"I'll be there," she answered.
Thorin waited for Cellig to also stand and they made their exit.
As Cellig jibed him the whole way down one corridor and then the next, until they parted ways, Thorin barely paid him any attention. The older female was right—he was anxious to see Vala. Because it was possible that his life would change forever in the next half hour.
And he wanted to get the next chapter started sooner rather than later.
~~~
Vala tried to focus on the new Jasvarian recipe she'd received from one of the human colonists, but she'd read the first line at least ten times and still hadn't processed it. Instead, she glanced at the clock again. Thorin should've been home already. And with each minute that passed, she grew more anxious.
Mostly because she wasn't entirely sure how he'd react to her news.
Looking back at the sheet of purple-tinted paper, Vala tried to read the recipe. However, a second later, she heard the door open and close.
Vala rushed from the kitchen and straight to Thorin, who was already striding toward her. She hugged him, and his arms engulfed her instantly. The feel of his warm, hard body against hers always soothed her.
He murmured, "Tell me, zyla."
Taking a deep breath, she forced her head up to look into his gaze. "I'm pregnant."
He blinked a second before his lips curled upward slowly. "From the way you were acting, I'd feared the opposite."
"Feared?"
He stroked her cheek. "I'll admit I was terrified at first, when I learned of the changes. However, the more I work with the others who have part Brevkan children, the more I see them being loved and living mostly normal lives. And to have one with you, the light of my heart? I can't imagine a better gift."
Normally she'd tease him about going soft and romantic, but her eyes prickled with tears and she did her best not to cry. "Thorin, I, well, it's strange. I'd been reconciled to a certain life for so long, and when a new possibility dangled in front of me, I was afraid it was a dream I'd never had. I still want to help orphaned children, and maybe even adopt one, but this baby is more than merely ours. It's a symbol of how much is possible in this life. And now, I think we can do just about anything as long as we're together."
Instead of speaking, Thorin took her lips in a slow, lingering kiss. The familiar taste of her lord washed away her impending tears, replacing it with anticipation and relief.
Thorin wanted both her and their child, and not merely out of some sense of duty, either.
When he finally pulled away, he murmured, "I'm usually more pessimistic, but the longer I'm with you, the harder it is for me to think everything will turn to hell in the end."
She smiled. "That almost sounds like optimism, which is quite a feat for you."
He growled. "You've just told me the best news since you agreed to be my bride, and you decide to tease me now?"
Laughing, Vala hugged him tighter. "If we're going to work on your humor before the baby's born, I'd best start now."
At the mention of a baby, Thorin slid a hand down until he covered her lower abdomen. "Our child."
Her eyes prickled again as she placed her hand over his and lightly squeezed. It was a simple gesture, but never had she loved her lord more. "Yes, and he or she will be so loved. Not to mention if they do suffer from any visions or rages, we'll always work on ways to ease them or stop them entirely. I don't know if you're aware, but I can be stubborn. Much like my lord."
He snorted. "This colony is full of stubborn people. I imagine we'll have a whole generation of rebels, just to spite us."
"Then so be it. Because at least they'll have more freedom and the choice to be with whomever they wish."
Thorin laid his forehead against hers, his hot breath dancing across her lips as he said, "I love you, Vala Yarlen."
She gently guided his hand from her belly to her breast. "Then maybe you should remind me of how much."
Without a word, Thorin kissed her and spent the next few hours doing exactly that, until they fell into an exhausted slumber.
Epilogue
Roughly Eight Months Later
Thorin stared down at the tiny bundle in his arms, resisting the urge to pull his daughter close and take a deep inhale of her skin again.
Vala teased him about baby-sniffing, and he didn't mind it with her. However, he, Vala, and their daughter were no longer alone. A group far larger than he would've liked filled their apartment, everyone waiting for a turn with his little Hayla.
As he traced the delicate features of Hayla's golden skin, Prince Kason tro el Vallen walked up to him and murmured, "You know our brides are already planning for them to be best friends."
Kason and his bride, Taryn, had had a daughter as well, several months earlier. Thorin grunted softly, so as to not wake Hayla. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Your daughter is bound to be a bad influence."
Kason raised his dark blue brows. "Mine will be the bad influence? If what our brides have planned comes to fruition, I suspect they will work together to corrupt all others their age. Even my sister Kajala's son, who's nearly a year older, will probably fall under their combined spell."
The prince could've easily brought up the fact that Hayla was part Brevkan, and maybe she would slip up during her training and have a raging outburst. They were rare but tended to happen a few times at two or three years old, no matter what anyone had tried so far. It was one of the many things he and Cellig had discovered during their work.
Not that Thorin was going to sit passively and let it happen. He, Cellig, and a few others were working hard to put together the best techniques and training possible for their children. With hard work, as well as trial and error, they hoped to give their children mostly normal lives.
Unlike what many of them had endured.
Hayla stirred, moving her lips. Fatherhood was still new, but even Thorin could tell his daughter would soon be hungry.
