Seeing her torn expression, Elias didn't want to press for the abortion. It was evident she'd never agreed to it. There was the extreme option. He could just kill the child, wipe her memories, and pretend nothing ever happened.

But Elias knew she'd find out. No matter how perfect the spell was, she'd know. And now, he heard she told Lydia, Stella, and Evelyn. Too many people knew. Too many people he'd have to murder.

"Elias, do you think it's a boy or girl?" she softly asked, affectionately touching her stomach.

Elias gawked at her. Was she seriously asking him that? She reached for his hand, and he admired how small hers were compared to his. He let out a small sigh, held her fingers, and took a seat at the edge of his bed.

"I don't know, darling," Elias murmured.

Elias wrapped an arm around her lower back and kissed the side of her head. He wanted to savor this moment, for it could be their last. The thought of that infuriated him as much as it hurt him.

Elias finally found the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And now, she was going to leave him in nine months.

"I'd like a boy who resembles you," Adeline softly said. She caressed his dark hair, her smile bright. "I hope he has his father's silky hair, beautiful eyes and—"

"I want a girl," Elias deadpanned. He pulled her close and softly kissed her lips. "I want a golden-haired princess running in my hallways. I want her to have your eyes, your nose, your wits, your compassion. I want her to resemble you and never me."

Elias's grip tightened. "I do not possess a single good quality except for my excellent looks. It'd be best if our child inherited all of your good traits, not mine."

Adeline was speechless. She wanted to say there was good in him, but that'd be a lie. His brain was filled with evil and cruelty. He treated her kindly because he loved her. He did heinous deeds because he loved her. She felt guilty he had to further stain his hands with blood because of her. But she didn't want to make it seem like it was a horrible thing for her to love him. She loved him so much that it couldn't be put into words.

"I am a horrible person, and I know it. Do not create excuses for my actions," Elias coldly said.

"I-I'm not trying to create excuses," she said."I can see the little hamster churning in your head, searching for something to say," Elias wryly said. "Evil people live the longest, darling. Why do you think I've been alive for all these centuries, and humans like you live so little?"

Adeline was speechless.

Elias pressed his forehead against hers. "You're the good in the world, darling, and I'm all that is evil."

Elias pecked her on the lips, his hand cupping the side of her face. He brushed his thumb on her cheek, smooth and soft. "I do not need to be a good person, so long as you're by my side, darling."

'What if I'm no longer by your side?' Adeline thought to herself, but she already knew the answer to that. So, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Elias let out a chuckle. He didn't need the ability to read minds to know what she was thinking. Her fear was written all over her face.

Elias pressed a kiss upon her head and lowered her onto the bed. As always, he was the big spoon, and she was the tiny one. He hugged her endearingly, careful of the IV drip.

"Sleep, darling," Elias softly told her. "I will be here when you wake up."

- - - - -

The next morning arrived, and Elias was, indeed, in bed. Adeline was, surprisingly, the first to rise. She touched her hand, realizing in her sleep, he must've removed the IV drip, seeing as the bag was empty and there was a bandaid on her hand.

Adeline couldn't imagine the fuss Elias might've thrown. The Doctor must've been called in at midnight to remove the needle.

"My fierce protector," she mused under her breath, a joke that only she found funny.

Elias had always been protective of her. She had always realized that about him. Sometimes, it was over the top.

Adeline lifted her head from his strong chest. She rested on an elbow and admired his sleeping posture. He must be beyond exhausted.

Adeline had never seen him in such a deep sleep. His brows were taunted, his skin fair and smooth. She was envious of how handsome he was. His hair was naturally swept aside, exposing his well-shaped forehead.

"I wish the baby would resemble you, Elias," she whispered under her breath.magic

Adeline trailed a finger across his prominent nose, his cupid-bow lips, and his sharp jawline. "He'd be a handsome baby if he did."Adeline smiled to herself. A brooding baby popped into her mind. With Elias's irritated glower, arrogant smirk, and mesmerizing features. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips, savoring the quiet touch. Every time he kissed her, her heart always trembled.

"I love you, so, so much…" Her voice cracked towards the end.

It was why Adeline wanted to leave a piece of her behind. Adeline had prepared herself to die. She was human, and he'd never turn her into a vampire. But the child would be a half-blood. The child would live long and stay by Elias's side forever.

"Perhaps the child can have my personality," Adeline softly said. "So that they will stand by your side when I am gone. So that they'll hold your hand when I am not here. So that they'll love you when my heart crumbles into dust tossed into the ocean."

Adeline laid her head upon his chest. "So that you will never spend eternity alone."

Without warning, he slid an arm around her waist. "What is eternity, if I can't have it with you, darling?" His voice was heavy with sleep, and she wasn't sure how much he heard.

Instead of responding to his comment, Adeline smiled up at him. His hand was large and his finger was sprawled across her hip, softly kneading her skin.

"Good morning," she said.

Elias cracked his eyes open. He was greeted by her beauty. "A very good morning," he corrected her, leaning in for a kiss. She was like an angel out of nowhere, with her blond hair tickling his neck, and her naive smile.

"We can make it even better…" Elias trailed off, capturing her lips.

Adeline loudly laughed and turned her head. He smirked and captured her waist, kissing her promptly on the lips, his hands trailing lower and lower.

"Elias…" she trailed off, already knowing what was to come.

"Hmm?" he hummed, kissing her chin.

Elias's finger looped around her underwear, smirking when he felt lace. Before that, he teased her through the thin fabric, his fingers stroking her strategically, her breath hitching.

"M-maybe just one round," she whispered, but knew it'd be far more than that, especially with his hungry gaze.

"Or two," he teased, pushing the material of her underwear away.

"I have to see Lydia later—"

"Then make it five, so you can't walk out of bed to see her," Elias said.

Adeline laughed, thinking it was a joke. But he wasn't laughing with her. So, she looked at him, surprised that he was being serious. Something about his mischievous smirk told her it wasn't a joke.

Oh god.