Page 51 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Chapter Nineteen
Dreagan
Eurwen couldn’t stop thinking about when Vaughn had told her the story of his stillborn child. His pain had been there for all to see. He no longer hid it. Unfortunately, Darius and Sophie either chose to ignore that or didn’t recognize it for what it was.
“Are you the only two attempting to have a child?” Eurwen asked the couple.
Sophie looked at Darius and smiled. “We’ve not spoken to anyone else about this.”
“At least you spared V and Claire that,” Vaughn said.
Darius’s gaze cut to Vaughn. “Would you really have all of us live forever without children?”
“I would spare you the agony of losing another one,” Vaughn snapped. He sighed, visibly distressed. “I would expect you, of anyone, to understand what it means to lose a child.”
Darius’s nostrils flared in anger. “I’ll never forget that pain. Ever.”
“Then why?” Vaughn demanded in exasperation. “Why would you put yourself and Sophie in such a position?”
Eurwen looked between the two, suddenly realizing what Vaughn was saying. Darius had also lost a child. Now she understood why Vaughn was so distraught about Darius’s and Sophie’s seemingly flippant decision.
Darius drew in a deep breath and turned his head to Sophie. His lips softened as he gazed into her eyes, his love evident. “I can’t change the past. Nor do I wish to. The love I share with Sophie is more than I ever thought I would have. She’s helped to heal the broken pieces of my heart. I didn’t spare any details of what I went through. We’ve had numerous discussions about the odds and what could happen. It isn’t an easy decision. But it’s something we both want.”
Sophie smiled, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. Eurwen’s heart was torn. She saw the affection between Darius and Sophie and why they wished to attempt to have a child. Eurwen’s gaze slid back to Vaughn, and her heart broke all over again for the pain reflected in his eyes. This kind of decision was one that would have to be made by each couple once they knew the facts of both sides.
Eurwen realized this conversation wasn’t going anywhere. It was time she stopped it. She caught Sophie’s attention. “You think I’m different because I was born on Death’s realm and have lived for some time on Zora, right?”
“I do,” Sophie said as she turned her attention to Eurwen. “I gather you don’t?”
Eurwen shook her head. “You know my parents.”
“And that in itself is something to consider,” Darius said.
Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Darius, you’re my brother. We’ve stood together for countless millennia. Sophie, I hold you in high regard for your ability as a doctor. You’ve done great work. I understand why you want to study Eurwen, but as she told you, she’s no different than Melisse.”
“I’d like the opportunity to find out,” Sophie stated.
Eurwen shook her head. “No.”
“What are you hiding?” Darius asked.
Eurwen raised her brows, surprised at the vehemence in his words. “Nothing.”
“Then it won’t hurt for me to examine you. Take some x-rays as well as blood,” Sophie said.
Vaughn moved closer to Eurwen. “She’s given her answer. Perhaps you should start gathering data from Melisse or us first.”
Darius said nothing as he took Sophie’s hand, and the couple exited the library.
Once they were gone, Eurwen turned to Vaughn. “Are you all right?”
“It’s like they couldna hear me.”
“It isn’t that they couldn’t. It’s that they didn’t want to.”
Vaughn shook his head as his Persian blue eyes met hers. “If you had been here for the last nine months of Claire’s pregnancy, you would understand how shocked I am.”
“I might not have been here, but I heard your and my parents’ words about the couple. I also saw V and Claire for myself. Why do you think I agreed to let Claire go to Zora? If there’s a chance the child could be born alive, I want them to have it. It’s the least they deserve after what Usaeil did to them.”
Vaughn walked to the sofa and sank onto the edge of a cushion as he rested his forearms on his knees. “Please doona think I doona want my brethren to have children.”
“I don’t think that,” she told him. “I know why you hold that opinion.”
He turned his head to her. “If Claire and V’s bairn is born alive, more Kings and their mates will start trying for their own.”
“Maybe that’s what is supposed to happen.”
“Eurwen, I lost a child with a woman who wasna my mate and it nearly broke me. Magnify that a hundred times, and that might come close to what it would feel like between a King and his mate.”
She sat beside him, wanting to comfort him in any way she could. “They will lean on each other.”
“Some will. Some willna. That kind of loss can destroy once-strong bonds.”
