The townhouse was quiet and empty-seeming by the time its mistress entered the mostly dark bedroom.  A puddle of faint moonlight stained the floor near the window, and she went over to close the curtains.  She didn’t need a candle to see where to go…but then she thought better of it and lit one anyway.  It’s what he would have wanted, were he here.
	But the candle only reminded her that he wasn’t, that she was the only occupant for now, until…gods only knew when.  She remembered him telling her uncle that not many women would want to marry a man in his position, who could be gone for weeks at a time.  She hadn’t realized then exactly how hard this would be on her.  Especially now.
	She caressed her growing stomach fondly.  Her pregnancy was more obvious now, and it would soon be time to start shopping for maternity clothes.  Athie said the baby was doing fine now, and would be okay so long as she took it easy.  Her older sister had even done her the (dis)service of informing Uncle Furon about this, so she was off the assignment list.  As she began to strip off her gown, she thought about that again, still unsure what she thought about it.
	Most of her was glad of it, really, truly glad.  For the baby’s sake, and for her own, it was the best thing.  No more skulking about at all hours of the night instead of being warm in bed; no more deception, lies, seduction and maneuvering.  But there was a tiny, scared part of her that said, “What now?”  Would she ever be given assignments again?  Because she had liked being able to pull them off, and she had liked the praise her uncle would give her for a job well done.  She liked the knowledge that she was helping her family.  Most of all, she liked having a purpose.
	Training Dresden’s apprentice wasn’t going to be enough to keep her satisfied her entire life, though it was diverting enough for now.  And the drive to become stronger, better in her talents still ate at her.  Dresden had never told her the outcome of his talk with The Phoenix over her fight with Keira, and that made her wonder if it was news she wouldn’t like.  He might keep that knowledge from her, if he thought it would agitate her, and cite the baby as his reason rather than admit he didn’t want her mad at him.  Maybe the bitch had been “terminated” in every possible sense of the word.  Myanara hoped not; she was used to driving the point home herself, so to speak, and she dearly wanted that pleasure for herself this time.
	She pulled on her nightgown and took the candle over near the bed, thinking things over for easily the hundredth time since Dresden had left.  Keira had had the chance to get back to headquarters first; she could easily have told The Phoenix whatever she wanted.  Mya had to assume, for the time being, that she was no longer under the Brotherhood’s protection, and with Dresden gone, things could get dangerous.  She could protect herself, to a point, but her pride had taken the harshest blow in that battle.  And as the pregnancy progressed….already, she was having morning sickness.  In the evenings, but nonetheless, daily vomiting.  Because of the damage already done, she had to be extra careful.  She was in no shape for violence.
	Her family would help her of course, but only if word could be gotten to them in time.  She doubted the whore would be kind enough to give notice before attacking again, if she were so inclined.  Mya hoped she wasn’t.  She turned down the bedclothes and climbed in, suddenly feeling cold.
	She missed Dresden.  She missed him constantly, but nights were the hardest.  No rampant sex before cuddling in together to sleep, and thus, no waking up in his arms.  She laid down and rubbed her belly thoughtfully.  The thoughts she tried constantly to push away rose up again: what if he never came back?  She could feel tears sting at her eyes and whispered a “Godsdamnit” into the still air.  
	She had always known she would marry the man her uncle told her to.  She had always known that she would live the rest of her life from that point trying to keep her husband happy and give him children.  These things had happened.  What she hadn’t counted on was being in love.  She’d been attracted to Dresden right away, so the thought of marrying him had never been terrible.  She wasn’t exactly sure when it became necessary to her though, when he became necessary to her.  But he was.  It wasn’t proper for noble ladies to say they were in love with their husbands, and acting like a moonstruck rabbit in public was a sure way to get a reputation as a flutterhead and a child.  But it didn’t mean it didn’t exist, and it was so strong a force in her she sometimes thought it had replaced her blood.  She was just good at hiding it, as she had to be.
	If Dresden didn’t come back, or came back a corpse, she would be expected to grieve an appropriate amount of time before beginning the search for a new husband.  She would give birth to Dresden’s child, who would never know his or her real father, and her life would revert to the joyless duty she had always envisioned before.  She supposed it was better than never having had that joy in the first place, but the thought of a lifetime now lived without it made her ache.
	She wished The Phoenix hadn’t talked Dresden into staying.  She knew that much without being told; it was obvious.  He’d still be here otherwise, wouldn’t have been sent out on whatever job he was on.  He’d be home, here, with her, to keep her sane and warm at night.  And, injured baby or not, surely it wasn’t too late in the pregnancy to fool around, right?
	She distracted herself with memories of their times together (and made another mental note to drug him, strip him, and tie him to the bed again – that had been an excellent time), but when she emerged from her thoughts, she was still alone in a dark bedroom in a townhome in a recovering part of Silvermoon.  She missed the cabin; oh, he still had it, but they had appearances to keep up, based on who his family was and who hers was as well.  The cabin was a getaway now, an escape to where they could be themselves.  She guessed that even if she never took another assignment, her life would always involve deception and lies.  And hopefully seduction, she added mentally, with a small smile.
	She shifted in bed, burrowing into her pillow more.  It’d been a long time since she’d felt so small and alone.  Dresden was gone on assignment, that murderous slattern might still be out there, and there was a good chance that she was facing these things completely alone, while trying to protect and nurture the child inside of her that was causing her to puke up her dinner every night.  Mya rolled over, blew out the candle, and closed her eyes, praying for quick oblivion tonight so she could meet her husband in her dreams.