Page 216 of Nightshade

“Definitely not. I’m not as proficient in the language, but I do understand it.” Jericho pulled me in for a kiss. Slow and gentle, he held my face and kissed me with a thousand promises. “Hi,” he said, when he pulled away.

Warmth swelled inside my chest. I kissed him again and smiled against his lips. “Hi.”

An upward glance showed the blood red moon in the sky, casting a crimson haze over the black sea, and with the cathedral’s silhouette in the foreground, the sight took my breath away. For the first time since I’d arrived in this strange land, I felt home.

Home.

It was then it occurred to me.

The prophecy.

I should’ve died tonight.

The sliver of black at the edge of the moon told me the eclipse would soon pass.

Jericho’s words from days ago echoed through my mind.

There is only one way to break the curse.

A strange sensation expanded behind my ribs.

Pregnant?

Confused, I touched my hand to my stomach and turned to face Jericho.

His lips slanted into a perplexed-looking smile, gaze flitting between my hand and my face.

Neither of us said a word, perhaps both of us caught in a state of shock. A tearful laugh finally bubbled out of me, as a wave of nervous excitement left me trembling from the discovery.

“A baby?” I whispered. I hadn’t wanted one, if I was being honest. Had never dreamed of children, or pregnancy, at all. But suddenly, it took on new meaning. The obscurity of before sharpened into piercing black eyes and soft black hair. Jericho’s baby. Inside of me. My body. Through tears of utter surprise, I laughed again and threw my arms around him.

“You are my eternity,” he whispered.

Someone approaches!

Voices coming from above pulled my attention to where the birds circled overhead.

Frowning, I unraveled my hands from his neck and stared up at the sky.

A sharp grunt snapped my attention back to Jericho. The smile on his face faded to something that, had it been capable of reaching out, would’ve punched through my heart with irreparable damage. Through a haze of tears, I looked down to where, from the center of his chest, the tip of a sword protruded.

A gut-wrenching whoosh. Followed by another.

On the ground, at either side of him, lay two magnificent, severed wings.

Panic rose inside of me.

The world moved in slow motion. Tick. Tick. Tick. Like the clock in the belltower.

I couldn’t breathe. My throat tugged for a single sip of air, but my lungs remained locked.

Frozen.

Breathe. Breathe!

Behind him, stood his attacker. A man I only vaguely recognized.

Shifting my gaze back to Jericho, I searched for assurance. Hope. The safety and security that I’d come to expect in him.