"Finding your mate should be such a joyful time, and this is very much not that," Penelope said. "But I am so grateful that you are her mate. It is amazing. August and I were pregnant with you two at the same time. We were pregnant with you both when we gave Daegel life together… the very first vampire to ever be given a beating heart who was not mated. It is as if your conception was known ahead of time."
"Of course it was," he said simply, the faith in the Goddess' plan so plain that it was obvious.
Penelope nodded with a small smile. "I know that you two will find a way out of this together. Like I said, your presence here is a hope that I did not expect."
"It is a hope for all of us," he said, approaching the bars of her room and curling one of his hands around it. "You are included in that, Penelope."
She nodded again. "Of course."
"I am not just saying that. If Zagan is out there…"
