Drystan

Chapter 3

Panic rises in Draven's chest. He paces back and forth across the dining hall. Freya's words come back to him. He pulls at his hair. He can still remember the look on her face the first night he saw her.

He hadn't known she was a virgin. If he'd known she was untouched. He would have never gone to her in the first place. But when he was halfway in, it was too late, his demon had already taken over and now he regrets it.

"Ravena." He calls telepathically.

She appears in the dining hall.

"Before you say anything stupid, I wasn't with Ache... What's wrong?

His heart pounds and the words become heavy. Ravena walks towards him. Seeing him this way leaves a pinch in her heart. She raises her hands and finds herself holding his face. He lifts his hands too and wraps them around her wrists. Her heart skips a beat.

"What's wrong?"

He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out.

"It's okay. You know you can tell me anything."

Something in her voice, in the way she looks at him, in the heat of her palms on his face makes the burden feel less heavy.

"Someone... Someone's having my child."

The words hit her like a bolt out of the blue and she jerks her hand away. Her breath hangs in her throat. How can someone...

"Congratulations." She turns her face away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Was that why you called me?"

He moves closer. "Are you okay?"

She breathes deep and smiles. "Congratulations."

"You're faking a smile."

"No I'm not." She smiles again, genuinely this time. "I'm happy for you."

"You shouldn't be. She's human."

"Human?" She scoffs.

"I'm serious."

"Of course you are."

"I am."

"Do I look like Itri? I'm not dumb. We both know humans can't have demon babies."

He stares past her. "Exactly what I thought when she first told me."

"Wait, you're serious?"

"I wish I wasn't."

"Do you know what this is? This is... That child is an anomaly. The lords, they will hunt her, torture her, kill your baby and kill her. How could you be so dumb?! How could you let this happen?!"

"How was I supposed to know that in doing my duties as an incubus she was going to get pregnant?"

"You should've been more careful!"

"She's fucking human!"

They still, realizing they're both yelling.

"I'm sorry." They say at the same time and then laugh.

"Apology accepted." They say together again.

Ravena's mind wanders back to the times when they were young and argued for silly reasons. But this isn't silly.

"I need your help." Says Draven.

"I'm all ears."

"So of course, the lords are going to go after her. But it's not her fault. She didn't choose to have an incubus in her bed. I'll find a way to bring her here. Could you mislead them, tell them you sent out search parties, make them follow a wrong lead?"