Chapter 10

Azha rolled over, stretching her arms out and yawning. Gravon was still asleep next to her, so she curled up to him, thankful for his warmth. She felt unusually cold this morning.

It had been about a week since she had moved into Gravon's room, which was now hers, too. Before, she had been thankful for the privacy her separate room had provided, but now, she was thankful for any extra moment she could spend with Gravon.

As a king, he was, of course, very busy. But he always made time for her, no matter what. She listened to the sound of his breathing and let a hand softly trail along his skin.

"What are you doing?"

Azha smiled. She had known her touch would wake him. She had wanted it to.

"Nothing," she said innocently.

He easily flipped her onto her back, his menacing stare sending chills throughout her body.

"Is this what you wanted?" he asked, sliding under the covers.

But as soon as he was fully under, a sharp pain shot through Azha's body, and she cried out.

Gravon ripped the comforter off him, his eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

She clutched her lower abdomen, shaking her head. "I don't know, I—"

She cried out again. The pain was even worse this time.

"Azha, what's going on? Is it your human bleeding cycle?"

"No, no, I'm not due yet. And that has never given me pain like this."

Azha slid to the edge of the bed, feeling nauseated. When her feet touched the ground and she tried to stand, she nearly fell over. Gravon caught her and lifted her into his arms.

"We're going to the medical wing, now."

"Maybe we should wait. Maybe it'll go away."

"No. I don't care. If something is wrong, we need to see a healer."

"Ow!" she shouted, her hand going to her stomach again. "It feels like a cramp, only much worse. Like a stabbing pain."

Gravon began darting through the palace so fast that everything was a blur. His expression was wild, and his eyes threatened anything in his path. She clutched him and tried to ignore the pain, but it was nearly impossible.

Finally, they slammed through a door to the royal medical wing, and Gravon began yelling.

"I need a healer immediately! Someone, please!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please follow me," a young healer said before leading them into an exam room. "I will go and get the royal healer."

"Quickly," Gravon snarled.

A moment later, a male Naga entered the room and shut the door behind him. "Your Majesty, what seems to be the problem?"

"I don't know. She woke up and suddenly started having sharp pains that seemed to be coming from her stomach. She was also nauseated and almost fell when she attempted to stand."

"Please, set her down on the exam table so I can look at her."

Gravon seemed hesitant to set her down but ultimately did as the healer demanded. She felt anxious as the doctor moved toward her. He gently pressed a hand to her stomach, and when she did not cry out in pain, he pressed harder.

"Does this hurt?"

"No."

"Okay, well, that rules out some things. Why don't we run some blood tests?"

"Okay," she said.

As the doctor grabbed the things he needed, Gravon placed a kiss atop her head. "It is going to be okay."

"All right, I'm going to take some blood now."

The healer inserted the needle. Once he was done, he walked over to a machine and placed the vial inside. She had never seen tech like this before in a doctor's office. On Noxxa, the only doctors she ever saw were the cheap ones. The Jorvlens only wanted to do the bare minimum to keep her alive as their property and nothing more.

"What does that machine do?" she asked, unable to help her curiosity.

"It is going to run your blood through every single test we have for humans. I must admit, there aren't that many, as we don't ever have humans here. But there is enough to give us some information, and we will figure out what's wrong with you nonetheless."

Azha nodded.

"How did you feel yesterday?" the healer asked.

"Um, normal. And when I first woke up today, I felt normal, too. Although I did feel really cold. And then all of a sudden, it started."

"And how do you feel right now?" The healer continued questioning her.

"I haven't had any pain in a couple of minutes, but my stomach feels a little weird. Uncomfortable. And I still feel nauseated."

He nodded. The machine behind him beeped, and he walked up to a screen on the wall. The doctor began reading the screen as both she and Gravon watched his face, waiting.

At first, he looked confused. But his expression very quickly turned to that of shock, and then something like glee.

Gravon hissed and made for the healer, his hood flared and fangs out, venom dripping in threat. "Tell us."

The doctor spoke simply. "Gravid."

Azha had never before seen Gravon look how he did at this moment. She couldn't even describe the expression on his face. He looked at her, quickly closing the distance.

Azha began to freak out.

"Gravid?" she repeated. "What does that mean?"

Gravon smiled. "Pregnant. You're pregnant."

"What? How?"

The doctor spoke up. "I do not know how. But the king implanted his eggs in you and they are flourishing. Your blood has confirmed that fact. I think the pain was your body's way of adjusting, as Niri eggs are shaped differently than human young."

"I don't understand. I thought humans and Niri couldn't procreate." She looked between the healer and Gravon.

"We thought so, too, or so we assumed. But it appears we were wrong because you are one hundred percent gravid."

Gravon took her hand in his, looking at her in awe.

But Azha was still concerned. "How do we know this will work? If it's never been done before, how do we know it's safe? What if my body rejects it? My period is due in a week. What if it comes and terminates the pregnancy?"

She went on and on, naming different "what ifs," and the doctor waited until she was done to speak.

