SPELLBOUND

Eyes wide from the shock Gavriel's words had triggered in her, Evie could only look at her husband mutely for a few long moments as she was rendered speechless by him and his ambitions. Her mind kept repeating the words that he had said on a loop. The entire land of Lirea…? Did he really say that? Or perhaps she had misheard him somehow?

She was speechless and she could only look at him with wonder. How? How are they going to make that happen? Lirea was not a small piece of land, mind you! Just the thought of it sent her mind spinning in circles again.

His gaze gentled as he lightly pinched her chin, looking deeply into her amber eyes. Then something utterly firm and intense lurked within his grey orbs. "I will do anything… everything to be with you, Evie. You know I will stop at nothing. We will not be kept apart no matter what." His voice was low and deep but there was not even a hint of doubt in them. In fact, his voice reverberated with such promise that Evie's heart could very well believe it there and then that his prediction will come true. He sounded like he had already made up his mind and nothing can stop him from making what he was aiming for come true within the soonest time frame possible. "I am ready to conquer this entire continent if that's the only way for us to be together. I'll make you the first Empress of Lirea." His eyes blazed with determination as he looked at Evie with an unwavering gaze.

Evie's heart had started to thump wildly in her ribcage. His words, the way his voice sounded and the look in his eyes as he said all those things… Evie felt something inexplicable suddenly bloom within her heart and her mind repeated the words 'the first empress of Lirea'. 

"I know it sounds really ambitious at this moment." Gavriel continued, now caressing her cheek in little circular motions with his thumb gently. Then a confident smile curved across his lips. "But I know you know it's not impossible. The current Lirea is divided and messy. The empires are fighting each other for so many years now trying to annihilate each other as something that is expected that I suspect many don't really remember why they are doing so anymore. That is why I believe it's time for all the empires to unite and become one. Humans, vampires, faeries… it's time to stop these races from fighting and I truly believe that…" he paused and pressed his forehead against hers. Then his whispers came. "You and I are the destined ones to bring these empires together. Our child will be a combination of all the races who are living in this land… so making the entire land unite is also creating a perfect place for our child." 

Moisture had appeared in Evie's eyes as she continued listening to him. Oh god… she could not believe he had already thought about all these details. She still could not quite wrap her mind around the miraculous fact that she was really and truly pregnant, but yet… This man… this husband of hers… was already making her utterly speechless, as he always does. And Evie could not deny the utter thrill and excitement and hope that were very quickly blooming in her chest. Initially it was still slow and hesitant. However, after listening to his explanations and thinking more about it, she has welcomed the idea as a fish taking to water. And she wanted to just hug him to bits and tell him what a genius he was. What he had brought up has made her so happy and hopeful that she could not wait for them to start working together, taking the first steps to achieving their dreams. The sooner they started, the faster they get to realise their goals.

But a thought suddenly sprung in her mind and made her unable to celebrate as the happy smile on her face slowly vanished. Conquering kingdoms would definitely result in one thing… wars. And where there were wars, there was killing, and death. Sacrifices and bloodbaths were always a given whenever a war is involved. Could she and him and their child really live blissfully knowing the true reason of the cost of their happiness and what it took for them to be together? 

"How?" she finally asked. "The humans will fight to their deaths to protect their lands. Even though they are considered the weakest among all the races, they have the advantage of numbers and… humans are fighters, Gav. They will do anything and everything even if it costs them their lives to fight to maintain their homes for their families. As it is, they've been fighting against the vampires for countless of years now. I don't think they would ever be able to give up their lands without a fight that will definitely result in a bloodbath…" Evie's voice trailed off as she looked at Gavriel helplessly.

Gavriel nodded and looked at her with an understanding and profound gaze, looking like he had already considered and thought about that fact as well. He will not be Gavriel if he had not done so. 

"I promise I'll do my best to avoid a bloodbath."

"How? Are you going to speak and negotiate with the human emperors? The humans had agreed to make a truce with the vampires lately, remember? And the vampires had then gone behind their backs and betrayed them and that resulted in my father's…" Evie choked and could not complete her sentence as she fought to keep her tears at bay. Gavriel hugged her in silence, offering comfort as there was nothing that could be done for Lucius now. His gentle hand caressed her back in an up and down motion, allowing her to breathe and compose herself. After letting out a shaky sigh and calming herself again, Evie continued.. "I don't think the humans will trust any vampire ever again, Gav. "