He shook his head. “They’re keeping him elsewhere. I’m going to the prime minister’s house. He’s the head of the council. I’ll plead my case before him and then he’ll get in contact with the other council members. It may take up to a week before they reconvene to visit the matter again.”
“I hate being away from him for so long,” I said softly.
“I know you do, dear. It won’t be long before you’re together again.” I gave him a sad smile, not quite believing him. If the council wanted to, they could remove me from Sylon’s care and give me to someone else. I had no idea what their reaction would be once they found out I was pregnant. Was that a good thing here, or a bad thing?
Even worse -- what would happen when Sylon’s wife found out?
Chapter Eleven
It was several days before we heard back from the council, several days of misery. Not only was I upset about Sylon, but I was still sick every morning. Dorne assured me it was perfectly normal, but I had my doubts. How could something as magical as carrying a baby be so horrible? I hadn’t felt this bad since I’d had the flu last year.
“We’re going before the council in an hour,” Dorne said, startling me.
“So soon? I don’t know if I can get ready in time.” He nodded. “It’s a good thing. It means my son might be able to come home as early as today.”
Relief coursed through me. I’d be so happy to see Sylon, but I was also worried about his reaction to my news.
I wore the pretty rose gown again and was as ready as I’d ever be. I waited patiently on the doctor and a moment later we were on our way.
When we reached the citadel, I wasn’t as nervous as I had been previously. At least I knew what to expect this time.
The councilmen were already seated and waiting for us when we stepped through the doors. There was still a large crowd, but it seemed smaller than before, which meant fewer people who would hear my news. I was still a little apprehensive about the council accepting my baby, or the Vaadens accepting it for that matter.
Sylon walked into the room and I rushed to his side, throwing my arms around him.
“I missed you,” I said, burrowing my face against him, breathing him in.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. “I missed you as well, Susan.” I tipped my face back to smile up at him, but froze when he frowned down at me.
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His thumb traced the dark smudges under my eyes. “What’s wrong?” I shook my head. “I haven’t slept well since they took you away.”
“It’s more than that. You look pale.”
“I’ve just been worried,” I hedged. Obviously my news hadn’t reached his ears yet.
He watched me another moment, and I was concerned that he didn’t believe me.
When he continued to frown at me, I knew I had reason to be apprehensive. I only hoped he wouldn’t lose his temper in front of the council.
I returned to Dorne’s side and fidgeted.
“The council has reconvened at the request of Dorne, with news pertinent to his son’s case.”
The councilmen shuffled papers and stared at Sylon.
“Do you know why you’ve been called here?” one of them asked Sylon.
He shook his head.
“Your father has provided new information. It has become imperative that we release you from our custody.”
Sylon looked surprised, glancing our way. When his eyes met mine, he froze.
“Why am I being released?” he asked the council without looking away from me.
“Your slave is pregnant,” the violet-eyed man said.
I watched as Sylon clenched and unclenched his fists.
“I have documentation proving the baby belongs to my son. I ran a blood test a few days ago, confirming my suspicions,” Dorne said, handing a paper to his son.
Sylon looked at the blood test results with an incredulous expression. “But I can’t have children.”
“It seems that you can,” Dorne said softly. “You’re going to make me a grandfather after all.”
“There’s the matter of my wife,” Sylon said in a steely voice.
“Well… I’ll let the council tell you about your wife.” He turned his attention to the violet-eyed man. “What is he talking about, Bastian?”
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“Sela has become unwelcome on our planet. After her outburst in the citadel at your hearing, she went on to create several disturbances throughout the city, including an attack on the prime minister.” Bastian grinned. “Your wife has been banned from Vaaden, and your marriage is considered null and void.” Sylon looked stunned, but not as stunned as I was. My knees buckled and had Dorne not caught me, I would have sunk to the floor.
Bastian glanced at me before speaking to Sylon again. “You’re free of Sela. While you cannot marry a slave, you may live with her where you will, especially since she carries your child.”
“You’re saying she can live in my home?” Sylon asked in surprise.
Bastian nodded.
Sylon walked to my side and gently took my hand. “Are you all right?” I nodded and leaned against him, needing to feel his strength. “Please take me home, Sylon. I’m tired.”
He lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the citadel. Later, when we were at his father’s home, he kissed me and held me.
“I missed you so much,” he admitted. “I’ve never missed a woman before.”
“I missed you too.”
His hand gentle rubbed my stomach. “It’s hard to believe there’s a baby in there.”
I tensed. “I’m not lying if that’s what you mean.” He hugged me. “No, that isn’t what I meant. It’s just that I’d never thought to be a father, never wanted to be one.”
“And now?”
He smiled against my hair. “Now I’m looking forward to raising a child with you.”
“Can we go home now? Please?” I’d enjoyed my stay at Dorne’s but I was ready to be back in familiar surroundings.
“My house will be redecorated, all traces of Sela removed from it, and then we’ll move there.”
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“I meant the slave quarters.”
“You’d rather be there?” he asked in surprise.
“It’s familiar to me.”
He rubbed my arm. “We’ll stay there until the house is ready. I want to move you into my home as soon as possible.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked.
“Because… I had time to think about the things I’ve done and said, and I discovered something while I was separated from you.”
“What?”
“I… That is…”
I looked up at him, trying to read his expression.
“I love you,” he said softly. “I never thought to love a woman, but I discovered that I love you.”
I smiled and kissed him. “I love you too.”
“You do?”
I nodded. “Very much.”
His arms encircled my waist, his hands resting against my stomach. “I’ve never been happier than I am right this moment, Susan. You make me happy.” I leaned into him. “Not half as happy as you make me. I never thought a man could love me, or that I could love again, but I’ve found that loving you is easy.
Probably the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Easy?”
I smiled. “Well, I didn’t say that telling you, or predicting how you’d take it was easy. Just that loving you was easy.”
He smiled and kissed the top of my head. He rubbed my stomach again. “So…
this is all rather new to me. What do we do now?” I shrugged. “I’ve never been pregnant before, but a friend of mine was. She picked out a girl name and a boy name until she knew which she was having, and then she started buying clothes, baby furniture, blankets… tons of stuff.”
“Names?”
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I nodded. “Personally, I’ve always liked Cla
ire for a girl.”
“An Earth name?”
“I guess you’ll want the baby to have a Vaaden name.” He shook his head. “No, I think an Earth name is perfect. You can name the baby whatever you wish, just as long as you promise to never stop loving me.” I smiled. “That’s a promise I’ll gladly make.” Rising up on my tiptoes, I kissed him, winding my arms around his neck. “Take me to bed and love me,” I whispered against his lips.
He smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
currently lives in Tennessee with her family and a house full of pets, after having lived in several places from the East Coast to the West Coast.
When she isn’t writing, you can find her either curled up with a book or out shopping.
She’s particularly fond of bookstores and Starbucks!
Her writing career began in high school when she submitted My World is Tumbling Down to a poetry contest, not only receiving a publication offer, but also an award. Since then, she has published a half-dozen or more poems, six novels, and several short stories. At any given time, she has five or more works-in-progress at various stages of completion.
Prior to writing, she worked for a counseling center; in information systems for a debt collector; and has worked at more than one college. After handling everything from patient evaluations to department accreditation, she decided to sit down at the computer again and attempt writing novels (from young adult to erotica).
You can check out what she’s up to at her website www.jessicacoultersmith.webs.com. She’s also on Facebook (when she has time to login). She loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch with her using [email protected].
Vaaden Captives: Susan Page 6
