The Dark Elf’s Surprise Baby (Secret Babies For Prothekan Dark Elves Book 2)

I burst out of the hall, my breath catching in my throat.

Good gods, was that Demethys just now?

My heart hammers inside of my chest, making it hard to stay upright. I stumble my way through the gardens, finding an unoccupied bench facing the fountain that babbles pleasantly in the cool night air.

My body collapses onto it, my legs suddenly feeling numb and heavy.

I can’t believe it, that had to have been a hallucination, right?

There’s no way that Demethys is alive—after all of this time.

Tears prickle the corners of my eyes. My hand comes up to cup over my mouth as sobs threaten to choke out of me. It’s been so long since I’ve let my mind wander to thoughts of Demethys.

Usually I simply have dreams about him, wonderful and warm and full of that dimpled smile of his as he gazes down at me and our daughter while his arms tighten around me. Those dreams are the only pieces of him that I have left, other than our daughter, and I cherish them every morning when I wake up.

But this… my mind is certainly playing tricks on me.

Perhaps it had just been a dark elf who looked similar to him. It isn’t uncommon to see dark elves parting their hair the same way, or braiding it in a similar fashion. Demethys had been a miou, after all and a refined sense of style had been certainly a class indicator.

My heart eases in my chest, loneliness and the bitter taste of grief taking over from the panicked state I’d been in.

It was only my wishful thinking that had led me to believe that he’d come back from the dead. I’m certain that if he were still alive after that horrible battle, that he would’ve done anything to find me.

But he hadn’t and that’s how I knew—how I’ve always known—that he’s still gone.

I brush my hand over my cheek, feeling a few tears roll down.

It isn’t fair for Adelaide to grow up without a father, especially one as wonderful as Demethys was. Every day I look at her, I’m reminded of his giant heart and the warmth he always radiated. She’s practically his mini-me and everyday I get to watch her grow into an amazing young lady.

I only wished she could’ve met her father before he died.

Even if for a short moment.

“Harper?”

I jump at the sound of someone calling for me and turn on the bench to see Layla walking through the garden. She smiles at me, giving me a curious look as she gets closer.

“What are you doing out here? I saw you run off, I thought something happened.”

My face flushes. I don’t have the heart to tell her what I thought I saw, especially because it’ll make me sound absolutely insane. Not to mention, it’s been Layla’s personal mission over the past year or so to find me a ‘new Dad’ for Adel.

She had told me that coming to this party with her to celebrate her anniversary to her own mate would mean the world to her. But I had a feeling, the moment I stepped foot into the hall and saw all of the bachelors wandering around, that she’d had an ulterior motive.

As sweet of her as it is for her to be concerned about my love life, even thinking about someone else courting me feels like a slap in the face to the love Demethys and I once shared.

How could I fall in love with someone else when he’d been my happy ending?

Layla comes to sit next to me on the bench, drawing up the ends of her dress and folding them over her lap. “You okay?”

I flash her a quick smile. “Of course. Just got a little stuffy in there.”

She laughs. “Uh-oh, did someone start hitting on you?”

Ugh.

“Well…”

She nudges me. “You’re going to have to accept an invite for a stroll at some point. Or even just a dance! That would be the perfect step to get you back out there.”

I sigh softly. I know she means well, but it all feels too overwhelming. I’m more than happy to simply take care of my daughter and only worry about the two of us. Adding someone else into the mix seems like too much work.

“Layla…”

“Hey, now.” she grabs my hands. “Don’t be like that. Come on, a dance won’t kill you.”

Actually… it just might.

Even though it’s been years since Demethys’ death, the heartache still feels new. The wound has never healed over and is still raw like I’d only learned of the news yesterday. It’s a day I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I try to push the pain away.

Just as Layla squeezes my hands and opens her mouth to say something else, excited chatter catches both our attention. We turn around on the bench, seeing both Jasper and Addie running down the pathway and into the garden.

“Mama!” Addie holds up her arms when she sees me.

Both Layla and I quickly rise and bend to scoop up our little ones into our arms.

“Wow, you two sure are getting all your energy out.” Layla squeezes her son.

“Least they’ll sleep well tonight.” I tell her, spinning around with Addie in my arms.

She giggles, happily clinging to me. The ends of my dress fan out around me, kicking up a soft breeze along my feet when I come to a stop and let it fall back down around my legs. My little agelios grins up at me, her sparkling blue eyes wide with excitement.

It’s the same ones I used to look into when Demethys was still alive. Their vibrant color is one of the only things she inherited from him, other than her eager spirit and giant heart.

“Mama! There’s a cake inside! Can I have some?”

“Oh, I don’t know, my agelios. Don’t you think you’ve had enough sweets for tonight?”

I tickle her belly, delighting in the sound of her high-pitched giggles.

“No!”

“Oh, really.” I tickle her more. “Is that so?”

She giggles again, bending her body backwards far enough that I have to balance her onto my hip in order to keep her from toppling over. I love how fearless she is, but boy is she going to be a force to be reckoned with when she gets older.

I can only imagine the armies she will command with a simple fluttering of her lashes.

“Why don’t we head inside and look at the dessert table,” Layla slides me a look. “There’s no harm in window shopping.”

Both of the kids cheer, causing me to snort.

I know this is a clever tactic to get me back into the party and around the single bachelors again, and it is certainly working now that both of the kids are raring to go. I do have to say, Layla is nothing if not persistent in her pursuits.

No wonder she snagged Kerym. His gentle nature never stood a chance.

“Alright, alright.”

I bend and slowly set Addie back down onto her feet, holding out my hand for her to take.

“But only a small treat. That’s it. Or else you’ll be up all night.”

“Yay!” she cheers, tugging at my hand to pull me back to the party.

Layla lets out a small laugh, her and Jasper not far behind us.

As the sounds of the party grow nearer, I can’t help but feel apprehensive again. It’s silly to think that my imagination will run wild enough to create the illusion of Demethys actually being here, but what if I really have lost my mind?

What if I’ve been shattered for so long, that I’ve started hallucinating?

That thought hits me hard, causing me to stop short right before the entrance leading back into the hall.

“Harper?” Layla says, coming up from behind me. “You okay?”

My lips press together as I try not to make it so obvious that I’m having a hard time with this.

But what even is ‘this’ anyway?

“Yeah… yeah I’m fine.” I rub my hand over my forehead. “Just a headache.”

“Well, let’s get you some food and water. That will help.”

Moving around me, and with Jasper still in her arms, she heads through the entrance and back into the party, looking over her shoulder at me expectantly.

I breathe out slowly before stepping inside.

All I need to do is relax and not let my mind wander.

And with that, I join back into the festivities.