Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Raven

The tank was a sanctuary, a place of peace. But it was hard to savor the tranquility when she knew what awaited her outside.

In a single day, she had become a mother and a fugitive. And the cherry on top? She could finally go home. But what kind of home was waiting for her was anyone’s guess.

Her sister’s absence meant she had no reason to leave. That was, until two eight-pound miracles decided to make their grand entrance from her body.

This place was breathtaking, but it wasn’t a culture she wanted her children to grow up in.

Her mind wandered to Soi-Ji. She knew he’d be worried sick by now, probably giving hell to anyone who’d crossed paths with her.

If he knew about the babies, she had no doubt he’d chase them to the farthest corners of the universe, kill Dhol, Laro, and Arenk, and then lock her up in the palace for the rest of her days.

Despite his rough edges, she missed him. She was taken aback that the guys had even bothered to come for her.

~Beep.~

“Treatment complete,” the robotic voice announced.

The fluid started to drain, and she was gently lowered to the bottom. Once it was empty, the glass shell lifted. To her surprise, the floor was warm. She dried off and found a medical gown nearby.

The ship was silent except for the clatter of dishes down the hall. She followed the sound and paused in the doorway. Laro was at the stove, engrossed in his cooking.

“I hope you’re making some kind of meat with that,” she said.

His head jerked up, and his smile faded as he looked at her.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like new. But I’m starving.”

It had been months since they’d last spoken. He grabbed a plate and started to heap on the different dishes he’d made. Raven took a seat at the metal table.

As he set the plate in front of her, his gaze lingered on her face. She knew exactly what he was looking at.

“Does it look that bad?” she asked, touching the scar on her eye.

“No, not at all. I—I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said.

She smiled. “I’m not. It was nice not to be treated like a fragile doll.”

He took a seat. “I heard about what happened with General Fleu. I’m—”

“Don’t apologize for him. It’s fine. I handled it,” Raven said, her anger flaring up again. “Water, please.”

“Handled it?”

“He’s dead.”

“You killed him,” he asked, handing her a cup.

She took a long sip before meeting his gaze again.

“I poisoned him, then pushed him off a sixtieth-floor balcony. Are you upset?”

“Only that I couldn’t do it myself and that I trusted him,” he murmured.

The clinking of her silverware filled the silence between them.

“So you’re a mother now. Is the king the father, or um…”

“He is. He made sure I was only with him.”

Laro’s face mirrored her own thoughts.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said as he stood from the table.

“Don’t worry about my feelings. So you’re mated to him?”

“No. Is this going to be a problem? My relationship with the king and the babies?” she asked, placing her plate in the sink.

“Of course not. I just—have a lot of questions,” he said, turning his attention back to his cooking.

Raven came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You can ask me anything. We have all the time in the world now.” She smiled.

He turned and pulled her into a hug. His grip was firm. The look he gave her made her cheeks tingle. Laro leaned in and stopped halfway.

He brushed some hair back from her face and traced her scar with his thumb. Raven rose on her toes, and their lips met. A faint cry caught her attention. It echoed from the hall.

“Go ahead. I’ll finish up here and meet you later,” Laro said, smiling.

The closer Raven got, the louder the cries became. She must have been tired because she could’ve sworn she heard three sets of cries instead of two. Raven hit the button, and the door slid open.

Arenk was rushing to the dresser and pulling out a shirt.

“Laro, we need more cloth for the younglings. They never stop peeing, pooping, and spitting. Is Raven awake yet? They’re hungry again, and we’re out of—”

He froze mid-step once he realized it was her in the doorway.

“How are you?” he asked, snapping out of his daze.

Raven went over to the bed, and sure enough, she’d heard right. Three babies. From the light blue eyes of the third, she knew exactly whose. Lyka was going to be heartbroken.

Raven could only imagine if she were in her shoes. Right now, she felt a kinship with Arenk. Soi-Ji would be just as devastated.

“You’re angry.”

“Lyka will be livid,” Raven said, taking turns rubbing all the babies’ bellies. “How much food do we have left for them?”

“Two servings.”

“Perfect. I’ll feed one, and two will get a bottle. Then, I’ll start pumping to stock up on milk,” Raven said.

Raven still hadn’t seen their eyes. She tried coaxing them to open but failed. Arenk stood next to her with the bottles.

“They’re fine. I’ve never seen eyes like theirs before,” Arenk smiled. “Very striking.”

Raven removed her gown and picked up the fussiest one.

“She’s very vocal and active,” Arenk said, feeding the others. “Babbled most of the night while smacking me.”

Raven laughed. “We have a night owl on our hands.”

Once she finished feeding the tiny girl, her eyes fluttered open and took Raven’s breath away. One eye was like Raven’s light brown. The other was like Soi-Ji’s, a glowing violet. Names.

What should she name them?

“Have you settled on a name for him yet?” Raven inquired.

“No, I’m still wrestling with it,” he admitted.

“Same here.”

“We’ve got time. They won’t be able to understand their names for a bit,” he reassured her.

“How much longer until we reach Nadia?” she asked.

“We crossed the border a few hours back. We should be in the capital by the end of the day,” he informed her.