Chapter 2

By the third week of nursing, I was no longer afraid of Lucian's episodes.

Even during an episode, he always knew who everyone was.

Each time the moon neared fullness, his bones would creak, yet his body temperature dropped lower and lower. The silver medication sent him into convulsions. Fire and the sound of my voice were the only things that calmed him.

I recorded every pulse, wound, and drug reaction in a logbook.

Then border telegrams began arriving at the sickroom one after another.

Moon-blooded people had gone missing in the North. Three villages had been raided by the Silver Cross. Lucian had to leave the capital after the full moon.

That night, he was completely lucid. The chains had already been unlocked. He sat by the fire, black marks from the silver poisoning still visible on the backs of his hands.

"Elowen." He said my name. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

The medicine spoon in my hand clinked against the rim of the cup.

In those three weeks, we had never exchanged a single unnecessary word.

But I knew when he was in pain, knew that water was the first thing he reached for when he woke, and knew that when the silver poisoning eased, he would lean against the fireplace and hum Northern folk songs under his breath. The melody was so soft, nothing like the cold, terrifying man I had first encountered.

He, in turn, knew that I always wrote letters to Theo in the small hours, never let anyone touch my medicine case, and had been stuck at the apprentice level only because I could not afford the tuition.

"Your pay will not change," he said. "No matter what you choose tonight."

I walked over and kissed him. Lucian held my waist but did not deepen the kiss right away, only murmuring against my lips, "Are you sure?" I nodded and kissed him again.

His restraint snapped. Clothes tore and fell beside the bed. He pressed me into the blankets, but when the scorching heat of his body entered mine, he paused again. Only when I wrapped my arms around his shoulders did he lower his head and let us both fall into a rush of overwhelming sensation.

That night stretched on as if it would never end. Every time I whispered for him to slow down, he stopped. Every time I pulled him closer, the chains at the bedside rattled softly. By the time dawn neared, we finally lay still, listening to each other breathe.

Before daylight, Lucian pinned a moonstone brooch to my collar.

"If you are ever in danger, snap the silver clasp. No matter where you are, I will find you."

He promised to take me home himself once the border crisis was over.

But the next day at noon, Octavia walked into my room with her people.

"Your work here is over."

She took the letter I had just finished writing.

"Where is the Duke?" I asked.

"He is guarding the empire's borders. He has no time for a human woman's fantasies." Octavia's tone was indifferent. "Don't mistake one night in the Duke's bed for a place in his heart."

I reached for the letter. She tossed it into the fire before I could.

"Miss Hart, take your money and save your brother. And know your place." Contempt finally surfaced in her eyes. "You are nothing but a temporary nurse. Before the Duke left, he gave explicit instructions: if you cause trouble, Theo will not leave the sanatorium alive."

"If you want him safe, disappear without a trace."

She held the payment out to me. When I reached for it, she opened her fingers. The bills scattered across the floor. Without so much as a glance at them, she turned and left with her people.

I crouched and picked up the money one bill at a time. Theo was still waiting for his medication. Even my anger had to wait until his life was safe. I dried my tears and left Blackthorn Manor.

I wrote Lucian two letters.

The first received no reply.

The second was returned. The envelope bore Blackthorn Manor's red seal: No such person.

Three months later, I began chewing raw meat in the middle of the night.

I thought I was ill.

Dr. Margaret Grey pressed her stethoscope to my abdomen. When she counted the sixth heartbeat, her hand began to tremble. I stared at her. "Six?" She did not answer. She only pushed a basin of moon water in front of me.

In the moon water, I could clearly see six tiny wolves curled together.

I stared for a long time before I heard myself ask, "What is this?"

"A supernatural pregnancy." Dr. Grey lowered her voice. "Under imperial regulations, this must be reported to the Silver Cross Office."

A knock came at the door.

A man's voice said, "Routine registration. Miss Hart is to remain in the examination room."

Dr. Grey slipped a form into the drawer.

I only caught two lines.

Mother to be detained.

Fetuses to be placed under Church observation.

There had been only one night between us, but the six lives inside me were my children. I would not hand them over to anyone for study.

I grabbed my medicine case and ran out the back door.

The fog was thick that day. I ran all the way to the telegraph office and sent an urgent telegram to Blackthorn Manor.

Just one line: I'm pregnant. Six children. Please ask Lucian to come see me.

Less than half an hour after the telegram was sent, Octavia's agent intercepted me at the station.

He held out a lifetime annuity.

"The Lady is willing to provide for you for the rest of your life. The condition is that you surrender the children after delivery."

I gripped the contract. My palms went cold instantly.

They had known all along. I was the only one kept in the dark.

I took the annuity contract and pretended to study it carefully.

When the steam train pulled into the station, white fog swallowed the platform.

I tossed the moonstone brooch into the river below the bridge and jumped onto the westbound train.

After the train began to move, I saw a Silver Cross clerk lead a group of men onto the platform.

"Don't be afraid." I pressed my hands over my belly, still barely showing beneath my clothes. "Mommy will get you out of here."