Chapter 181

Cassie

We both threw our clothes on, quite literally. Neither one of us looking at each other. We didn't need to. We both knew what the other was thinking.

It had to be Megan.

And it had to be a trap. There was no other explanation as to why she would come here. If somehow Duncan had let her go or she had escaped then surely the smart thing to do was to run far far away.

"Ready?" Julian's voice shook. Tying my boots I glanced up at him through my eyelashes. He looked worried but was trying hard not to show it to me. A million thoughts were warring across his face and I wish I could read just a handful of them.

"Yeah." Straightening I went to stand next to him, lifting my hands to place them on his shoulders. Instantly his hands curled around my hips. Not dragging me towards him, but holding me.

"Are you?" I asked and a flicker of self doubt darkened his eyes for a moment before he nodded.

"I will as long as you are by my side."

"I'm not going anywhere." I promised and I desperately hoped that it was a promise i could keep. "Why do you think she is here?"

He looked away sharply and I felt my heart splinter. Did Julian still have feelings for her?  Was that why he wouldn't meet my eyes?

Catching my look, Julian sighed. "I don't know. For help maybe."

He didn't sound like he believed it and I sure as hell didn't.

"Ok." I said. My voice was casual. Too casual and he noticed it straight away.

"I love you Cassie." He said softly. His hand slid under the back of my hair and pulled my face towards him. Julian's eyes bored down into mine. "If you don't believe anything else believe that. I thought I cared for Megan because she was the one in the hospital that day after our wedding." A brush of his lips against mine. "I wanted to believe I had found my mate and I had because that person was you and I was blind to it. Deep down I knew it wasn't her and then she said she was pregnant." He shook his head.

"I don't think she ever was. I think-" my voice was thick and I cleared my throat.

"I know she wasn't now. She was trying to trap me but I had to play the game. That's what everyone had said. I had to pretend for just a little while. Fool people into thinking I loved her." He sighed heavily. "I had to share a home with her. Watch her try and take your place as my mate and live with the fact that my actions." He stabbed himself in the chest with his finger. "Had driven you away. My enemies hurt you again and again but most of all I hurt you. And then-"

I closed my eyes. He had told me all of this before but it still hurt to hear it. "She got pregnant for real." I whispered.

"Yeah."

"And it's yours?" I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes and look at him.

"She says it is. Told me with great glee that she had been- inseminating herself for months and then one night I'm pretty sure I was drugged or fall down drunk. Either way."

"If the baby is yours then you have responsibilities." I finished for him lamely

"Yes. Can you- will you?" He sucked in a breath. "Be able to handle that?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly. Because lying right now wouldn't do either of us any good. "The baby is innocent." I said finally. "Even if it's mother isn't and I would never be able to love you if you walked away from your own child." My breath shuddered in my chest. "I'll have to deal with my own insecurities."

Julian's eyes flashed. "You have no reason to be insecure. None." Tenderly he kissed my mouth and my lips parted under his.

For a few blissful minutes we lost ourselves in the feel and taste of each other. It was the most perfect kiss but I couldn't help but feel that it was a kiss of goodbye.

"I love you." He said when we finally broke free of each other.

"I love you too."

"Are we ready?" Stepping back he held out his hand. I slipped my hand into his.

"As ready as I will ever be." I forced myself to smile. No matter how I was feeling inside when we walked down and came face to face with Megan. The woman who had started all of this , we needed to be one united front. We needed to be solid.

Moving down the stairs and into the main meeting room seemed to take a fraction of a second , like we had teleported there and not slowly walked. And the entire time my heart thundered in my chest.

Lies.

The word span around and around in my head. Impossible to ignore or tune out. I didn't need reminding that Megan was a liar. She always had been. Always would be.

I wouldn't trust anything that came out of her snake mouth.

The doors to the meeting room were flung open and loud voices filtered out. My steps faltered , Julian squeezed my fingers.

"She belongs in the hospital." A male voice said

"She belongs in a god damn cell or with her head on a spike." That voice was definitely Ian's and he sounded angry. "We need to tell the King."

Julian stepped forward, pulling me with him. "No need. I am here."

The moment he spoke there was a girly feminine scream and there she was. The blonde from all of my nightmares. Her massively pregnant stomach barely contained in a baby pink dress.

I had a moment to wonder why she looked ready to pop and then she threw herself at Julian's feet.

"Julian." She clawed at his trouser leg. Looking weak and pitiful. I glanced at Julian's face and saw his features soften.

LIES.

"Please help us Julian. They are trying to kill our baby."