As she sat on Kain’s lap watching the land disappear beneath them, her mate’s hand rubbing slow circles on her belly, Selma gave up on trying to make sense of the creatures who had filled her world from the moment she was born. They were not human, and even when she gave birth and her mark would once again blind her to their otherness, they would never be human.
Yet that didn’t stop her from knowing, despite the unease in her stomach at her lover’s current look, that she belonged here with him.
Perhaps Bealith was right. Perhaps it was her fate to bring love to the demon who held her in his arms, as well as to the one growing in her womb.
37
Kain
“You know what will happen the moment this gets out!” Kain threaded a hand through his hair in agitation as he stared at his father. “A Breeder with power? Someone will try to kill her. I won’t allow it! I’d rather let Naharan get away with treason than put Selma in more danger.”
Kirigan lightly tapped at the glass of bourbon in his hand. “Nothing you do will stop this from getting out. We left way too many of the Queen’s subjects alive for this not to spread like wildfire. We’re better off nipping it in the bud and facing the royal family head-on.”
“You mean confront them? Publicly?” Kesh cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “That will lead to?—”
“A coup.” Kirigan smiled wryly, though it didn’t touch his black eyes. Nothing did anymore. “We have one of the Stones of Power and your mate killed the reigning queen. She does have a legitimate claim to the throne, despite being a Breeder rather than a demon.”
“You’re mad. I’m not bringing her to Europe, and I have no desire to challenge the royal family in their own territory. We may have one Stone, and I am sure we will have supporters once we divulge Naharan’s treason, but they have the other two Stones and it’s their home,” Kain said. As much as he wanted to tear the prince limb from limb, it wasn’t worth risking his mate’s life. “All I want is to find somewhere safe to bring up my family.”
“That’s the point; nowhere is safe until we have dealt with the threat of the traitorous royal family.” Despite the nature of the topic, Kirigan’s tone remained calm. “You will never find a safe place for that girl unless you seize power over those who would harm her.”
“Fuck!” Kain slapped his palm against the nearest wall hard enough for the structure to shake. He was right—his insane monster of a father was right. Unless he established himself at the very top of the food chain, they would always be looking over their shoulders.
If they seized control of the demon world, not only would they annihilate the threat of Naharan, but they would also curb the fear of a Breeder with power by making her Queen, thus establishing her in a position of authority—even if that would initially cause an uproar, especially among the demon females.
“We don’t have to go to Europe,” Kesh said, his brow wrinkled in thought. “We make our claim here. We find Naharan and make his crimes public, then execute him and claim dominion over the Northern Americas in the process. If the rest of the royal family objects, they will come to our territory and we will have the advantage. Or they give up control of the New World and we still accomplish what we set out to do.”
“It is a good plan,” Kirigan agreed. “If you truly care for the Breeder’s safety, you will do this, Kain.”
Kain grimaced. “I will think on it. When I return, I will let you know what I’ve decided.”
Without waiting for further input, he turned and walked out of the library.
As a Lord, he’d always had a natural inclination toward leadership and domination, but he’d never had any desire to rule more than his assigned city. After Selma… Well, shit, he’d hardly had time to adjust to having not only a mate, but also a child on the way. Yet every fiber of his being longed to be with her—to create a future with her.
Ruling a continent was not on his list of priorities.
Still, he could see no other way to ensure her safety. Even without her disturbing powers, he would need to kill Naharan to ensure the snake never tried to touch her again, and killing royalty… that meant war.
He hadn’t had time to talk to her yet, to try and figure out where the fuck the destructive light within her came from. Though he would have preferred to keep her in his arms, he’d needed to discuss their next move with his brother and father first, and Selma was clearly still more than a little unsettled at their demonic forms.
So instead of keeping her by his side where she belonged, he’d locked her in his old room to give her a little peace—a peace he now had to break. She deserved to know what was happening, and he would need to mate her again.
As much as his cock appreciated that prospect, his heart twisted unpleasantly. The pure horror in her eyes when she’d woken up and seen his true face would haunt him for an eternity, and knowing he would have to mount her while she was still able to see him like this caused dread to nestle in his gut.
Yet he would do it to save her life, even if it would cause irreparable damage to their fledgling relationship. Even if she would never be able to return his love after being made to mate with a monster.
Kain paused in front of his bedroom door and raised a hand to rap against the wooden surface with a knuckle.
“Kain?”
His name on her sweet voice made him smile, even if she did sound wary.
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
When he opened the door, she was sitting on the wide four-poster bed with her legs folded beneath her, looking as lovely as ever.
