When he puts his hands on her to push her away, every protective instinct I have roars to life. I leap forward, claws extending, but stop myself before striking. Hannah is too close; I won’t risk hurting her.
The fool abandons Hannah and scrambles backward. Now that there’s nothing between us, I pounce. But just as my claws would find their mark, Hannah’s voice cuts through my rage.
“Stop!”
My arm freezes mid-strike. “Why?” I demand, confusion warring with bloodlust. “Do you love him?”
I stare down at the cowering man, his conventionally handsome features twisted with terror.
“No!” Hannah says firmly. “But what if I did? Have you changed, or haven’t you? Will you resort to violence every time something doesn’t go your way?”
She steps into my line of sight, and the disappointment in her eyes hits harder than any physical blow. I don’t move off the human, but I spot his fallen gun and use my wing to send it skittering across the room.
Hannah sees my restraint and draws a steadying breath. “I want to come back with you,” she says, standing straighter. “But I refuse to be with someone whose temper terrifies me.”
Shame crashes over me like a wave. She’s right—again. I’m still letting rage make my decisions, still choosing force when I should choose wisdom.
“You won’t need to fear me,” I say, shaking my head as much at myself as at her words. “Thing scried to help me find you.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Thing can?—”
“He’s not as skilled at it, but Death can sometimes call the runes. I begged him for help.” I step back from the human male, though I keep one foot near him in case he tries something stupid. “We’ve talked extensively in your absence. I am changing, Hannah. I’ve had to face truths about myself I’ve spent centuries avoiding.”
I reach out to touch her cheek, my voice dropping to something vulnerable. “You’ll never need to be afraid when you’re with me. I swear it.”
But even as I make this promise, another gunshot rings out. The bullet strikes my back and bounces off harmlessly, but the fact that it happened at all proves I’m failing to protect her even now.
I whirl around to find that the human has produced a second weapon. In one swift motion, I grab the gun and crush it in my fist like paper, dropping the twisted metal at his feet.
His eyes go wide with terror, and every instinct screams at me to finish what he started. He endangered Hannah twice now. He deserves to suffer for?—
Only cowards use force.
Hannah’s words echo in my mind, stronger than the rage. I’ve just promised her I’m changing. Now I have to prove it.
Instead of violence, I lean down until we’re face to face and bare my fangs in a smile that promises consequences if he ever comes near her again.
“Run,” I hiss.
He doesn’t need to be told twice. The acrid scent of his fear fills the air as he scrambles to his feet and flees the apartment.
When I turn back to Hannah, she’s looking at me with something I haven’t seen in her eyes since before everything went wrong—pride. She launches herself into my arms, and I catch her carefully, mindful of my strength and her fragility.
“Take me home, beloved,” she whispers against my ear.
The word ‘beloved’ undoes me completely. Not consort, not mate—beloved. As if I’m someone worthy of love rather than just possession.
“Are you certain?” I ask, pulling back to search her face. “I won’t blame you if you need more time. I know I have work to do, patterns to break. The violence you witnessed...”
“I saw you choose differently just now,” she says softly. “I saw you remember who you want to be instead of who you were taught to be. That’s not nothing, Abaddon. That’s everything.”
I close my eyes and rest my forehead against hers. “I want to be worthy of you. Of the family we’re building. I want our child to see strength used for protection, not destruction.”
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” she says simply. “All of it. But I need to know you’re committed to doing the work, not just saying the words.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I promise, and for the first time in my existence, I mean it completely. “I want to be the male you see when you look at me with love instead of fear.”
She smiles then, brilliant and warm. “Take me home, and let’s start building something better.”
