With Sarah asleep, I took the opportunity to deal with an increasing burden on our lives. Allison was going to be a problem, I could see it easily. She might have given the impression that she had walked away but I knew better than to believe it.

Slipping away from the bed, I took my phone and walked into the bathroom, gently closing the door.

"My lord." Nolia purred.

"Nolia, please contact Peaco and have him look into Allison Walters."

"Our queen's sister, my lord?"

"Yes. Ensure Peaco maintains a distance, avoids detection and finds as much information as possible. Allison is here in New York at the moment."

"I will notify him immediately. Is there anything else?"

My mind rattled with a multitude of things that I had to do.

"Not at the moment, we may be in later if time allows it."

Or, if I could drag myself away from being naked in bed with Sarah for a few hours, it might be impossible.

"Of course my lord, I look forward to meeting our queen. I will call Peaco."

"Thank you Nolia, that is all."

She hummed her sweet goodbye, as I ended the call I wondered if she would speak to me like that with Sarah in earshot. I doubted she would have the guts to do it. She also knew that she was one of a handful of women that had remained in the underworld and was probably grateful.

Quietly I left the bathroom, padding across the floor. As I dumped my phone back to the table, I looked at Sarah who was still asleep, still with a broad smile on her face. Sarah looked so serene, so perfect; I could look at her like this all day. It took all my strength not to wake her to see those blue eyes looking at me, to see the smile stretch more to reveal the soft white of her teeth.

The thought of those teeth sent a surge through my body; she was becoming more playful, teasing me more and more. Tiny nips against my skin, playful bites.

Lifting the sheet and blanket, I slipped back into bed while doing my damnedest not to wake Sarah. I had failed.

"Where did you go?" She asked sleepily.

"Just to the bathroom to make a call. I didn't wake you did I? I did go in there to let you sleep."

"No. It's all good baby."

I grinned and pulled her into my arms, feeling the weight of her body as she slowly slipped back into sleep. Even though the pain had subsided, she was still in the final stages of her transformation. Nothing was altering about her body, just lethargy.

Then again, I suppose the newest addition to her body could be causing her grief already. It was a surreal thought; life was growing within her. Our child, my child. Having children had never been on my radar until Sarah came along, then my priorities changed completely. I'd never done a turn around like this before.

I was about rules. Planning and forethought. Deception, negativity, maybe a sprinkle of evil. Okay, so a whole lot of evil. But never a thought of a little child that would have me wound around their little finger within seconds of meeting them. They would be exactly like their mother, they would have their father smitten, and he would do anything to make them happy.

The devil doesn't do smitten.

Who was I kidding? The devil does do smitten. And besotted.

But there was a problem with being so deeply in love with someone, to hold so much love for a wife, to love a child with tender parental care. It leaves a man exposed to those who would use such affection against him. I didn't want to believe that this world would hold people that would do such things but it was entirely possible that someone would attempt to abduct them to extract something from me. We could start with a certain fluff ball who would always be a thorn in my side. I couldn't kill the sod. Maybe he needs to get a life and stop interfering with mine.

This was payback for everything I'd done to him, it was clear, but that didn't mean that he had to keep going. I'd prank him and walk away, not carry it on for days. The man had to learn how to take a joke.

Maybe I need to employ a guard for Sarah. Maybe Igor needed a change of scenery. Then again, Sarah wanted to keep the shop going with Igor at the helm. The man liked being in a kitchen; it was where he found happiness. Sarah was fond of Igor and for me to drag him away from his favored past time would not sit well with her.

There were few who I could trust, and I knew that I would have to ensure that Sarah and our children knew how to deal with situations as they arise.

My phone shrilled, making Sarah's body jolt with shock as she woke.

"Sorry my love, I forgot to turn down the volume."

"It's alright." She said sleepily. "Maybe we should be getting up anyway."

I didn't want to agree with her; I wanted to laze around and do nothing all day long. Grabbing my phone, I saw a familiar number, Peaco.

"Yes, Peaco."

"My lord, your assistant notified me as to the newest subject to observe. I tracked her with ease because she's sitting in a car only a short distance from your apartment. Were you aware of this?"

"No," I grumbled, getting up to the window.

Sarah frowned as she watched me lift the curtain edge back slightly, peering out to the road.

"What is the subject doing?"

"Drinking what looks like juice, taking notes on a notepad."

"Alright, maintain the position and notify me if anything changes."

"As you wish my lord."

I sighed wearily, ending the call and letting go of the curtain.

"Who are you spying on now Anton?"

"Your horrid sister."

Sarah sat back against the wall, the sheets pooling around her waist and leaving her delectably exposed. Then again, I wasn't exactly overdressed.

"Is she still in the city?"

I nodded as I climbed under the sheets and leaned on the wall beside her.

"Sitting in her car, just up the road. She's watching this building and taking notes."

"What does she think she's going to find out?"

"I don't know but my plan for going into the underworld today is now a little more complicated. We can't just leave from here, if she turns up again and gets no answer, then she'll start asking questions."

She could cause problems, which was highly likely given the type of person she is.

"You know what?" Sarah interrupted my thoughts "I feel like going shopping. Let's take a long walk and find something to buy for the baby."

This was odd for Sarah to say the least, she wasn't a fan of shopping. I'd learned that within days of knowing her. She shopped for necessity, and sure, things for the baby was necessary but not this early on. As she smiled and moved forward, I saw a tiny snippet of darkness in her smile.