97

POV Lio

I woke up with the sensation of flying among the clouds.

It felt so good that I sighed in wonder, not quite understanding the immense joy spreading through my heart. Then, I caught Balthazar’s scent and understood everything, snuggling against his bare chest.

"Hi..."

His husky voice stirred my hair near my forehead, and I lifted my gaze, my blood rushing when I met the lazy, silvery sea of his eyes locked onto me. I nearly melted.

"Hi... I thought I was dreaming," I murmured. And then reality hit, surprising me once again. "We're going to have a baby."

Balthazar pulled me closer, emotions dancing across his expression.

"It really does feel like a dream, Lio."

"But it's real. I hadn’t realized it, but after my father spoke... so many new things! And you know what else? Now I'm sure we're destined for each other."

He studied me, eyes narrowing slightly. His fingertips trailed over my shoulder, moving up to my neck.

"I know we are."

His words caught me off guard. Then I smiled because I no longer doubted anything. And I had proof.

"I felt it from the moment I first saw you, but I didn’t want to believe it," I murmured. "And when I thought you had died, with that silver dagger in your heart... I suffered so much! When Kassandra arrived, when you chose your engagement at the meeting… all those times, I realized I couldn’t live without you. That they were ripping away the best part of me."

His fingers traced up to my face, touching me there. He gazed at me with all his intensity.

"I felt the same when I saw you in bed with that bastard Draganov. And when you said you’d leave with him. We’ll never be apart again, Lio. Not just because we marked each other, as your parents said. But because we're connected here. Forever." He pressed his palm against my chest, on the left side, then smiled slowly. His hand rubbed against my nipple as he teased, "Is that right?"

"What?"

"Have we become a romantic vampire and wolf?"

I laughed, playfully pushing him. Then, I pulled the covers aside and straddled him, thrilled by the feel of his bare body, by the massive erection that settled beneath me. He grabbed my ass, and I purred.

"Enjoy it. I’m not usually like this." I rolled my hips, delighted when he lifted his head from the pillow and captured a nipple in his mouth, biting and licking. "Ah, Balthazar..."

We had made love twice that night. And there, at dawn, passion surged between us again, like an addiction. I was already desperate to have him inside me when something alerted me, and I looked straight at the window, seeing the curtain drawn.

"Balthazar..." I gripped his hair, pulling him away from my chest, lying back down beside him.

"Come back here..."

"Wait! The sun is rising. Did you bring your medicine to withstand the exposure?"

"No." His expression grew serious, and I realized the countless things that could affect him. "I won’t be able to leave until nightfall."

"Are you hungry? There were servants there, but I can give you my blood. Come..." I offered my neck, and his eyes reddened at the sight of my vein. But he shook his head. "You need to feed."

"I won’t drink your blood. I want you to be strong, especially now that you’re pregnant. I’ll manage with animal blood for now."

"But it won’t be enough! You won’t kill me just by taking a little!"

"I already said no, Lio."

Frustrated, he sat on the edge of the mattress, running his hands through his hair, turning his back to me.

I realized he was tempted and maybe even thirsty. But he was protecting me, putting me first.

I knelt behind him and hugged him. With my heart racing, I promised, "I’ll get blood bags for you. I’m sure the people here will be willing to donate some."

"I’ll figure something out, don’t worry."

He pulled me into his lap, looking at me with another kind of hunger.

He caressed my breasts and kissed me deeply. I reciprocated, far too aroused. We ended up back in bed.

An hour later, we were sweaty, satisfied. But I was even more worried, ready to leave and stock up for him. It wouldn’t be fresh, taken right away, but it would do. That’s when he spoke softly to me:

"I spoke to Thorn last night, while you slept. Through telepathy. He didn’t leave, he’s still at the palace."

I turned to look at him, tense.

"And how are things there? Did the clans condemn your father to anything? Do you think they’re in danger?"

"No. According to our laws, my clan can’t pay for my mistake. That’s to protect the purebloods—we can’t afford to wipe each other out. In fact, not even I, who was the criminal to them, can be executed." His face was serious, pensive.

"But... if they capture you?"

"They’ll stab a dagger into my heart and put me into desiccation for 199 years. That way, they can wake me at any moment if they need me for something. Preservation comes before death. We are precious, even those who break the rules."

"And they sentenced you?"

"Yes. Yesterday. The clans returned to the Temple and voted. Thorn said even my father was in favor—he was filled with rage and shame. Only Thorn voted against it."

"Oh, Balthazar..." My heart ached for him. Even though he remained cold, I knew he felt it, that it affected him deeply. I felt guilty for pulling him away from his family, from his world.

"You’re not to blame for anything. I’m happy here."

"I forgot that now I can’t hide anything from you anymore." I ended up smiling, resting against his chest and savoring the way he played with my hair. "Thorn is a true friend."

"He always has been."

"And your mother? Did she support you? Did you hear from her?"

"She and Calliope are worried. They haven’t contacted me—I think they still respect my father’s orders too much, and he forbade it. But my mother asked Thorn if he was coming to visit me."

"Is he?" I perked up.

"He is. She secretly set aside a supply of sun-resistant medicine and plenty of blood bags." He looked at me intently. "Thorn will bring them tonight."

"That’s wonderful, my love." I hugged him, relieved. "Then we’ll get more blood later. And I’ll talk to Uncle Jax to see if he can produce similar medicine in his lab. Everything will be fine."

"It already is."

We remained silent for a while, just breathing each other in. There was still a lot to adjust to, but I had hope we would make it.

"I’ll have a better talk with your father today," Balthazar focused on the practical matters. "When the sun sets, and I can go outside. Even though the clans didn’t sentence me to death, nothing stops them from trying to capture me and imprisoning me in the main Temple. That’s where prisoners are taken, to neutral ground."

"Would they dare show up here?"

"Not now, and they wouldn’t start a direct war. They know the power of the Supreme Alphas and how fortified Constantini is. But I’ve come near the waterfall a few times, and no one ever saw me. Not even you."

I looked at him then, curious.

"When?"

"About two years ago. When we started investigating your people to plan the crossbreeding. I came through the treetops and hid, waiting. I knew you liked it there, that you would show up."

Surprised, I remembered a day when I had felt like I was being watched.