by Sadie Carter
You’d think so…but actually, they were on a par with one another. Sophie’s breath started to come in fast pants.
For the baby. You can do this for the baby. Come on, Sophie.
“Enough, Moroco.”
Sophie was pulled out of the budding panic attack as Toriq spoke up. Was he sticking up for her? He moved between her and the healer, almost as though he sought to protect her. Sophie’s breathing started to ease. “You can mix the vitamins up into a liquid form for her to take.”
“Of course I can, but it will take time. This injection will be over in seconds.”
“She is terrified of the injection. And did you not just say that pregnant females were not to be stressed?”
“Stars.” Moroco sighed. “You are right. Now, get out of the way so I can see to my patient.”
“I think I want a new healer,” Sophie said.
“That is not your call to make. I will be back soon with a vitamin mix.” He gave her a disgruntled look. “You human females take far too much care and attention. A fear of needles. Never have I heard such nonsense.”
“Moroco,” Toriq warned in a low voice that sent a shiver across her skin.
“Yes. Yes. I know. She needs a calm environment.” He pointed his finger at her. “You will take the mix I make twice a day. No matter how disgusting it tastes. You need to rest. Relax. No lifting anything heavy. No straining yourself and no stress.”
“No stress? No problem. I’m sure I won’t be stressed at all, rotting away in whatever jail cell you decide to throw me into. I’ve just been accused of being a spy, remember? And apparently, you guys don’t believe in innocent until proven guilty.”
“Nobody is throwing you into jail,” Toriq told her as the healer left.
“No? You’re just going to torture and kill me then?” She placed her hand over her stomach. “At least do it after the baby is born. He’s innocent.”
“So are you,” Saffron barked out.
“But they don’t believe me. How can I prove that I’m not something?”
She glanced up as Macon entered the room. “Moroco said that you should not be questioned further today.”
Well, seemed the healer wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
“The Emperor wishes to speak to you,” Macon told her.
“I thought that asshole healer said she wasn’t to be questioned further today?” Saffron asked.
Macon just stared at her.
“It’s okay, Saff. I can talk to the Emperor.” Not that she thought she really had a choice.
“Largan and Argus will escort you to your new quarters, Saffron,” Macon told her.
“What? What new quarters? I’m not going anywhere,” Saffron protested.
Sophie watched with alarm as Macon reached for her sister and Saffron slapped at his hands. Oh God, what the hell was happening?
“Saffron, please,” she begged, worried for her sister. This wouldn’t be the first time her sister had acted without thinking things through first.
“I’m going nowhere, asshole!” Saffron screamed.
Sophie’s stomach tightened, her nerves on knife’s edge.
“You are upsetting your sister,” Toriq said loudly. Everyone stopped and stared at him. “You will go with them quietly, so your sister does not feel stress.”
Saffron looked from Toriq to Sophie. “But she needs me.”
Sophie wanted to cling to Saffron and bawl like a baby. But she had to be stronger than that. She forced herself to smile at her sister, even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. “I’ll be fine, Saff. Honest.”
Saffron looked back at Toriq.
“I will take care of her,” he said, surprising Sophie.
Macon guided Saffron out of the room, and Sophie had to hold herself back from running after them. It seemed like in the space of an hour her world had tumbled upside down. When Macon returned, he held a tablet, which he set down on the small coffee table. He tapped the tablet and a holographic image of Dexanon Xa’a, the Emperor of Zerconia appeared.
“Sophie?”
“Um, hello.”
“I have been called away to the Academy. Otherwise, I would have come to speak to you in person.”
“Oh. Okay.” She swallowed heavily.
His gaze narrowed. God, this hologram was so lifelike, it was freaky. “I have been told you are pregnant. We were not informed when you arrived.”
“No, I wasn’t sure you would let me stay.”
He nodded slowly. “You have been accused of some serious charges.”
“I didn’t do it. Honestly, I would never work for Humans for Humans and neither would Saff. I like Zoey, I’d never do anything to hurt her.”
His face remained stern. Oh God, he didn’t believe her. Then he sighed. “I am inclined to believe you.”
Huh? What?
“However, I cannot ignore the evidence found in your possession. And I cannot be seen to do nothing, which is why I sent Macon to talk to you.”
Talk to her? More like scare the living shit out of her.
“If I do nothing, I will be seen as weak. This way, people will see I take any threat seriously.”
She supposed she understood that but had it been necessary to scare her to death?
“Have you any way of proving you are not a spy?”
“I don’t—I’m not even sure how to do that.”
He looked unhappy. What was going to happen to her? “You understand why I have to keep you and your sister under watch then? I must have evidence that you are not guilty.”
“Excuse me for saying so, but that’s crazy. How can someone just accuse me of being a spy with no evidence?”
“There is evidence.”
“But maybe they planted that!”
“Maybe.” He studied her. “You are getting stressed. That is not healthy for you or the baby. You will be kept separated from your sister and under watch until I return tomorrow. I shall speak to you then and determine who it is that is lying.”
