you didn’t.” Tatiana glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “I was just leaving.”
Luce glanced over at me, her brow knitted. She waited until the female had left. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes. Are you here to check on me?”
“I am. Kind of.” Luce closed the door behind her. “I need to talk with you.”
I wanted to throw myself on the floor and scream, so the last thing I wanted to do was talk to Luce or be checked out.
“I feel fine. A thousand times better than yesterday,” I told her as she came around the couch. “I think—” I squared my shoulders. “I think I can go home.”
Her forehead wrinkled as she took the seat Tatiana had just vacated, much to my dismay. “We’ll talk about that later. There’s something more important to discuss.”
A laugh burst out of me. Something more important than learning that the man I loved could end up risking not only his life but also the lives of his entire Court and mankind by being with me? Unless I chose to be his…his side piece while he married a fae and fathered a whole litter of children.
Luce frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay, Brighton?”
“I am.” I stopped the next laugh from bubbling up. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
She looked down and then up. “Remember when I said that I was waiting on some blood work to come back? I wanted a full workup to make sure there were no hidden infections.”
I nodded. “I’m guessing it came back?”
“It did, and there was something noted that required further testing to confirm.”
“What? I have sepsis of the heart or something?”
Luce’s brows crinkled once more. “I do not think that is a thing, but I will have to check—”
“I was kidding,” I said. “What did you find?”
“The blood test picked up an abnormality in a hormone, an increase in HCG.” Her eyes searched mine. “After seeing that, I ran a quantitative blood test just to confirm the levels that were present and what it meant.”
“Can you just give me antibiotics for it?”
Her frown increased. “You cannot take antibiotics for this.”
“Okay.” I stared back at her. “Then what do I do?”
“Well, there’s a lot to do, actually. Another test just to be sure, and then—wait.” She drew back. “You don’t know what HCG means, do you?”
“No. I mean, maybe I did, and I’ve just forgotten it.”
Her shoulders tightened. “HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that is produced when someone is pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” I repeated.
Luce nodded. “You’re pregnant, Brighton. And based on the levels, you’re at about eight weeks. Maybe a little more, but you’re definitely pregnant.”
My brain stopped working.
“That means you conceived before you were taken. And, somehow, by some miracle, you’re still pregnant,” Luce continued. “I would like to do some more testing. Your body has been through a lot, so there are a lot of risks that this…this fetus will not hold or may be...”
It was like an out-of-body experience.
I was sitting, but I felt like I was floating, and I knew Luce was still talking, but I couldn’t hear a word she said.
I was… I was pregnant?
Possibly eight weeks or more pregnant?
That was….
“… I have to ask you this because it could change everything—the tests I need to do, what you can expect,” Luce was saying as I refocused on her. “Is it possible that the…?” She paled, much like Tatiana had earlier when I’d spoken Queen Morgana’s name. “Is it possible that the King is the father?”
Possible?
It was the only likelihood.
I was pregnant with Caden’s child.
The Queen
Acknowledgments from the Author
Thank you to Liz Berry, M.J. Rose, Jillian Stein, Chelle Olson, Kimberly Guidroz, and the amazing team behind 1001 Dark Nights for allowing me to tell Caden’s and Brighton’s story.
None of this would be possible without you, the reader. Thank you. Thank you.
Chapter 1
Pregnant.
Eight weeks pregnant. Maybe a little more.
The most common response in the history of womankind was dancing on the tip of my tongue, threatening to make
me sound like an idiot.
That’s not possible.
But the logical and sane voice in the back of my head whispered that it was as I stared at the silvery-skinned fae doctor. The same voice that also whispered, that’s what happens when you have unprotected sex, Brighton Jussier.
That voice sounded a lot like my mother’s during those moments when she had been herself and not the confused, lost shell of a woman the Winter fae attack had left behind.
“Are you okay?” Luce asked and then wrinkled her nose. “That’s probably a stupid question. I doubt this was news you were expecting.”
