Page 48 of Demon Daddy's Little Girl

"But my flowers-"

"Now, Rose." I keep my voice gentle but firm. She gathers her crown and scurries through the kitchen door.

The knocking grows more insistent. Sweat beads on my neck as I creep toward the front entrance. This is Dezoth's home - what if it's important guard business? What if ignoring it draws attention?

Bang. Bang. Bang.

My heart pounds in time with each strike. Through the thick wood, I catch fragments of muttered words. A male voice, unfamiliar. But I can't see anything through the viewing panel.

I press my ear to the door, willing my breathing to slow. The handle rattles. My fingers clutch the door frame, nails digging into wood.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I back away from the door, every instinct screaming to run, to grab Rose and flee. But where? How? We're trapped inside Dezoth's home and I can't get out of here without whoever is outside seeing us. I have to answer the door - before this escalates.

I pull the door open before I can second-guess myself. My blood freezes. Lord Varyk towers in the doorway, his silver-streaked black hair and aristocratic features a cruel mirror of my Arzollon. But where my love's eyes held warmth, his father's burn with icy hatred.

"Found you." His lips curl into a predatory smile.

I stumble backward. My feet tangle in the entry rug as he lunges forward, massive frame filling the doorway. His hand snaps out, catching my wrist in an iron grip.

"Did you think you could hide forever?" His voice drops to a silky whisper. "That I wouldn't track down what belongs to me?"

"I belong to no one." The words come out stronger than I feel, even as my pulse races beneath his fingers.

He yanks me closer, golden eyes blazing. "You bore my son's mongrel child. You corrupted my bloodline." His other hand wraps around my throat. "Where is she?"

"Gone." I claw at his fingers, fighting for breath. "I sent her away."

"Lies." His grip tightens. "I can smell her here. Sweet little Rose, just like her father." He inhales deeply, nostrils flaring. "Did you tell her how I gutted him while you ran? How he begged for your lives?"

Rage burns through my terror. "He never begged. He died protecting us from you."

Lord Varyk slams me against the wall. Stars burst behind my eyes. "And now you hide behind another demon's protection? Pathetic." His fangs gleam inches from my face. "I'll find her, Adelaide. And this time, there's no one to save either of you."

I kick out, catching his knee. His grip loosens just enough for me to wrench free. I dive under his reaching arms, scrambling toward the stairs.

His laughter cuts like broken glass. "Still playing the sacrificial mother?" His claws dig into my shoulders, drawing blood. "You should have died in childbirth like the rest of your kind."

I drive my elbow back into his sternum. Pain shoots through my arm - like hitting stone. "I won't let you touch her."

"Let me?" He spins me around, slamming me into the banister. Wood cracks beneath my spine. "You forget your place, servant. Everything you are belongs to me. Your life. Your death." His golden eyes bore into mine, pupils contracting to razor slits. "Your daughter's corruption of my bloodline."

"She's not corrupt." I spit the words through blood-stained teeth. "She's perfect. Everything Arzollon wanted."

His backhand snaps my head sideways. "Don't speak his name. You killed my son with your human filth."

"You killed him." Tears blur my vision but I force myself to meet his gaze. "Your own son. Your own blood. Because he dared to love."

His fingers wrap around my throat, squeezing until black spots dance at the edges of my vision. "I should have done this the moment I found you in his bed." His other hand traces my cheek almost gently. "Don't worry. Once you're gone, I'll raise the girl properly. Teach her to hate everything human inside her."

"She'll never be yours." I claw at his hands, each breath burning. "She's too much like her father."

Something snaps in his expression. The calculated cruelty gives way to pure rage. His grip tightens and I feel my feet leave the ground.

"Then she can join you both in death."

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