Chapter 173

• Sophia’s POV
• It was very dark and I was up when I was supposed to be asleep. I was seated on the edge of the bed, staring at the faint outline of my belly. I could feel our baby moving sometimes. It made my heart swell with both excitement and fear. I wasn’t ready to admit it before, but now, it was impossible to ignore the thoughts racing through my head.
• I pressed a hand against my belly, feeling the steady thrum of life growing inside me. The longer I remained seated and staring at my belly, the more doubts began to creep in, nagging at the back of my mind. Was I putting this baby in danger by staying here, caught between two worlds? The vampire realm, with its ancient politics, its dangers, its enemies—it wasn’t exactly a safe haven for a child, let alone a vampire child with his parents as the rulers of the realm.