I sat on the couch with a stack of books in front of me and one open in my hand. It was really quiet with only the sound of my breaths and rustling of the paper whenever I turned a page but then the book I was holding started to close on its own.
I was a bit stunned to see it though I shouldn’t have been and immediately came to a conclusion as to who it might be. “Ryon?”
Nothing happened. He didn’t appear to me or say anything back. I was starting to wonder if it was him at all until a pen lifted up on the table in front of me and started writing.
No. It’s Troy.
I looked around again, wondering how long he’s been watching me and why. “Troy?”
The pen moved back towards the parchment and I looked down at it.
You going to tell me why you’re reading that particular book?
I was extremely hesitant if I should even mention it. I know she didn’t get to tell him so I would be the one telling him. I reached for the floating pen and started writing back with just a simple answer.
No.
The pen was immediately taken, probably in frustration to my vagueness.
Is it you?
I took the pen back with a heavy breath. He wasn’t giving up but I should have known better. He was Troy. If he even slightly thought it could be Jaylyn, he would continue until he got some kind of answer.
No.
I held it out, knowing Troy would right something else and just waited. There was really no point in trying to ignore him now.
Then who?
He wasn’t going to go away―of course. I had no choice but to give in though I needed to do so carefully. I looked around and went over to the door, closing it before walking back to the table. I ripped the pen from the air and wrote while I kept glancing up at the door just so Jaylyn wouldn’t happen to walk in and find me telling her secret.
All right but you didn’t hear this from me. She wanted to tell you before you left but she didn’t want the news to interfere with the trip.
There was no more response and the pen stayed in my hand. I started to smile, knowing he was probably too stunned to write back or even panicking a little. “Troy?” He didn’t show signs of being around after that and I destroyed our written conversation and got back to my reading.
I was wondering what he was thinking with the news and hoped I didn’t just ruin everything by telling him. He should take it too hard, right? I mean, he wasn’t like Darius when it came to talking about children. He’s seen his son a few times, just hasn’t heard his name; his little Bryce.
Chapter 13
Ruby
For liking to sleep off time so they’d be home sooner, I wasn’t doing so well at it since Jaylyn came out and told us she was pregnant. I was happy for her, surely but I started thinking about myself and the more I did, the more it seemed a reality; I was too. I just couldn’t tell anyone. What would I say? Trever was the only other that knew but I never had to tell him. He just knew.
Having Jaylyn’s pregnancy out in the open made me worried about when I would have to share about my own. Darius would take it completely different than Troy would and I knew it. The thought of having children and he’d panic or get angry. I didn’t know how I was going to tell him but I at least knew it would have to be soon. I already saw physical changes in myself and didn’t know how long I could keep them from him.
My usual flat stomach had already begun to bump out and I laid in bed that night, holding it with my hand. It only made me more depressed and waited out another night alone but not completely.
The palace now seemed just as quiet as ever. We spent our time with each other just relaxing down on the first floor lounge, hoping for time to pass quickly.
“How long did you say it could take?” I groaned.
“That depends on when the wedding is.” Adele said. “It would have normally taken five days to get there so they’re probably just hanging around the palace right now waiting.”
“Yeah, with their Kittens.” Jaylyn muttered. “I hate this. We should have gone.”
“You know we hate going there.” I said.
“Yeah, but we just sent our husbands, who happen to be the best looking men out there, to a place where they hand women out like free food and who doesn’t enjoy free food?”
Adele laughed from the anxiousness in her voice. “Calm down, Jaylyn. Just because they’re given the free food, doesn’t mean that they’re going to eat it or even taste it for that matter. They probably want to get home as much as we want them here.”
“I’m just saying, okay? I miss him more than when we escaped Randal that first time and they had to catch up to us or when I left the lodge without him. This just feels worse now because our connection is stronger.”
“Have you thought about how to tell him?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Just tell him, I guess. Do I have to make it some special thing?”
“Well, it is special.” Adele smiled. “We knew this was going to happen. It will to all of us—eventually.”
“But why do I have to be first? Can you get pregnant with me?”
Adele and I laughed.
“It’s not something we can really plan for exactly.” Adele said. “We’ll just have to see. You found out the moment there was life in you. It could take longer for us.”
Jaylyn looked at us both and started to smile but I dreaded seeing it. “I could always check.”
Adele and I immediately looked at each other with wide eyes. “No, that’s okay.”
“Oh, come on.” Jaylyn begged as she moved to the edge of her seat. “Please? How will you know unless I tell you? We’re supposed to do everything together. Wouldn’t it be perfect if we did this too?”
Adele and I looked at each other again.
“She’s not going to let it go.” Adele said.
I sighed. “I know.” I could have been ready to tell them. It was easier now that we were here alone and I gave in. “What do we have to do?”
