Chapter 204

Fiona

“Is that what this feeling is?” I ask, touching my chest. I’d felt the warm weight since I woke up, but it wasn’t a suffocating weight.

“It’s the love I’ve always felt for you,” Ethan answers before kissing my forehead. “The love I’ll always feel for the rest of our lives.”

Tears prick at my eyes, making them sting, as I look up at him. If he’s felt this the whole time, I can understand why he wanted to keep me near him.

“Ethan, I’m sorry again for not understanding how you felt earlier. I shouldn’t have—”

His lips fall on mine in a soft kiss, silencing me in the best way possible.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he says. “I understand. Learning of a whole different race, learning that soulmates exist, and learning that you have one is a lot to process. I should have found another way to tell you that wouldn’t freak you out so much.”

Nodding, I lay my cheek on his chest and sigh.

“It’s not like you had much choice how I found out,” I mutter, thinking about the men who kidnapped me. “You had so much going on that I do genuinely feel bad for adding more trouble to your plate.”

“If anyone should apologize, Fiona, it’s me. I didn’t handle certain situations the way I should have. If I’d just rejected everything to do with Angela in the beginning, you wouldn’t have felt unwanted,” he says. I look up and lean into his hand when he cups my cheek.

The tender touch is so different that the passionate, hot embrace from moments ago, and because his feelings flow clearly into my mind, I know he’s being one-hundred percent genuine. I may have reservations about hearing each other’s thoughts all the time but being able to tell how sincere his feelings are is amazing.

Smiling, I lean in and kiss him softly before pulling back. Ethan’s green eyes spark, and he tracks my movement, his arms tightening around me and stopping me before I get too far away.

“Then we should agree to be open about our thoughts and feelings,” I tell him.

He nods, “Which will be easier with our new connection.”

“Yes, but we should also agree to respect each other’s privacy. Can you teach me how to put up that shield you were talking about? I don’t want to hide anything in a bad way. I just think it would be good to practice and know I can think clearly without you poking into my brain,” I tell him truthfully.

Ethan agrees, and after wrapping the sheet around myself, I sit up to begin my mind-power training. However, the moment I try to lean back against the headboard, my stomach rolls.

Ethan POV

My wolf jolts when Fiona jumps up and runs. The animal part of me screams to chase her until the sound of retching reaches my ears. I jump out of the bed, and in seconds, I’m at her side, pulling her hair back so she doesn’t get vomit in it.

Fiona heaves, her face growing redder as she bends over the toilet. Zev whines in my head, matching the small whine that comes from Fiona as she takes a deep breath. Then, she hunches over again, emptying more into the toilet.

The worry that surges in my chest comes without permission. It’s not like I haven’t seen pregnant women before. I have, and I know morning sickness is usual, but seeing her clearly in pain triggers the concern.

I didn’t realize how bad morning sickness could be, though, because as she vomits, sweat drips down her neck.

Without letting go of her hair, I lean over to the sink, grab a washcloth, and wet it with cool water. Fiona is still leaning over the toilet, breathing deeply and waiting to see if her body is done revolting, when I lay the cloth on the back of her neck.

“Thanks,” she mutters weakly, and again, I don’t like the fact that she has to suffer like this. She isn’t very far along, or at least, I don’t think she is. In this moment, as I hold her hair and rub her back, I realize I don’t even know how far along she is.

I make a mental reminder to ask her and another reminder to ask the healers for some medicine that will help with morning sickness. She needs to be taken care of, since this will be much different than anything she’s been through, and I want to make sure she feels my support. I won’t be one of those males who only takes part in the sex and shows up once the baby is here.

“Come on, princess,” I murmur, sliding my arms beneath her and carrying her over to the large tub. She still has my sheet wrapped around her, so I set her on the edge of the tub, and with one arm around her waist, I turn the water on.

“Too hot?” I ask.

She leans and dips her fingers into the water before shaking her head, “No. That’s perfect.” Her voice is a bit hoarse from throwing up, and I can see the tired lines on her face. Maybe I should have let her rest more before taking her to bed.

Something I’ll remedy today.

Nodding, I carefully pull the sheet off of her before lifting her again and setting her down in the water. I move to go get a glass of water, but she grabs my arm, keeping me in place.

“Where are you going?”

A wave of disappointment floods our bond, and I have to keep myself from smiling.

“I’m getting you some water for your throat,” I answer, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead. She only hums in response and releases my arm. Honestly, I don’t want her to let go, so I run down to the kitchen and return with her water quickly, letting her sip it before setting it aside and climbing into the tub behind her.

Fiona watches me with wide, surprised eyes, even looking at me over her shoulder as I settle in behind her. I make sure everything I need is within reach and begin massaging my fingers into her tense shoulders. She bends and bows, moving with my hands.

“Wh-what are you doing?” She asks, then groans when I hit a particularly tight spot at the bottom of her neck. Smirking, I move my hands down her sides, working out the kinks and aches that she clearly has.

When her back and neck are fully relaxed, I begin pampering her like a princess. I wash her hair and rinse it carefully, so I don’t get soap in her eyes and gently massage her scalp, too, working the shampoo out until it is fully gone.

“So, tell me about the baby. How long have you known you were pregnant?” I ask as she fully leans back into me with a soft sigh.