And yours will be next. Yours. Yours will be next. Yours. Yours. Yours. Mikael couldn't stop the words from repeating themselves. Thesan held him tightly. Mikael was hardly aware of his father's presence. Yours will be next.

His? His what? What Melantha was implying... It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. She was toying with him. She was just trying to get inside his mind. Estelle was always so careful to take her contraceptive tonic, especially after the warnings Elain had given her.

Mikael stared ahead blankly. And yours will be next. Had she taken the tonic after they left the clearing? That was when Venelia had been kidnapped. Mother above, she hadn't, had she? Had she the time before? How long had it been? Was it true? Did Estelle know? And yours will be next. Yours. Yours. Yours.

Mikael loosed a shuddering breath. By the Cauldron...Estelle, his mate, was pregnant. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. A flood of emotions overtook him. Joy, excitement, and fear. So much fear. His mate was pregnant. He was a father! Estelle was a prisoner. It was so early yet. The stress and strain on her body could become too much. Melantha knew. Did Estelle?

Someone was calling his name. Mikael blinked again, shaking his head. "Mikael?" Thesan shook him gently.

"I..." Mikael swallowed hard. "I didn't know." He looked past his father's shoulder and saw Azriel, Seren, and Lysander watching him. "I swear I didn't know. I had no idea. I..."

Thesan moved aside as Lysander gripped Mikael's arm, pulling him to his feet. "We know," he replied. "Estelle probably didn't know either. She would've told us if she did."

Mikael gazed around the area. It seemed like many of the High Lords and Ladies, along with their friends, had already left. He barely registered that observation. He saw Melantha clamp the ashwood collar around Estelle's neck. He saw the corpses take her.

    Pregnant. She was pregnant. Would the ashwood affect the baby? Would Estelle's stifled magic cause too much stress on her body? Did she know? He tugged on the Bond, knowing there wouldn't be a response.

Seren gripped his shoulder. "Mikael?" He attempted to push the thoughts aside. "Don't let your fears run away with you. She'll be all right."

"I had no idea," Mikael whispered. "I never would've let her do this if I'd known." He scrubbed at his face, letting his fingers glide back through his hair. He exhaled sharply.

Azriel approached him and Mikael tensed. He looked up, expecting to see something like anger in the Shadowsinger's eyes. Instead, he saw fear and...understanding? "I..." Mikael began.

"I know," Azriel interrupted. "Seren..."

Seren nodded and steered Lysander away. They rejoined Thesan and Ameer, who waited with Corbin, Nyx, Rhysand, and Feyre. Tamlin was close by with Lucien, whispering to himself, "She didn't even look at me. She didn't reach for me, or call for me. Only him."

"He is her mate, Tamlin," Lucien replied. His voice was hard as he crossed his arms. "He is the father of her child. Your grandchild. She will always look to him first. If you wanted her to look to you, maybe you should've given her that choice when it mattered."

"Instead, you demanded to be the one she turned to. You tried to keep them apart, and even when you let her go, you didn't really. You insult her family daily. You make it very clear what you think of her mate. I don't doubt you'll tell her exactly what you think of her baby too."

"It shouldn't surprise you that she trusts Nyx more than you. She loves him, and he loves her. He loves her in ways you never did. He loves her enough to give her the freedom to make her own choices. Perhaps if you did the same, you would be one of those choices." Lucien spun on his heel and walked away, leaving a speechless Tamlin behind.

"Mikael?" He pulled his attention back to Azriel. The male stood with his arms crossed. "Estelle would have told you if she'd known. Don't blame yourself for what has happened."

"I can't help it. I've known for five minutes and already, I've come up with thousands of ways Melantha can use this against us. Thousands of ways she could hurt Estelle. She could hurt..." Mikael doubled over, covering his face in his hands. "Fucking Cauldron." Tears stung his eyes. "She could hurt the baby. What if she does something to Estelle that... It will break her. What if she doesn't know? What if..."

"Stop," Azriel ordered, gripping Mikael's shoulders. "I know the fears you're facing right now. Believe me, I do. I know how hard it is to look past them, but you have to. This is what Melantha wants. She wants to get inside your head and make you desperate. Desperate enough to do anything to save them."

"I already would've done anything. Now..." His heart faltered and Mikael sucked down a few deep breaths.

"Now, you need to take this fear and focus it. Turn it into anger and instincts. Turn it into clarity. Melantha thinks she has weakened you by telling you this, but she hasn't," Azriel said firmly. "She only strengthened you. Your instincts are about to become stronger than they've ever been before. Stronger than when your Mating Bond first formed. You remember what that was like."

