Dawn gazed around, feeling weak. The soft hands that stroked her hair made her feel better. His smell, his warmth and his closeness calmed her always. "Daryn…"

"Baby, how are you?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

​​

"Weak…" she answered honestly.

She could feel his heart rate increasing on her condition.

"Calm down darling," she urged him.

He wrapped his hand around her and drew her closer.

"How did I come here?" she asked. "We were at the cottage."

"No one knows Dawn… When you didn't come back late in the night, I became worried and we informed our people to search for you in the forest area, but Gayle called and said that you were sleeping in your bedroom. He was surprised that we all weren't back with you." He sounded baffled. "So you have to tell me what all happened and who left you here."

Dawn remembered the hazy figure she saw through her blurry vision. "I was practicing magic to generate water from the ground, but it left me so weak that I became unconscious. I saw a man picking me up from the boulder I was sitting on and he warned me never to perform this magic while I was pregnant."

Daryn propped up his head on his hand. "That's strange. Who would know that you are pregnant and who would save you? I am sure Quetz would have answers to it. Ask him." As much as he wanted to sound collected, jealousy raged through his mind. Which man had touched his female? He could rip those hands apart. But the fact that he saved her—he would live.

"Hmm… I will ask Quetz," she said and opened her mental link with her dragon. 'Who saved me Quetz?'

'I saved you,' he replied.

She pressed her lips in a thin line. 'Who was that man I saw?'

"Which man?' he asked or did he feign ignorance or did he forget. Wait, was he made to forget?

'Quetz, you can't speak lies.'

'I know Dawn. That's why I don't know what you are talking about. Which man?' he reiterated his sentence. 'I saved you.'

'Then who brought me back to the mansion.'

Silence. She heard wings flapping and then he flew away. 'I have no idea…'

Why was he sounding so mysterious? She took in a deep breath and looked at Daryn. "He seems to be lost, Daryn. I don't want to force him to reveal the man's name."

"Dawn, you said that only mythical creatures can be in Ensmoire Forest, so whoever saved you belongs to that world."

She nodded. "I agree… but I don't want to put my head around it…"

Daryn didn't press her any further. After all she was safe and that was all that mattered. "I want to take you to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor might perform an ultrasound." On the inside her was perturbed when she mentioned that the man had asked her to refrain from water magic in pregnancy.

"Okay," she breathed out. "But right now I am very hungry."

"Also no magic for you for another month."

She smiled and cupped his face.

"I wanted to say something to you," he said as he leaned in her hand.

"What is it?" she asked as her gaze flitted to his mesmerizing eyes.

"Mother is coming here for a few days."

Dawn dropped her hands from his face. "Sedora?"

"Yes," he said. His mother wasn't fond of Dawn and had predicted that she would never bear children. He wondered how she would react when she would come to know that Dawn is pregnant. Dawn was scared of her and he had smelled her fear the last time she met his mother. "You don't have to meet her so often," he suggested.

"Yes Daryn. We can do that especially when we are living in the same house," she said acerbically. Why was it that the problems poured one after the other as raining like cats and dogs? Was there any respite?

"This is her house too. I can't stop her from coming," he said and sat down. "I can only protect you, that's why I gave that suggestion."

Dawn rolled her eyes and turned away her face. She just didn't want to face Sedora. She had such dark vibes that it made her sick. "When is the doctor's appointment?" she asked.

"Today at 11am."

"And when is your mother coming?"

"She will be here by the evening and she has sent a message that all of us should attend dinner with her," said Daryn with a tired voice. Even he didn't want to face her.

Dawn raised her hands up in the air. "There we go!" she rasped.

"Dawn, I request you to stay quiet. That way we are going to avoid everything caustic." He had an edgy voice. "Plus Gayle is going to be there, so things are going to be in control."

"Ah! Your father!" she sneered. "It is difficult for me to not think about what he did to my father. I mean he literally sent Helena to murder him! Had he been alive, my life would have been different."

Daryn winced. "I won't deny that Dawn, but then he had his reasons."

"What? You are defending a murderer?" she said in a jarring voice. "Wow!"

"Stop it Dawn!" he grated. "It's not that your father was the nicest of all! What kind of a man would leave his wife and family repeatedly and fall in love with every other woman?"

"Do not, and I mean - Do. Not. talk about my father like that!" she snarled. "He loved his children."

Daryn rose to his feet and answered, "Then don't talk about my father too!"

Dawn clenched her jaws and fists in anger. She turned her body to the other side and heard him stomping out of the room behind her back. His father had revealed that he was a part of the scheme of murdering his father. How could she let that go? And now his mother was coming home.

An hour later, Dawn was ready. She went to have breakfast and found Daryn in deep conversation with Gayle. Pia and Caleb were sitting on the right side of the table, busy eating. As soon as they saw her, they all became quiet. She bit her lip and went to sit next to Daryn, avoiding everyone. "Where's Cole?" she asked Daryn.

"Off to school," he answered curtly.

Pia noticed the dynamics between them and felt satisfied. She smiled at her food.

She nodded and picked up the bowl of cold lettuce and chicken salad. She ate that slowly, savoring every bite. The silence was awkward and she just wanted to get out of this place. Everything was so much better when Gayle talked to her with banter. He supported her wholeheartedly. And now? She missed his jokes. She stole a glance at him. He looked tired. Could they go back to the previous relationship they had? She sighed.

"I hope mother brings my jade necklace as she promised me last time," said Pia, taking more of a coleslaw sandwich. She wanted to show off how much Sedora favored her over Dawn. "I don't know why I am hungry these days."

Dawn didn't react, understanding her implications fully well.

"You keep asking for too many gifts Pia. Stop requesting," said Caleb.