Chapter 22A little more than a week later, Madison stood at her lover’s side and waved goodbye to her family as the train pulled out. She locked eyes with Rosie and waved a little harder, remembering their conversation the previous night, when she’d suggested her little sister stay in Seattle-Archer.“Nah, I can’t,” Rosie had said.Feeling disappointed, she had still nodded. “I understand. The family needs you.”“Yeah, but it’s not just that. Eric…Nash…well…” She had shrugged, trailing off. “He’s different, you know?”Madison had nodded. “You don’t think he’s too old?”Her sister had shaken her head. “Nah, he’s only seven years older than me. That’s hardly anything. I’m not even sure how he really feels, but I gotta find out.”“That I definitely understand.”The sisters shared a secret smile as the train pulled away, and she kept her gaze locked with Rosie’s until her sister was too far away. When she could no longer see any of her family, she turned back to face Tiernan, putting her

Chapter 24Contentment and optimism were still flowing through her when she left the clinic an hour later, with Figg and Vinny close behind. Susan had kept her long enough to be sure she wouldn’t faint again, but had insisted she go home to rest instead of doing a shift that day. Madison hadn’t argued much, because she truly was tired. Now that she knew she was pregnant, she suddenly felt it too. It explained her tiredness in the evenings, when she often had a nap after dinner, before Tiernan was ready for bed. They would make love, and then she would fall into a deep sleep within minutes. Before her new knowledge came to light, she had dismissed it as a touch of depression from losing Cleo, along with maintaining a busy day to keep unwanted thoughts at bay. In retrospect, it made perfect sense, and it had started about three weeks ago—which was about right, she supposed, since Susan guessed she was around six or eight weeks pregnant, based on when she had missed those days of her tea

Chapter 26They reentered the Seattle-Archer area after nightfall. The wagon and troops took a route she wasn’t familiar with, and she idly wondered where they were going as she caught sight of the capitol building a couple of blocks over. Their destination was clear just a few minutes later, as the wagon drew up in front of an ugly cinderblock building painted white, with imposing bars on the visible windows and across the two front doors. Two men in military uniforms stood guard on either side of the door.Exhaustion had her stumbling as she stood to disembark the wagon. Only the steadying hand of the soldier waiting to help her down kept her from falling. She gave him a small smile of gratitude in the faint illumination provided by the dim light strategically stationed near the entrance. The soldier grimaced and looked away.With a sigh, Madison straightened her spine and fell into line with the other prisoners. The guards herded them into the building, where several more groups wa

Chapter 28Tiernan took the news of his impending fatherhood badly. As soon as the doctor left his office, he threw the crystal glass against the wall and cursed loudly. Seven weeks ago, he’d been practically raping her after chasing Madison through the wilderness to get her back. No wonder she hated him enough to betray him to the rebels and plot to kill him.It made a terrible sort of sense that she had gotten pregnant then. As messed up as their relationship was, with him holding her against her will in the beginning, and her planning to kill him, it was horribly right that their child had been conceived that fateful night.There was no question about her facing the tribunal now. He would make the journal disappear, along with the allegations against her. If anyone dared mention a word of her suspected treasonous activities, he’d make sure they weren’t in the Federation long enough to share more gossip. Tiernan would ensure Aidan circulated among the troops that any acknowledgement

Chapter 30Madison had taken an herbal drink Susan gave her, which knocked her out for several hours. When she woke, dismay spread through her to find herself back in Tiernan’s suite, in his bed. Well, dismay and a tiny surge of pleasure that emanated from a traitorous part of her that still hadn’t accepted he was the enemy, not someone she should love and miss.Cautiously, she sat up as her pelvis twinged, and nausea surged up her throat. A deep breath helped her keep from vomiting, but the bile crept higher when she saw Tiernan sitting at the dining table with enough food to feed an army spread before him. Last night was a bit of a haze, but she remembered the pain and Susan’s visit. Gingerly, she touched her stomach, amazed she was still pregnant after the pain she’d had yesterday.“Susan will be by later to see you,” said Tiernan, his expression neutral and his tone polite.Madison nodded, sliding from the bed carefully. Her head spun, and she had to remain still for a moment as s