Altair knelt before the unconscious Rosalie, tenderly enveloping her in his protective embrace, drawing her nearer to his chest. With gentle urgency, he brushed his bare hand across her perspiring forehead, delicately erasing the glistening droplets of sweat. His searching gaze traversed her form, every inch of her, as he sought to decipher the cause of her distress.
Then, as his pale platinum eyes settled on her stomach, an abrupt stillness seized his being. His heart quickened its pace within his chest, echoing the frantic rhythm of a galloping horse as he finally whispered,
"She... She is with child."
