Page 55 of Fate of the Fallen

“At first, I thought you’d snuck an outsider in. Naturally, I woke the others to storm into your bedroom and toss the bastard over the balcony, but … then we went to get Liam. Finding his bed empty was somewhat of a clue,” Ethan smiled suggestively, bouncing his brow with the gesture. “It didn’t take us long to figure it out.”

The embarrassment quickly returned as I imagined what they’d doneafterrealizing what had gone on in my room … and with whom. They had probably gathered outside my door, listening, getting the laugh of a lifetime at my expense.

“Usually, we only ever hear racket like that coming from Declan’s room,” Ethan chuckled, nudging Caleb in the arm.

“Then perhaps you ought to spend less time eavesdropping and more time taking notes,” Declan replied, causing the others to laugh. And even I cracked a smile.

The conversation took a turn then, transitioning to my six brothers comparing stats of theirownlove lives, and I didn’t feel so strange having this conversation anymore. Above the chatter, the laughter, I caught Liam’s stare. Another smile broke free and there was no containing it. He just brought out this softer side of me and … so help me God … I loved it.

Lovedhim.

I reveled in this feeling, wishing it would never end, but it was inevitable that I’d be thrust back into reality, back into the cell where I’d spent so many terrifying days. The fabric of the vision broke apart and I felt the loss immediately, realizing right away that my surroundings hadn’t changed. Much to my dismay, I was still trapped in Sebastian’s hell.

*

As I blinked, the four walls confining Beth and I to this small space seemed so much closer, as if they were shrinking around us. She was asleep beside me on the lone mattress that had been shoved in here on our third day, saving us from spending another night on the cold, hard, cement floor. We couldn’t say for sure, but we both wondered if this was a gift that had been arranged by our anonymous angel. Whoever he or she might have been.

I closed my eyes and tried to hold onto the dream that had just teased me with a hint of freedom, hoping for sleep, but … there was a pain. One so swift and so sharp I cried out into the night.

It was blinding, making me forget where I was in that moment.

Beth sat straight up, turning toward me as I continued to cry out in pain.

“What is it? What happened?” she asked in a panic, placing a hand on my back as I doubled over.

The feeling was intense, unending.

“Something’s wrong,” I panted as a wave of nausea struck out of nowhere. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out, but I was increasingly aware of a tightening in the center of my abdomen.

My hand went there, to the source of it all.

“Is it… is it the baby?” Beth asked.

I could only nod, confirming.

Thathadto be it.

Up until now, I barely even noticed I was carrying. Life was completely normal, even when I’d taken on the soldier a week ago. But as I lay there, curled into myself hoping it brought me comfort, I was all too aware of the life inside me.

“Ok breathe, Evie,” Beth urged, keeping her hand on my back as she got to her knees. “It … it has to be that thing you were telling me about. The cresting or whatever it was, right? Isn’t this when Elise said it would happen?”

I managed to focus long enough to go back to that moment, to think of what Elise had shared with me. She was clear that if I were to present as a dragon, the process would be far quicker than if I presented as a wolf. She described it as intense and, if nothing else, what I was feeling now was intense.

“I can’t,” I panted. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. You’re a freakin’ queen for Pete’s sake, Evie. You’ve got this.We’vegot this,” she amended, moving her palm from my back to take my hand. “Just breathe and I’ll get some help.”

Unable to think, I didn’t give any input. All I knew was I wanted this, whatever it was, to be over.

“Help!” Beth called out. “Something’s wrong! Can anybody hear me?”

I fell over on my side and the room blurred. There were words leaving my mouth in mumbled, half syllables, but I couldn’t make sense of any of it.

“Help!” she called out again. “I can hear you out there! Please!”

She was quiet for a few seconds before crouching to the slit where our meals had come in. Part of me hoped someone came—although I had no clue what a horde of soldiers could orwoulddo to help me. The other part of me hoped they ignored Beth’s plea, fearing what they’d do when they found me like this. There’d been no compassion for us since arriving here, so I wouldn’t expect them to have it now.

“I think someone’s coming,” Beth whispered, turning to listen again.