Slowly the big man turned, staring down at her with both dark eyebrows pulled into a frown. “Do you understand how ludicrous this idea is? You and your baby would be in mortal danger—the exact thing Kain sacrificed himself to prevent. No.”
It was just his instincts—he couldn’t help the urge to treat her like she was made of porcelain. Selma did her best not to show her brewing annoyance.
“If I can help in any way, I’m going. As you said, Kain sacrificed himself for me. I’m not going to abandon him.”
He narrowed his eyes. “He did not send you to me so I could drag you back into their claws. You are not going, and that’s final. Have I made myself clear?”
It wasn’t that she had complete faith in her ability to control the light inside of her—far from it—but despite Kirigan’s less-than-stable sanity, she knew from their discussion that he was right: she was their best shot at getting Kain out, because no one would think her capable of doing any harm. If they were spotted while trying to sneak in, Kain and Kirigan would distract the females so she could finish them off.
It was curious, really. She’d never imagined herself capable of killing, but the thought of ending the life of one of the monsters responsible for imprisoning Kain didn’t disturb her as much as she’d thought it would. Marathin’s death had proved that through her power, she finally had agency over her own life. She wasn’t weak like they’d tried to tell her she was, and she didn’t have to sit back and let others decide what was going to happen to her.
The monsters who’d taken her mate were going to regret what they’d done.
When she looked at the men in the helicopter transporting them as close to the queen’s residence as they could get, she caught Kesh’s angry glare and failed to suppress a mildly teasing smile.
The demon Lord had gone so far as to threaten to lock her up to keep her safe in his father’s house while they attempted to rescue Kain. Neither of them had been prepared for the sudden outburst of tears his last shouted “no” had caused, but while Selma was fairly sure it was just due to pregnancy hormones, Kesh had looked like he’d just accidentally killed a litter of puppies.
He’d cradled her and cooed and soothed with a clear undertone of panic, and that was when she’d realized how she was going to get her way.
He’d still not forgiven her for the borderline cruel manipulation of his instincts that followed.
“We’re at the meeting point in two minutes,” the demon Lord said, his voice clipped and cool. “You will stay behind me at all times or I will abandon the mission and drag you home, no matter how much you cry. Is that clear?”
Selma sighed, but nodded to placate him. None of them would benefit from distractions, and she knew he needed to believe her safe so he could focus. As long as they got to Kain, she didn’t care what she had to do to make that happen.
35
Kain
The shackles around his wrists cut into his already bleeding flesh, but the pain was easy to ignore.
Snarling, he crouched by the wall he was chained to, ready to lunge the second the female came within reach. He would snap her neck as he had the last of his captors who’d made that mistake.
“Now, now, big boy. I just want to chat,” she purred from behind the bars of his cell. She cocked a hip and looked him over with hunger in her cold eyes. “You’re such a handsome one. And strong. I just want to make you feel good. Don’t you want to feel good?”
“I want to rip the head from your shoulders. That would make me feel good.”
Her laughter echoed off the stone walls, its pitch modulated for seduction. The only impact it had on Kain was to further fuel his rage.
“I bet your offspring will be as fierce as their daddy. Would that be so bad? To make strong children who will bring honor to your name?”
Children. His chest gave an achy spasm, and he gritted his teeth against the onslaught of emotion that word brought.
He had a child—or at least he’d had a child. He didn’t know if Selma managed to escape, and he would likely never find out. All he could do was hope that she’d made it to Kesh and that his brother would treat her and their child well.
If a mated demon died, it was customary that the Breeder went to a sexually mature family member if she still had young children. It was the only way to ensure her new mate didn’t kill the offspring not related to him in a fit of jealousy.
To Selma and his family, he was dead. No one knew where he’d been taken or that he was even alive, and Kesh was smart enough to know not to draw attention to Naharan’s betrayal. An all-out war with the royal family would risk destroying them all—including his mate and unborn child.
“I have sent you willing female after willing female, and you have denied them all. And of course you killed poor Freidha. She was in heat, which is why she was silly enough to get too close, but I really did expect you to at least sniff her a bit before breaking her neck.
“Yet nothing has tempted that lovely cock of yours—which, let’s be honest, is pretty out of character for your kind. I’ve been told you Lords enjoy raping those of us you capture, so why not take it when it’s freely given?”
Kain spat at the ground and showed his teeth in disgust. He knew what they wanted from him—his seed to strengthen their offspring. Maybe before he’d mated his little one his body would have given in to the alluring scent of a female in heat, but now all he felt was repulsion. Nothing and no one would ever make him yearn like Selma did, and mounting another would only sully her memory.
He was fully aware that the image of her pretty face and the way she made him feel things he hadn’t even known were possible were the only pleasantness he would ever know again.
“You know,” the female said, the purr in her voice changing ever-so slightly to a more threatening sound, “you will give me what I want eventually. I am your queen, and sooner or later, you will yield to me. You produce stronger sperm when at full health and vitality, but I will starve and torture you to get what I need.”
