Natalia’s POV
My baby was coming five months too early. All because of this monster and the ruby he held in his palm.
“No!” I snarled, lunging toward him. I tried to grab the stone from his hand, but he held it out of my reach. The ruby flashed again, and another contraction overwhelmed me. I cried out and doubled over, clutching my belly—my belly, which had grown by several inches within the span of mere moments.
Just moments ago, my belly had been a slight swell, the baby within perhaps no more than the size of an avocado.
But thanks to the ruby that the King held in his hand, it had grown. My baby had grown. I could feel its limbs stretching and contorting unnaturally, bones growing too fast, months of gestation happening in the span of seconds.
“What… are you… doing to me?” I groa