A strangled laugh escaped me. This wasn’t even in the realm of things I’d expected. So many thoughts swirled as I sat on the plush couch of what could be considered a luxury suite in a place commonly referred to as Hotel Good Fae. Hidden by glamour, to human eyes, the building appeared to be a rundown and abandoned factory on South Peters Street, but the hotel was actually a stunning, massive community complex to all Summer fae who refused to feed on unwilling humans.
Right now, it felt like the entire building was made out of cardboard and could collapse at any second.
“How?” I whispered. “How is this possible?”
The blond fae who apparently worked part-time in a human clinic because, according to her, being intrigued by humans was similar to how wild animals fascinated zoologists, frowned. “Well, I imagine it happened during sex—”
“I know that.” I cut her off. “But how could I survive being pregnant…after what I went through?” I couldn’t even fathom how it was possible that a…pregnancy had survived the time I’d spent as Aric’s captive. The psychotic Ancient fae who had killed my mother and left me for dead two years ago, had tortured me for weeks. For months. And it wasn’t like I’d gotten three square meals a day.
“Your body has been through a lot,” Luce repeated carefully. “Even for a fae, a viable pregnancy would be nothing short of a miracle. But for a human? It would be highly unlikely—”
“Then are you sure?”
“I cannot think of any other reason why you would have such an increase in that hormone. I want to do more testing. An ultrasound, for example. Some more blood work.”
“I’m… I’m pregnant.”
She gave a quick nod.
“Pregnant,” I repeated, the information sort of sinking in. A child was growing inside me, right at this moment. I was… I was going to be a mother. My heart stuttered. Could I even be a mother? I was relatively organized and responsible. I was smart, and I’d had to take care of my mother from a very young age, but that was not the same thing as having to take care of a tiny human being. I had no idea what my future held.
Now my heart raced. Aric had…he’d fed from me repeatedly, just like the fae had done to my mother all those years ago. The trauma that had left her spontaneously going in and out of reality. I’d already had moments of being sucked into a world that seemed to exist only in my mind. There could be a chance I would wake up tomorrow and spend the entire day stuck in a world of terrifying memories and haunting hallucinations. I might spend days that way. Mom had sometimes spent weeks like that, and I…I didn’t want to do that to a child. I knew what it felt like to see someone you loved, who was supposed to be the person that supported and took care of you, become trapped and unreachable. I wasn’t bitter nor did I regret being there for my mom. Not at all. But when she was herself, I knew the knowledge that she needed constant care killed her.
I didn’t want to repeat that cycle.
God, that was the last thing I wanted to do.
Luce’s pale blue eyes searched mine. “It would help to know who the father is. That could possibly explain how this is likely.”
I pulled myself from what felt like a downward spiral into flailing panic and drew in a tight, shallow breath.
Her shoulders squared as if she were preparing herself. “It is…obvious that the King cares for you deeply. When you were gone, he nearly tore the city of New Orleans apart looking for you. He’s barely left your side since he found you, and sleeps only for a few hours here and there.”
My heart squeezed painfully, and I closed my eyes. So much had happened since I woke up, no longer chained to what I believed would be my tomb. I’d just remembered what Aric had insinuated. That a Summer fae had been aiding him. I needed to tell Caden this. Not only that, I was still trying to process everything that had happened with Aric, what had come before that and after. And just an hour ago, I’d felt a sense of hope for the first time since Aric had taken me. The feeling had nearly stolen my breath.
Caden loved me. He’d ended his arranged engagement for me, but the awe-inspiring part was that I could still feel attraction and love after being trapped by Aric. The pain and the humiliation and the god-awful fear hadn’t stolen the capability to desire, want, or love from me. Realizing that was life-altering. I knew that I could move on from what Aric had done, even if doing so took days or months or years. And I knew that Caden would be waiting for me, no matter how long it took.
That hope had crashed and burned spectacularly when Tatiana, the would-be Queen of the Summer Court, sat right where Luce was sitting now and explained what would happen if Caden didn’t marry a fae of the Summer Court.
