"Fine. But you are explaining the multiple knots."
Arik had barely opened his mouth when the outer doors unlocked.
Arik’s ether surged in immediate offense, gold brightening through the room as Kamal entered first, followed closely by a physician carrying a diagnostic case, Mezos with his injured arm still supported against his side, and Severin, whose expression suggested he had come prepared for either an assassination attempt or excellent entertainment.
Rubis appeared behind them, looking deeply aggrieved by the fact that someone else had taken control of the household doors.
Kamal ignored him.
Since recovering enough to walk without a breathing band, he had unofficially resumed authority over the imperial household by invoking his former service as Goliath’s steward, his familiarity with every palace protocol still considered valid, and a series of arguments delivered with such confidence that Rubis had gradually found himself reduced from acting household administrator to a man carrying Kamal’s slates.
Kamal had not mentioned he spent only the last two months managing Arik’s household. Everyone believed that he was Arik’s steward for years.
He did not intend to.
"Your Highness," Kamal said, his gaze sweeping across the room.
It paused on Liam wrapped in a large blanket in Arik’s lap, his hair loose and his teacup still held between both hands.
Then it moved to Arik’s alarmingly possessive grip around Liam’s waist.
Then to the gold flickering in the walls.
"You raised a sovereign-level medical warning," Kamal continued. "The corridor wards registered distress, reproductive concern, and a request for physician access."
"I did not request physician access yet," Arik said.
"The household did it for you."
"I dislike the household."
"The household has survived your dislike before."
Mezos’s tense posture eased only after he confirmed that neither of them appeared to be bleeding, unconscious, poisoned, or under attack. Then his eyes narrowed.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Liam said.
Arik looked down at him. "That is not accurate."
"Nothing has happened yet."
"That is also not reassuring."
The physician stepped forward cautiously. "May I ask what caused the alarm?"
Arik’s arm tightened around Liam.
"My mate stopped taking suppressants."
The silence that followed was immediate.
Liam took a slow drink of tea.
Mezos closed his eyes.
Severin turned his head toward the bedroom, where the damaged headboard remained visible through the half-open door.
Kamal followed his gaze.
His expression did not change, but Rubis quietly looked at the floor.
The physician opened the diagnostic case. "When was the final dose?"
"Before we crossed the Gate," Liam answered.
"And you engaged in intercourse today?"
Liam remained perfectly calm.
Arik did not.
"Yes."
The physician glanced toward the bedroom too.
"Once?"
"No," Liam said.
Arik’s jaw tightened.
The physician’s stylus paused above the medical slate.
"How many times?"
"That seems unnecessarily specific."
"It is medically relevant."
Liam looked at Arik.
Arik looked at the physician.
Severin’s mouth curved.
Mezos rubbed the bridge of his nose with his functional hand. "I was guarding the corridor for several hours."
"That does not answer the physician," Kamal said.
"It answers enough."
The physician appeared to agree and wisely moved on. "Was there knotting?"
Arik’s ether flared again.
Liam leaned back against his chest, entirely untroubled. "Multiple times."
Kamal closed his eyes briefly.
Rubis appeared to stop breathing.
Mezos’s hand remained pressed to his forehead as though physically containing the headache.
Severin looked delighted.
Arik stared at Liam. "You insisted I explain that."
"You were taking too long."
"You have now explained it to the entire room."
"They asked."
"I asked," the physician corrected quietly.
Kamal turned toward Rubis. "Close the bedroom door."
Rubis obeyed with the speed of a man grateful for any task that allowed him to face away from the sovereign and his mate.
The physician activated a diagnostic band and approached the sofa. Arik did not release Liam, forcing the man to perform the initial scan while Liam remained securely enclosed in his lap.
"His scent is stronger," Arik said. "The saint’s breath is fresher and more floral than usual. That was how I noticed."
The physician’s gaze moved toward Liam’s throat, then to the mark at his nape. "That may indicate suppressant withdrawal, gland recovery, the beginning of a natural cycle, or simply increased output following mating and bond activity."
"Could he become pregnant?" Arik asked.
"Yes."
The answer was too immediate.
Gold flooded the seams of the walls.
Every person in the room looked at Arik.
Liam patted his chest through the blanket. "We already established that possibility."
"We established that you were inexplicably calm about it."
"I said I would not mind having your child."
The room became silent again.
This time, Kamal’s eyes moved slowly to Arik’s face.
Mezos looked toward the ceiling as though requesting patience from every god who might still be listening.
Severin’s amusement faded into something quieter, almost thoughtful.
Arik looked down at Liam. "That statement is not medically useful."
"It explains why I am not panicking."
"It does nothing to stop me from panicking."
"You claimed you were assessing."
"I have revised the terminology."
The physician cleared his throat. "Pregnancy is possible, but we cannot determine likelihood yet. Lord Ravenwood’s cycle was disrupted by the poison, treatment, Gate exposure, and suppressant withdrawal. He may not have resumed normal fertility."
Liam gave Arik a small, vindicated look.
The physician continued, "However, repeated mating and knotting during rising gland activity would increase the possibility if ovulation occurred."
Arik’s vindication vanished.
Liam’s did too, though more slowly.
"What would a pregnancy do to him now?" Arik asked.
"That is the greater concern," the physician admitted. "His channels are still recovering, and the child would carry a sovereign ether signature. We do not yet know whether the Nurian core would recognize the pregnancy, whether it would attempt to support it, or whether that support would place additional strain on Lord Ravenwood."
Arik’s face hardened.
Liam set down his tea.
"Well, we barely had sex, so we can deal with this after you decide whether you are taking the sovereign oath." Liam shifted more comfortably against Arik’s chest, apparently unaware that every person in the room had stopped breathing. "I do not see why we need to hurry. Also, I want to analyze the collar."