Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 419 – The Threat of War

Ella

Cora and Roger stay in the meeting room for a little breakfast as Henry escorts Sarah and Jessica from the room, wheeling beside them as they discuss some preliminary plans for Jessica’s schooling and Sarah’s own desires and ideas about her future life. I smile as Sinclair and I walk slowly behind them, Rafe curled protected in the curve of his father’s arm. I wave to my new friends as they and Henry take a left when Sinclair and I have to go right, towards our rooms.

And then, as we make the turn and are finally on our own, I huff a little sigh. Sinclair, as always, notices.

“What’s wrong, little queen?” he murmurs, moving closer to me as we walk. “I thought you’d be happy with the result of that. You did a good thing for her and, I imagine, will keep doing so. Plus, we got some very useful information about Xander.”

“Was it anything we didn’t already know?” I ask, looking up at him with a frown.

“A few things,” he murmurs, giving a shrug. “But more importantly, she’s a witness we will be able to charge Xander, formally, with…well, I guess we’d need a lawyer to spell out specifically which crimes he committed in switching sperm at a sperm bank and then attempting to kidnap the resulting child.”

Rafe gives a little burble right at that moment, making me laugh and smile over at him – my sweet baby, almost as if he knew he was being talked about.

“Well, that’s something,” I murmur, considering it. “Will we charge him, though?”

“I’m not sure,” Sinclair says. “Not that I want to let him off the hook for everything he’s done – we just…need to figure out the best way to go about it, especially as he’s now with the Atalaxians.”

the door open and allowing me to enter first. I head immediately to our gigantic walk-in closet to get changed into more

little mate,” Sinclair murmurs as he follows me into the closet, sitting down on a chaise lounge that I had placed in here just for this reason. I anticipate many

it back on its hanger. “It’s…it’s the Atalaxians I’m worried about,” I say, giving him a sorry little

on the chaise and listening carefully. I give him a little smile and a pulse of gratitude down the bond. It means so much to me that he takes

folded pants, “that I’m not sure we should be…messing with them. I mean – you heard everything that Sarah said today about what life in Xander’s household was like – it

of sorrow. “The idea that Xander would go to the Atalaxians, hat in hand, and they would see him and

shake my head, pursing my lips. “It makes me really uncomfortable, Dominic. I…I don’t want anything

supplication. ” Part of ruling is dealing with people whom you intensely

fingers through his dark hair as I

we have no real

testimony against Xander now. If abuse is as widespread in Atalaxia as I’m being told it is, would

seriously up at me. “What would you have us do as

don’t know,” I say, shaking my head as I look down at him, sighing with my worry and my fear. “I’m really not – not trying to talk you into anything, Dominic, or persuade you one way or another. I just…I

it?” he asks, quiet but

build my life, and raise my child,

I buy that piece at the expense of others? Would I allow innocents to suffer so that

skin. “I’m sorry, love,” he sighs. “That wasn’t a fair question – you have all good points, and I gave you

mine. “It’s…it’s the reality though, isn’t it? If

war either way,” he

I ask, my stomach