Wow. That made her feel a whole lot better.
Chapter Four
She was pacing again.
He could hear her from the other side of the door. She had retreated to her bedroom soon after speaking with the Emperor, and he had not seen her since. Koran had just left, after speaking with him and Macon. He would have been here but his mate, Mila, had fallen over, which was alarming given her advanced state of pregnancy.
Toriq was to remain on guard inside the house, while two guards were posted outside. It seemed a lot to keep one small female under watch, but he did not argue. He did not like the idea of anyone else but him being here with the female.
Sophie.
He could not deny that he enjoyed being around her. But he had to be careful not to scare her. She was tiny. He could easily break her without even trying. He would ensure he kept himself tightly under control. Toriq knew he had bad blood inside him.
And he was determined that he would never be like his father.
He knocked on her door. “The food is here.”
“I’m not hungry.”
He frowned slightly. She had to be lying. She had not eaten for hours, and she was breeding.
“You must eat.”
“Must I?”
He thought he heard a note of temper in her voice, but dismissed it as stress. He hoped she was not crying. He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, he did not know what to do with a crying female.
“If you tell me what you like, I will bring a plate to your door. You do not need to see me.”
The door suddenly opened, and she glared up at him. “I said I’m not hungry. Now stop trying to be nice to me and go away. I don’t know if this is your good cop, bad cop routine, but if it is then it sucks and I don’t have anything to declare because I’m not a spy!”
He stuck his foot in the door as it started to close. Her eyes widened, fear filling them. He felt ill at that look on her face.
“I know you are not
.”
“I have no idea how that listening dev—wait, what did you say?”
“I do not think you a spy.”
“Y-you don’t?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You are too open in your thoughts and expressions to be a spy.”
“I could be a good actor, maybe I’m just fooling you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you now trying to argue that you are a spy?”
“What? Well, no, I just…” her shoulders slumped, and she looked defeated. “You really believe me?”
“Yes. And I do not believe anyone else thinks you a spy either.”
“Macon sure acted like he did.”
“Macon and Koran were tasked with the job of discovering who is feeding information to Humans for Humans. They take that seriously. Especially considering the threat to the Empress.”
“Why them and not you?”
“I do not know what you mean?”
“You’re a commander, aren’t you? Why aren’t you leading this witch hunt?”
“We are not hunting witches.”
She waved her hand. “It’s a saying. Well? Aren’t you going to answer?”
“No.” He turned to the side. “You will come eat now.”
Sophie snorted, but he could feel her following behind him. He stepped into the eating area then waited until she was seated before turning away.
“Wait, you’re not going to eat with me?”
He turned, unprepared for the lost look on her face. She was a prisoner, even if he did not believe her guilty of the charges. The Emperor could not be seen to be ignoring the accusations against her, but Dex would do nothing until he was certain of Sophie and her sister’s guilt. Not after what happened with Annabel.
“Please, just sit with me. I could use something to keep my mind off everything.”
She looked slightly stressed, and he was concerned about her health. So he nodded and sat across from her. “Moroco sent over a vitamin mixture for you to take after you have eaten.”
She wrinkled her nose. He could not help but think she looked adorable with her large blue eyes and sweet face. “Somehow, I think I am going to regret not taking that injection.”
They ate in silence. Sophie pushed her plate away. “I’m full.” She rubbed her stomach. “Where are Maria and Angela staying?”
“Who?”
“The other women who live with us?”
“They will have been given other accommodations,” he told her as he rose and retrieved the vitamin drink from the cooling unit. He poured it into a glass and held it out to her.
“Bet they’re loving this.”
“Why?”
“They don’t exactly like Saff and me.” Sophie sniffed the concoction. “That smells awful.”
“You will drink it.” He started tidying up. She moved around, helping him put everything away. When they were finished, only the glass remained on the table. It was still full of the drink. Toriq stood there and stared from it to Sophie.
“What will you do if I don’t take it, just out of curiosity, of course.”
He thought for a moment. “I will call Moroco and ask him to administer the injection.”
Sophie gave him a disgruntled look. “I don’t suppose you can be bribed to look the other way while I tip it down the sink?”
“It is for your health.”
“I’m guessing that means no. All right, I’ll take it. But if I puke neither of us is going to be happy.”
She held her nose and gulped down the drink. Finally, she placed the empty glass down and pulled a face. “Yuck. That was awful. I swear he’s made that taste disgusting on purpose. Because there’s no way it can taste that awful naturally.”
It was a distinct possibility.
“So, what do you want to do now?” she asked.
“Do?”
“Yeah, what do you normally do to relax?”
Relax? He never relaxed. Unless he was asleep, he supposed. Even then, he did not sleep much. Relaxing around Sophie would not be easy. Whenever she was near, his body felt different, his senses heightened. Everything she did fascinated him, from the way she laughed, to how she bit her lip when she was nervous.
But he had a job to do, regardless of whether he thought her guilty.
