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Before I open my mouth to respond, I observe the slight lowering of his gaze, the twinge of insecurity. “I’m not going back to Aurick.”
“No?”
“No.”
Niles rubs the back of his neck. “You’d go through your pregnancy alone?”
I smile. “I’m a strong woman, Niles. I’ve been alone for a very long time.”
“And if I said I wanted to be there? To help?”
Every atom in my body jumps with nervous energy. It’s like every bedtime story I’ve heard. Like déjà vu spinning around my head in a carousel.
“I’d say I wouldn’t mind the company.” Though I try to remain unfazed, my smile spreads. He matches my expression with a devastating grin. Stunning in every way.
“Good, because I am an excellent chef for pregnancy cravings.”
My smile burns against my cheeks. “Are you really?”
“Absolutely. Midnight, freshly-baked cookies? Chocolate malts? Cheesy baked potato soup? We’ll have a fully stocked kitchen on standby for you.”
My stomach grumbles like a small animal.
We both laugh.
“You’d do all that for me?” Have I ever smiled this much in my life?
“No.” Niles shakes his head, and his dimples appear in the shifting shadows. “I’d do all of that for you and your baby boy.”
If only he could hear how my pulse races, how the blood rushes to my head at his sentiment. I bury my face in my hands and let out an excited giggle. I was supposed to keep my distance. I promised myself since I was a little girl. Why is this so hard?
“Well, that makes me really happy.”
Just as I remove my hands from my face, Niles leans in and places a slow, lingering kiss on my cheek. His breath fuses with my skin, and the warmth of his lips burns into every membrane. It gives me delirious flashbacks to our kiss on that one Fun House Night.
“It makes me happy, too.” Niles smiles against my cheek.
I pivot my head toward his face hovering so close to mine. Looking into his eyes, I see the anticipation dilating his pupils, lowering his lids. Tilting my chin toward his lips
“I’m calling an emergency family meeting.”
We pull apart at the sound of Skylenna’s voice. She’s standing in front of us looking like a storm ran her over, disheveling her hair, whipping against her eyes and pink cheeks. It’s evident that she’s been crying for hours.
“Someone needs to find Dessin,” she adds with a thick voice. “Then we can meet back at the cages.”
54. A Single Moment
Skylenna
“What’s this about?” Warrose asks.
Niles and Marilynn sit down to the left of Ruth after finding Dessin and bringing him back to us. He’s standing in the entryway of the cage, leaning on one shoulder, looking like a shadow of death, a grim reaper. His hands are trembling at the sight of me, though he won’t raise his eyes to meet mine. In fact, he doesn’t stare any higher than my legs.
“The Fun House is tonight,” I announce. “Kaspias told me that the theme is called the Guzzle Ride.”
“Shit,” Warrose breathes, running his hands through his thick hair nervously.
“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” Niles says.
