Zana rolled back from the desk in her wheeled chair. She pushed herself to her feet, patting her huge belly. Seriously, if she got any bigger, she’d explode. She throbbed with exhaustion, and it was only morning. Povian had instructed her to rest because the baby could arrive any day.

“Yeah right. A week later, and I’m still waiting.”

She waddled across the makeshift office. Two portraits adorned the wall near the doorway. One of Klurt, and another of Sivath. Both smiling. Each time she looked at Klurt’s image, her throat thickened. She blinked quickly to usher back the tears. She’d cried once already after seeing a fox in the woods, frolicking with her cubs.

Sivath’s painting showed him as mid-aged, but wearing a kind expression. Silvering hair swept across his head with sloping shoulders. No sign of jewelry or golden chains. He seemed a simple goblin who, according to Shadow, suffered health complications. She never got a chance to meet Sivath, though, in hindsight, she wished she hadn’t listened to the local gossip in order to fit into the community.

But all the regrets wouldn’t change what happened. On the bright side, she’d prevented Shadow’s death and changed fate because of her vision. She had been right all along—her premonitions were about helping those about to die. And while she hadn’t received any more visions yet, nothing was stopping her from making a difference.

She rubbed her belly as a tightness around her middle caught her breath. Probably just the spicy lentil stew she’d craved at breakfast. The pain subsided, and she blew out a breath.

Shadow insisted they moved into Klurt’s house. Bigger accommodation for a growing family, and she couldn’t disagree with that logic.

She emerged from the office and stepped into a green field surrounded by beeches. Their branches rustled in the cool breeze. Ahead of her stood three rows of wooden stalls filled with all sorts of fresh produce and prepared food. The usual Wart Markets continued. But she and Shadow started a daily market for locals. Everyone sold and bought what they needed with the only requirement being they cleaned up after themselves. She would still rely on her vision to save goblins, not make money, so tarot reading was out.

“Babe,” Shadow called out from amid a cluster of goblins. He emerged from the crowd dressed in his cargo pants and a black T-shirt. He carried a container with yellow fruit. Within seconds, he stood next to her, his eyes on her belly and his smile widening. “Best food to help coax the little one out.”

He offered her the pineapple chunks, and she salivated. The fruit was sweet and filled her mouth with juice. “Delicious.” She ate two more pieces. “You training the new recruits today?”

“Yep. These goblins will be stronger than the Guardians in the realm.”

She laughed and entered the office, then set the pineapple on the desk. Shadow shut the door behind them and stood at her back. His arms sailed across her hips, holding her stomach.

She nestled closer against his hardness. “You’re ready to go after this morning’s marathon?”

“Every time I look at you, I want to strip you.”

She adored when he talked to her that way. She turned her head to face him. His lips were on hers, hands squeezing her breasts. A moan fell from her mouth, and her body tingled with desperation to have Shadow take her.

“Sex will help your aches and pains.”

“Goblins are just outside,” she said, glancing at the covered window. “And what about the training?”

“I’ve locked the doors, and my team isn’t due for another half hour. Now, if you promise to keep quiet, so will I.” His touch trailed down the side of her body and lifted her skirt to her waist. The coolness of a feather against her flesh. His thumbs hooked into the band of her panties and pulled them down.

“Damn. You got the cutest butt.” He took a mock bite from her backside, sending her pulse into a frenzy. With his mouth now on her neck, his fingers slid to the warmth between her legs.

Zana mewled, convinced she could spend days on end having sex with Shadow. Sure, it was what got them unexpectedly pregnant, but she wouldn’t change a single thing.

When Shadow’s breath fluttered across her shoulder, a sudden cramp curled in the pit of her stomach. Just as Povian had explained.

She gasped and gripped Shadow’s arms. “Oh shit. It’s coming. I think I’m about to have the baby.”

Shadow snapped to her side, his arms holding her tight. “What do we do?” He kissed her face. “I’m going to be a father.”

Zana laughed despite the growing cramp. She had been right that first night she’d met Shadow. That was how her life was meant to be. She finally had a family, and, for the first time in years, she belonged.