Chapter 83: A Promise Beside the Bed

Daemon sat in the back of the ambulance with the System’s words still burning behind his eyes.

Kassia was pregnant.

Eight months.

The knowledge settled into his chest like a second wound. If he had found her earlier, if he had stopped the trap before it closed, he could have spent those months at her side.

He could have protected her through every stage instead of learning the truth after cages, experiments, and a dragon form that had nearly erased the city.

But the other side of that thought stopped him cold.

If the past had gone differently, he might never have met Victoria. Never awakened the System the way he had. Never gained the people now standing with him.

He exhaled slowly and forced the regret down.

I am not going to live in the past again.

Kassia had suffered enough for both of them. What she deserved now was care, safety, and someone who would not leave.

She had gone through months of pain that would have broken most people. Looking at her now, exhausted but still breathing, still holding on, she looked stronger than the world had any right to demand.

The healers checked her again properly once the ambulance reached a stable stop point. After a longer examination, one of them turned to Daemon with careful professionalism.

"She is stable on the outside. Internally, she needs rest more than anything. And..." The healer paused. "She is pregnant by standard reading", though some markers are unusual.

We recommend calm, steady care. If possible, take her somewhere peaceful. Somewhere familiar. Her mind is exhausted."

Daemon nodded as if the information was new.

He did not tell them the System had already shown him the truth.

"I’ll take care of her," he said.

In his mind, the plan was already forming. Once the immediate chaos settled, he would take everyone somewhere quiet.

A small break. A change of air. Kassia first. Then the rest of them, because all of them had been dragged through too much.

He gave the driver the Hale estate address and called Evelyn on the way.

"Prepare a private room," he said. "And a maid assigned only to Kassia."

Evelyn did not waste time with questions.

By the time the vehicle rolled through the estate gates, she was already waiting outside with a maid beside her.

Daemon stepped down with Kassia in his arms. The evening air of the estate felt almost unreal after the burning streets of Ashford.

Evelyn’s eyes moved from his face to the woman he carried, sharp and assessing, but she only said, "Come. The room is ready."

They placed Kassia on the bed with careful hands. Daemon pulled the blanket over her, smoothing it once near her shoulder before he could stop himself.

When he turned toward Evelyn, the words about Kassia’s identity, Apex, and the child all tangled behind his teeth.

Evelyn lifted a hand slightly.

"Not now," she said. "We can talk when Victoria arrives. Go rest."

She looked to the maid at the door.

"From this moment, you are assigned to her alone. Watch her carefully."

Then Evelyn left them.

Daemon did not leave the room.

He stayed by the bed and watched Kassia sleep, the soft rise and fall of her breathing the only proof the night had not taken her. After a long moment, he rested his hand lightly over her stomach.

The contact was careful, almost disbelieving.

"I never thought I would become a father this soon," he murmured. "But you always wanted this. You talked about it like it was already waiting for us.

" A faint, painful smile touched his mouth. "I’m happy. And I promise you — I will not leave your side again. I’ll protect both of you."

The maid stood quietly in the corner. Later she tried to send him to a proper room.

Daemon refused.

He slept on the floor beside the bed, one hand still holding Kassia’s.

Morning light entered the estate gently.

Victoria and Sana arrived first. When they opened Kassia’s door, the scene inside stopped them for a second.

Daemon asleep on the floor, Kassia on the bed, their hands still linked between them.

Victoria said nothing.

Her face showed no clear reaction, only a long, unreadable look before she stepped back.

Sana’s voice was softer than usual.

"Leave him. He missed her too much."

They closed the door and went to rest.

A few hours later, the dining hall filled.

Everyone came except Kassia.

Daemon sat near the center of the long table. Maids moved around them with quiet efficiency, setting out food and tea.

The estate felt almost too calm after the destroyed streets and screaming alerts of the night before.

Daemon looked across the seats.

"Where is Roxanna?"

Sana answered while reaching for water.

"She healed all night. Rosalind called for her immediately after. She already left for WHA once she finished on-site. You need to go too.

Today. If not, you can say goodbye to the hunter job. After the qualification test, you and Roxanna never attended a proper gate run or reported in. That window is closed."

Victoria nodded.

"She’s right. This matters. I already spoke to Aunt Rosalind and bought you time, but that time is finished now. You have to face her."

Daemon listened in silence.

He was about to mention Kassia the room upstairs, the pregnancy, the need for someone to stay close when Evelyn spoke first from her seat.

"I will take care of her," she said calmly. "I am in the house. You do not need to worry about that part right now.

Go see Rosalind first. Decide what must be decided. The rest can come after."

Daemon met her eyes for a second, then gave a short nod.

Victoria’s gaze shifted past him toward the entrance hall.

"Looks like someone is already here."

Daemon turned his head toward the direction she indicated.

Footsteps approached the dining hall from the front corridor,

and close enough that whatever conversation they still needed would have to wait.