Melissa's face softened instantly.
Her hand settled over his.
"You mean our baby?"
"Our baby."
The words still sounded wonderful.
Phei leaned forward until his lips touched her stomach.
One kiss, then another, slower this time, open-mouthed against the warm, taut skin. Melissa's fingers entered his wet hair while he remained there for a moment, smiling against her like an idiot, the heat of his mouth lingering as if he could kiss the child through her.
His kid.
Gods.
Phei finally lifted his head, but his thoughts had returned to the vanished Mark.
The explanation seemed obvious now.
Living Soul.
The System had explicitly told him that the Mark's evolution needed to spread through his women again. Those who already carried his old Mark would need to be marked once more, while women who had never received it would need to accept it for the first time.
Roxanne had been the exception.
