Chapter 117

Maeve’s POV

“Your baby is fine, Maeve. Is there a reason you think otherwise?” The doctor asked when he turned off the ultrasound machine. He grabbed a wet cloth and wiped the cold jelly off my belly as he helped pull my shirt over it.

I rubbed my belly, feeling my cheeks growing warm. Ever since I had that dream about that strange man and my baby, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. I was terrified that something was wrong with my baby. I called the doctor almost immediately after Xaden left for the day and I quickly went to the doctor's office.

“I was just nervous,” I told him, biting my lower lip.

He sighed and leaned against the bed.

“Look, I know you are a first-time mom and this whole thing is rather scary. But you need to trust me when I tell you that your baby, though he’s quite big, is also very healthy. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

I let out a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around my body.

“Thank you, Doctor,” I told him.

He nodded and watched me as I left his office. Maggie was waiting for me in the waiting room, and she looked incredibly nervous. I could tell she was deep in her thoughts. When I entered the room, she jumped to her feet and smoothed out her skirt with her hands.

“Is everything okay?” She asked.

I put my hands on my belly and nodded.

“Yes,” I told her. “I’m ready to go home now.”

She nodded thoughtfully and escorted me outside and to the waiting car. The driver got out and opened the car doors for us and we got into the car. Maggie and I sat in silence as the car drove through the capital and stopped in front of Xaden’s mansion. Maggie helped me out of the car and after thanking the driver, we walked inside. The mansion felt too big at times, and I often felt lonely when Xaden wasn’t around, but I was grateful to have Maggie by my side, even if she was only here out of duty.

“I’ll get you some food,” Maggie said with a warm smile. “You must be famished.”

My stomach grumbled and I realized for the first time that I was in fact hungry.

“Thank you,” I told her as I went into the living room to sit on one of the comfortable couches. My body ached from standing on my feet; I was almost 2 months pregnant, but my belly was already showing and weighing on my back. I held my stomach as I took my seat, rubbing my hands up and down my belly as I felt the movement of my baby.

“I will protect you, baby,” I said softly to my baby. “I promise…”

I must have fallen asleep because I felt a pair of warm hands on my face. When I opened my eyes, Maggie was standing over me with a worried frown on her face.

“You are warmer than usual. I think you have a slight fever,” she told me softly. “I fixed you some soup and tea.” She motioned for the table in front of me and helped me sit up.

I didn’t feel ill, but now that she mentioned it, I was a bit warm and kind of lightheaded. I thought maybe I was just groggy after taking a nap though.

“I’m okay,” I assured her as I stretched. “This looks delicious, thank you.”

She nodded but the concerned look never left her face.

“I’ll fix you a bath and get you tucked into bed so you can rest for the rest of the evening,” Maggie said as she started to walk away. “If your condition worsens, I’ll call the doctor.”

“Maggie….?” I stopped her before she left.

She paused and turned to look at me.

“Please, don’t say anything to Xaden. I don’t want him to worry over me,” I told him.

She looked uneasy about my request, but after seeing the seriousness in my eyes she finally relented and nodded.

“I won’t say anything unless it worsens,” she told me.

I nodded and watched as she left. I picked up the bowl of soup and inhaled the delicious scent. My mouth was practically watering; I didn’t realize how hungry I was until the food was right in front of me. I took my first mouthful and moaned as the different flavors hit my taste buds. I took a sip of the tea, and I felt my body calming. It was lavender-flavored, and it was one of my favorites.

By the time I finished with my meal, Maggie returned.

“Your bath is ready,” she told me. I nodded and stood to my feet.

I walked upstairs while Maggie cleaned up my plates and I went into the bathroom. I smiled when I saw that the tub was filled to the brim with bubbles. I took in the calming scents and allowed my body to ease. I stripped off my clothes, placing them in the hamper because Maggie had comfortable clothes laid out for me on the counter.

I stuck my foot in the tub of water first, testing the temperature. It was hot, but not scorching, so I put my other foot in the tub and lowered myself into the bubbling water. I closed my eyes, allowing the hot water and the calming scents to relax my body. I’m not entirely sure how long I stayed like that, but it was long enough for me to doze off.

“Maeve… wake up!” I heard my name being called and my eyes flew open immediately. I sat up, looking around the empty bathroom with a frown.

That was strange.

Had I been dreaming?

I’m usually able to remember my dreams, but this time I couldn’t. The voice I heard was so familiar though. I swallowed the lump in my throat and wiped the soap off my face before I got out of the tub. I grabbed a warm towel off the shelf and wrapped it around my body, feeling a bit uneasy.

I couldn’t help but feel as if there were eyes on me; I felt like I was being watched. I brushed the thought out of my head, not wishing to freak myself out. But just as I turned and my eyes caught sight of the window across the bathroom, my entire body turned frigid when my eyes met those of a man standing on the other side.

I was on the second floor of the mansion, so he would have to be in one of the trees outside for him to be at the window, but his eyes were clear as day and they were staring directly at me. It looked as if he was about to open the window, but then I screamed loudly, stopping his movements. With how dark it was getting outside and the shadows casting dusky rays across his face, I could hardly make out any of his features, but his eyes were unfamiliar.

I heard the shuffling of feet outside of the bathroom door and soon it was flying open. In the blink of an eye, the man at the window was gone and I was left gasping for breath as I fought to keep my racing heart under control.

I was relieved to see Xaden rushing towards me with a couple of guards on his tail. When he saw that I was wearing nothing but a towel, he growled at the guards to stay at the door and not come anywhere near me. They obeyed him without a second thought.

“Maeve, talk to me. What happened?” Xaden asked. I pointed a shaky hand at the window unable to form any words. “What is it? What did you see??”

“T…there was a… a man,” I stammered as I finally pulled my eyes away from the window to look up at Xaden. “He… he was w…watching me…”

He looked over his shoulder at his warriors.

“I want this permitter searched for that man,” he ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they said all at once and then they hurried to search the grounds.

Xaden turned back to me and wrapped his arms around my trembling body.

“It’s okay. He can’t hurt you, Maeve. I’m here now. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he assured me, rubbing his warm hands up and down my back. I finally let tears escape my eyes and soak over my cheeks.

“I was so scared,” I whispered as I buried my face in his chest.

“I heard screaming; is everything okay?” Maggie asked as she rushed into the bathroom, breathless from running.

“There was a strange man outside of the bathroom window,” Xaden spoke without looking at her. “I don’t want anyone coming or going besides my warriors until he’s found. Understood?”

“Y…yes,” she said, lowering her head. “Maeve, are you all right?”

I sniffled and wiped the remaining tears off my cheeks before peeking up at Xaden. I felt much better with him here and even my body seemed to have stopped trembling.

“Yes,” I finally answered after a moment. “I’m okay. Just a little freaked out.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Maeve, no harm will come to you. We will make sure of it.”