Mikael nodded, although he couldn't imagine how his instincts could become stronger than that. "She has your mate chained up in some dark, damp prison," Azriel growled. "Your pregnant mate. You aren't just fighting for Estelle's life anymore, Mikael. You are fighting for hers and your baby's."

Mikael swallowed, drawing deep breaths. Azriel was right. He couldn't let this news cripple him. It had to strengthen him. His heart raced as he turned Azriel's words over in his mind. Finally, he gave a small nod. "You're right."

Azriel released him. "Let's go make a plan. One that will be guaranteed to save your mate. My daughter." Mikael held his gaze briefly before they rejoined the rest of the group.

◦═══✦═══◦

Venelia sobbed hysterically. Estelle held her, trying to calm her down. She stroked Venelia's hair, whispering softly. Even the shadows were moving more than normal, trying to comfort Venelia. They brushed across her cheeks, wiping her tears away as they fell.

Evren held one of Venelia's hands while Elain and Cresseida watched with unmasked concern. Wynter was nearby too. He looked as though he wanted to help, but couldn't make himself come any closer.

"It's all right, Ven," Estelle murmured. "You're all right."

"He was right there!" Venelia gasped, staring at her trembling hands. "Nyx was right there. I touched him. He was right there. I was almost safe." She sobbed even harder. "I'm sorry. I don't want to leave you all here. I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."

"We know," Evren answered. "We know, Venelia. It's all right. I need you to take deep calming breaths. You're putting stress on your baby..."

"They were all there. Our parents, mates, friends, and family. All of them. They..." Venelia hunched forward, her shoulders shaking as she coughed. The rattling in her lungs had worsened. "They were right there. All of them. And they couldn't do a thing."

Venelia buried her face against Estelle's neck. Her tears continued to fall, but she attempted to quiet herself. "I want to go home," she rasped. "I just want to go home."

Estelle blinked back tears of her own and hugged Venelia tightly, resting her cheek atop matted auburn hair. She closed her eyes, waiting for Venelia's breathing to even out. She must have fallen asleep at some point, because when she next opened her eyes, her companions had moved and Venelia was asleep with her head in Evren's lap.

Estelle grimaced, her head pounding. She knew there was no water to be had; not that it would help anyway. "Her fever is worsening," Evren sighed. Estelle didn't reply. She gazed around the room. Elain and Cresseida were asleep close by, but there was no sign of Wynter. "Melantha summoned him about two hours ago," Evren said, noting Estelle's gaze. "You were asleep."

"For how long?"

Evren shrugged. "Five or six hours maybe? Food was brought down. Do you want some?" She reached sideways and grabbed a bucket of scraps.

Estelle turned her head away, the scent of the food curdling her stomach. "Not right now." She massaged her temples with a weary sigh. "I need water more than anything. My headache is worse today."

"You're not falling sick too, are you?" Evren leaned over, pressing her knuckles against Estelle's forehead.

Estelle shook her forehead. "I feel fine except for my headache."

"Maybe eating something will help, since we don't have water."

Estelle sighed and took a scrap of cheese from the bucket. She bit into it and chewed slowly. The scent was almost overwhelming. Cresseida blinked her eyes open and shifted, waking Elain in turn.

"Do you think She is doing something to the food to make Venelia sick and give Estelle headaches?" Cresseida asked with a drowsy yawn.

"If she was, wouldn't it affect the rest of us too?" Elain pointed out.

Estelle swallowed and closed her eyes, her stomach churning. She dropped down to her hands and knees and crawled away from Venelia, as far as her chains would allow. Elain reached for her, then recoiled as Estelle vomited.

"Now I really need water," Estelle rasped.

Her arms shook as she tried to slow the rapid beating of her heart by drawing deep breaths. She lifted her gaze, meeting Elain's. There was a small amount of knowing horror within Elain's eyes. Estelle didn't question it. She didn't want to know what Elain had thought of. She didn't want to know if it was something she had already considered herself. She shuddered and was sick again.

"Estelle, do you think you might be..." Cresseida began.

Estelle shook her head and Cresseida paused. "Don't. I don't want to confirm anything right now."

"You may have to," Evren replied gently.

"No. It will worry Venelia and Wynter will try to do...something. Make a bargain with Her for our release. I don't want that. I don't want either of them worrying about me. None of you either."

Estelle turned away from them, closing her eyes as she wiped a hand across her mouth. All was silent and then she heard the clink of chains. She cracked an eye open as Elain drew closer to her. "Is it Mikael's?" Elain murmured, almost inaudibly.

Estelle closed her eyes again. "Yes," she whispered, and that knowledge brought her some form of relief, however slight.