Chapter dedicated to JadeLoverxD. Thanks for reading, voting and commenting, my friend!!
Chapter 160—The Right Time
Raine
Cage trailed his fingers down my arm, grumbling, "I don't want to get up."
"Me too," I agreed with him. I had no desire to move from my position tucked against his side, but we still needed to meet with Armand. It was hard to believe we'd only just returned the night before. After everything that happened with Marku, it felt like days had gone by.
He sighed heavily and then pulled himself from the bed. I stood reluctantly to join him. Cage contacted Armand to let him know we would be there shortly. Once we made ourselves presentable again, we headed back to the Council Room. When we arrived, Armand and Brialle were already seated on one of the couches. Cage and I settled on the couch across from them. Gen. Raed and the other Council members were also in attendance.
We spent a long time explaining the events that had transpired and answering multiple questions, before Armand asked the question I had been dreading. "And what of Queen Ileana? Brialle said you broke our bond."
Anxiety tightened in my belly, but I held my ground and simply replied, "I did."
His eyes narrowed at my lack of explanation. His tone turned accusing, "You let her get away."
I worked to contain my anger. His animosity was palpable and his hypocrisy left a bitter distaste in my mouth. If Ileana were here, he would absolutely torture her, even while warming Brialle's bed, the very reason she had run from him in the first place. A muscle in my jaw ticked.
"She tried to kill me," he scowled. "Punishment should be swift for her crime."
"No, Vladimir tried to kill you," I replied, my voice hard. "She just didn't try to stop him." Armand was not innocent in this matter. What she had done was wrong, but he was also guilty. "You know you gave her enough reasons to run from you."
A low growl came from Armand's chest. His hands clenched into fists. Cage released my leg and leaned his upper body forward, posturing a warning to Armand. Armand glanced at him for a moment, assessing the threat, and then refocused on me.
Cage didn't speak, but I felt the power thrumming through his body and wondered if Armand could sense the change in him as well. I suspected that Armand didn't realize how significantly Cage's abilities had been enhanced, courtesy of Felaern and my Royal Mark on his back.
Tension crackled in the air.
Brialle placed her hand on Armand bicep in an effort to calm him and spoke softly, "She speaks the truth." Armand refused to look at her, still holding his glare on me.
I'd had enough and snapped, "She earned her freedom. She sacrificed herself for me...your daughter. She paid the price necessary to get Cage back."
His eyes narrowed, his voice clipped. "The dragons..."
"Yes, they wanted her in exchange for access to the Pools of Morenth where Cage was submerged and held in suspended animation after he was attacked by Felaern's mate, Sofielle. I refused, but she begged me to let her do this for me. She willingly gave up her freedom so that I could get Cage back."
Armand studied me carefully, taking in my words. He seemed to relax a little.
Maybe I just didn't know when to quit, but I wanted him to fully understand where I stood on the matter, and continued coolly, "But even if she hadn't bartered her life for Cage's, I still wouldn't have returned her to you."
Brialle inhaled sharply, understanding the reaction my words would have. Armand's expression immediately shifted back to fury. Tension rolled through Cage's shoulders, his body ready for an imminent attack. I held Armand's piercing gaze and said, "She may have paid the price for Cage's life, but I paid the price for yours."
His eyebrows shot up, as he realized my point. He was silent for a long moment and then scowled, "Fine...consider my debt paid."
I shook my head, my eyes continuing to bore into his. He was going to understand. "Your debt is nowhere near paid. I sacrificed myself twice for you, first when I took the stake that Vladimir meant for you. And second, when I traveled to Marku's kingdom to make sure he couldn't kill her, destroying the bond you held with her which would have destroyed you in the process."
He stared at me and objected, "I wasn't the catalyst for your risk with Marku. His actions were the outcome of his desire for you."
"Regardless of Marku's feelings for me, you drove Ileana away. You gave Marku the leverage he needed to destroy you and you know he absolutely would have. You should be thankful that he wanted to obtain me more than he wanted to kill you, because if he hadn't, she would have been dead the instant he obtained her. So no, you put me at risk in this scenario. The very same scenario that ended with my child dying... So no, your debt to me is not paid."
I was shocked to see his expression contort into pain when I mentioned the loss of my baby. Truthfully, I hadn't expected him to care in the least. His words were gruff, "I regret the loss of your child, the loss of my...grandchild."
All of the anger drained from my body. Tears pricked my eyes. Cage's hand found mine, squeezing my fingers lightly. Brialle rubbed Armand's arm soothingly. Our relationship shifted in that lingering moment as Armand and I continued to stare at each other. I couldn't even put the change into words, but somehow we were now looking at each other like a family, not two disinterested parties.
