“I would never.” Nevaeh smiles innocently, but everyone knows it’s a lie.If I hadn’t watched her come into existence, I’dthink she was a Lucifer with how much she loves raising hell. “But I’m glad you got rid of it. You looked like a wild bear.”
Suddenly, her smile falters, and my heart drops at the sight.
“You know, when I was a kid, it used to make me sad that I didn’t look like you.” She gives me a small smile. “All I wanted was to be your clone.”
Nevaeh pouts, her eyes turning glassy, and I almost lose it. Fuck if she starts crying, I won’t be able to hold back. Lately, it feels like all I’ve done since getting her is fight the urge to break down every time I look at her.
I pull her into another hug, pressing a kiss to her head. “Sorry if the extremely dangerous and unpredictable process of making a baby from stolen Divine didn’t go exactly as planned.”
I finally pull a laugh out of her, and the knot in my stomach loosens.
“And if you heard how worried the elders were when you set fire to our kitchen, you wouldn’t think that.”
“I was trying to make breakfast for you!”
“Doofus.”
“Hey, you made me. It’s your fault I’m not entirely right in the head.” She pulls away, but not before I catch the teasing glint in her eyes.
The story of how Nevaeh came into existence is well-known and heavily debated across the supernatural world.
When the Archangel of Love told me the sisters of fate hadn’t given me a mate, I was furious. Even as a kid, all I wanted was a mate and a family of my own. Hearing I’d never have that broke something inside me.
Elijah Lucifer, the King of Hell and my closest friend, helped me break into Heaven and steal a piece of Divine that’s heavily guarded by Angels. It’s the source of all life, the core of every supernatural being, the power that fuels us.
I was seventeen, heartbroken by the very being I’d prayed to, so when I held that Divine in my hand, I used it for the only thing that mattered.Family.
Holding my daughter for the first time, created from my own blood and Divine, breathed a new life into me.
I don’t regret it. Not even after the Tetrad kingdom and Hell went to war with Heaven, so I could keep my daughter.
But my happiness didn’t last long.
Nevaeh was only nine when she was taken right out from under my nose by people I trusted. That nightmare haunted me for a decade until she escaped her prison last year, and Anxo found her and brought her home.
I still hate that I wasn’t here when she came home, too busy drowning in my own guilt and pain. After years of searching, I’d almost given up. I spent the last three years stumbling through purgatory, desperate for anything to distract me from how badly I’d failed to protect my daughter.
I didn’t expect to make it out alive. I fought every second to stay alive, but part of me hoped someone would end it and put me out of my misery.
It was pure luck that I heard about the Tetrad kingdom going to war and came back out of obligation. But seeing my daughter standing in front of me was the best day of my life.
It’s been a month since I returned, and having Nevaeh here still feels like a fever dream. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and run to the Horseman castle to check on her.
The fear of losing her again eats me during the day, but the nights are worse. I don’t even live in the same home as my little girl anymore. I know she’s grown into a strong woman, and Anxo would cut down anyone who came near his mate, but I can’t shake the need to make sure she’s safe.
I already failed once.
The scars covering my daughter’s skin are a reminder that I can’t let that happen again. As long as I’m alive, I’ll hover over my daughters like a helicopter parent, and I don’t care if they think I’m being overprotective.
Khatri calls out to Nevaeh, pacing the grounds as he watches his daughter warm up.
“He’s been climbing the walls since he found out you’d be training Skye.”
Nevaeh laughs beside me, checking if her braids are still secure. I know Anxo learns new ways to braid Nevaeh’s hair, but he really outdid himself today. The small yellow flowers woven into the braids make her look so sweet and angelic, even when she swears like me.
“I probably shouldn’t have told him I want Skye as my Warriorhead. The poor man is stuck between being excited for me and terrified for his daughter.”
Before she can leave, I catch her arm. “Be careful. Don’t get hurt.”
