Or that’s what she kept telling herself, but her body felt almost antsy. As if she was waiting for him to make a move.
And when he didn’t, disappointment nagged at her. It was a conundrum she did not need or want. Yet, it rode her spirit harder each time she laid eyes on him. He’d bite her once a day, and she found herself looking forward to those short moments. Almost as if she were an addict awaiting her next hit of euphoria.
She refused to react out loud, but internally, she moaned with unsuppressed relief each time his teeth met her skin. And she discovered, more than once, wanting to reciprocate.
I need to leave this plane, she thought, just as she had done every day since her arrival. She had considered going to Gabriel herself, but if the council caught wind of her presence, they would demand an update on her mission. An update she couldn’t provide. Not until she knew more.
Not for the first time in her existence, she questioned their motives. She’d wondered initially why they didn’t just send a horde of warriors down to destroy Osiris. Because of Sethios, she questioned the very purpose of her being here as well.
He seemed quite content to wait—an immortal with no sense of time passing. She could take a note out of his book of nonchalance.
Caro sat across from him and picked up the coffee mug waiting for her. Sethios always provided her with things before she asked for them, something that prickled her nerves. It was almost as if he cared—a preposterous notion. Neither of them had any business caring for the other.
She tasted the black liquid and promptly spit it back out, appalled. Sethios glanced up from his paper with a quirked eyebrow. “Not to your liking?”
“What did you do to this?” she demanded as she gagged on the taste left in her mouth.
He frowned. “Nothing. It’s the same as yesterday’s coffee.”
She shook her head, disagreeing. “This is nothing like it was yesterday. It’s bitter and repugnant.” Her nose scrunched. “And it smells awful.”
He set his paper and mug aside to grab her cup. After taking a few sips, he studied her with concern. “Caro, it tastes the same as it did yesterday. I didn’t switch brands or styles.”
Her stomach heaved in disagreement, and she took off for the kitchen to find some water to rid her mouth of the flavor. Sethios joined her, his brow crumpled. She drank straight from the faucet and found it didn’t help.
“I feel…” She trailed off and grabbed the counter to steady herself. “I don’t feel right.”
Sethios caught her hips as her legs gave out, and he lifted her into his arms. “You’re very pale, Caro.”
“I noticed,” she said, dizzy. The ceiling seemed to spin as he carried her into the living area.
“Have I taken too much blood?” he asked.
She tried to shake her head, causing the room to whirl around her as a result. Her stomach churned with discomfort, something that rarely happened to Seraphim, if ever. “I… no.” It wasn’t blood loss. But the sensation reminded her—
“She’s pregnant,” a familiar voice announced. Energy stirred as Gabriel appeared before them, his expression bored and his arms folded. He eyed her the way he always did—without feeling. “Hello, Mother.”
Caro sighed, relieved. “Gabriel.”
Sethios’s arms turned brittle beneath her.
“Pregnant?” he asked, voice low and radiating an emotion she couldn’t define. “Caro is pregnant?”
Her brow furrowed. She’d been so distracted by Gabriel finally arriving that she hadn’t really heard his announcement. “That’s…” Impossible clung to her throat, refusing to grace the air.
Because that’s exactly how she felt.
Weak.
Tender.
Light-headed.
Pale.
Those were all symptoms she experienced during her pregnancy with Gabriel. But how had he known that?
“Explain.” The word came out far raspier than she intended.