Jaylyn clapped her hands in excitement. “Great! Just lean back and I’ll check.”
“Don’t get so excited.” Adele said. “It doesn’t mean we are. I mean, I’ve hardly had sex in the last couple months.”
“Glad to see you’re hopeful. It only takes one time and you know Zayden needs this. Maybe it will knock him out of his recent state of depression.”
“You really think it was depression?”
Jaylyn and I looked at each other, knowing Adele wasn’t ever supposed to find out about the baby that was sacrificed and came up with an adequate response.
“Could have been from being away from everything like we said.” I answered. “He’s not used to that.”
“I guess it would help and I have been feeling a bit off lately or maybe I just want to be. You better hurry and just check.”
Jaylyn smiled and got closer to her. “Okay, let’s see.” Adele closed her eyes and Jaylyn brought her hand towards her stomach. “What would you really say if I told you, you were?”
“You know I’d be happy. I’ve already seen him so I’d just want you to get it over with and tell me!”
“You are!” Jaylyn shouted, hugging her at the same time. “See? Isn’t it great! Let me try you now.”
She was about to sit next to me with her excitement just growing and I snapped. I needed to do this my way. “No! There’s something I need to show you.”
Jaylyn looked over at Adele and they were both confused. “What?”
“Don’t get mad.” I stood up and opened the front of my long shirt. At first, they didn’t seem to know what they were supposed to be looking at until I slid my hand down and tightened the shirt I was wearing underneath.
They both immediately saw the bump and came right over, expressing shock.
“Ruby!” Adele shouted. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”
“Is this what Trever was talking about?” Jaylyn asked. “The thing you haven’t told Darius?”
“What do you think?”
“Ruby—” Adele was still in shock but was calming when she started to look me over a little better and I knew she was just starting to figure it out. “You’ve got to be months along—like several.”
“I know.”
“When did this happen?” Jaylyn asked. “It hasn’t been that long since you’ve really started to be with him unless—oh no.”
My eyes started to water and I dropped down onto the couch, holding my limbs in close to my body. “Our first time together, okay. I’ve known for a while. I just can’t tell him. He’s going to hate me.”
“He’s not going to hate you.” Adele said. “It is a hard thing to have to explain to someone but—”
“Thanks a lot.” Jaylyn sighed. “We have to do this too.”
“I know. I’m just saying, it may not be how they saw themselves a year ago or even a day before they met us but they’re married now. Things change. They know this is part of it and he’ll be happy.”
I lifted my head and wiped my eyes. “How do you know?”
“Because, it’ll be with you and he loves you so much. Seeing what you create together will change him.”
I hoped she was right but the true reality of it all was hitting me now. It made me feel sick and I had to get up. “I’m just going to go throw up now.”
I walked into the kitchen ready to leave this behind me for now. I still had a couple days before I would have to explain it again but I wouldn’t know where to begin in telling him. Just remembering his reaction every time the word child came up, caused me to rethink telling him for a while even if Adele says he’ll be fine. I still wasn’t sure if that was true or maybe until he figured it out on his own or someone blabbed to him through conversations of their own pregnancies. Jaylyn was capable of that easily and I almost counted on it.
Chapter 14
Jaylyn
Two more long days have passed until our husbands have finally returned home. I felt it first and immediately got excited like a child does for some special surprise. “They’re back!” I hopped quickly out of my seat, ready to see him.
“Wait. Don’t rush out there.” Adele said. “You don’t want them to think that we couldn’t live without them that badly. Just wait until they come in on their own.”
I sighed in disappointment and looked out the windows towards the stables while lowering myself back down. I didn’t want to wait but then my eyes caught something and I had to squint to see it. There was a woman riding on the back of Zayden’s horse with her arms snug around his waist.
It made me nervous but I had to say something. “Ah, Adele. I don’t want to worry you but I think Zayden brought his Kitten home.”
“What?!” Adele swung herself around to look out the window.
The horses were right outside of the stables and Zayden set Rift on the ground then helped someone down before getting the horses settled inside.
“Uh oh.” Ruby muttered.
“Come on. Let’s get out there.” Adele said.
This was more like it. We got up and walked out of the palace towards the stables. There was light talking inside and I made a point not to notice the woman and went right over to Troy with a tight hug as he pulled the saddle from his horse. “You’re home! I missed you!”
“I missed you more.”
I doubt that could have been true and I would have called him on it but I could already feel the tension as Adele slowly approached Zayden almost like she wasn’t that happy to see him. “Welcome back. How was everything?”
Her eyes flickered over to the strange woman among us and Zayden set his horse’s saddle down with a smile, probably trying to make nice of this awkward situation. “It was good. Ah, I’d like you to meet Meg.”
The woman made her first mistake and looked right at Adele and smiled. “You must be Adele. It’s an honor.”
