The idea of the Devil having a mate was ludicrous.
A paper floated onto my lap. I scooped it up.
“This is life. Goodbyes are a part of it.”
I crumbled the paper, ignoring Shadow’s cruel words. Not even my oldest companion knew how to be kind. Why would I expect fate to be fair to me?
“The Devil wants you dead.”
I jumped at my dad’s raspy voice.
Leaning forward in the chair, I said, “You’re awake.” I reached for his hand and squeezed it—more for my comfort than his.
“Listen to me, Kitty,” Dad said sternly.
“The Devil wanting us dead is old news,” I muttered. “He’d love to be rid of us.”
“No, you’re different.” Dad shook his head.
I smiled, arching a brow. “Because I’m his marked mate.”
Dad’s face pinched, and he looked pained by the idea.
“It would make sense,” he said.
“How so?”
“He’d rather see you dead than accept the idea—” Dad coughed.
I stood quickly and said, “Relax. We don’t need to talk about this.”
“We do,” he blurted. “You’re not safe. I can’t protect you when I’m gone.”
I rubbed my fingers across his forehead. “Then stay.”
“You know it doesn’t work that way.”
“I’m not weak. I know you think I am, but I’m your daughter.”
“Let your brothers keep you safe,” Dad said, his voice cracking as he closed his eyes. “It’s better if you don’t go near him. The Devil would waste no time in ending you when you’re mortal.”
“Dad, that’s all of us,” I pointed out. “Of course he’d want to end those in his way. I know how to be careful.”
Dad was the one making the least sense. If I was the Devil’s mate, so what? Nothing changed. He still wanted to destroy our family.
“I’ve feared what he might do to you for so many years,” Dad continued.
I frowned. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“More than once, he came to the woods after the curse. I’d always find him near you. I never understood why, but I assumed it was to kill you. The Devil must have figured out what you were to him long ago. Knowing him, he probably wanted to end you out of spite. The idea of having one of my daughters as a mate must torture him.”
“You kept a closer watch on me all this time because of him?”
Suddenly, everything made more sense. That was why my dad hovered over me most of my life. Just another reason to despise the Devil.
Dad met my gaze, something hardening in the depths of his eyes. “If the Devil is your marked mate, it’s not the same for you as it is for your siblings. Do you understand?”
“I do,” I promised, as a pang shot through my heart. “Mine’s not a happy ending.”
