Page 24 of Damian
I can’t grow old like a human—I just can’t.
After all my years of trying, I found my mate and his seed grows within me after our first consummation.
Despite the lack of ticking—because I have no maternal desires—I know we’re fated.
Not like how I insisted Jayce and I were mates. I knew that was a lie, but I still believed I could convince him.
While I’m not suddenly eager to raise this child or to even love this baby, the little bit of decency inside of my heart worries what Ambrose and Ioannis might do with it if it’s a girl.
The part of me that is confident the Fates put Colin and I together believes the babe is a boy. This worries me more. A boy would inherit Colin’s strength, his resilience, something we can be proud of.
“Colin, I know my people would take us in.” I plead as we lay naked, tangled in each other’s arms in this forest we’ve been wandering circles in for days. The trees around us whisper ancient secrets— their leaves rustling like the soft murmur of a thousand voices.
Despite their banishment, Ambrose and Ioannis believe they can find their labyrinth if they don’t give up.
I wouldn’t sleep outside for anyone other than my mate.
I haven’t showered or changed my clothes since the battle. The nearby springs have refreshed my body, but it’s not enough to get clean.
“Circe, they will kill me on sight.” He runs his fingers through my hair. His touch, gentle and reassuring.
“We could find another herd. One who’s never heard of us.”
He sighs, his breath warm against my skin. “How would we do that?”
I don’t deserve him. He’s younger than I am. I haven’t asked for his official age, but he can’t hide the look of youth behind his gaze.
“I can call someone from my herd. They will tell us where to go.”
“What if Ioannis and Ambrose follow us there? They will cause trouble for any herd we go to.”
“We have to try. For the sake of our child and our future. We can’t stay in the mountains forever.”
“If you can find a place for us to go, we’ll go.”
I slide on top of him to show him my gratitude. No one has ever been willing to do anything for me. My icy heart warms a little each day I spend with this man.
Chapter 16
Emjay
“In the shadow of despair, even the faintest glimmer of dreams can ignite a fierce determination to fight against the darkness.” ~ Emjay
Georgia holds the tent flap open for me. I stifle a gasp.
In the dimly lit home—barely a home—a beautiful woman lies on her deathbed. Her once radiant features are now shrouded in a pale, ghostly hue.
The scent of approaching death hangs heavy in the air, a somber, acrid smell of decay.
Her breaths come shallow and infrequent, each one a laborious struggle, a whispered reminder of the life slipping away from her fragile body.
Her long, dark hair, once lustrous and full, cascades in tangled waves over the straw placed under her head as a pillow, framing a face marked by the cruel life she’s lived and her illness. High cheekbones stand out starkly beneath her delicate and translucent skin. Her lips, once full and vibrant, have faded to a pale, almost bluish tint. Despite the ravages of her condition, a lingering trace of her former beauty remains, a haunting reminder of the vitality that once coursed through her veins.
A young boy no more than three years old clings to her frail, lifeless hand with his chubby little fingers. He stares intently at her face with his tear-filled eyes, as if willing her to wake up and smile at him one last time. He hasn’t taken his sights from her to see who’s entered the habitat.
The room is silent except for the occasional soft wheeze of her breathing and the quiet sniffles of the boy. A single tear escapes his eye, slowly tracing a path down his cheek before falling onto the woman’s hand and glistening like a tiny jewel.
He leans closer, resting his head against her tummy. He whispers softly.