“Can we fix it?” I brace my hand on the wall to stop from falling over. “Can we make all the madness stop… make things better?”

“Perhaps.” He looks at the ring on my finger. “But right now every single creature marked with the Mark of Malefiscus is roaming the streets.” He grazes his finger across the mark on his forearm. “My mark is useless, though, since I’m dead.”

“I’m going to fix it,” I say in a trembling voice. “No matter what it takes... even if I have to die sooner.”

The corners of his lips quirk as he eyes my stomach. “You sure you’re strong enough to take that risk, even in your condition.”

I put my hand on my stomach and I swear to God the heart beat grows louder, stronger. “What condition?”

“Oh you don’t know yet.” He’s enjoying himself way too much. He steps toward me and reaches for my stomach, but I jerk back, which makes his eyes flash with anger. “You’re choices aren’t just your own anymore,” he says.

I look down at my stomach as what he’s saying clicks. “No… it can’t be… it’s not…” I shake my head in denial, the room swaying as reality slaps me across the face hard. “I can’t be pregnant.”

He laughs, but it’s rough and raw. “I guess I should be saying congratulations.”

Tears pour out of my eyes as my legs give out on me and I buckle to the floor. I press my hand to my stomach and listen to the heart beat and the fires and screams just outside, wishing desperately that Alex was here.