Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Their hours' long celebratory dinner was filled with smiles, laughter, and conversation that lasted for hours. Lyv was seated in between Jai and Elys, of course, with Posy's own place on the table in front of her. Elys somehow ended up in her lap when dessert came and Eamon took over his seat. The boys were chattering excitedly about their swords and daggers and getting to show Lyv everything as soon as they could. Even though she hated the idea before when Jai had first gotten his weapons, she couldn't wait to see Elys's progress.

When they moved their conversation into the sitting room, a fire was already roaring in the heart as they all took random places in front of it. Some on the cushy sofa and chairs, the rest finding various places on the carpet.

Since he was now wide awake, Archer was the center of attention. Quite literally, too, since he was surrounded by all the females, Posy, Elys, and Eamon as he lay on a soft pile of blankets on the floor. They were all talking to him, but his eyes almost always went back with his mother, which made Laurel smile as she watched everyone loving on him.

That happiness was shifted with one simple thing, though.

All through dinner, Lyv had kept her leather jacket on. But now, with the heat coming from the fire, she took it off to place behind her and pushed up the sleeves of her tunic, completely forgetting about what the others quickly caught sight of that she hadn't been able to tell them about yet.

When Laurel's breath caught in her throat as she spotted the slight glow of the obsidian stone, Lyv automatically met her gaze and saw where she was looking.

She quickly pulled her sleeves down to try and hide it.

But Laurel wasn't the only one who saw.

Alexea and Emmeric, who had been catching up with Jai, saw before Lyv could cover up once more. Michel was sitting in one of the chairs behind Laurel, so he saw, too. He'd been watching her carefully all through dinner, though he tried to make it seem like he wasn't. Lyv had suspected it was those whispers his susurrate magic was telling him, a truth she was trying to keep hidden for just a little while longer.

Sensing the atmosphere around him changing, Archer began to cry, shattering the quiet that echoed around them. Laurel was quick to pick him up, cradling him gently against her chest as she continued staring at Lyv.

"Lyv," she whispered. "You still..."

She was quiet, looking around at the four faces who hadn't known what she still carried inside her.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Elys jumped up, eyes shifted downward, and pushed past Lyv to run for the door. Both she and Jai jumped up to follow him, but she stopped him before he could.

"Can you tell them for me?" she asked before nodding to the doorway. "I'll...I need to talk to him. By myself for now, all right?"

Jai was quick to nod, taking her hand in his to kiss her knuckles. "I will. Then I'll find you two in a little while."

Lyv pulled him forward to kiss him, pulling back with a slight smile before she turned to leave. As soon as she was out of the sitting room, she focused on Elys's running footsteps up the stairs and down the hallway.

She quickly followed behind him, down hallways, taking a few more turns, before they stopped all together after a door slammed shut. One that was just a little way down from Jai's own room. Lyv remembered him mentioning Elys had moved into one that was connected to his own because the little boy wanted to be closer.