41. Veil
41
VEIL
B elladonna’s alarmed expression only solidifies the pit in my stomach at the realization. I hold on to her powers for a few more seconds as my heart beats out of my chest, desperate for this confusing sense of knowledge to prove to be false.
But I’ve never been so sure in my godsdamned life.
I’m pregnant .
I let the gold thread slip, the god of lust’s powers returning to their rightful heir.
I turn to Gemini. Anger floods my veins like a raging volcano.
“You tricked me.” The accusation comes out as an outraged hiss, and I ignore Constantine’s small squeak of surprise beside him.
He stays silent, his emotions locked away somewhere underneath his unperturbed mask until, finally, he smirks. It’s cold and calculated, and I feel the ground slip from under my feet.
Leaning back, he places his hands behind his head. “It comes with the namesake, love.”
The betrayal hurts more than I expected, and I feel tears prick behind my eyes. Mortification at the thought of showing any type of vulnerability in front of him has me taking a deep breath and blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay.
“Veil …” Belladonna mutters beside me, and I flash her a searing look before returning back to Gemini.
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say? Your god made you do it?” I spit.
Gemini’s smile widens, and it makes my fingers curl into my palms, my short nails digging into the skin.
He tilts his head with nonchalance. “You promised me an heir, remember?”
“We agreed I would decide when!”
My heart pounds in my chest, my breathing shallow and ragged.
He flicks his wrist, as if dismissing what I just said. “Semantics, my beloved. Why delay fate?”
His pompous reaction and laissez-faire attitude have me seeing red.
“How could you?!” I bark with rage before launching myself off my seat and straight onto Gemini, blindly trying to land a punch.
“The baby!” Constantine shrieks beside us.
I can tell Gemini is only half-heartedly defending himself, which further enrages me, but it doesn’t take long before I’m ripped off of him by multiple strong hands. I don’t bother protesting, satisfied to see that I’ve managed to split his lip and pull out a chunk of his hair before I’m standing again.
“You disgust me,” I snarl, spitting on the ground near Gemini’s feet.
It’s only then do I find something other than arrogance written on his face. I don’t bother looking closer to decipher what it is.
I can’t stand the look of him.
“Let’s go,” Belladonna says, tugging on my arm.
I slowly turn my head to look at her, her green eyes pleading. I swallow hard, trying to calm myself, but my anger simmers for her as well.
She knew.
But …
Not having many desirable options, I choose to follow her, ignoring Gemini’s quiet protest as we leave.
Since I have no place of my own to go but Gemini’s, Belladonna brings me to her condo. The Carnalis neighborhood is not far from the Vorovsky estate. Her residence sprawls multiple levels at the top of a modern skyrise near the Pravitian waterfront.
She hints at me needing a shower and hands me a cashmere set to change into after showing me the way to the bathroom. Even in her bathroom, painted ivory with soft coral accents, the quiet elegance of Belladonna’s personality can be felt.
Under the shower’s hot stream of water, I realize how tense I am and make a feeble attempt to relax my muscles. I sigh loudly, my head falling forward, and let the water wash over me as I stare at the blood and dirt circling the drain. The last remnants of Gemini cleansed off my body.
My head pounds with racing thoughts, the most intrusive of them all being that I’m pregnant.
And Gemini Foley is the father.
My shoulders tense, my teeth grinding together, the longer I linger on the offending thought.
“Do you trust me?” His taunting voice echoes loudly in my head.
Why ask me that question in the first place? And how on earth did he do it? Was the tonic ineffective?
I suddenly feel like the biggest fool. I trusted him enough to believe he was giving me the correct tonic all along.
I need answers.
Luckily, Gemini isn’t the only one with them.
I find Belladonna in the living room, sitting on her green velvet couch, gazing out of the window. They sprawl so high that they make up a small portion of the ceiling, too, making the panoramic view that much more astounding. She changed out of her wedding clothes, lounging in a gold satin set with a matching robe, her red hair up in a loose bun.
Her eyebrows furrow when she hears me walk in, as if already apprehensive about what’s to come. I sit opposite her on the couch, and slowly, reluctantly, she turns her body to face me. The silence coils around us like a snake, fangs full of poison. But Belladonna does not cower, keeping her gaze steadfast, and waits for me to speak.
