Skipping the stairs down to the ground floor and going through the long hallway where she had previously left Zeidan and Luana, she could feel her body weakening with each step she took.

"You better be saying your last prayers, woman." She grumbled, face red and filled with rage. 

She couldn't believe it when Amber told her. But then, she had heard Chloe mention it subconsciously and she had even offered for her to go and confirm whether Hudson was still alive. 

Lyne ignored the weakness and tried pushing herself forward. They were no longer in the hallway, talking like she had left them. How could she have been so foolish to believe they had spent the last fifteen minutes just standing in one place and talking about the affairs of the city? More importantly, why is she feeling so insecure? Hadn't Zeidan promised to always be there for her? 

Maybe she isn't being insecure but Luana's presence is a threat to her marriage. Her boot heels clattered on the floor as she passed the hall and crossed to the palace, the guards bowing to salute her. 

Luana.

Always wanting everything to be about her. Title, validation, and hell, even her husband. Maybe it's time to teach her she's not a joke. As expected, Zeidan was in the palace room facing Luana who smiled up at him. He was chuckling as well. She burned with rage as she ran over to her and landed a punch on her jaw.

"Aargh!" Came the cry from Luana who fell with a thud.

"Lyne!" Zeidan yelled and moved to touch her but she pointed her index finger at him, warning him not to come close.

"Stand back. This is a fight between me and Luana."

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a starstruck blow landing on her face as well. She fell on the cemented floor, hurting her arm in the process. She writhed in pain but that wasn't all. She shifted immediately, surprised herself about how fast that was. There was a loud gasp that must have come from the guards and Luana. She rose, new energy coursing through her. As she jumped on Luana, the weakness came back and she felt another punch on her face, landing her on the floor. 

Even as she almost couldn't hear anything and she was as good as dead, she felt Luana grabbing her neck and lifting her to her feet. She had shifted but funny enough, her clothes were still intact. Strange.

Lyne felt something slick and warm roll down her lips to her chin and she knew she was bleeding but someone else gasped in pain. It was Luana and she dropped Lyne to the floor. Before she passed out, she looked up and saw Zeidan's face already transformed into a Vampire. It was terrifying to see him like that and he was holding Luana by the neck, obviously angry. 

"Never in your life." He thundered. "I'm repeating this. Don't you ever dare to touch my wife!" He roared and if she wasn't too weak with her vision getting blurry, it would have been so romantic to watch him stand up for her. Again.

"Zeidan! You're hurting me." She managed to gouge out the words but Zeidan wasn't having any of it as he kept raising her with one hand gripping her neck. 

"Lyne!" She heard a warm voice, worried and caring about her. The voice moved closer and she felt someone raise her head, placing one hand over her forehead.

"Your highness, this isn't the time to chide someone. We need to call Stevenson over! The Queen is burning." 

It was Chloe. Everly ready to save her.

Lyne could feel someone swooning her into large arms and a strong chest. It was soothing and she felt safe. She rested her head against the masculinity of Zeidan, and she could hear Luana coughing. Probably still trying to catch her breath.

★★★★★★★★★★

"Hey!" Lyne heard someone call softly and as she regained consciousness, she opened her eyes slowly.

At first, she could see a bright light flashing before her. It might blind her eyes if she keep staring at it and so she raised a hand to block the light. Just then, she felt someone touch her. The hand felt small and warm. It was gentle on her arm but she couldn't drop her hand to see the person because of the light.

"Save me, please." It sounded feeble. But it wasn't as frightening as when it suddenly turned dark. Pitch black and it would take a great deal of light to break through the darkness. 

She rose immediately, looking around. 

"Hello?" She called out shakily. 

"Mom?" She heard a voice. "Mom?" She knows too well that she hasn't had any child and it isn't possible unless it's a miracle of some sort and having a kid who could talk that clearly at her age would have to have been born when she was sixteen. At the age when all she cared about was washing her brother's sheets and cooking dinner.

"Who are you?" 

"It's me, mom."

"How're you, my child? I don't remember giving birth." She asked. 

"She's coming after me." The little kid's voice sounded indeed frightened.

"Protect me, mom. Please."

"My child?" Realization washed over her and as it did, the darkness started giving way. At first, a tiny light pierced through the dark and she waited, anticipating the face of this child.

Unfortunately, when the light finally came, she saw only a little girl covered in a mush of blood and raising her hand as if pleading for help. 

"Mom?!" She cried. She had dark hair like Zeidan's but took her blue eyes. An accurate description of what their child would look like. 

"Please, help me!"

But she couldn't even move. Talk more about helping. She only stood there and watched a dark figure walk toward the girl and pushed her further down into the floor with an axe. 

"No! No!" She screamed and closed her eyes.

Flinging her eyes open with a startling wake, she could see pairs of eyes standing over her and with all smiles. The atmosphere seemed happy. Chloe was standing by the bedside, a smile plastered over her face, Amber was by the feet, smiling widely, and the doctor was standing by a table packing his bags. And Zeidan, he was standing at the doorway, face downcast.

Why is everyone happy and smiling but he is not? 

"What happened?"

The doctor turned, smiling widely as well. Then, what the hell is wrong with Zeidan? Why did she collapse?

"What happened?" She asked and they all turned to Zeidan as if expecting him to say something.

"What?" He asked, looking surprised.

"Come on, you don't want us to tell her the news, do you?" It was Chloe.

"And I hear it's bad luck for other people to announce this kind of good news apart from the doctor or between the couple," Amber added.

She looked back at Zeidan, worried about what it might be. He left the doorway and that was when she realized Luana had been standing there too all along. Her heart thumped with rage.

"You..."

"You're pregnant." Zeidan blurted out, sitting gently beside her, a wry smile on his face.