Page 57 of A Mother for The Demon's Daughter

His entire body goes still beneath me. Through our bond, I feel the shock that crashes through him, followed immediatelyby a surge of emotion so intense it nearly overwhelms me. Joy, relief, possessive satisfaction, and underneath it all, a love so fierce and consuming it takes my breath away.

"Say it again," he commands, voice rough with emotion as his arms tighten around me.

"I love you," I repeat, stronger this time. "I love your gentleness with Irida and your ruthlessness with everyone else. I love your patience with my fears and your complete lack of patience when you want something. I love that you let me run when I needed space and that you fought for me when I was too scared to fight for myself."

His hand finds my chin, tilting my face up so our eyes meet. The molten gold of his gaze burns with an intensity that makes my pulse quicken all over again.

"I love you too, little thief," he says, each word deliberate and weighted with promise. "I love your strength and your stubbornness. I love the way you see through everyone's bullshit, including mine. I love how fierce you are when protecting the people you care about."

His thumb brushes across my lower lip, and I can see the exact moment he decides to bare his soul completely.

"I love that you chose to stay when every instinct told you to run. I love that you see something worth saving in a monster like me." His voice drops to barely a whisper. "And I love that fate bound us together, because I would have been too much of a coward to reach for you on my own."

The confession breaks something open inside my chest. This powerful, terrifying man who commands respect through fear alone just admitted to being afraid—not of death or pain or any physical threat, but of reaching for happiness. Of believing he might deserve something good.

"You're not a monster," I tell him fiercely. "You're the man who reads bedtime stories to his daughter. Who builds her aplayroom even though you pretend not to have a soft spot. Who would burn the world down to keep her safe."

"And you," he adds, voice carrying such conviction it steals my breath. "I would burn everything for you too."

The words should terrify me. The intensity of his devotion, the possessive edge that promises he'll never let me go, should send me running for the nearest exit. Instead, they fill me with a warmth that has nothing to do with his fire magic and everything to do with being truly wanted for the first time in my life.

I press my lips to his in a kiss that tastes like promises and new beginnings. Through our bond, I feel his love wrapping around me like armor, strong enough to protect me from every doubt and fear I've carried for twenty-three years.

When we break apart, he settles me more comfortably against his chest, one wing curving protectively around us both. The black and red feathers are impossibly soft against my skin, warm with the heat that always radiates from his body.

"Are you happy?" he asks quietly, fingers combing through my hair.

I consider the question seriously, taking inventory of everything that's changed since I first stepped foot in Vestige. A month ago, I was alone, surviving day to day with no real connections or hopes for the future. Now I'm lying in the arms of the man I love, part of a family that includes the most precious little girl in the world.

"Yes," I whisper against his chest. "I'm happy."

His arms tighten around me, and through our bond I feel his deep satisfaction at my answer. The soul magic that binds us pulses with contentment, no longer pulling or aching but simply existing as a warm current of connection between us.

"Good," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Because you're mine now, little thief. Forever."

The possessive declaration should make me bristle with the need for independence that's kept me alive all these years. Instead, it fills me with a peace I've never known. For the first time in my life, belonging to someone doesn't feel like a cage—it feels like coming home.