Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings Of Dakkar #1) - Zoey Draven Page 0,93

that he felt what I felt. From the beginning, I knew he wanted children. He’d told me many times. He’d told me that I would give him many. He’d always believed I would, while I’d been the one with the doubts.

But not now. I was pregnant. I was happy. I was in love with a horde king of Dakkar who had taken me from a life, only to give me a new one. A better one. A life where I felt free. Loved.

Tears pricked my eyes and ran down my cheek as Arokan kissed me. Then I gasped when he hitched me up into arms and strode the rest of the way to our voliki, intent to celebrate the news in a much different, much more private way.

In my ear, he rasped, “You honor me, my Luna. I am proud to be your male.”

Afterwards, I laid against the cushions in our bed, flushed from pleasure, from head-to-toe. My horde king had been thorough and insatiable and I’d loved every moment of it.

I stroked his hair, threading my fingers through it, as he rested his head on my belly. Though the baby was only beginning to grow, while it would still be a while before I began to show, Arokan pressed words into my flesh.

Dakkari words. Soft and low. Some words I understood, but most I did not. Regardless, his voice brought tears to my eyes because I knew they were words of hope, of love, of promise.

Arokan would make a wonderful father. That I knew with certainty.

Our voliki was quiet and warm. My husband was pressed against me and ever so slowly, his words lulled me into sleep.

Everything was falling into place. We’d arrived to our new camp safely, my brother and I had reunited, the distance between Hukan and I was lessening, and now I was pregnant with Arokan’s child.

But that night, though I lay in the safety and warmth of my horde king’s arms, my dreams were dark.

As dark as the black vine forest.

As if Kakkari herself was warning me what would come next.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Water?” Jriva asked, the young boy sounding out the word slowly. Working with me at the pyroki pen, he’d picked up a few universal tongue words, water being one of them.

“Nik,” I said, smiling, reaching out to ruffle his hair, just like I did with my brother. The boy grinned. “Tei runi.”

You go.

Jriva was due for a break. The mrikro still had a cough from the journey—due to the dry weather in the southlands and the dirt he’d inhaled along the way—and the elderly Dakkari decided to rest that day in his tent, at the instructions of the healer. So it was just Jriva and I working in the enclosure.

I watched the young boy nod and then exit out the gate, running towards the front of the camp where the water barrels were kept. Knowing Jriva, he would probably try his chance at charming some bveri meat or some of the kuveri sweet bread from the cooks while he was there.

Alone with the pyroki, I blew out a long breath and wiped at some of the sweat on my forehead. That morning, I’d gotten a late start due to morning sickness. It had reared its head the past couple mornings, leaving me tired and pale. Arokan had stayed with me longer than he should’ve that morning, worried, hovering over me as I emptied my stomach into the chamber pot.

He did not like seeing me sick. He’d sent for the healer and she’d mixed together a tea, which had helped settle my stomach. After an hour resting in bed, I couldn’t stand another moment in the tent, so I’d gone to the pyroki pen, though Arokan had protested.

I wouldn’t be cooped up in the tent for the duration of my pregnancy, so I would simply push past any discomfort. Morning sickness was temporary, but the satisfaction I felt working was lasting.

A short distance away, I saw Kivan hard at work too. Since Arokan said he had a proclivity for crops—considering he’d burned the earth in order to enrich it—Kivan was planting purple Dakkari grain, which would be harvestable in just a few months, even with the cold season coming. I didn’t know how long we would remain in the southlands, but Arokan seemed to think long enough to grow a small field of crops.

Kivan caught my eye and I gave him a little wave. He nodded, giving me a small grin I hadn’t seen in