Thorin finally spoke aloud again. "All I want for our daughters is for them to enjoy their childhood, something neither of us had the chance to do. Me being half-Brevkan, and you being royalty, we had to grow up far too quickly."
Kason murmured, "Yes, we agree on that. Although I would add that their safety is another important concern."
He finally looked away from his tiny daughter to Kason's face. The prince was notorious about giving him a hard time, and they had an unspoken agreement to avoid talking about emotions or anything too sensitive. While they weren't enemies, there were many reasons they would never be close friends. Kason was the leader of the Kelderan colony and couldn't show impartiality. Or, at least he tried not to do so in public.
Kason's human bride, Taryn, walked over to them, a slightly older baby asleep on her shoulder. Her Kelderan was improving, but still not perfect. "You two are serious. What are you planning?"
The prince switched to CEL—the human language—and Thorin went back to staring at his daughter. While Hayla had his black hair, everything else was from Vala—the golden skin, small nose, and even the shapes of the faint outlines of her markings.
She was perfect. More than that, holding her created a sense of peace Thorin had never known.
He would die protecting his little daughter.
Vala's whisper filled his ear. "You're making the face again, the serious one, as if you're planning out her entire life in detail."
He smiled at Vala. "I'm only up to two years old. Give me a month, and I'll devise the rest."
She laughed. Leaning against his side, Vala stared at Hayla, too. "Just leave a little room for her to discover who she is, zylar. That way, she doesn't have to wait as long as we did to find happiness."
After kissing the top of Vala's head, he leaned his cheek against her hair and they both smiled down at their daughter. With his bride at his side and his daughter in his arms, Thorin had never been happier. Although it if were up to him, he'd work tirelessly to make them all a little happier each and every day.
Thank you for reading! I hope you loved revisiting with Vala and Thorin. The next story in the Kelderan Runic Warriors series will be The Survivor, which will be Kajala Mayven's story (the royal half-sister) but isn't out yet. However, you might enjoy my long-running Stonefire Dragons series while you wait!. Melanie sacrifices herself to a dragon clan, willing to bear a child to save her family. Her assigned dragonman, however, is anything but easy. He’s tall, broody, and alpha to the core. There’s only one problem—he hates humans…
Curious? Then order SACRIFICED TO THE DRAGON now and see what happens! (Not in the USA? Click here for Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU / Amazon DE )
And if you're looking for a lighter but still witty and sexy laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, check out Crazy Scottish Love. Donella Spencer wants to spend a quiet summer in Scotland, but an old childhood crush and an over-the-top family make that impossible…
One-click CRAZY SCOTTISH LOVE now! (Not in the USA? Click here for Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU / Amazon DE )
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Books by Jessie Donovan
Asylums for Magical Threats
Blaze of Secrets (AMT #1)
Frozen Desires (AMT #2)
Shadow of Temptation (AMT #3)
Flare of Promise (AMT #4)
Cascade Shifters
Convincing the Cougar (CS #0.5)
Reclaiming the Wolf (CS #1)
Cougar’s First Christmas (CS #2)
Resisting the Cougar (CS #3)
Kelderan Runic Warriors
The Conquest (KRW #1)
The Barren (KRW #2)
The Heir (KRW #3)
The Forbidden (KRW #4)
The Hidden (KRW #5)
Lochguard Highland Dragons
The Dragon’s Dilemma (LHD #1)
The Dragon Guardian (LHD #2)
The Dragon’s Heart (LHD #3)
The Dragon Warrior (LHD #4)
The Dragon Family (LHD #5)
The Dragon's Discovery (LHD #6)
Love in Scotland
Crazy Scottish Love (LiS #1)
Chaotic Scottish Wedding (LiS #2)
Stonefire Dragons
Sacrificed to the Dragon (SD #1)
Seducing the Dragon (SD #2)
Revealing the Dragons (SD #3)
Healed by the Dragon (SD #4)
Reawakening the Dragon (SD #5)
Loved by the Dragon (SD #6)
Surrendering to the Dragon (SD #7)
Cured by the Dragon (SD #8)
Aiding the Dragon (SD #9)
Finding the Dragon (SD #10)
Craved by the Dragon (SD #11)
Persuading the Dragon / Zain and Ivy (SD #12 / TBD)
Stonefire Dragons Shorts
Meeting the Humans (SDS #1)
The Dragon Camp (SDS #2 / Late July 2019)
Stonefire Dragons Universe
Winning Skyhunter (SDU #1)
Transforming Snowridge (SDU #2 / TBD)
About the Author
Jessie Donovan has sold over half a million books, has given away hundreds of thousands more to readers for free, and has even hit the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She is best known for her dragon-shifter series, but also writes about magic users, aliens, and even has a crazy romantic comedy series set in Scotland. When not reading a book, attempting to tame her yard, or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found interacting with her readers on Facebook. Check out her fan group here.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Hidden
Copyright © 2019 Laura Hoak-Kagey
Mythical Lake Press, LLC
First Digital Edition
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Art by Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs
ISBN: 978-1942211778
The Hidden (Kelderan Runic Warriors Book 5) Page 6