Page 128 of Enchanting Her Monsters
Her father flinches at her use of his common name instead of a fatherly moniker of endearment. The bastard deserves no more since he abandoned her as a baby. I don’t care if he thought it was the right thing to do. I could never imagine walking away from my spawn, who I created with my fated mate.
He should have been training her all these years so she could protect herself and understand the threats in the realms she would face.
Then I remember if he had been around, Jade might not be the loving woman she is now. I know she had a rough upbringing, but I highly doubt Erwald and Patricia would have been overly loving parents. It isn’t in their natures. Jade would have likely grown to be a battle-hardened version of herself.
If they had raised her, Jade definitely wouldn’t have fallen for our ragtag pack. She’d have caught on to our true natures long before we got close and never have invited Arran inside her home or gone on a brunch date with me. She would have never let her guard down if she knew about all the dangers ready to destroy her.
We might be cosmic mate matches, but that isn’t a guarantee for love or a bond. For all my anger over her parents’ abandonment, I’m glad she was innocent enough of the supernatural world to give us a chance.
Flint’s wings soften, and he draws them away to reveal our mate. “Don’t go,” he pleads.
Jade strokes Flint’s square jaw, then looks at her father. “Do Ihaveto go? Can we hide?”
“I don’t think you can hide from them… not forever. Believe me, living on the run and in hiding is not a happy life.”
A frown pulls at her lush mouth.
“I will accompany you as your representative and guardian,” Erwald states, brushing a hand down his expensive shirt.
“Do you think they’ll hear you out?” I demand. “Will they give your voice any more weight than five fated mates?”
“I hope they take it all into consideration,” he says in a quiet tone that turns my blood to ice. “I’ll give you a few minutes with your mates to decide if you wish to live a hard life on the run or present yourself to the lords for their assessment.”
Jade gulps at the thought of meeting the demon lords. After Erwald closes the door behind him, we converge on our mate.
We’re all arguing for the case to run. Except for Osen.
I grab his collar and shake him. “Are you insane?”
“Are you?” He knocks my hand away. “You both have to face this, or we’ll never be safe or at ease again.”
I snarl at him. I didn’t even want to return to face the lords. I’m afraid that my presence will only harm Jade’s case for freedom.
“We are all mated to Jade,” Arran says desperately. “Doesn’t that mean anything to them?”
“It means they could kill us all to break any claim on her,” I answer and step back, palming my face and wishing Jade didn’t have a drop of demon blood.
“I don’t sense our deaths,” Calder says in a quiet voice. “Not that it’s proof of that outcome.”
That gives me a bit of hope. “Flint? What do you sense?”
“I can’t say since my protection gauge is broken to full strength all the time for her.”
There is only one person who can decide. If I don’t allow her the choice, then I’m no better than the monsters I left behind all those centuries ago. “Jade, what does your gut say?”
She takes a moment to consider the question. “We go, but be prepared to escape.”
“Erwald can portal even into the royal chamber, since he holds the title of a lord,” I say. “We have to trust he will help us if it becomes necessary.”
We say our goodbyes to Amira, Raithe, and Darius. No matter what happens in hell, this will be our last day to seek shelterhere. I’ve already taken Jade’s magical creatures somewhere safe, so they won’t be harmed if things go fucking wrong.
Darius escorts us outside of Amira’s boundaries. Jade’s eyes well with tears for the surly hellhound, and he begrudgingly accepts a goodbye hug from her.
“Are you sure you don’t wish me to come along?” Darius asks.
“No, I’d rather not bring any more attention to your coven,” I tell him, appreciating his offer. He likes us more than he lets on.
“Thank fuck,” he says with a sigh, then a smirk. “Be careful out there. And if you ever need help again, find someone else.”
