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He cleared his throat and sat back, dropping , Ara?"

I stared at hi moment "Did you sleep with her?"

"When?"

"Ever I don’t know You share blood, you were clearly ‘best buds’ in high school" I sat up, placing my feet to the floor in front of David’s "Have you slept with her?"

His gaze stayed on my feet "No"

"Look me in the eye and say that"

He looked reen "No I never slept with Eirl?"

"I just…she…" He ran his hand through his hair again "When I first got to the school, Emily was the only nice person there I had to work my way up in the ranks, Ara I was prettyfor the first semester"

"Really?"

"Yeah" He laughed "Good thing I can handle a punch But it wasn’t until I joined the football team that people started to respect ed "What can I say; I was pretty broken I just didn’t care"

I took his hand "I’m sorry"

He pulled his hand from s that uess, bad for her"

"Like what?"

He hesitated "This is her personal business, my love All I can say is that I kind of took her under ?"

"Nothing Just…they just treated her like a piece of meat She didn’t deserve that"

"In ay?"

He stood up, his shadow taking the warmth of the sun from my face "It doesn’t uess Made it seem like ere some kind of item"

"Like you owned her?"

He nodded "Yeah"

"And she was okay with this?"

He turned around to facehis hands from his head "Yeah"

"Did you know she was in love with you back then?"

He laughed "Yeah But…it was little-girl-love, Ara Very different to how she feels for Mike now"

I nodded I understood that love only too well

"Jason?" Walter said, co down the stairs toward us

"Walter," David said, tipping an iinary hat "Lovely day"

"Splendid And I see you’reyourself acquainted with our queen" Walter clapped him on the shoulder "So, there may be hope for this prophecy child after all?"

David turned his head and winked at hed He played his brother so well even I was convinced; he beca his shoulders, his eyes and his voice for a second

"Good Good Hopefully we’ll have word of an heir within the , and Walter headed down the base of the garden, leaving us alone again

"We’re going to announce it next nancy"

"You can’t," he said, sitting down, the weighted, stiff version of David taking over the light-hearted act of his brother

"Why?"

"They’ll check you if there’re no obvious signs"

"But--"

"I know" He held his hands up "I knoe said it would be good to flush out ulterior ed It won’t be so easy"

"So, what do we do?"

He sat back "Nothing"

"Nothing?"

"Nope There’s nothing to be done We’ll just catch Drake and leave it at that If we drain him and starve him, his immunity will fade and then we can kill him"

"So that’s the plan? Just catch hiht now, yes" He frowned down at his hands "I just…I don’t think you’re ready for a child, Ara And I know you’ll do it for the sake of your people and the Iht now and there are other e can kill Drake I don’t want to put you through a teen pregnancy if I don’t have to"

"So you think I can’t handle it?"

He scratched his cheekbone "It’s not to be insulting, my love I just…you’re only nineteen"

I wanted to be insulted, but I was a little bit too happy for that

"What?" he said "Why are you s?"

I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck "Thank you, Da--son"

"For what?" He laughed, patting ht I’m not ready to have a baby, but I…I just didn’t want to let everyone down"

He squeezed ht "I know"

I smiled into his neck "You always know"

"But, for now, I need you to continue this fake relationship"

"Why?" I gasped, sitting back

"It gives nant, they’re not hassling for a wedding or pushing you to bare a child They’re at ease If you ‘break up’ with Jason, they may actually force you to fornicate with a ht end up being Walter"

"Walter? Why hihed "The House want hi closely"

"But he’s Lilithian"