“It should be. Can someone explain to me why I’m meeting you?”
“Ah, that’s a funny story actually.” Darius smiled. “Meg is the new Hintin Princess.”
I dropped every prior emotion and gasped at the same time with Ruby and Adele immediately shot her look over at Zayden. “You stole their Princess?! Zayden, do you realize what you’ve done?!”
“I thought you be glad and we saved her actually, not stole.”
“We did nothing of the kind.” Troy cut in. “That was all you.”
“Okay. I did but still you should have seen what it was like.”
“I know what it was like. I’ve been there before. Just because I said I’d like to free their women from that prison, doesn’t mean that I actually would.”
“I’m sorry.” Meg interrupted. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here. You’ve done enough already, really.”
“No.” I said. “Adele, let her stay for a little while. She can’t be out on her own when they start looking for her.”
Adele sighed, rolling her eyes. “Please tell me you’re not agreeing with this treason. Housing a fugitive Princess is not what this family needs right now.”
“Oh, Adele, come on.” Ruby replied. “Just a couple weeks. They already got her out of there. It’s done.”
Adele sighed again and turned away for a moment. “All right. Fine. You can stay for a bit but don’t expect us to do your will. We don’t have servants because we pull our own weight around here. Get used to it.” She walked right out and no one knew what to say. Adele agreed but she was still clearly angry about it.
“Well.” Meg muttered. “She’s very welcoming.”
“She’ll get used to you.” Zayden assured her. “Come. We’ll get you a room to stay in.”
“Thank you, Zayden.” He walked out with her and there was another pause.
“Yeah, you know? I don’t think she will.” Ruby said. “Zayden brought home a woman as his souvenir. Not the best choice.”
“I’ve got a better one.” Darius lifted her right up into his arms. “And it’s starting right now.”
Ruby smiled so big as she hung her arms around his neck and he carried her out.
I laughed. “That wasn’t surprising.”
“Yeah. You should have seen him just six hours after leaving. He was seriously losing it, calling it having withdrawals.”
I laughed again but got quieter while Troy was hanging up his horse’s gear on the stable wall. “I really missed you.”
“So did I.” He stepped closer to me and noticed my expression. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”
“Ah, yeah. I have been actually. I’ve been wanting to tell you something but please don’t get mad.”
He laughed. “Why would I get mad? Do something Ruby crazy?”
I returned the laugh and moved my hands down to my stomach while I spoke. “No. Nothing like that. It’s just that I’m—well, I found out recently that I’m—pregnant.”
I was nervous. I didn’t know what he’d say but then he started to smile and reached for me. “I should have guessed. You’re simply glowing with the radiant beauty of an expecting mother.”
I smiled in embarrassment and found myself in his arms. “Oh, please. You don’t need to suck up to me. So, you’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad because of that? It’s what we both want. I mean, isn’t it?” I was quiet. What would I say? Of course I wanted it but—“I know it won’t heal the hole you already have in your heart but I promise I’ll be here to make sure you’re happy through this.”
A smile started across my face and I moved right into Troy’s lips. We kissed for the first time in days and I didn’t want to pull away.
Chapter 15
Zayden
I had shown Meg to a spare room on the third floor and stayed for a moment to make sure she was comfortable. “You can stay in this room. I hope it’s enough.”
“Oh, more than. Thank you. I hope I didn’t put you in any trouble with your wife.”
“No. It’ll be fine. You can rest here until dinner and I’m just going to find Adele to make sure she’s really okay.”
>
Meg nodded. “Good luck.”
I smiled and nodded back as I left the room to find Adele. I walked the palace looking for her but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. I walked outside onto the back balcony and my eyes turned black. I used it to find vibrations of her. Apparently, she went up the cliff and was sitting at the top like I liked to do when I wanted to be alone.
“Rift, you stay. I’ll be right down.” He sat down and I took a long breath and ran for the cliff. I jumped over the stone railing and clung to the side, climbing up effortlessly.
I reached the top and my eyes faded back when I saw Adele. She was sitting on the edge overlooking the world. “There you are.” I sat myself next to her. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I thought you’d be too preoccupied to care.”
“Of course not. I’ve missed you. I thought you would have at least appreciated what I did.”
“Bringing home a strange woman?”
“It’s not like that. She was being abused and forced to stay in the Prince’s bed even before the wedding.”
“It’s how they are there, Zayden. You can’t change people.”
“But you can help people.”
She sighed and finally looked over. “I get it, all right? Your heart was in the right place. I just didn’t expect to have outside company when I give you the news.”
“What news? Did something happen?” I was anxious as if there were actual danger.
“Yeah, something did happen but you can relax. It’s not bad. At least, I hope you don’t think so.”
“Well, what is it?”
She paused from telling me and looked across the scenery. “Our life is seriously about to change.”
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