“You knew.” My voice comes out a lot weaker than I would have wanted, but I keep my expression hard as I wait for her to answer.
“Yes,” she says, followed by a slow nod. I think I’ll have to prod for more information, but after a tense beat, she adds, “In fact, I helped facilitate it.”
I blink in disbelief. My head feels full of cotton. Exhaustion washes over me, but I power through.
“The tonic?” I ask, having no other avenue to choose from.
She shakes her head. “The tonic does not work on us.”
“Us?” I grit.
She tilts her head and narrows her eyes, as if I were being purposefully obtuse. “Those who carry our gods’ powers, of course.”
I push out a wry laugh. “Of course.” I drop my smile. “Then what ?” I seethe.
Belladonna’s lips thin at my tone, but she answers anyway. “I control the fertility of the chosen families—most specifically, the servants”—she shifts in her seat, showing discomfort—“to avoid unplanned pregnancies.”
“How ironic,” I hiss between clenched teeth.
She shrugs her shoulders and crosses her arms, avoiding my accusatory glare.
I’m reminded of the day Gemini brought me to Belladonna’s cabaret, the same day I idiotically agreed to give him an heir. I was so sure of my intentions that day, convinced I would never fall for Gemini.
Look where it got me.
Just a doll for him to play with however he chooses.
“Was that the purpose of his visit that day?” I finally ask, not caring to elaborate.
Just as I thought, she knows exactly what I’m referring to.
She nods, her gaze slowly sliding to meet mine. “For what it’s worth, I regret agreeing to it.”
“For what it’s worth,” I repeat, chuckling coldly. I narrow my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach at the loss of agency and control I’ve had to endure just this past month. “How long has Gemini known about the pregnancy?”
The thought that he’s been keeping such a monumental secret from me but still parading under the guise of consent has anxiety clawing up my throat.
She shakes her head. “He didn’t know. I only learned about your pregnancy today.” She pauses, seemingly thinking. “You weren’t pregnant when you came for high tea at Tinny’s.” She shrugs. “So, sometime between then and now, you conceived.”
That was almost two weeks ago.
I fight the urge to storm out, my emotions expanding dangerously in my chest, threatening to explode.
I reach for a damp strand of hair, toying with it as I try to regulate my current mental state. The edges of me are fraying, and it’s getting harder to stay whole.
“I would think there was a law written somewhere about both servants needing to consent if the fertility barrier was lifted. Or are all of you so lacking in morals that you disregard those laws entirely?”
Her brows dip, and by the way she shifts in her seat, she’s feeling defensive. Her lip lifts in something close to a smile, but it never reaches her green eyes.
“Self-righteousness doesn’t suit you, darling,” she snaps, but when she speaks again, her tone evens out. “Were you aware that there was a divine law, one which was only recently dissolved, preventing the servants from fornicating with one another?”
I narrow my eyes. “Vaguely, yes.”
“Then why on earth would there be a law about having two servants consenting to the barrier being lifted?”
I fall silent, feeling slightly foolish, but her answer doesn’t manage to quell my indignation.
She huffs out a sigh, gazing out of the window. “But,” she says, still looking away, “you are right.”
Butterflies flutter in my stomach at her admission, and I suppress my surprised reaction, waiting for her to continue.
“You had just as much right as Gemini. He used my unfamiliarity toward you to his advantage. I should have never agreed, and for that, I apologize.”
Tears spring to my eyes, and I fight the tremble in my lips. I didn’t realize how much I needed an apology—from anyone .
“Thank you,” I croak.
She flashes me a weak smile, then quickly breaks eye contact. “It’s getting late,” she says before standing up. “I’ll show you to the guest room.”
Ignoring her attempt to end the conversation, I ask, “What if I choose not to keep it?”
Belladonna’s brows lift in surprise, and she takes a few seconds to study me before answering, “You can if that is what you desire.”
She cocks her head to the side, as if deliberating on her next choice of words. And suddenly, I know I’ll hate whatever comes out of her mouth.
“But sooner or later, the gods’ will demand an heir from you, Veil … so why delay fate?”