Page 29 of Demon Daddy's Little Girl

"Thank you." Her voice is soft but steady. "For teaching her. For everything."

I nod, understanding all she isn't saying. We both know why a four-year-old needs these lessons. Why Ada's hands shake slightly as she guides Rose through another practice motion. And I am more than willing to help them with anything that will keep them safe.

"Again," I tell Rose, settling in to watch them practice. "This time, show me how you'd combine the wrist escape with the pressure point."

We practice until it's dark and then we have dinner together. Ada seems even more relaxed around me today, as if, little by little, I'm chipping away at her defenses.

I return to my office to pour over maps and reports, trying to pinpoint who exactly could be behind these abductions. There are no clues anywhere, though, and it's driving me mad. Eventually, I have to take a break, deciding to go make some tea.

Light spills from the kitchen doorway. I find Ada at the counter, crushing herbs with methodical precision. Her braid has come loose, honey-blonde strands falling around her face. My hands ache to touch it, but I keep them at my side. It's been hitting me more and more how beautiful she is, like with every piece of her walls that come down, I get to see more of her - and I'm savoring it.

I shouldn't be. I know she's going to leave me. But I can't stop myself.

"You should rest," I say, keeping my distance to avoid startling her.

Her hands pause, but she doesn't look up. "So should you."

"I prefer knowing my house is secure."

"If it helps, I just checked everything. All the exits are locked. No one's lurking outside." She sets down the mortar and pestle. "I'm sure you could sense if something was off with your wards."

She's right. But that doesn't ease my restlessness.

I move closer. "You're…thorough."

"I have to be." Her fingers trace patterns in spilled herbs. "Had to learn to be, after... after everything."

Something in her voice makes me step closer. "You know if you ever want to talk about what you've been through…I'm here. It can't be easy to never have anyone to rely on."

Ada's shoulders tense, then drop. "His name was Arzollon. He was kind, gentle – everything his father wasn't." Her laughholds no humor. "I thought we were so clever, keeping our love secret. But demons always smell lies, don't they?"

My chest tightens at the pain in her voice. I know that he has passed, but it doesn't seem to be something that was unavoidable." "What happened?"

"I was technically his father's servant. Which meant he could do whatever he wanted with me. And when his father found out about Rose the day after she was born, he found where Arzollon had hidden me away on their property. Her violet eyes set him off..." She swallows hard. "He killed his own son in front of me. Said no son of his would taint their bloodline with human filth. But Arzollon bought me enough time to take Rose and run."

My hands fist. "He's who you are running from."

"For four years." She finally meets my gaze, and the steel in her brown eyes reminds me why she's survived this long. "The day in the market, I was supposed to be getting away from this continent. But my contact fell through. I'm always scared he'll find us, that someone will tell him…" Her words cut off on a choked sob. "I can't let him near my daughter."

"Ada." I step closer, close enough to catch her scent of herbs and quiet strength. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because the last demon I trusted with my heart got killed for it." Her voice cracks. "And I can't – I won't let Rose lose anyone else she loves. Or put her at risk."

It crushes me to see her look so shaken, and suddenly, everything about her demeanor makes sense. I reach out for her hesitantly, and she lets me wrap an arm around her, leaning against me. I brush the hair out of her face, letting my large frame block out everything else.

"If there's one thing you should know about me, Ada, it's that I will protect you. I promise you that."

And now, more than ever, I want to prove that to her.

13

ADA

The late afternoon sun streams through the library's tall windows, casting long shadows across the shelves. Rose's soft snores drift from the reading nook where she curled up with her favorite blanket after lunch. I've tucked her in, but now face a different challenge - finding the book about magical creatures she begged to read tonight.

My fingers brush the spine of what might be the right volume, but it sits just beyond my reach on the top shelf. Even on tiptoe, I can't quite grasp it. A wooden ladder leans against the far wall, but before I can retrieve it, warmth radiates against my back.

"Allow me." Dezoth's deep voice sends a shiver down my spine. His chest nearly touches my shoulder blades as he reaches up, easily plucking the leather-bound tome from its perch. The scent of forge-fire and night air surrounds me.

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