“This isn’t… you can’t…”
“Oh, yes, Ican. I can doanything,Gall. You should remember that.”
“But she’s—”
“She is the Queen of the Nephilim, your mate and wife, and almost as dense as you,” he hissed, slapping me on the side of the head.
I jerked. “Stop!” I wanted to roar again, and I wanted to cry. Which only made me more embarrassed.
“I’ll stop when you get your head out of your ass. You think because I share my power with you, that you candefyme?”
“No, I just—”
“No, Gall. That is the correct answer: Just,no.”
I frowned. Neph protected their mates and claimed women. It was the right thing to do. Wasn’t it?
He was Grandfather, and Fallen. Maybe it was different, then? But Papa even got upset when Jann got close to Yilan at first and…
“Don’t try to work it out, Gall,” Grandfather sighed. “You won’t. I will always be one step ahead of you. Hell, I’ll always be onehundredsteps ahead of you. Stop trying to think for yourself, and just listen: I came because something important is coming, and you need to prepare.”
I blinked, frowning. “But… you said we have five days—”
“And you will. But you need to prepare yourself. If your queen conceives—which I believe she will—your success will need to be announced. We will call the Neph to the Coliseum, and she will be displayed for their—”
“No!”The growl that burst out of me was almost as deep as Papa’s, and my hands were fists again.“No,I’m not making her stand up there like that. She gets scared!”
Grandfather went very still, his eyes cold and narrowed at me. I made myself lift my chin and face him. It wasn’tright.
He wanted to show them all that she mated me, and that would make her cry.
“No?”he asked quietly.
My skin got goosebumps all over. But I knew Izzy couldn’t do that. Not with all the Nephilim watching. “No.”
Grandfather tilted his head slowly, never looking away from my eyes. “You arrogant littlefuck.”
“No! She’s my mate and—”
“I don’t give two shits what she is, exceptpregnant.This is between you and me. You think you can say no to me? You think you mightresistme?”
“I’ll tell them all that she’s pregnant. And they’ll be happy. They don’t need to see her for that to happen! It scares her!”
“I didn’t come here to listen to your plan, Gall. I came to tell you what your plan should be.”
“But—”
“And still, you defy me.”
“No! I’m just—”
“You’re just making a different plan, because you’re so much smarter and wiser than me?”
I grimaced. I knew that wasn’t true. Grandfather waswaysmarter than me. But he could be mean, and…
“I just want her to not get scared,” I said, wishing I didn’t sound like a little kid.
“You think you can do this without me? Any of it?” he muttered, leaning right into my face.
