Page 79 of His Realm

“In that vein,” she began as her stomach growled, “do you have any snacks here?”

“I make excellent pizza,” he informed her, “and some I only have to put into the oven.”

“Oh,” she whimpered. “Yes, please. I only don’t eat anchovies.”

He nodded. “I confess that I don’t understand about the little fish, so I will only add the red tomato sauce and the white mozzarella di bufala I made yesterday. I normally add fresh basil, oregano, and fresh olive oil for him as well.”

“That sounds amazing. And do you have any more of that cherry juice the queen borrowed from you?”

His whole face lit up. “Did you like that?”

She put a hand on his arm. “It was awesome. I can’t have wine at the moment, so anything that comes close, I’m in love with.”

And then she gasped, as if terrified, her hand tightening on him.

“Ode?” He put his hand on top of hers. “What frightens you?”

“Honey?” I asked, moving over beside her, Duro there before me, hand on her back as she continued to hold on to Dae-Jung.

“I didn’t even think before I— I’m going to have a baby, and I drank the queen’s blood, and what if⁠—”

“Oh no. No, no, no,” Dae-Jung soothed her, walking her over to the couch near the open window so the cool breeze would brush over her. He sat down with her, smiling the whole time. “As you carry a half vampyr within you, your child will soak in the protein from that blood and it will be beneficial, as your own body will be granted a reprieve.”

“You know about baby vampyrs? Because the human doula I have, she’s awful, and I’m not going back, and we haven’t been able to find a vampyr one.”

“We have many midwives here at the palace, but most importantly, you must eat on schedule. Human babies, from what I understand, take nutrients from their mothers. Vampyr babies take blood as well.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means you must, from now until the child is born, take blood from your mate daily. Not a lot, but as the queen gave you today.”

She turned to Duro, who crouched down beside her. “It won’t be a hardship for me at all,” he told her. “And if cherry juice is what you love, I’ll mix mine as well.”

“You would?”

“Of course. I would do anything for you, well you know this.”

She put her hand on his cheek. “This is why my mother loves you.”

“Yes,” he said smugly. “She does adore me.”

Ode rolled her eyes.

“She tells me often.”

“Does she?” I asked, grinning at her.

“You know how she was with you? Imagine that ten times more.”

“I’m jealous,” I told Duro.

“Her sons hate me, as I am highly favored.”

I glanced at Ode.

She nodded. “They do hate him. He’s never too busy to go to the store or to church with her, and Varic pays him to watch over me as I’m the favorite of his consort, so Duro gets paid to eat lunch with me every day.”

“I love this,” I told her, imagining her brothers staring daggers at Duro.