"We will monitor you the entire time. But according to your blood sample, your body has accepted the eggs. It knows you're pregnant, and it's not trying to hurt you. Your hormones have changed as expected, and are now at the right level for a healthy pregnancy, human, Niri, or otherwise."

"But what about the nausea?" Gravon spoke up.

"There will probably be symptoms simply because of her condition. Some might be similar to that of a normal human pregnancy, some might be similar to a Niri one. But it's also possible you will have entirely new ones. We just won't know until they happen."

This made sense to her. And she finally let herself feel the happiness she'd been holding back while she covered her bases.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, her eyes tearing up as she looked at Gravon.

"Gravid," he said.

"Gravid." She reached for his hand and placed it on her belly. "Yours."

"Mine," he said.

Azha burst out crying, and the doctor left the room, giving them privacy.

"Oh, it is okay," Gravon said, pulling her toward him.

"I just can't believe this is real. And I'm not just talking about being gravid. I mean everything. You. Us. I just never thought I'd experience this kind of happiness. I thought I knew exactly how my life would go, and it was looking very grim. And then you showed up…"

"That's how fate works, my love. Everything fell in place exactly the way it was supposed to."

She loved the sound of that. And she was eternally grateful for fate, for it gave her Gravon. Her mate. And she would spend the rest of her life being thankful.

"You're going to have an heir," Azha said.

"Many. Naga pregnancies are different from humans. You're not just having one of my young. I imagine there are at least two to four eggs within your womb."

Her jaw dropped. Somehow, her brain had skipped over that fact.

"What does this mean, for the Niri?"

"It means that our crisis has come to an end. Or it will, once we get the news out that humans and Niri can procreate."

"Do you think this will help the Niri to not hate me so much?"

"The Niri never hated you. But yes, once they find this out, you're going to be more than just their queen. You're going to be the savior of their race. You will be everything to them."

All she cared about was being accepted. Not for her own gain but for Gravon. She didn't want anyone's dislike for her to hurt him in any way. She hadn't admitted it to him, but she had been worried that someone would come for his throne because of her.

Now, they wouldn't dare.

A knock sounded from the door, and the doctor entered.

"I came up with a plan, based on everything your blood test told me. I'm going to create a vitamin for you to take every day that will ensure the eggs grow at the rate they're supposed to. You will come and see me every other day, just to make sure everything is running smoothly."

He paused and handed her some folders.

"I have gathered some material for you to read about Niri pregnancies. You will find that they are almost nothing like human ones—from how long they last to the birth itself. But it's nothing to be scared of. We will keep you educated every step of the way, and we will monitor you at all times."

"At all times? How?" Gravon narrowed his eyes.

"We will fit her with a monitor that will alert me should anything become alarming, like her heart rate, blood pressure, and other vitals."

Gravon nodded. Azha liked the sound of this, and she was beginning to feel less anxious and more excited about the whole thing.

She was going to be a mother. She never thought she'd be a mom, and even when she found out Gravon was her mate, it had been made clear to her that they couldn't have babies together.

But now, all of that had changed. She felt like the luckiest girl in the universe.

"Can I take her back to my quarters now?"

"Yes, of course. Just look over the folders I handed her and come back later to get her fitted with the monitor."

Gravon agreed and scooped her up into his arms. He refused to put her down the entire way back to his room, even when she insisted that she no longer felt nauseated.

Back in his room, he set her down in his bed. She sank into the soft blankets and pillows and closed her eyes. She felt so incredibly sleepy all of a sudden, and she would've fallen asleep had Gravon not put a hand on her leg.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Just super tired all of a sudden."

"Maybe it's a side effect of the pregnancy."

"Maybe. But I'm also starving. Do you think we could eat breakfast in bed today?"

He leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. "Absolutely. I'll send someone to bring it in a moment."

She reached her arms out for him. "Lay with me first."

He lay in bed next to her and pulled her into his lap. Gravon began rubbing circles on her back, and she rested her head on his chest.

"I'm still in shock," she admitted.

"Me, too. But the good kind. You know, the birth rates have been plummeting my whole life. I pretty much accepted that I'd never have hatchlings years ago. I was okay with the lack. But now that you're gravid, I realize how much I actually want this."

"You were protecting yourself from the hurt," Azha stated, nuzzling into him.

He nodded. "But now, there's nothing to hurt me. I have everything I ever wanted."

She moved to look up at him. "Me, too."

Azha lifted her head up and leaned in for a kiss, her lips pressing into his. He tasted like home. He was home.

And now, they were going to create a life together, full of hatchlings, happiness, and anything she could ever want. As she kissed him, she knew in her heart that she was safe here. That even if bad things did happen in the future, Gravon would protect her.

She wasn't scared anymore. Her entire life had been spent living in fear of what would happen next. But now, she knew exactly what was going to happen next. And even if life threw her a curveball, it wouldn't matter.

The knowledge of this made her excited for her future. And she couldn't wait to live it.