The Demon Covenant (Otherworld Series #6)

Chapter 49- Renewed.

Alexei, stunned silent, holds Lucelle's hair back as she pukes her guts out, thankfully in the privacy of their room.

The doctor they had summoned a few minutes ago waited patiently in their room, directing them with a kind voice.

"Rub her back, gently."

Alexei obeyed, rubbing down her sleek back, trying to slow her hacking coughs that refused to bring up anything else. There was nothing more to be expelled from her belly. It was just pitiful gagging now, but even that brought him a bit of hope. A small ray of light, it was too soon and too sudden for him to even dream, it could, afterall, just be a bug she'd caught during traveling.

But he was hopeful anyway.

"I think I'm done." Lucelle said with a last cough. She flushed the toilet, and Alexei handed her a wet towel to wipe her face and get fresh.

When she was ready, she looked at him with wet, red tinged eyes.

"I'm scared." She whispered, simply.

Alexei gathered her to his body and hugged her, she felt small and fragile against him, her scent a bit...altered. Alexei's heart beat faster, he forced himself to breathe and kissed her hair.

"We're in this together. I'm going to be right here with you." He whispered, wiping away sweat from her fevered forehead.

She nodded and they went out to face the doctor, the demon waiting patiently for their appearance.

He smiled kindly, clearly an experienced healer, and with the sudden pregnancies in the kingdom, it was common for him to be called at odd times.

"Welcome back, my lord." He said, bowing at the waist.

Alexei nods, too nervous to say anything, he was eager too, eager to lay to rest his fears and to raise new dreams with Lucelle.

She takes a step forward and her voice is wavering as she speaks. "The sickness just came out of now where....We've had no sign of baby, yet. We thought we had failed to conceive." She looks at Alexei nervously.

He too, steps ahead and places an arm around his wife. "Could this be a bug, doctor? Or morning sickness? We were hoping for a child, finally. "

Her eyes meet his, he was pretty sure his too were watery, they both wanted this so much, a little bout of the pukes had brought on so much hope that he didnt know what he would do if it wasn't real. If there was no baby.

The doctor is gentle, he urges Lucelle to lie on the bed and removes a stethoscope from his sling bag. Alexei holds her hand as the doctor checks her over. The other demon's expression is unreadable, like any doctors is.

Death. Birth. Miracles. Any news spoken from the lips of the doctor never reflected on his or her face. It was like the doctors code, grim but necessary. Emotion couldn't come in the way of their jobs.

He clears his throat and they both break eye contact to look at him. The hope on their faces surely made them look pitiful, but the royal doctor was sworn to secrecy, he wouldn't tell anyone about their dashed hopes or their future surprises, it was their secret alone.

"Congratulations, you're pregnant."

The words weren't out of his mouth fully before Lucelle's arms were wrapped around Alexei and she was crying into his shoulder.

All his tension and his fears drifted away, he took a breath of relief and hugged his wife closer, shutting his eyes against the oncoming tears, trying to be strong.

He was finally going to be a father.

They had succeeded afterall.

Lucelle left him abruptly, "But I was so sure that I wasn't pregnant. There's been no sign absolutely and even my pregnancy tests were negative."

She rambled to the doctor as the older, kind Demon stood up, packing his stuff up with a small smile on his face.

Alexei had the time to swipe under his eyes and he too stood up,to hear what the doctor would say, no doubt. Because they needed to know if the child was healthy.

"I'm afraid for a full check up you will have to come to the clinic. Your altered scent and the morning sickness should have been the signs."

She shakes her head, but Alexei is the one who speaks. "Her scent changed this morning and she suddenly started feeling queasy today. We were so sure we had failed."

He looks down at his wife, a grateful smile playing on his lips. Her face was lined with tears, he wiped them away and kissed her forehead.

"Had you, perhaps been travelling through a portal?"

Lucelle meets his eyes before nodding. "We've been through two now."

The doctor nods as if finding out the problem. "Many woman who returned on the Covenant had experienced the same. Once passing through the portal, they started experiencing morning sickness. The space and time in portals are warped, we think maybe that is the reason..."

Lucelle strikes her belly, looking deep in thought. "Lunia had gotten sick right after the ship sailed through the portal. "

The doctor nods again. "You have your answer. Now if you may,I will take my leave. You two can come visit the clinic, just to be sure the baby is fine and to create a schedule of appointments."

Alexei nodded and as soon as the doctor left the room, he attacked his wife and peppered her face with kisses.

She giggled and wrapped her body around his. "We're pregnant!"

He laughs, nodding and kissing her soft, tear stained lips. "We're pregnant! We did it."

Their eyes meet and Alexei cannot express his happiness, the past few days had been dull for them, but all that mourning had been for nothing. They got what they wanted. The gods had listened to their prayers.

Alexei started fumbling with her clothes, needed to feel her skin on his, her heart beating against his.

"Quickly!" She ordered him,sharing his thoughts. She wanted this as much as he did. The coupling of souls. The burning need, the giddy happiness.

Once he had entered her warm body, their chests touching, their hearts beating together, Alexei felt complete, Alexei felt renewed.

They had a future afterall.