No. This was wrong. He had been so careful before, but in his gloating, in his pride, he had forgotten to be careful. There it was, he felt its brand new spark within her- the promise of life come to fruition. A mongrel. A half-breed, worse than his cousin. The thought of accidentally siring a half-Celestial was abhorrent, yet here, in his woman, was his progeny.
He felt his ire rise and a bitter taste in the back of his mouth as he cursed himself. He let her feel the life in her - weeks before her human senses would have known - and only when he saw the mortified look on her face did his tune change. How dare she note want his child? She should have been elated, ready finally to devote herself to him - instead she tried to hide the look of bewildered disgust.
"You are happy, aren't you?" and he watched her struggle for words. She had none, so he put them there...
"Yes, I'm so happy."
"My people will accept it... they must."
"Of course."
"I was careless, but there are ways. My people will accept us."
His mind was stretching in many directions at once. He opened the window for Sanria, keeping the protections in place, satisfying her begging for fresh air. He watched as she sat beside it to read. Her face was silhouetted against the bright sky beyond, and the perfection of her face brought a sudden pang of longing and protectiveness to Velentham. He wanted her undying devotion with a fierce longing, and he would protect his mongrel child and woman with renewed effort. She may not be perfect completely, she wasn't yet Celestial, but that would change. He would take her life and the child in her and they would be reborn properly.
He used magic to slam the window closed and held out his hand in a summons. "Come, that's enough reading. You will spend your time with me now." She looked on the verge of tears as he grasped her to his chest, holding her with a ferocity. "It was early, too soon, but regardless, our family is on the way. This will bond us together," he said, stroking her hair and her mind. "We will petition the child, too, and fix the mistakes of your birth and his - but for now, be happy my love. This is only further proof that this is right."
Velentham kissed away the saltwater that rolled down her face, tasting her tears as she leaned against him. He reached into her with magic, peering at the spark with wonder. This would be fixed, straightened out, and everything would be fine. He kissed Sanria, and she didn't pull away.
