Page 42 of The Prince's Fealty

It seemed like Tor’s thoughts had gone down similar lines, because he grimaced. “Not unless we were going to have a really awkward conversation with my brother first.”

Pel tried not to laugh. He could see how getting his own twin to magically bless his union with Pel might be awkward.

But it was also kind of hilarious.

Only now it had gotten even weirder. Wouldn’t it be nice if the High King had approved of this all? Instead, Tor had been labeled a traitor, they were seriously contemplating committing treason, and someone was conspiring to kill the High King and his entire family.

Tor and Pel were going to try to put a stop to it… while Pel was pregnant with their baby. He didn’t know any man who’d been pregnant—no couples had ever asked his father for help conceiving—and knowing that it was theoretically possible and had happened in the past wasn’t very helpful right now. He hadso many questions. At the same time, he couldn’t deny that it felt right, somehow, like this was the culmination of everything Pel had ever wanted, the family that he’d stopped daring to dream about a long time ago.

It was terrible timing, rather like their bonding, but there wasn’t anything to be done about that now. And this was a future that Pel wanted desperately, even if they had to get through some rather large flaws in the present.

“We’re bonded, and we’re going to have a family,” he said, testing the words out loud.

Tor grinned at him, his smile growing brighter and brighter as he processed the words. “Yes, we are.”

Pel eyed him. “You owe me so much private time after this.Two weeksin a magical coma, Tor. And now we have to go save the world!”

Tor’s grin didn’t diminish. “We’ve just agreed that we’re going to go live with the exiles in a partially inhospitable land, so it sounds like there are probably vacancies. I’m sure we can get plenty of private time.”

Pel laughed, because it was that or cry. If they took everything that happened too seriously, they weren’t going to be able to get through it.

“You’re sure about this?” Tor asked, sobering. “We can still change our minds. We can delay it.”

But that didn’t make sense under the circumstances, and they both knew it.

“We’ve already agreed to go save your family. This is the best way to do it.”

Tor leaned against Pel. “But what if I really do commit treason and Varex really does sentence me to death? It’s not just me now. It’s you and the baby, too.”

“We will do everything in our power to persuade him. Breaking open the whole conspiracy will surely help with that.”

“But this is still actual treason,” Tor fretted.

“And if we absolutely can’t get him to change his mind, then we see if your brother will commute the sentence until the baby is born, and our siblings can raise the child, all right?”

Tor looked half bemused and half touched. “You’re really all right with this?”

Pel snorted. “I want to undo most of it. But that’s not actually how life works. And there’s no hiding in a corner and just hoping for the best. This is so much bigger than the two—three—of us. I understand and accept that.”

Tor nodded, looking more resolute and settled.

“You’re sure about it?” Pel asked. “This is a huge decision and not a lot of time in which to make it.”

This time, Tor just nodded. “You know me very well. I want to save my family and the exiles and everyone. If there were more time or another way to do it, I would be advocating for that. But this is what we’re faced with, and I’m afraid of what might happen if I’m not as strong as I can make myself.”

Pel was afraid of that, too. Look what had happened when Tor’s magic was bound. He’d recovered on the way to Alossa last time—but this was the second time he’d magically exhausted himself in all of a month, and this time had been much worse. Plus, this time, they were expecting a fight at the end.

So Pel squared his shoulders and smiled at his bond-mate. (They were bonded! Pel needed so much time he wasn’t going to get so that he could really let this all sink in.)

“Ready to forge ahead to the next great adventure?” he proposed.

Tor flashed a grin, almost the right amount of cocky assurance. “No time for doubts.”

They’d talked it out, they’d weighed the risks, and now they needed to get this done.

So Pel nodded and agreed, “No time for doubts.”

They would probably sneak in the edges of his consciousness anyway, but he and Tor had committed to their path.