“I am on duty. I cannot relax.”
He forced himself to turn and walk away from her before he did something he might regret. Like touch her. Kiss her. Mate with her.
He wanted her. His shaft was thick and throbbing, his body went on alert whenever she was close. But so far, he had avoided touching her skin-to-skin and finding out for certain. Part of him didn’t want to know. Because what if she wasn’t his? What would he do then?
And what would happen if they were mates? Would she resent having him as a mate? He was certain he was not the mate she had dreamed of having when she came to Zerconia.
He needed to think more on this. But right now, his primary job was to guard her, and he had to remain focussed on that.
Sophie watched Toriq turn and walk off.
Good one. Now, she’d driven away the only distraction she’d had from the situation she now found herself in. How did these things happen to her?
Maybe she should tell them everything. Wouldn’t that prove she wasn’t working with Humans for Humans? Except she couldn’t do that without talking to Rich first. So, she guessed for now she was stuck here, until…what? How was she going to get herself and Saffron out of this?
Chapter Five
Sophie felt like complete and utter shit. And she bet she looked even worse. She stumbled into the kitchen area, and grabbed a bottle of water, gulping it down.
“Are you well?”
She turned to find Toriq behind her. Shit, he moved quietly. She glared at him. This was partly his fault. If he’d just kept her company last night, kept her distracted until she’d been able to fall asleep, then she might actually have gotten some sleep.
Instead, she’d lain awake all night, stressing about everything.
“Oh, I’m hunky-dory.” She smiled brightly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He eyed her as though she was a suspicious package someone had dumped in Times Square. Well, she felt like she could blow at any moment.
“You look ill. I am sending for the healer.”
“No! Don’t send for him.” She sighed. “I’m fine. Just tired and grumpy from lack of sleep.”
“You did not sleep?”
“Hard to sleep when you’re locked up, suspected of being a spy. I wonder what torture you all have in store for me today. Going to put me on the rack and stretch me?”
He gaped at her, clearly thinking she’d lost her marbles. Well, maybe she had. And who could blame her?
She paced back and forth. “I’m a suspected spy. I have no rights. I have no proof I’m not a spy. I’m four months pregnant with no home, no income, and just my sister to help me. I should be sleeping like a baby.”
“You should not be worrying.”
“Tell you what, you tell me how I’m supposed to stop worrying and I’ll do it. How does that sound?” She knew she was starting to sound like a crazy person, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “Tell me how I’m not supposed to get stressed out about all of this? Why shouldn’t I be scared to death? Somehow I have to convince the Emperor that I’m not a spy and I have no idea how to do that. How am I going to protect my baby? How can I not be terrified?”
Toriq walked closer, his face serious, his eyes intense. Then he cupped her cheeks. “Because of this.” He pulled her lip free from where she had been chewing on it nervously and leaned down and kissed her.
Dizziness filled her and her legs collapsed beneath her. As the darkness overtook her, she could have sworn she heard him whisper, “Because you’re mine.”
Toriq laid Sophie on the lounging chair in the living area, then quickly contacted Moroco. Worry filled him as he studied her. Her face seemed thinner than last night, and the dark smudges under he
r eyes were more pronounced.
Mine.
Claiming her like this had not been part of the plan. In fact, he’d convinced himself during the night that he should stay clear of her. For her own sake. But he could not stand her worrying over something he could prevent. She did not need to stress about protecting herself.
That was his job.
There was a noise from behind him, and he turned to see Sophie’s sister rush into the room. He frowned. Why had the guards let her past without alerting him?
“Oh, my God. Sophie! Is she okay?” Saffron attempted to push her way around him to get to her sister.
“What do you do here?” he growled at her, looking behind at Argus who looked a bit sheepish.
“She was concerned for her sister.”
“They are supposed to be separated.” Perhaps Argus was not the best choice for a guard if he could not hold his own against one small female.
“What did you do to her?” Saffron demanded.
“Everyone out of my way,” Moroco demanded, entering the room.
Toriq stood and pulled Saffron back as Moroco knelt by Sophie and rolled her on her side. “It allows better oxygen flow for the baby.”
Toriq realized there was much for him to learn. Not just about caring for a human female but a pregnant human female.
His pregnant human female.
Yes, this was going to be a challenge. Toriq had no idea how to care for a human female. Only what he had seen of other matings. He would need to speak to Jaxan about how he ensured Alice’s safety and health. After all, she was smaller than Sophie. But she did not seem as fragile as his little mate, nor was she pregnant.
And Jaxan was not as large as Toriq.
He would only touch her as much as was necessary, he promised himself, even as he knew that the mating would need to be completed. If it was not, it would drive them both insane.
He wanted this female more than he’d wanted anything in his life. From the moment he’d first seen her, he’d wanted her.
He could do this. He could take care of her. She needed him. To ensure that she took care of herself. To keep her from being afraid. She might not appreciate him mating her to begin with, but once she experienced his protection, she would see it was for the best.