Page 93 of The Dragon Queen
“I’m not sure what she wants.”
Then it’s time to ask her.
“What do you want, Khazmuda? How do you want to spend your life?”
I want to return to the Southern Isles and be with my kin—but only if you come with me.
“Why did you leave the Southern Isles in the first place?”
Because Calista was the only one who knew my grief, and I didn’t want to leave her. I tried to fuse with her so I could protect her the way you’d want me to, and that was when I realized a fuse wasn’t possible because I was still connected to you.
I gave a nod in understanding. “Even if we’re across the ocean from each other, we’re still connected. There’s no reason you can’t be with your kin and I remain here?—”
I meant what I said, Talon. I never want to be apart from you. You may not have scales or breathe fire, but you’re my kin more than they are.
His words touched me, but I struggled to express that. “I’ll talk to her.”
We lay together in bed, the sheets at our waists because we were both warm from the lovemaking. She was cradled into my chest, not the least bit bothered by the violent scars that looked like death. Crickets sounded outside the window. Frogs croaked from the river that flowed through the forest. Riviana Star wasn’t home, but it had earned a special place in my heart.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?” She returned to her pillow so she could look at me. Must have been the seriousness of my tone that made her realize a conversation was on the approach.
“Do you know where you’d like to live?” I chose an open-ended question so I would know what she really wanted. Perhaps it was Scorpion Valley. Or perhaps it was the Lands of Thalian.
“I assumed we would live in the Southern Isles.”
“Why?”
She visibly grew uncomfortable by the conversation, turning away before she scooted back against the headboard so she could sit up. Her knees came toward to her chest under the sheets, and she brought them close to her body.
I couldn’t feel her emotions the way I could feel Khazmuda’s, but I knew without a doubt that she was uneasy—though I had no idea why. “Baby, what is it?”
She remained quiet as she looked at the opposite wall, her pale face suddenly bloodless. “There’s something I need to tell you…”
My entire body tightened at her words. I jumped to the worst possible conclusions, that she’d slept with Luxe when she’d thought I was dead or hooked up with someone else. That didn’t seem like something she would do, but I didn’t know what else would make her mood drop like this. “I’m listening.”
“I know how much you want children, and before we return to the Southern Isles and make a life together…you should know there’s a chance I can’t have them.” Her eyes remained on the wall, and she took a deep breath that almost felt like gasp, as if she’d been keeping this in forever.
The disappointment hit me hard, like a blow right against my chest, but I didn’t give it a reaction. Because whether she could give me children or not, she was the woman I loved and would love until my last breath. “Why do you think that?”
“Because…I stopped taking my medicine after I left the Arid Sands. I’d forgotten about it because life had become so chaotic and hectic. And in the months we’ve been together…and all the sex we’ve had…I’ve never missed a period.”
I closed my eyes because I felt like shit. “Baby…”
“I know how much you want an heir?—”
“I don’t want an heir. I want to grow a family with the woman I love, to raise my boy to be a man and my daughter to fight like a man. I want dinners and adventures and laughter and love. I’m not a dickhead like Barron who only cares about his line and the legacy he leaves behind. I want a family for no other reason than because I want one.”
Her lips started to tremble like she was on the verge of tears.
“Baby, it’s not you.”
“What if it is?—”
“When Bahamut cursed me, he stopped my ability to father children. Because my body and soul were his, he didn’t want my line to continue among mortals. So, it’s not you, Calista. I wish I’d said something sooner so you wouldn’t have carried this fear all this time.”
All the weight she’d been carrying suddenly disappeared with my words. She let out a breath, and with the air that left her lungs, all the despair did too. The tremble left her lips, andher shoulders dropped in relaxation. “That does make me feel better.”