A King must choose a Queen to bear the next generation. Without doing so, the entire Summer Court would be weakened, and so would Caden. He would be dethroned, ostracized, and unprotected. Although he would no longer be a King, his blood still could be used by the Winter Court to commit unimaginable horror. Not only that, if what Tatiana claimed was true, the entire Court’s fertility rate would continue to decrease until the entire race died out.
Caden must have known all of that when he ended the engagement with Tatiana. And while that was overwhelming in a way I had little experience with, it was also terrifying.
Because without the Summer fae fighting back against the Winter fae, mankind would fall. The Order I worked for wouldn’t be able to hold them back.
It wasn’t just the future of the Summer Court that relied on the King choosing his Queen. The entire world did as well.
I’d always dreamed about the kind of love where someone was willing to risk everything. I never thought I’d be on the receiving end of it, but I wanted it—wanted it so damn badly.
But was that kind of love worth everything? The downfall of the Summer Court? Mankind? I shuddered as the back of my nose burned. A part of me wanted to scream that yes it was, but could I really live with myself—live happily ever after for however long Caden and I had—while the world fell apart around us? Until the Winter Court came for him, and he wasn’t able to fight them off?
Could Caden really live with that?
He might think so now, but months and years from now? I didn’t think so.
I knew I couldn’t.
And now, with the knowledge that I could…that I was bringing a child into a world that would definitely have an expiration date stamped on it? I couldn’t do that.
Luce had tipped forward when I reopened my damp eyes. “Is it possible, Brighton, that the King is the father? Or could it be someone else?”
“Aric didn’t…he didn’t rape me.”
“You said you didn’t remember anything like that,” she clarified gently. “I would think it would be unlikely for it to be him, based on the stage of your pregnancy. But if it happened at the beginning of your captivity, it wouldn’t be wholly impossible.”
I was pretty sure Aric hadn’t forced himself on me. To be honest, he’d seemed pretty disgusted by humans, especially me. But toward the end, I’d thought he started to respect me, as messed up as that was. If I hadn’t been able to kill him when I did, I had a horrible, sinking feeling that this conversation might be different.
I shook my head. “It’s not him.”
Luce’s gaze met mine. “Then the King is the father. Or possibly someone else?”
The breath I exhaled punched out of me. “There’s no one else. It has to be him
. We had…well, we were together, and there wasn’t protection. I didn’t think it would be a concern.”
Luce didn’t move for several moments. I wasn’t even sure if she breathed, but then she swallowed and sat up straight. “It’s extremely rare for a human to become pregnant by a fae, but it happens.”
I knew that. A halfling could be born from such a union. Ivy Owens was a prime example of that—
“The prophecy.” I jolted, heart leaping into my throat. “The one that could cause the gates of the Otherworld to open—”
“You’re not a halfling,” Luce interceded calmly. “Your child most likely wouldn’t even be one.”
Yes, she was right. The prophecy that would tear open the gates between our worlds, freeing the demented Queen Morgana, required a Prince or Princess or a King or Queen to procreate with a halfling, creating a child that should never exist. I knew that. I wasn’t a halfling, but I also wasn’t exactly human anymore, was I? The King had given me the Summer Kiss, something that no one else knew. Well, no one who was alive. Aric had figured it out, but—
“Wait.” My brain had finally processed everything she’d said. “M-my child most likely wouldn’t be a halfling? It would be human?”
“No.” Luce leaned forward again, pressing the tips of her fingers together. “The child would most likely be completely fae.”
I opened my mouth, closed it, and then tried again. “How is that even possible? I’m human.” Mostly. “And he is fae. His genetics can’t cancel out mine.”
“Actually, for the King or for an Ancient, they would.”
I stared at her. “Does science mean nothing to you people?”
A faint smile appeared. “Only to a certain degree, Brighton. We are not human, and we are not bound by human science, biology, or genetics. We are far more superior than that.” A pause. “No offense meant.”
I blinked at her.
“This could explain why the pregnancy is still viable despite the trauma to your body,” Luce went on, a look of curiosity creeping across her face. “A child of a King would be incredibly strong, even at this stage and inside a human incubator.”
The Summer King Bundle: 3 Stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 37