Chapter Sixty-Six Hers:

The sound of my mother's voice pleading with me to spare her life pierced through the veil of darkness that had overtaken me. A bright light chases the pitch-black darkness and brings me back to consciousness. I attempted not to groan as pain shot through my head. My eyelids were making it almost impossible to open them. When I crack open my eyelids, I blink a few times to ensure I'm not dreaming. My brain was sluggish, and the dim lighting in the room only soothes the pain behind my eyes. As the ache behind my eyes slowly subsided, I could finally look around through repeated blinks. There was the beeping to my right that became all-consuming; whispers and other clinking sounds finally registered in my brain. I was in a hospital. Memories of my kidnapping started returning but were very fuzzy and messy. The scariest part of it all is trying to piece together what was real. As everything returned vividly, a resounding thought became clear: It had all been real…. 

The fiery black inferno that was my divine power warmed my heart, and I sighed in relief that it was still there. The deja vu of this moment, waking up in the hospital after Chad attacked me, wasn't lost on me. The difference was that I knew my mother was dead, my baby probably lost from the damage done by the others, if it even existed at all, and when I opened my eyes, Ollie would be here. I could feel his power calling to mine. 

After a few moments of blinking away the brain fog, I stiffly looked towards the huge figure slumped over my bedside. Ollie's shaggy brown hair stuck up in all different directions, and his face was partially in the shadows because of the dim lighting. The relief I felt at the sight of him here, holding my hand, was so overwhelming I couldn't hold in the tears. 

I shifted in the bed, wincing at the painful reminder to my senses of each beep of the monitors, every fiber scratching into my skin, the way the breathing tube around my nose tickled and froze every cell in my nasal passageway. I could feel my fingers go numb as early warning signs of hyperventilating. I couldn't breathe. More memories of Chad, Finn, Gloria, and the padded room tortured my vision. The monitor began to drop in O2 stats, setting off the alarm. I needed to calm down. My eyes closed, trying to block out each sense one at a time to regain control. My throat burned with every swallow. 

"Nyx." A groggy voice whispered. My eyes snapped open to meet his silver orbs. They glowed with power as his voice commanded again, "Breath, Nyx." 

Instantly, my lungs remembered how to work, and I gasped a deep, full breath, slowly releasing it. My ribs screamed at the strain, so I knew at least one was broken and more bruised. Ollie's voice softened, but his eyes still held mine. "That's right, baby. Breathe. Slow and steady." 

After a few minutes, my O2 stats evened out, and the fog cleared away. Ollie's shoulders sagged under the relief we both felt. "You're awake." 

I nodded, then winced as I felt the head-splitting pain. I opened my mouth to talk but found it painful. Ollie leaped up, grabbing a cup and guiding the straw to my lips, "Drink slowly." 

I took a slow sip and thanked god for how soothing that was on my throat. When I had my fill of water, I lay back, closing my eyes. Ollie's hand found mine, and his other hand gently pushed my hair away from my face, giving me the courage to whisper, "Finn?" 

"In surgery, but alive." 

I sighed, tears slipping out from underneath my closed eyelids. So many questions swirled around my mind, but one needed an answer first. I steeled myself for the question that I knew would change everything. I met Ollie's gaze again: "Am I pregnant?" 

Ollie shifted next to me. When his eyes met mine, they were filled with sadness, regret, and fear, "I'm sorry, Nyx." 

I whimpered, and a heartbroken moan escaped from the depths of my soul, "I knew it. I felt the pain and just knew it was lost. This is my punishment for lying to you." 

Ollie squeezed my hand and cupped my face, "I'm so sorry. I know you don't want this, and I'm so sorry." 

I pulled away from him, hearing his words but not feeling anything but the numbness of grief. My hand pressed into my belly, wishing I'd done everything differently. I'd been a fool to keep it from Ollie and even more of one to deceive him. I could only blame myself for not protecting the tiny life I'd been blessed with. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, crying out, "It's gone. I should have fought harder. I should have told you the truth. It's all my fault, Ollie, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. If I told you the truth, it wouldn't be lost." 

Ollie gripped my chin gently with his thumb and finger, pulling me to look at him again. Confusion and fear captured his features as he asked, "What truth."

"I lied that morning." I rushed on when he looked at me expectantly, my throat raw from crying, "I knew Gloria would try to kill any children I had. She wanted to breed out my power to make Callum king. She told me she would kill them. I thought I was pregnant, but couldn't be sure, and I— I…" my voice broke as the weight of everything sunk in. 

"So you lied to me." Ollie finished for me, "What would you have done if you were?" 

"I don't know, Ollie." I continued to sob, "I just couldn't let her put any child of ours through what she did to me." 

"So instead of talking to me, trusting me, you lied. You went to your shop to take a test in secret, and then you were going to plan out our child's life without me," Ollie demanded. The fury in his eyes bordered on hatred for what I'd done, for what I had cost him. 

"Yes to the first part, but," I gasped, trying to get the words out, "I know I wouldn't have been strong enough to leave you." 

The corner of Ollie's lip twitched, the anger slowly disappearing into something unreadable. Tears leaked out, but Ollie held my gaze, observing my face as if he was memorizing this moment. When it became too intense, and my guilt made my lip tremble, I tried to pull away, but his touch held me firmly. "You are pregnant, Nyx." 

"What?" I jerked back, scanning his face. His features softened, and I saw the truth in his words. "But they hurt me, kicked and punched me so hard I didn't think it would survive."

"You are. I apologize for not saying it right away. I thought you would resent me and feared how you would react." Ollie's mouth softens into something too sad to be considered a smile.  

My body sagged with relief. I grabbed Ollie's hand and pulled it to my stomach. Ollie's eyes filled with unshed tears, and he sniffled back his emotions. More of my own tears sprang up, and I was already tired of crying. "Is it safe? Alive? Healthy?" 

Ollie's smile turned gentle. He sat back, pressing the nurse's button, "All of the above. The damage they did to you didn't affect the baby. You, on the other hand, need rest to recover. A broken cheekbone and rib, bruises of various degrees all over your body, and abrasions everywhere." 

Ollie's expression turned dark, and I knew the damage must hurt him more than it physically hurt me. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, but pressed my hand into my belly. Ollie leaned forward, wrapped his hand over mine, and whispered in a voice thick with emotion, "Thank you for returning to me safe and sound." 

"Thank you for saving me... again." I gently pulled Ollie's face toward me. He moved so that our foreheads pressed together. "I'm pregnant, Ollie." 

His smile was watery and full of hope, "Yes, we are going to be parents!" 

I rubbed my nose against his and whispered, "I love you." 

Ollie gave a strangled chuckle as tears spilled down his cheeks. He kissed me tenderly and said, "I love you too."

I began to feel sleepy, letting out a huge yawn. Ollie wiped his eyes to clear the moisture from them. Through the fog, my brain began to turn, "We need to complete the Claiming ceremony." 

Ollie laughed, kissing me quickly, "Don't worry about that right now. Get some rest, and I'll talk to the doctor." 

I nodded, stealing one more kiss before laying back down, palming my stomach in content. Ollie sat beside me with his hand over mine, stroking the back of it with his thumb until I drifted back to sleep.