He’d essentially crumbled into sleep after the last time they’d been intimate.

He started sniffing her hair, her neck, her chest, moving lower as if he was trying to find the source. Her eyes snapped open wide, and she lightly pushed him back.

She ran to the washroom.

Reia squealed in delight when she realised that the annoying, nagging pain in her stomach had been because she was bleeding between her thighs.

“Yes!” She pumped her arm into the air. “Never been so happy to have my freaking period.”

Never in her life would she think she’d have a pregnancy scare with a Duskwalker! She bounced down the hallway, thankful they didn’t have to fret about him eating her at the smell of her blood now.

He twisted his head at her, seeming to be utterly confused. “I don’t understand why you’re happy. Doesn’t this usually cause you pain?”

“Oh, I’m definitely in pain, but I’d rather this than be pregnant!”

His eyes turned dark yellow in curiosity. “But we cannot make a child. Why would you be worried about this?”

Her cheeks heated slightly, as if she was nervous about being in trouble.

“I, uh, kind of had a conversation with the Witch Owl earlier.”

A light growl immediately emitted from his throat.

“I told you not to speak with her.”

She rolled her eyes at him and the fact he never seemed to learn she rarely did as she was told. There were more important things to speak about anyway.

“I know where you came from, Orpheus, and what you actually are. You’re part-spirit, part-human. And when I gave

you my soul, you turned me into a Phantom – which is also part spirit.”

“I still don’t understand why this would make you worried when you weren’t before.”

They’d never spoken about this, and Reia had freely let him release inside her because she hadn’t thought it would matter. She didn’t know if having a child with Orpheus was something she wanted, but being able to have the choice was a relief. Her future was uncertain. All she knew was that it would always have him in it.

She laughed as she reached up to cup his snout and drag his head closer so she could rest her own against it.

“You made me like you, and it means we’re compatible now.”

He lowered to a crouch to bring himself to her eye level.

“So, this means we can make a child?”

“Yes.” She gave him a little smile as she said, “But I still don’t want to now.”

Orpheus shrunk away from her, his eyes turning a deep blue. “You don’t want to do this with me?”

Her forehead crinkled when she realised he appeared hurt by what she said.

“I meant not yet. I’m not ready for something like that.”

That seemed to ease him, and his eyes returned to yellow.

He crept forward, tapping his snout with a claw in thought before he did it to the lower part of her stomach.

“But I would like to do this. I didn’t know I could place my seed in your womb for you to grow, but I would like you to bear my youngling.” He continued to tap her stomach, as if that would magically make it happen. “I will protect it.”

“I’m sure you would,” she replied, backing up only for Orpheus to follow. “But not now.”

“Why not now, Reia?”

Okay, so maybe she shouldn’t have told him since he now was very set on the idea. She hadn’t expected him to be so wanting of a child.

What would it even look like?

The Witch Owl had said she should be careful if she didn’t want to birth darkness, so would it be like Orpheus? A Duskwalker? She couldn’t even begin to imagine what he would have looked like as a child that wouldn’t have had a skull. She knew all the fur, fins, and flesh on him came from what he ate.

She was worried what strange thing she’d give birth to.

“Because I would like to be alone with you.” He lifted his face to her and gave an inquisitive tilt of his head. “A child would take my attention away from you.”

“Could I also be involved in the child’s attention?”

Shit. She thought that would work to deter him.

She narrowed her eyes to give him a stern expression.

“Orpheus, I’m saying no.”

“No?”

He started tapping at his snout once more, and it was only something she’d seen him do when he was very deep in thought.

“And I would like you to figure out the spell the Witch Owl told me you can do to stop it from happening.”

“But I don’t know how to do that.”

She pursed her lips.

I have to give him a reason to want to learn the spell.

Folding her arms across her chest, she lifted her chin while turning her head to the side.

“Well, I won’t be having sex with you until you figure it out.”

She saw in her peripheral that his eyes turned white once more. He came forward, reaching up so he could place his hand on the side of her face.

“But I don’t know how to do a spell like that,” he repeated a little more hastily. “And I want to be close to you.”