Aria’s thoughts wouldn’t rest.
She sat in the corner of the dimly lit chamber, curled into herself, her knees pressed against her chest as the same realization spun over and over in her mind.
Pregnant.
The word tasted foreign. Terrifying. Impossible.
She had barely begun to understand the bond she shared with Draka—barely begun to understand him—and now she carried his child. A child born of fire, rage, and something else… something she didn’t have a name for. Was it fate? Was it madness?
She didn’t feel ready. Not for any of this.
The bed behind her felt like a trap, so she lay down on the floor instead, curling onto the cold stone like a castaway. The chill grounded her more than the blankets could. She closed her eyes, willing the silence to quiet the storm in her chest.
But slee
