Chapter Twelve – Eyrl

How he made it through those last hours of his trial, he would never know. Eyrl loosened the collar of his tunic as he rushed back to his chambers. He had a hunch that Lily would be here. His heart pounded and his flames danced all over the place. Pregnant! His mate was pregnant with his child. He didn't care if people saw the beaming smile on his face. This was happy news, it was worth being overly emotional over.

"Lily?" he called as he entered his apartment. "Are you here?"

"In the bedroom," she called back.

He shut the door and locked it before racing to his bedroom. Lily lay on the bed. Her normally pale tones had a slight green color to them. He leaped onto the bed and pulled her into his arms. A quick kiss and he rolled over, pulling her down over him. She giggled, but her eyes were bright. Worry shone from them.

"Our child is going to be so smart."

"Yeah. I hope so. But we're going to love them even if they're stupid, right?"

"Of course."

Her fingers dug into his arms. "But what about you? Are you going to be around to help me raise them?"

Eyrl nodded. "Yes. I've been found guiltless of all wrongdoing. Apparently, the crime of overlooking one piece of the protocol isn't that big after all, especially since I am doing all I can to improve the lives of the people." He laughed. "Your announcement couldn't have come at a better time. The tone of the trial shifted dramatically as soon as you came in."

"Good. Eyrl—"

But he wasn't finished yet. He rolled them again so that he was on top this time, and he ground against her. All of this was worth celebrating, and he wanted to see the worry fade to passion in her eyes. "I guess they decided that you would be a worse ruler than me."

"Wait, what?" Lily's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"You're pregnant."

"I know that." She pressed both of her hands to his chest. "Will you stop for a minute? We need to talk."

Her lack of excitement finally registered. Eyrl withdrew, the warmth in his chest dampening as she sat, not looking at him. He reached for her hand. What if she didn't want the child after all?

"Lily—"

"What is this about me being a worse ruler than you?"

Eyrl paused a moment, then shook his head. "I suppose it must be different on Earth. When a male heir to the throne has a pregnant mate, even if they haven't officially married, then she is worthy of being the queen should something happen to the prince. Since you're pregnant, if I was no longer eligible to be king, then you would automatically be queen. Not queen consort."

Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. He could almost hear her heart skip a beat. After a moment she let out a shuddering breath. "That explains it, then. Why she was so angry."

"Who?"

"Efira." Lily shuddered and wrapped herself in his eyes. "She threatened me. She told me that if I don't go back to Earth, horrible things might happen to me. I don't think she was bluffing."

Efira threatened her? A puff of smoke escaped him as his fires roared. Eyrl's first reaction was to find the lady-in-waiting and banish her from the palace, but he stopped himself from reacting so violently. It would only give fuel to his enemies, and really . . . Efira threatening her?

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "I can't see her being that emotional. Maybe you just misunderstood, Lily. We do come from different cultures, after all. She wouldn’t threaten the prince's mate. Especially not his pregnant mate."

"Are you kidding me?" Lily tensed and pulled away. Her eyes flashed. "I tell you that she threatened me and the first thing you do is say that I'm overreacting?"

His first reaction was to say the truth, but on second thought, he realized that saying yes, he thought she was overreacting, was a bad idea. He considered the problem for a moment, uncertain how to proceed without offending her. He knew from many times in his own childhood that it was beyond frustrating to present something to someone who he should have trusted only to be dismissed as being overly emotional.

He didn't want to be that person.

"If you feel threatened, then I will do what I can to make you feel safe again," he said. "I'll make sure that she stays away from you. If you want, I can also assign a special guard for your protection. Since you're pregnant, nobody will find that odd."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Thank you. I would like that very much."

"Good. It's decided, then."

Lily curled into his side and let out a soft sigh. "I'm pregnant."

It was his turn to beam again. He kissed the top of her head and nodded. "You're pregnant. And that makes me very happy. Will you want the sex to be a surprise, or do you want to know if we have a little dragon or dragoness before this little one is born?"

"A surprise. I'd like to proceed as naturally as we can. I'll have to research the best ways to give birth, though . . . "

"And the child's name?"

"I don't know . . . What do you think?"

He bowed his head for a moment before glancing up at her. This was a little embarrassing for him. "There's an old belief that states that a child should be named for one's ancestors because their souls are reborn into our generations. It comes from a superstition, so a lot of scientists refuse to follow it. But I've always liked the idea as a way to remember and honor those in our past. I don't really think that souls are reborn. There is no evidence that souls exist—"

"Sure there is," she interrupted. "Look in the eyes of a person after death. Something is gone."

That wasn't proof at all, but he decided not to mention it. There were things that he didn't understand, and he was willing to accept that a higher power might be one of those things. Coincidences were a bit too cold for his liking. Not that there had to be a reason for them to happen . . . 

"Can I tell you something?" his mate whispered.

"You can tell me anything."

Lily sucked in a deep breath and sat a little straighter. Her hands twisted in her lap and she stared down at them. She flashed him a nervous smile before moving her hands to either side of her legs. "When this trial started, I was frightened. Really, really frightened. I was afraid that we were going to be separated. And it made me realize something."

He nodded for her to continue.

"I love you."

Eyrl stared. It took him a moment to realize what she was saying. She stared back, holding her breath. He wasn't sure what to do. Had anybody ever told him that they loved him before this? He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I started falling in love with you on that prison planet. I could see how kind you were, how determined you were to make their lives better. And when we flew together, it was so intimate. Almost more intimate than sex, because I know how you feel about your beast . . .  I love you. I love you so much that when I thought I might be parted from you, I couldn't breathe."

The prince nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you."

What else could he say? He didn't know. His hands started to tremble, and he quickly took hers in them to stop it. He didn't love her. It wasn't possible to love someone and still be a rational being. What was love, anyway? Just another emotion that made people do stupid things. It was one of those things that people were probably better off without, like hate or anger. It made otherwise sane people do crazy things.

"I love you," she whispered again, cupping his face in her hands. "I know that you can't tell me that. Not yet, at least. But I wanted you to know . . . "

She brushed her mouth against his. Eyrl pulled her closer, trying not to think about the confusing question still running through his mind. But as she pulled him closer and laid him back so that he was draped over her, he couldn’t help but wonder . . . 

Would it be so bad if he fell in love with her?