“No, you won’t. You love sharing a room with me.”
Hazel is fuming, smoke coming out of her ears as I carefully place a chair behind her, maintaining enough distance that the wildcat can’t claw my face off.
“Get comfortable, baby. You’re going to be here for a while.”
I quickly grab my clothes before bolting out of the room, my laughter echoing in the halls as Hazel continues to curse me.
“Dean! Get back here, you asshole!”
16. Welcome to the family
Dean
I’m finally headed to the library after a long morning.
I’m thinking about my conversation with Elijah last week and accidentally put a little too much force into kicking a stone in my path, like it would kick the frustration out of my system.
The pebble goes flying, but thank fates it doesn’t hurt anyone.
The moment I realized Tiberius was haunting Hazel’s nightmares and hurting her in them, I knew I had to act… and do it fast.
The part that still stings is how she kept it from all of us, even when she was hurting. It only makes me think what else she might be keeping close to her chest. And the longer I take to bridge the gap between us, the longer Hazel will keep facing Tiberius alone. That thought makes my stomach twist viciously.
A week before the gathering, I asked Elijah to dig up anything he could find on Tiberius, anything that could help me get rid of him. But even his sources found nothing beyond what I already know about merfolk.
The Eldoris kingdom has done an impressive job of staying hidden in the shadows. As far as we know, they have no ties to any other realms. But someone came after my mate last year and tried to kill her, which means either it was a coincidence… or they’ve found a way to move undetected when they come on land.
Elijah assured me the entire army of Hell is at my disposal if Tiberius and his kingdom turn out to be more than the Horsemen can handle, but it does nothing to calm the storm inside me.
I don’t want the finned bastard to catch us off guard while we’re sitting around making sensible plans. I want him buried six feet under before he can make a move, so my mate can relax and breathe without constantly looking over her shoulder.
I stop when the library comes into view, taking a deep breath to force all thoughts of Tiberius out of my head… for now.
When Anxo asked me to meet him here early this morning, he sounded nervous. I don’t want to be distracted when he tells me whatever is troubling him.
Every time I look at the library Harvey built for Grace, it takes my breath away. He literally built her dream. The glass dome glitters under the sun, reflecting shades of gold and amber like a painted sunset. This place looks straight out of a fantasy novel.
This place was supposed to be her sanctuary, a place Grace could escape the world. But my daughter, the kind-hearted Princess, opened the doors to the entire supernatural world so they could experience the magic inside and the love her mate poured into every inch of this place.
Supernaturals from every corner of the universe come here, staying as long as our guards allow. It quickly became so overwhelming that Anxo had to relocate the library to a secluded corner of the realm to protect our residents from the constant influx of visitors.
The new portal we built just outside the library serves as a private entrance, keeping guests out of the Tetrad kingdom while still giving them full access to the library. Now it’s protected by its own barrier, separate from the kingdom, with at least a dozen warriors stationed around it at all times.
I enter the building expecting the usual buzz of readers, but to my surprise, it’s empty.
There’s no one near the towering shelves packed with books from countless realms with intricate gold detailing on the covers that feels effortlessly luxurious. The ceiling is painted with soft ivory tones, while curved balconies and endless archways lead to different sections of the library.
As I walk in further, I find Anxo standing by a large window, the hellhound dozing in a patch of fading sunlight.
When August ran to Nevaeh with Shadow in his arms, she nearly passed out. I was expecting her to lose her shit, but her calm composure was somehow more terrifying. She didn’t let her smile falter, nodding along with August’s excitement, but my head was flooded with a thousand curses for letting her little boy anywhere near that beast.
In the end, she had to give up the fight. Once the pup was in August’s arms, there was no separating them. And when the hellhound growled and snapped at anyone who came close to August, it won her heart.
That’s how the Alarie family gained an overzealous protector overnight.
Just like his name, the hellhound sticks to August like a shadow. He doesn’t care about anyone else as long as his master is safe.
He’s barely the size of a football now, but soon he’ll be bigger than a horse.
