AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The baby moved like he’d picked up on my agitation. I took a deep breath.
“Look,” I told Brien, “you can have the money he—Eugene—paid me. I don’t want it. I haven’t spent any of it, just the money I earned as a thrall.”
“I’ll leave that up to Talon.” Brien flicked a long-fingered hand, dismissing the hundred thousand dollars I’d been paid as if it were nothing. “I don’t need or want your money. But you broke your contract, Eden. That, I can’t forgive. You owe us.”
All the spit left my mouth. The office walls felt like they were closing in on me.
“I…owe you?”
“Not money.” Brien’s teeth gleamed in the dim light. “A favor.”
I gulped. No human with any brains wanted to owe a “favor” to a vampire syndicate.
“A favor,” I echoed with a panicked glance up at Talon.
He was glaring at Brien, but he kept silent.
“What kind of favor?” I asked.
“I’ll let you know,” said Brien. “You can refuse, of course. But I’d think hard before I said no. Because if you do, I’ll have to assume your apology is just words, won’t I?”
My hands were in my lap now, the fingers so tightly interlaced, my knuckles had turned white. But I pulled back my shoulders, looked Brien in the eye. “I won’t say no.”
A slight smile. “I’m glad to hear that. For now, your movements will continue to be restricted. Talon will decide when the restrictions should be lifted.”
Twilight took her hand from Brien’s shoulder.
Behind me, I felt Talon relax. “We appreciate that,” he said to his friend.
“And your spawn?” Brien glanced at my stomach. “I understand you saw the midwife?”
I had to make a conscious effort not to wrap my arms around my belly to hide it. “I did, yes.”
“Olivia says they’re both doing fine,” Talon inserted. “Our spawn is due in mid-February. A male.”
“A male?” Brien’s eyes creased in a smile. “That’s good news, very good news. It’s been years since we had a child in the castle. Congratulations, both of you.”
Talon released me. “Thank you.” When I slanted a look up at him, he was smiling, too.
“Thank you,” I murmured hollowly. All my fears rushed back.
What kind of life would my baby have? I don’t care what Jasper said about things being better for dhampirs here on Lilith Island. The vampires still treated them like they were somehow lesser. Half-bloods, they called them.
Twilight frowned. “Why does that bother you? Aren’t you happy about the baby?”
I blinked. “I—.”
Now Brien was frowning, too.
Behind me, Talon said, “Answer the prima.”
I couldn’t lie to them, so I started to side-step the question. After almost three years as a thrall, it was second nature to suck up to vampires. To keep my head down, avoid making waves.
“Of course, I’m happy—,” I started to say, but why not tell them the truth? What did I have to lose, after all? I was already in disgrace.
And maybe it would make a difference to my son. Brien wasn’t an old-world aristocrat like his father. He might be open to a new way of doing things.
“I’m happy about the baby,” I said. “But I’m worried for him, too. I don’t know if I want him growing up in the castle.”
