I Am Only One {Mature Vampire Romance}

Book 4|18. The Right Time

He walked back over to the couch he and Brialle shared, gathering her tight in his arms as he sat down. "Your mother has graciously agreed to be my mate. We are scheduling our mating ceremony for two weeks after your Reception Gala."

I blinked. "My Reception Gala?"

"Yes, didn't Cage tell you? A Reception Gala is tradition, normally held a few months after a Royal Mating Ceremony. It is a way for the nation to welcome the new union." He explained and then turned his attention to Cage. "I was thinking we'd hold the Gala in four weeks and then two weeks after that, we'd schedule our Mating Ceremony. I anticipated you would want to travel with her after the Gala. Will two weeks be sufficient for you to return in time for the Mating Ceremony?"

"What?!" I gasped, interrupting.

Surely, he couldn't mean what I thought he meant! It almost sounded as if they were scheduling their Meeting Ceremony to ensure Cage's and my attendance! Oh no, no, no.... I couldn't do that. There was absolutely no way I could watch my parents fucking!

I felt a rumble of laughter go through Cage's chest. He knew exactly what I was thinking. And from the smirk on Armand's face, he also anticipated my thoughts. "Sorry daughter, believe me when I tell you, I was shocked to find just how hellish having to endure your ceremony was. I'd been to hundreds of ceremonies before and never anticipated finding it so difficult. But it's your Royal obligation. I survived...you will too."

I was struck silent. What could I possibly say?

Thankfully, Brialle change the subject and we discussed less significant topics for a few more minutes before Cage and I took our leave. I was hugely thankful to be out of that interrogation and off on our own again. I pushed thoughts of their impending Mating Ceremony out of my mind. It was the last thing I wanted to think about. The only thing I wanted to focus on was Cage. He and I had not had near enough opportunity to just spend time together.

We made our way back to his suites in silence, just holding hands. When we arrived, I noticed a small package just inside the door on a side table. I picked it up and asked, "What's this?"

He looked over and his eyes tightened. I wasn't sure I liked the expression on his face and said flatly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he hurriedly answered and took the package from me. He clasped my hand and headed toward the bathroom. I followed, not quite understanding what was going on.

When we arrived in the opulent space, he lifted me and set me on the counter. I watched with curiosity as he opened the package and then my heart started to beat wildly when I saw him extract a pregnancy test.

He looked up at me and said softly, "We don't have to do this now if you don't want to, but I had it delivered in case you did."

I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat but I nodded. I wanted to know. He tore open the package and extracted the small piece of paper, unfolding it to read the instructions. After a minute, he looked up at me and said, "It's fairly simple. You pee on the stick and then we wait two minutes."

"Two minutes," I breathed. In just a few minutes, we would know if we were pregnant again. "But isn't it too soon? We just had sex. Don't we have to wait a few weeks?"

He shook his head. "A vampire pregnancy is similar to a human in some aspects, but not in others. In our case, you could take a pregnancy test within several hours of having sex and it show positive if you're pregnant."

He lifted me down from the counter, setting me on my feet. My fingers trembled as he removed the cap from the end of the stick and handed it to me.