Chapter 3

Evan

Sunlight poured into the room. My eyes fell shut after opening to slits just moments ago. I was so tired. Then, my eyes snapped open. This wasn't my room. This wasn't my bed. My three roommates never allowed me to sleep this late. My upper body lifted from the bed and I cried out at the sharp pain. Suddenly, my entire body ached. Someone's hand landed on my shoulder and I closed my eyes in anticipation of the blow to come.

Long moments passed.

I opened my eyes again. Maverick's deep blue ones were staring back at me. Everything flooded back into my mind at once. I glanced at the bedside table. The water bottle sitting there was empty. I vaguely remembered Meverick waking me up a few times during the night and holding the bottle opening to my lips. So it wasn't a dehydration induced hallucination then, nor a dream. A rush of warm affection for him flooded my veins. I stamped it down. It was his fault we were in this situation. Soulbound bond be damned.

"Bathroom," I croaked out. Meverick shot up from the bed and helped me stand. I didn't hurt as much as I thought I would. Meverick opened the bathroom door for me and closed it again behind me.

I would heal over the next few days. Some elves, the powerful ones, could be healed of small wounds in a few hours. A stab wound could take a day and a bone break less than a week. I, however, was weak and all alone. My healing usually took almost as long as a human's. Even the small amount I've already healed was a blessing. It was probably from Maverick's presence. His touch made power flow through my veins. He must've held me all night, or I wouldn't have been able to move today.

I washed my hands after taking care of business. I avoided the mirror, knowing I'd find bruises all over my face and neck. I pulled the drawstrings on the sweatpants as tight as they would go. The top bunched around my waist. I looked at my stomach in the mirror. Could I truly be pregnant? I pressed on my stomach. It was quite hard, a lump just sitting there. Perhaps a small paunch even though I'd been losing weight. Maybe, then. I guess we'd need to find out.

The bedroom was empty when I walked through the door. I took a moment to look at the bed. It was now neatly made. The grey duvet straightened. Everything had been returned to how it was. In a few hours, I would have to go back to the dorms so that every aspect of Meverick's life could return to normal. He wouldn't want me here.

A smell drifted into the room. I prepared myself to run back to the toilet, but my stomach rumbled instead. I followed the scent to the kitchen. Maverick stood in front of the stove, still in his pajama pants and white t-shirt. He had a spatula in his hand and was humming to himself softly. I had to lean against the wall at the wave of longing that rolled through me at the sight. God, why couldn't he just want me?

He looked around then and his lopsided smile made the wave rise higher. "I'm making breakfast. I didn't know what you liked, but I can make something else if this doesn't look good."

I frowned. Nobody had ever made me anything before. Maverick sounded so unsure and I caught a glimpse of the bacon, eggs and mushrooms in the pan. It looked delicious.

Maverick shifted from foot to foot. "You don't like it. Let me get something else. Maybe-"

I looked at him in shock, horrified he thought I was this ungrateful. "Of course I like it! It smells amazing. Looks amazing, too."

A little bit of the tension left his shoulders. He fiddled with the heat on the stove before walking over to the island I now stood behind. Three chairs surrounded it. With the island between us, he felt so far away. I knew he'd leave me soon, so I had to get used to not having him close anymore. God, one night had turned me into a needy, clingy mess.

I hugged my arms around my middle, suddenly feeling cold and alone. Maverick tracked the movement. He frowned. "Does it hurt?"

It took a second, but I realised what he was asking. "No. This is the first morning in a long time I haven't thrown up right as I woke up." My cheeks heated. "Not that you needed to know that."

"Of course I did. I need to know everything."

The moment felt loaded. We stared at each other. His hand rose as if to reach out to me, but he dropped it quickly and moved to set the table. I was ushered into a chair and a plate of Maverick's cooking and buttered toast appeared a moment later. He made his own plate and sat next to me. He watched me expectantly, not touching his food.

I hesitated briefly, but took a bite. "It's delicious," I told him before taking my second bite. Satisfied, he began eating himself. Halfway through the meal, he suddenly jumped up. I nearly did, too, but calmed when he just went to the fridge. He was muttering to himself.

"What did you say?" I asked.

He seemed embarrassed. "I said that I'm horrible at this. I forgot to offer you a drink." He began pouring orange juice into a glass, but suddenly pulled the bottle back up. "I'm so sorry! I forgot to ask if you like orange juice. You probably don't. It's fine. I'll get you something else."

He was already halfway to the sink when my words stopped him. "I actually love orange juice. Haven't had it in a long time."

Relieved, he finished pouring my glass before doing the same for his and retaking his seat. I tapped my fingers on the island. I wasn't sure whether I should say anything. Screw it, I thought.

"You don't have to worry. I'll be out of your hair after breakfast. I know you don't want me or whatever."

Maverick's body went very still. He put his knife and fork down and turned his entire body to face me. I gulped.

