Amgyptapan

Chapter 25: Unexpected Joy

Nothile groaned. He had been awoken well before dawn. As his senses returned to him, he heard the sound of his mate regurgitating her dinner in the bathroom. He sat up in alarm.

He hoped that his mate wasn't sick. In the two years of being together, Hessa had only caught a virus once; before their mating ceremony a year or so ago. Worried, Nothile got out of bed and went to check on his wife. Currently, she was brushing her teeth.

"Are you alright, My Dearest Moon?" Nothile asked, cautious.

"I'm fine, Nothile. I've just caught a bug, that's all. Although, my sinuses are fine and I'm only nauseous at random." Hessa answered.

Nothile returned, "Just nauseous? Is there anything you are not telling me?"

"Well," Hessa replied, "I do have a craving for cottage cheese and honey, but that's nothing. Right?"

Nothile's eyes widened. He did some calculations in his head. In the two years of knowing Hessa, he had noticed that her menstrual cycle was every two months. Which meant that it was a month late.

"Have you been feeling...emotionally unbalanced, lately?" Nothile asked, in hopes of gaining more information.

Hessa answered, "I have noticed that I've been acting...snippy a lot. What does that have to do with anything?"

Nothile replied, "Oh, a lot, actually. You see, I think the cravings and vomiting are connected. You know how fond I am of patterns. Have you not noticed that your menstrual cycle is a month overdue?"

"Wait, you think I might be pregnant?" Hessa asked.

Nothile answered, "You have the symptoms: morning sickness, mood swings, cravings, and, most of all, and absent period."

Numb, Hessa touched her hands to her still-flat stomach. Was a child really growing there? Using her demonic senses, Hessa sifted through her own scent. Her hands dropped as she found what she was looking for: a developing baby.

"Get rid of it." Chandrakant remarked.

Nothile and Hessa had just told the others the good news. Molahs had been so overjoyed that he'd dashed for the phone to call every demonic they knew. Akiva congratulated the elated couple. However, Chandrakant displayed no signs of delight.

"Why should my beloved mate do such a thing?" Nothile returned, one of his eyebrows twitching in aggravation.

Chandrakant answered, "Never before has there been a child born between a death deity and a half demon. No one knows how powerful such a child would become. The best course of action is to abort it."

Nothile huffed, "At one time or another, there were no half demons. A human had to decide to procreate with a demon. Where would your dear little brother or precious baby sister be if they had not?"

Chandrakant's eyes narrowed. He hated when his brother-in-law made a valid point. It made his obstinate views look utterly ridiculous. If there was one thing that the pure demon loathed, it was looking ridiculous.

Nothile smirked when Chandrakant's eyes narrowed in annoyance. It was the death deity's belief that if you had to quarrel with someone, you should quarrel smarter instead of harder. That belief had helped him make many valid points. It had just helped him win yet another verbal fight with his elder brother-in-law.

Akiva burst into laughter. He had to admit that Nothile was definitely wiser than Chandrakant could ever hope to be. The death deity knew how to use his wisdom to his advantage. That's what made Chandrakant and Nothile's disputes so funny to the elder half demon.