a father before, and until this prophecy, I never thought it was possible. Children were only for the living.”
I understood his confusion, but that didn’t excuse the secrets. “I’d never been a mother before, Zane. You should have come to me. Instead, you kept this from me.”
He reached for my face, and I smacked his hand away, knocking his ring against my knuckle. Pain ricocheted up my arm. I stared down at the offending object and felt genuine hatred for it.
“I didn’t know the bone came from Marco,” he said. “I only knew that I had to wear it to keep you from knowing what I know.”
“Are you keeping anything else from me?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not going to tell me?”
“Fate cannot be interrupted.”
“And you think I’ll do something to throw it off,” I concluded.
His knees gave from underneath him, but he caught himself. “I know you will, Lorena.”
“Why?” How bad was the future? What was going to happen? Did I die? Were Zane and the guys going to raise my baby without me? “Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Then, don’t talk to me again.”
He backed away, and I watched acceptance cover his features. “All right, Lorena. As you wish.”
That was it? That was all I got?
The hurt I felt was fathomless. The bottomless pit of blackness spread through my chest and hardened my heart. “I’m not going to let you hurt me again. I won’t keep you from the baby, but we can’t be together anymore.”
I saw a single tear fall down his face before he turned away. “You may reject me, but I will always be yours, and you will always be my queen.” He left in a rush, flying from the room in a blink.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I became aware of my audience a moment later. I’d just broken up with one of my boyfriends in front of everyone.
I ran up to my room and fell onto my bed. I bounced once and grabbed my pillow. I buried my face and screamed as I cried. My sobs were bone-chilling but quietly trapped in the fabrics of the cotton. I cried for a long time. I cried for my baby and me. I cried because my child’s parents were now at odds, just like my parents had been.
I wanted better for my baby. I hoped Zane was wrong about being the father, but I also hoped he wasn’t. While I couldn’t be with him, I did want his baby. At least a part of him would always be mine.
I was tempted to forgive him and just put on a front of happiness, but I didn’t have it in me. Lorena Meredith Quinn deserved the truth, and Zane had hurt me too many times to accept anything less.
Hours ago, my anger for Sirius had been unforgivable, but now it was murderous. He’d taken Marco, and now he’d taken Zane from me. He’d tried to take Aisling, and he’d taken Dr. Shaw as well. Who else would he steal? How much loss would I suffer until I put an end to this?
I flipped over when the need for oxygen grew too great to ignore. The air crawled into my lungs. I held back another sob.
There was a light knock on my door.
“I didn’t give you permission to come in,” I shouted as the door opened. A second later, I sat up.
Half of Alan’s face was visible between the crack.
I looked out the window. Night had arrived during my mourning. I didn’t want to get up. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to be around anyone or to have anyone around me.
“May I come in?”
I nodded the affirmative.
All right, so maybe I did want someone around me.
Alan came in, and I smiled as I took in the fancy top and dark breeches he was wearing. The clothes were a familiarity I needed right now. While his hair had been chopped to a length that I was still getting used to his smile was everything I needed. The white lace billowed around his slim waist as he moved closer.
He was memorizing to watch in motion, like a pale dream.
He stopped beside me. I turned my legs to hang off the bed, and he stepped between them before settling his hands against my face. His touch was cold, but his presence heated me enough to melt the block of ice that had formed around my heart.
My bed sat high enough that Alan and I were still the same height.
My angel lowered his mouth to mine, and