He and I had had moments of brief connection, but this one held strength. He revealed a deeper part of himself to me, a part that no one saw except for Brialle, my mother. I was even more shocked when he stood and walked to sit next to me on the couch. I turned my body to face him and felt Cage's reassuring hand rub small circles on my back.
The depth of emotion in Armand's eyes drew me in. His piercing blue eyes, so much like my own, the only physical trait we shared. My lip quivered. I had been so long without a father; I didn't know how to react to him in that capacity. His voice was still rough with restrained emotion, "My nature doesn't allow me to like your decision to let Queen Ileana go, but I am not foolish enough to risk my daughter and our relationship over it. I am proud of you."
I was in shock as his words washed over me. He was such a strong and proud man in his own right, I never thought he would recognize or see the value of my pride, the value of my choices.
"I am proud that you are headstrong, strong enough to take me on, and to make...very valid arguments," he admitted wryly, his lips curling up.
I returned his smile, the warmth of his words and obvious affection flowing through me, and whispered, "I am my father's daughter."
His expression shifted into deep satisfaction. "Indeed you are."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Brialle wipe tears from her cheeks. For so long, I had been alone, never knowing a single family member. It really was strange to be sitting with my father and my mother and my mate.
"And your decision has given me something I never thought I would have."
"What is that?" I looked at him in confusion.
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.
"Do you want me to give you a minute?" he asked.
The last thing I wanted was to be alone. We were far past the point where I cared if he saw me pee. "No...please stay."
I undid my pants and hovered over the toilet, holding the stick between my legs as I peed. When I was finished, I handed the stick back to Cage, who didn't seem to care in the least that it held my urine. He replaced the cap and set it on the counter.
We both washed our hands while we waited, and I jumped back up on the counter, drawing my knees to my chest. Cage wrapped his arms around me, neither of us speaking . After a few moments, he checked his watch. His eyes met mine. "It's time... Are you ready?"
I didn't think I would ever be ready for this answer. My body tremble. I dropped my head into my arms and mumbled, "I can't look at it. You read it to me."
He took a breath in and let it out again. I felt him pull away just slightly as he reached for the pregnancy test. My heart hammered in my chest. In the next moment, he whispered, "It's negative."
My head snapped up to meet his gaze. We had gotten pregnant so easily before, I had just assumed we would again. I couldn't speak.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
I didn't know the answer to that question. Too many thoughts and emotions were barreling through my head and my heart. I was silent, just staring into his silver eyes.
He whispered, "Say something, please...tell me what you thinking. How do you feel? "
I bit my lip and began brokenly, "I don't want to fail you again. I want my body to work right. I want to give you an heir."
He held my hips tightly, keeping my body close to his. He shook his head and murmured, "Shh... those are all things you want for me. What do you want for you? What does your heart desire?"
I stopped and truly considered his words, before I admitted softly, "My heart isn't ready yet for another baby."
He nodded and exhaled. I thought he felt the same way, because the corners of his mouth relaxed in relief. "Okay, do you want to go on birth control for a while?"
"There's birth control for vampires?" I hadn't expected that.
He gave me a small smile. "Yes, similar to humans, but with different chemicals to restrict the fertility cycle that occurs once every three months."
I looked at him in surprise. "Every three months? I'm only going to be fertile every three months?"
He nodded. My brow furrowed. "But how did we get pregnant so quickly? We weren't even together for three months before..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't want to remember the horrible months I thought he was dead.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's possible that our coupling ignited your fertility. I probably should have remembered that, been conscientious of it...taken precautions against it." He cringed and looked at me apologetically.
"It's okay...it not your fault," I murmured. "Are there any dangerous side effects to me taking the vampire birth control...anything that would prohibit me from conceiving a healthy baby in the future?"
"No, it's made from completely natural organic material. It actually has fewer side effects than human birth control."
I still couldn't quite understand the physical dynamics. "But how is pregnancy even possible? I never had a period. In all of the time I've been a vampire, I've never once bled, except for the miscarriage. How will we even know when I have a fertility cycle?"
He admitted softly, "It's one thing that is different from a human. It is difficult to tell because there are no external signs. Maybe just a little bit more emotionally temperamental. It is actually quite difficult to conceive a naturally born vampire. Maybe that was the reason I just didn't think it would happen so quickly."
I remembered Queen Ileana's struggle. She had never been able to conceive. Anxiety wound through me. "So are we doing the right thing in waiting to try again, given how hard it is to actually conceive a naturally born vampire?"
Cage wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. He spoke into my hair, "Now isn't the right time for us...neither of us is ready. We can always try again in the future...when the time is right."
I lifted my head to look at him. There was no hesitation or doubt on his features, nothing to make me question whether or not he believed his words. I relaxed against him again and whispered, "Okay."
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Okay Peaches! We have a few more chapters left, and I definitely think you don't want to miss them...you know me. *snickers*