Anxo finally stands from his throne, stretching like a cat when the doors burst open, and my favorite four-year-old hurricane runs in. “Papa!”
Anxo is already moving, meeting his son halfway and scooping him up.
“I got in trouble!”
“Of course you did.” Anxo shakes his head, eyes flickering to the entrance. “Where’s your mama?”
“I’m right here.”
Neveah strolls in, and the second she’s close, Anxo grabs her hand and twirls her. She lets out a little squeak, smiling like her world begins and ends with him.
“He got suspended for two days,” Nevaeh grumbles, snuggling into her mate’s chest.
I focus on the troublemaker when his parents start kissing like they’ve forgotten I’m still here.
I poke his stomach, and he squeals like a dolphin. “Why are you so excited about getting suspended?”
He leans in, whispering like his parents don’t have supernatural hearing.
“Now we can play all day.”
His brows bounce, and I know exactly what he means… combat lessons.
When I gave him his first wooden dagger to practice with, I didn’t realize I’d become his trainer… or the first person he uses all his tricks on.
But it’s not like I had a choice. From the moment August came into our lives, it felt like he belonged with us. Every time he looks at me with his big blue eyes, he steals another piece of my heart.
He’s too young to carry what he’s been through, and I hate that I see pieces of my childhood in him.
But now that he’s here with us, I’ll do anything to make sure this little guy never has to walk the path I did.
6. Tragic backstories
Hazel
Something shifts behind me, but when I turn, there’s nothing… just darkness stretching for miles. A sharp scratching sound grates against the walls, making my teeth clench. My arms burn like they’re on fire, but when I try to rub them, my fingers pass through empty air.
That’s when it hits me.
I’m inhisdomain.
Shadows shift before my eyes, slowly taking the shape of a man I know too well. I step back instinctively, putting as much distance between us as I can.
A harsh light flares above me, blinding me for a second before he comes into view.
Tiberius.
My breath falters, fear sinking in before anger can take hold. He’s back. He found a way into my head. Again.
I’m facing his back, and when he lifts his arm, I realize what the scratching sound was. His finger drags down a stone wall, nail carving into the surface as he adds another line, grunting with the effort.
“It’s been 4,378 days since you left me.”
Is that what the lines on the walls are? Has he been counting the days since I escaped from his claws with blood?
“Are you ready to come back, Flaw?”
Flaw.
