Page 36 of Demon Daddy's Little Girl

My chest tightens as I watch him. Every gentle movement, every patient response - it's like watching someone press on a bruise. The joy in his expression can't quite mask the shadow of grief behind it. Each interaction with Rose is both balm and blade, healing and reopening old wounds I never knew he carried.

"Mama, look! Cappy Dez made a castle!" Rose points to her plate where the toast strips now form towers and walls.

"I see, sweetheart." My voice catches as Dezoth adds a final piece with careful precision. His hands linger for just a moment too long, and I recognize the look in his eyes - the same one I sometimes catch in the mirror when Rose does something that reminds me of her father.

I find Dezoth in the garden a little while late as Rose naps, his tall frame motionless among the blooming flowers. His golden eyes stare unseeing at the horizon, shoulders rigid with tension. The silver cord in his hair catches the sunlight, a stark contrast against the obsidian strands.

Without a word, I step beside him and slide my hand into his. His skin is warm against mine, and I lean into him. His fingers tighten around my smaller ones, anchoring himself to the present moment.

"I found the box." My voice comes out barely above a whisper. "Vashti told me…about what happened."

I don't want to hurt him but he should know.

His jaw clenches. "I should have told you."

"I should've learned when you were ready. But I wanted you to know, and I understand now."

Silence stretches between us, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the breeze. When he speaks again, his voice is rougher than usual.

"We had everything planned. The nursery, her name - Anthea. Even picked out which stories I'd read to her first." His free hand clenches into a fist. "Seven months of dreams, gone in a single night."

I squeeze his hand, thinking of Rose asleep upstairs. "What happened?"

"The bleeding started at midnight. By dawn..." He swallows hard. "The healers said mixing demon and human blood was too much strain. Raina survived, but our daughter..."

I rub the back of his hand, leaning into him. He's worked so hard to earn my trust, and I want him to see he's not alone, either.

"I understand why she left. The grief was destroying her. But losing Anthea-" His voice breaks. "That's what haunts me. I held her just once. I never got to see her open her eyes. Raina was too far along and had to give birth." He drops his head. "She never even cried. Just a perfect, tiny form, still and silent as stone."

The pain in his voice mirrors an old ache in my chest. I move closer, wrapping my free arm around his to give him a squeeze. His fingers tremble against mine.

"It ripped us apart. I thought Raina was going to be my mate, and then I lost them both. I survived our relationship, but Anthea…" He looks down at me, golden eyes swimming with so much pain that I desperately want to erase. "How do you mourn someone you never truly got to meet?"

I shake my head, wishing I could do something to take away what he's feeling. "You remember them. You love them. Just as you would if they were here." I reach up and cup his cheek. "I am so sorry you've gone through that. You said Rose and I willalways have a place here… Well, you will always have a place with us, too."

He tugs me into his lap then, and I wrap my arms around his neck, his face buried against mine. Grief wraps around us, but for once, we aren't alone in that. And it makes it a little easier to bear.

Eventually, we make it back inside. Dezoth joins Rose and I for her lessons, and she lightens the grief that clings to us. We make dinner and eat together, and things start to feel a little more…complete.

The sun has long since set when Rose tugs on Dezoth's sleeve after her bath, her violet eyes heavy with sleep. Her honey-blonde curls are mussed from playing, and she clutches her favorite storybook to her chest.

"Cappy Dez, will you read to me?" She lifts her arms in a silent request to be picked up.

His large hands don't even hesitate before lifting her. Rose settles into his lap like she belongs there, and something in my chest constricts at how natural they look together. His imposing frame seems to soften, golden eyes warming as she snuggles against him.

"Which story shall it be tonight, little flower?"

Rose opens the book, pointing to colorful illustrations. "The one about the star dragon! But do the voices like last time."

A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "As my lady commands."

I lean against the doorframe, watching as his deep voice fills the room with tales of mythical creatures. Rose traces the illustrations with small fingers, occasionally interrupting with questions that he answers with infinite patience.

"But why was the dragon sad?" She tilts her head back to look at him.

"Because he lost something precious." Dezoth's voice turns rough, and I see that familiar shadow pass through his eyes -the one I now understand. His arms tighten fractionally around Rose.

"Did he find it again?"

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