"I want you to hear me, Evan. From the moment I first saw you, I have known what you are to me. No, look at me." I snapped my gaze up from where I'd been studiously watching my fiddling hands. His smile was bright. "I wasn't disappointed, or unsure, or anything else you seem to believe. I was elated. You were - you are - beautiful. You're smart and funny and kind. You're so many things that you don't seem to believe. I held off because I knew our relationship would cause problems. A professor probably isn't supposed to be with his student. I lost control when I claimed you. It should've never happened, but I was powerless to stop it."

Maverick took my hands in his. My heart was beating uncontrollably from his words.

"You don't have to worry about imposing or anything else that you seem worried about. I want you here. Hell, I want you by my side every day for the rest of my life. You're my soulbound, Evan. I was destined to love you even before I knew you." He brought both of my hands to his mouth and kissed them each in turn before placing them back in my lap. "So if it wasn't clear. I want you to stay here from now on. No more dorm. Definitely no more dining hall. No more beatings. We'll get your stuff and that'll be that."

"What about the Elder Council? Or the academy?"

"Let me deal with that. I'll take care of you, I promise. I've already failed you once. It won't happen again." His eyes held determination.

"You didn't fail me." I took a deep breath before pulling my hands from his with a great effort. It was long after we'd finished our food that I finally spoke again. "What did you mean last night? About the blood test?"

Maverick took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I don't know how much you know about bearers." I shrugged. It wasn't a lot. Nobody had ever taught me. "Well, bearers usually become fertile a few times a year. You won't know when that is unless you take a blood test every week. In those three to five days, a bearer can become pregnant. We had sex three months ago and since then, you've been displaying symptoms of pregnancy. Specifically symptoms of a pregnancy where the sire isn't supporting the bearer. I want to take you somewhere they can test you and advise us on our way forward."

I pressed my hand to my flat stomach. "Advise us? It's our baby. My baby. I won't-"

Maverick silenced me when he held up his hand. "I want to make it clear that I want this baby. It could've happened at a more ideal time, but I'll never do something to harm our family."

"You seem convinced that I really am pregnant."

He sighed. "It would explain a lot. Why I couldn't control myself and had sex with you. It would have been my body's natural reaction to you being fertile, even if neither of us knew it. Your violent symptoms now can also be explained with my absence from my pregnant soulbound. So, yes. I am quite sure. But we need to be absolutely sure. Otherwise, we need to find out what is making you sick."

I looked down at my stomach. Horror filled me. "I haven't been eating or drinking. They wouldn't let me sleep and they beat me up yesterday. What if they hurt the baby? Oh, God. What if I hurt the baby."

Maverick's hand gripped mine that was clutched over my shirt. His touch was tentative, but I needed it in that moment and gripped him back. "Everything is going to be alright. You can't change the past. Even I can't, no matter how much I wish I could. But we're together now and we'll figure it out going forward. Whatever happens from now on, we'll deal with it. Together."

His words calmed my racing heart. He cleaned up the kitchen after refusing my offer to help. I watched him as he worked. His muscled body moved beneath his clothes. His dark hair still looked disheveled from sleep. I could hardly believe he was my soulbound. What would he see in me? An orphan bearer who could barely use magic to save his life.

As tears formed in my eyes, I looked towards the bedroom to cover it. "Can I take a shower?"

"You don't have to ask, Evan. What's mine is yours."

I lurched from my seat, quickly undressed in the bedroom and slipped into the adjoining bathroom. The steam from the shower cleared the evidence of my crying as it formed. By the time I was done, I felt ready to face the day. It was amazing how much better I felt than yesterday. I looked under the bathroom sink for the extra toothbrush Maverick had assured me was there and opened the tap to put it to use.

As I emerged from the steaming bathroom, I jolted. Maverick was standing by the bed. He looked at me a second before rubbing his right hand over the back of his neck. His suddenly shy gaze hit the floor. I had at least tied a towel around my waist after drying off.

"Uh... I wanted to give you some spare clothes." Maverick was still looking at the floor as he spoke. "They're too big, but at least they're fresh. Everything will be too big on you."

I felt embarrassed for a moment, but forced it away. I couldn't help it. "Thank you," I said earnestly. After a moment, I surprised both of us by speaking again. "You don't have to look away. It's nothing you haven't seen before. And..." I decided to take him at his word on what he'd said earlier. I had to try. "If we're going to be together, you know, as soulbounds, you'll have to get used to seeing a lot of me." It was meant as a joke, but it came out strained. Even I could hear the insecurity in my voice. I winced. Still needy, then.

His gaze finally lifted and held mine for a moment before travelling over my body. That wasn't what I had expected and I resisted covering myself with my hands. They twitched at my sides with the effort.

"Well, it won't be a hardship."

A smile stretched my mouth as he left the room. I knew he thought I was too thin - hell, I thought I was too thin - but I also knew he'd never say anything negative about me for fear of insulting me. The twitch in his mouth as he'd looked at me had given him away, though, and I was sure that he was already planning a strategy to rectify what I'd been through the past three months.

Together.