Epilogue

epilogue

I clutched my stomach, staring into the mirror, mouth agape, listening to the swish-swish sound resonating through my body. Swish-swish-swish-swish. It was strong. I tried to smile, but covered my mouth, unable to believe it.

How will Tauren feel about this?

A baby so soon?

I stared at the new, black ribbon knotted around my wrist. We’d just hand-fasted again, but I had no idea until now that I was carrying his child. I’d gotten queasy a few days ago, but thought maybe the chicken was undercooked or something. I never imagined I was pregnant.

The door to the washroom swung open and Tauren entered. His eyes caught on the hand that rested on my stomach before I could move it away. “Are you sick again?”

“It’s nothing.” I tried to smile, but I couldn’t look at him.

What if he was furious? What if he didn’t want children yet? We’d talked about having them, but that was far, far into the future. Not now.

What would happen when the people found out? The purists would be angry. That small, but loud group already hated that a witch sat beside the King. They wanted me out. They would never accept our child.

“Hey,” Tauren said gently, tipping my chin up so I would look at him. “What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a long moment, then took in a deep breath.

“I’m pregnant,” I revealed.

We’d made our own vows the night we were hand-fasted. We promised never to lie and never to conceal anything important from one another. It was me and him. Him and me. Against everything else.

His brows rose and then a glorious smile spread over his lips. He tentatively touched my stomach. It wasn’t even swollen yet. “Truly?”

I nodded, trying to smile back at him. It wasn’t that I was unhappy. It was the other piece of news I dreaded giving him.

“How can you tell?” he asked, wonder lacing his voice. “The sickness?”

I shook my head. “I can hear the beat of his heart.”

“His?” he asked, brows raised.

“It’s a boy. ”

“I am so happy, Sable.” He hugged me and spun me around, gently setting my feet on the ground. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“I’m not a piece of glass, Tauren.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Right.”

He chatted happily about how we should reveal the news to his mother and Knox and Leah, who would be wed on the first day of spring. Tauren rambled about creating elaborate surprises for them. A cake with blue icing or cyan-colored fireworks. Or both… Or something magical, instead. “Perhaps Brecan and Mira could help with that…” he mused excitedly.

“There’s something else,” I said hesitantly.

“What is it?” Tauren’s brows furrowed with concern. Of all the things I’d said to him since we met, this was by far going to be the hardest. I closed my eyes and gathered every ounce of strength I had.

“I also feel Fate’s presence again… in our son.”

Tauren sucked in a shocked breath.