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Chapter 1
Evan
Mariah’s words hung in the air, but it was as if their meaning was lost on me. I stared at her, unblinking, as my mouth opened and closed. She stared back with searching eyes.
“Could you repeat that?” I finally managed to say through the tightness in my throat. My voice was barely a whisper, lost amidst the pounding of my heart thrumming in my ears.
“I’m pregnant, Evan.”
This time, the words struck differently.
Pregnant.
A torrent of emotions hit me all at once: joy, fear, disbelief…dread. A heaviness settled on my shoulders—one that only added to the enormous weight of responsibility I already carried. How was I supposed to do this?
Learning how to lead the pack was already taking me away from Mariah and Sofia more than I liked. I feared for their safety every second of every day, even as I vowed to protect my family from Tomas. But a new baby…
My thoughts went from stuttering along to racing. Could I handle this? Could I truly be everything everyone needed?
Fear took hold as I looked into Mariah's eyes. They were filled with a roiling mixture of emotions—a mirror of my own. She was holding her breath and frowning, lines creasing her face.
My gaze shifted to her stomach as Sofia began wiggling, and I absently lowered her to the floor. I hadn’t experienced the pregnancy with Rosalind and Sofia. Sofia had been three months old when I found her on my doorstep. I’d grown into being a father in the nine months since, but I still had no idea what to expect.
Part of me wanted to deny Mariah’s words. With Tomas still at large, the timing couldn't be worse. We were in the midst of a dangerous game with a man who had no boundaries and no morals. Our lives were unstable to say the least, and bringing a child into this chaos? It added layers of complexity—and vulnerability—we simply couldn't afford.
But the other part of me, the part that stared at my mate’s stomach with a growing sense of curiosity, wondered if it was possible to sense another life in there. If I could actually feel life growing inside her.
“Evan, are you okay?”
I glanced back up, barely registering Mariah's worried look before I fixated on her abdomen again. The urge to touch her, to confirm this new reality even when part of me wanted to deny it, was overwhelming.
My dragon senses buzzed at the edge of my consciousness, my hand lifting of its own accord. I hesitated, my fingers twitching in the air between us before finally settling on her abdomen.
Energy. Beyond the gently sleeping dragon that had yet to show itself, apart from when I claimed Mariah as my mate, there was a faint, pulsing thrum distinct from Mariah's own life force. It was there, barely a tiny spark but undeniable. My senses, keenly attuned to the ebb and flow of life around me, latched onto it instantly. This was something new, something incredibly fragile, yet filled with potential.
My hand continued to move without my permission, pressing a little firmer against her belly, forging a deeper connection. The pulsing energy responded, as if acknowledging my presence. It was surreal. Here, beneath the palm of my hand, was the faintest whisper of a new life—our child.
The knowledge hit me like a freight train.
“I should have been more careful,” I muttered, my eyes on Mariah again as she jerked back on the couch.
“What?” Her eyes were wide.
“Now that you’re a dragon shifter,” I said. “I just didn’t think…”
I wasn't thinking at all. Mariah was human for the majority of our relationship. Preventing pregnancy was something we’d never had to worry about. It was foolish. Stupid to not think of the consequences that came with her no longer being human.
“Didn’t think I could get pregnant?” she bit out. “You aren’t happy about this.”
It was more of a statement than a question as, disbelieving, my mate searched my face.
Happy? The word bounced around my head, triggering a kaleidoscope of images and thoughts. Us holding our newborn for the first time. Late-night feedings and lullabies. First steps. First words. A whole new world full of firsts, which as boss and nanny, we’d experienced with Sofia, but could now take together all over again as mates. Then other images flashed: Tomas, his cold eyes devoid of any humanity, his looming threats, and the ever-present danger over our lives.
No, happy wasn’t the word I’d have chosen. I opened my mouth to reassure Mariah, but the words got stuck, jammed somewhere between my heart and my throat. All I managed was a nod.
I wanted to tell her everything—that I could sense our child, that this was a miracle we’d never imagined, and that despite the colossal mess our lives were in, this... this was something pure—something good.
But I was shaken. The instant Mariah pulled away, a sense of loss washed over me. The immediate, tangible connection with that new life force was gone, but the impression it left was undeniable. Our child was real, not just an abstract idea or a set of lines on a test stick. As much as it filled me with awe and wonder, a surge of fierce, primal urges followed in its wake: to protect and shield this new life from the dangers lurking in the shadows.
