“Mom,” my father began, his voice strained. “You can’t—”
“Louis, you can sense the bond just as much as I can,” Nana cut him off firmly.
My mother shifted uncomfortably. “But Hilde, he’s a demon.”
Nana nodded sharply. “Yes, he is, and he’s also your son’s fated mate. Fate believes they are perfect for each other. Who are we to question it, Camille?” She looked back at Dominic and me, her eyes twinkling. “Besides, look how happy your boy is. He’s practically glowing.”
My mother’s gaze moved between Dominic and me, lingering on the contented expression I probably wore. With a heavy sigh, she straightened and approached Dominic. “I’ve learned from my other son that I need to be more open-minded. I was cruel to him and his mate because of my prejudices against predators. I almost lost him because of it. I was wrong then, and I’m wrong now.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “It may take some getting used to, but welcome to the family, Dominic.”
After her declaration, my mother did something I hadn't anticipated—she hugged Dominic. It was awkward and tentative at first, but genuine. Then she turned to me, her eyes misty, and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Congratulations, my son,” she whispered.
Her acceptance seemed to break the dam. One by one, the rest of the family approached. Ben, Emma, Gabe, and even Alice came forward, each offering their congratulations and welcoming Dominic with varying degrees of warmth but genuine effort. The atmosphere shifted palpably from tense to tentatively celebratory.
Olivia was the last to step forward. Her approach was hesitant, her eyes flickering between me and Dominic. She took a deep breath before speaking. “I learned a hard lesson with Brian. I regret the pain my actions caused. I hope I can do better here.” She extended her hand to Dominic, who accepted it with a nod, and then she hugged me. “Congratulations, Lucas. Really.”
The room filled with a lighter chatter, the earlier tension dissipating as family members shared their storm experiences and caught up. Noah, always the peacemaker, clapped his hands to draw attention. “So, how did you guys fare the hurricane? Everything okay back at your place?”
The question caught me off guard. I hesitated, wondering how much to share. Should I mention the attack by the demon? The room waited for my response, and I grappled with how much of our recent ordeal to reveal.
“Yeah, we managed,” I started, choosing my words carefully, my mind racing. Do I bring up the demon attack? How do we even explain that?
Noah nodded, seemingly satisfied with my vague response, but his curious gaze told me the conversation was far from over. Fuck, I’ll tell them later. No need to bring down the mood now. I nodded to myself and looked back at Dominic, who was in an animated conversation with my brother Gabe.
I laughed as I heard him ask, “So, do you have wings? What do you look like in your true form?”
Yeah, I’ll tell them about the other stuff later.
Little Demon
Dominic
Ireleasedasighas I fell back onto Talon’s soft bed in the lion's den. The past few days had been a whirlwind, juggling emotions and preparations for the upcoming meeting with Talon's family. It was overwhelming. It turned out that finding your duša was just the beginning. Fate had really given us a winding road to travel.
I sighed again. The room was quiet, the only sound the distant murmur of the pride house going about its daily routines. I stared at the ceiling, tracing the intricate patterns with my eyes, letting my mind wander but not settle. The relative peace of the moment of just letting go was exactly what I needed.
The door creaked open, and Talon's familiar presence filled the doorway, followed closely by Lucas. A sliver of light from the hallway outlined their figures, casting long shadows that merged with the dimness of the room. "Thinking or brooding?" Talon asked, his voice carrying a gentle tease that managed to pull a half-smile from me.
"Is there a difference today?" I quipped, shifting to make room for them both on the bed. They closed the door behind them and joined me, the mattress dipping under their weight.
Talon lay down beside me, turning on his side to face me, while Lucas settled on my other side, his presence a comforting weight. "You tell me," Talon replied, his hand finding mine under the covers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Maybe both," I admitted, turning to face them both. “I keep thinking about tomorrow—about your family. It’s a lot. I mean, Lucas’s family was a lot to handle, but we had someone on our side in Nana. From what you said, it doesn’t sound like we’re going to have that tomorrow, and to be honest, I don’t think I’m going to be able to control myself with your dad.”
Lucas reached out to touch my arm. “Oh my god, you feel the same way. Shit, no offense, Talon. Your dad sounds like a dick. I'm worried about snapping, too.”
Talon nodded. “My dad is a dick. I feel the way you all are feeling all the time, so I think we’ll be okay.”
"But you can't turn into an eleven-thousand-year-old demon and accidentally vaporize him," I added flatly.
Both their mouths moved like fish, like they were attempting to find something to say.
Lucas finally spoke up. “Eleven thousand?”
I grinned. It was my age he latched on to. It was the first time I had mentioned my age. “Give a take a century—yeah, a little over eleven thousand.”
“Wow,” Talon whispered.
“You weren’t kidding when you told Nana you were a bit older,” Lucas added.
