A Court of Ash and Necromancy

39. Unconfirmed Suspicions

    And yours will be next. Yours. Yours will be next. Yours. Yours. Yours. Mikael couldn't stop the words from repeating themselves. Thesan held him tightly. Mikael was hardly aware of his father's presence. Yours will be next.

His? His what? What Melantha was implying... It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. She was toying with him. She was just trying to get inside his mind. Estelle was always so careful to take her contraceptive tonic, especially after the warnings Elain had given her.

Mikael stared ahead blankly. And yours will be next. Had she taken the tonic after they left the clearing? That was when Venelia had been kidnapped. Mother above, she hadn't, had she? Had she the time before? How long had it been? Was it true? Did Estelle know? And yours will be next. Yours. Yours. Yours.

Mikael loosed a shuddering breath. By the Cauldron...Estelle, his mate, was pregnant. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. A flood of emotions overtook him. Joy, excitement, and fear. So much fear. His mate was pregnant. He was a father! Estelle was a prisoner. It was so early yet. The stress and strain on her body could become too much. Melantha knew. Did Estelle?

Someone was calling his name. Mikael blinked again, shaking his head. "Mikael?" Thesan shook him gently.

"I..." Mikael swallowed hard. "I didn't know." He looked past his father's shoulder and saw Azriel, Seren, and Lysander watching him. "I swear I didn't know. I had no idea. I..."

Thesan moved aside as Lysander gripped Mikael's arm, pulling him to his feet. "We know," he replied. "Estelle probably didn't know either. She would've told us if she did."

Mikael gazed around the area. It seemed like many of the High Lords and Ladies, along with their friends, had already left. He barely registered that observation. He saw Melantha clamp the ashwood collar around Estelle's neck. He saw the corpses take her.

    Pregnant. She was pregnant. Would the ashwood affect the baby? Would Estelle's stifled magic cause too much stress on her body? Did she know? He tugged on the Bond, knowing there wouldn't be a response.

Seren gripped his shoulder. "Mikael?" He attempted to push the thoughts aside. "Don't let your fears run away with you. She'll be all right."

"I had no idea," Mikael whispered. "I never would've let her do this if I'd known." He scrubbed at his face, letting his fingers glide back through his hair. He exhaled sharply.

Azriel approached him and Mikael tensed. He looked up, expecting to see something like anger in the Shadowsinger's eyes. Instead, he saw fear and...understanding? "I..." Mikael began.

"I know," Azriel interrupted. "Seren..."

Seren nodded and steered Lysander away. They rejoined Thesan and Ameer, who waited with Corbin, Nyx, Rhysand, and Feyre. Tamlin was close by with Lucien, whispering to himself, "She didn't even look at me. She didn't reach for me, or call for me. Only him."

"He is her mate, Tamlin," Lucien replied. His voice was hard as he crossed his arms. "He is the father of her child. Your grandchild. She will always look to him first. If you wanted her to look to you, maybe you should've given her that choice when it mattered."

"Instead, you demanded to be the one she turned to. You tried to keep them apart, and even when you let her go, you didn't really. You insult her family daily. You make it very clear what you think of her mate. I don't doubt you'll tell her exactly what you think of her baby too."

"It shouldn't surprise you that she trusts Nyx more than you. She loves him, and he loves her. He loves her in ways you never did. He loves her enough to give her the freedom to make her own choices. Perhaps if you did the same, you would be one of those choices." Lucien spun on his heel and walked away, leaving a speechless Tamlin behind.