Lucien didn’t sleep. He never did. But tonight, he couldn’t even sit still. You were in bed, curled up in his black silk robe because you refused to sleep without the scent of him around you now. You were starting to show—barely, just enough that when he looked at you, something broke in him. A need to protect. To worship. To never let anything touch you, not even time.

He sat beside the bed, brushing your hair behind your ear. You stirred, eyes half-lidded. “You’re watching me again…”

Lucien gave a breathless laugh. “I’ll never stop. You look like a dream. Like something I don’t deserve but somehow still have. That terrifies me.”

You reached for him. He leaned in instantly, forehead resting on yours. “Lucien,” you whispered. “You’re shaking.”

“I am,” he admitted. “You’re carrying something I never thought I’d have. Something warm. Something real. You think I care about ruling kingdoms? No. Baby, I want to build your world now. I want a garden where you can sit without anyone looking. A room where the sun can hit your skin and not burn me, but I’ll take the pain if it means seeing you happy.”

You smiled at him—tired, but glowing—and his chest ached. “I’m just me, Lucien. And I’m always hungry.”

He laughed again, softer this time. “I had them bring strawberries and chocolate. You yelled at me yesterday for getting caviar.”

‘I’m pregnant, not royalty,’ you said.” He grinned.

“Too late. You married a vampire prince, baby. You are royalty now. And if you crave pickles and ice cream at 3AM, I’ll dig through the ends of the earth for them.”

You shook your head, tearing up. “Why are you like this?”

Lucien cupped your cheek gently, letting you feel his cold skin. “Because you’re everything. My world. My human. My wife. The mother of the only piece of me that’s still human. I don’t just love you—I exist for you now.”

Outside, the wind howled. But in that moment, all you felt was his arms around you, his lips on your belly, and the way he whispered, “Our daughter will know love every single day… because she came from you.”