Richelle Mead - Iron Crowned

When we returned to my house, I put my purse and paperwork in my bedroom before sitting with Jasmine in her usual spot on the couch. Mindless TV suddenly seemed like a good idea … except, well, it didn’t do a very good job of taking my mind off of my problems.

Pregnant. Conqueror of worlds. Storm King’s heir.

Me. It was all on me: what had happened and what was to come.

We hadn’t been home long when Kiyo showed up. He gave me a cheerful grin and wore his white coat from work, meaning he must not have been cozying up with Maiwenn. Small blessing. His smile was enough to make Jasmine smile in return, but I couldn’t muster one. There was nothing to smile about right now. Nothing good in this world. Nothing good in either world. He joined us on the couch, sandwiching me in between him and Jasmine, and caught hold of my hand.

“Hey, how are you?” he asked. He peered at my face, even though I was pointedly not looking at him. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I lied. “Tired.”

Storm King’s first grandson will conquer the human world.

“She’s been like that all day,” said Jasmine. “She needs to go back to the Otherworld but won’t.”

“Is that true?” he asked.

“I didn’t think you’d have a problem with that,” I said. “You’ve always wanted me to stay away.”

“Yeah, but not if it’s affecting you like this. You really look sick, Eug.”

“She also got beat up by a ghost,” Jasmine added helpfully.

“Hey!” I glared. “I did not!”

Kiyo chuckled and pulled me closer. “Stop playing tough. Go to the Otherworld tomorrow. I’ll come with you, so it won’t be as bad.” He relaxed, and there was a finality in his voice that I didn’t like. I didn’t like his presumption. I also wasn’t entirely sure I should be going to the Otherworld, in light of recent developments.

Flowers. Flowers everywhere, everywhere I step. I’m the land, and the land is me. Where I bring life, the land does too….

Or death. I could bring death as well. It was my choice.

Over and over. The words in my head were all I heard. I didn’t hear the TV, or Kiyo and Jasmine’s occasional comments. I didn’t really hear when Kiyo said he’d make dinner and went to drop off his overnight bag in my bedroom. But I did hear him when he came raging back to the living room, waving my CVS referral form in the air.

“Eugenie!” His voice was a roar, one that made Jasmine cringe and widen her eyes. “What the hell is this?”

I stared up at him levelly, surprised I could be so calm in the face of that outrage, especially after the emotional upheaval I’d been through all day. My own despair and shock had never left, but now I was able to push it down and meet Kiyo’s eyes, as I allowed myself to finally acknowledge the other thought that had been bouncing around in my mind. Because along with the choices I had and the consequences I faced, there was one other matter to consider.

I’d looked at the numbers, at the calendar. I’d factored in the dates, the antibiotics, what had been done—or, perhaps most importantly, what hadn’t been done. It was all very clear. There was no soap opera here. No talk show–worthy mystery.

“Congratulations,” I told Kiyo. “You’re going to be a father. Again.”

For a few moments, we were frozen in time. It was Jasmine who finally got things moving again.

“Oh,” she said. “Wow.”

Kiyo’s grip on the form tightened, and for a second, I feared he’d crumple or rip it. Instead, he let it fall to the floor and strode toward me as swiftly and fiercely as his predatory alter ego. I felt Jasmine shift—not away, but closer to me.

“Are you sure?” he asked, in a low, deadly voice.

“About which part?” I snapped. “That I’m pregnant? Or that it’s yours?”

“Both.”

I felt my eyes narrow as I continued feeling angry and defensive. “Yes. Both.”

Silence fell. Then:

“When are you getting rid of it?” he asked.

“Christ. You get right to the point.”

“You know the point!” he exclaimed. “You know what it’s always been! You’re sure? You’re really sure you’re pregnant?”

I’d had the same questions for Dr. Moore and found myself repeating her answer. “Yes. The tests are very accurate. Besides, why else do you think they’d schedule me for that?” I pointed to the referral lying on the floor. He might work with animals, but he’d still know what a CVS was.

Jasmine, however, did not. She slipped away, gave him a wide berth, and retrieved the paper. “What’s a … chorionic … vil-vil—”

“It’s a test to detect defects,” I said. I gave Kiyo a pointed look. “And gender.”

“It’s a waste of time,” he argued. He swallowed and attempted a kinder, more reasonable course with me. “Eugenie, you know the danger. You can’t waste another day. If anyone finds out—if anyone in the Otherworld—”

“I know, I know! Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I somehow missed the constant rape attempts—and actual rape—based on that prophecy? Damn it, I know better than you what it means! But I can’t—I can’t get an abortion until I know what it is. If it’s a girl or a boy.”

“And then what?” he asked. “You’ll keep it if it’s a girl? You always said you weren’t sure you wanted to have kids.”

“I’m still not,” I admitted, my voice trembling. A baby—world conqueror or not—had never been on my agenda. “But I have to know.”

His expression darkened, the coaxing gone. “It’s better if you don’t. It’s better to keep it all anonymous, better not to think of it as a person. Stay ignorant. Just have the abortion and be done.”

Jasmine hadn’t moved from her spot, her eyes going back and forth as she watched my verbal volley with Kiyo. “Geez,” she said. “You don’t seem too upset about killing your own kid.” I had been thinking the same thing. His cold detachment shocked me.

He flinched and gritted his teeth. “I never said I’m not upset.”

“But you’re not just upset about what this means for the prophecy,” I pointed out. I studied him carefully, realization dawning. “You don’t entirely believe it’s yours anyway.”

“Do you blame me?” he asked.

“It’s yours,” I said adamantly. The last time I’d been with Dorian, we’d had kinky oral sex. Maybe I hadn’t known about antibiotics interacting with birth control pills, but I knew where a guy had to come to make you pregnant. “I know without a doubt.”

This gave Kiyo pause, as though he really were truly pondering the reality of losing his child. “I told you: I never said I’m not upset about this. But it’s got to be dealt with. How could you have let this happen?”

“Oh, nice,” I said. “It’s my fault. If you’re so into caution, maybe you shouldn’t have fucked me in that grotto.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened.

“Okay, forget it,” he said tightly. “And forget your CVS. Just get the abortion while it’s still easy. You can’t be that far along.”

I shot up. “While it’s still easy ? Like you know! You’re not the one who has to go through it!”

“Why are you fighting me on this?” he exclaimed in disbelief. “You always said you’d do this. Do you want the prophecy to come true? Do you want to have a son who leads armies here from the Otherworld to conquer and enslave?”

“Of course not! You know that.”

“Then stop wasting time! Look, if you’re scared about getting it done … you don’t have to do it here.”

“Oh? I can check in at the Otherworld’s Planned Parenthood clinic?”