"Even in kingdoms built on power and prophecy, the greatest upheavals often begin not with war, but with the whisper of new life."
The shock of Silas's question, "Could your mate be pregnant?" was a systemic question that caught me off guard. It was the one piece of chaotic unpredictability I had not factored into my five simultaneous crises. I was still grappling with the sheer, terrifying simplicity of it when the heavy door to Silas's study rattled. Before Silas could add more questions, the lock thunked open, and Niko swept in, radiating a quiet, self-possessed power that immediately cut through the dense whiskey-and-parchment air. She carried two more heavy tumblers and a small, corked vial filled with a clear, shimmering liquid that smelled faintly of mountain sage.
