If anyone took my children from me, I’d be wearing their skin—not inviting them to dinner.
“How do you feel, knowing you helped free those women and children?” she asked, placing a hand on my chest.
“I don’t know them,” I murmured truthfully, shrugging.
She smiled.
“It could have been me.”
I took the onesie and placed it on the chest of drawers before pulling her into me.
“Bouda would have made a mess of them,” I said, resting my chin on her head.
“Not everyone has an animal in them.”
She’d asked me to intervene in any child exploitation cases I came across in the future. Although it wasn’t my business, seeing the photos of children among the adults scheduled to be shipped out had unsettled me.
The sad fact was that child abuse was far more common than Lielit could ever imagine, and I never wanted her exposed to the material I’d encountered in my lifetime.
I changed the subject back to the family dinner, switching off the nursery light as we left.
Some things were best left unsaid—like the tracking implant inside her, and the ones I’d place in our children.
It was the only way I’d ever be able to sleep at night.
Chapter 56
Lielit
Our existence might be ancient, but it was precarious. No matter what civilisation was linked to animal spirits or transformation, there was little to no evidence left of us in the modern world. A deep sense of sorrow washed over me at the loss.
It also made me realise that had it not been for Fenrir biting me, then Bouda would never have answered the call to a perceived threat. Our ancient enemy revived us. There was some twisted irony in it all.
Then there was Blaidd.
A walking, talking abomination who wore the skin of a human.
I stopped sneaking into the garage by the second day.
Anthony had a slow, painful, and gruesome death.
Yet Blaidd never once brought that version of himself past the garage door.
I glanced at the image of a hyena, which dated back 30,000 years ago. We were both survivors. Powerful during some periods, and judging by the life Fenrir and Blaidd had carved out for themselves, they believed dominance was the same thing as legacy.
One prostitute at a time in Blaidd’s case.
I slapped the laptop shut.
God. He really had no idea how fucking irritating his honesty could be.
You know he practically gags at the scent of a human woman now, right?Bouda interjected.
Yeah, I sighed.All thanks to Fenrir.
I smiled and stared at the clock on the fireplace, wondering if he would notice if I set all the clocks in the house one minute ahead.
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