Page 45 of Their Princess

Kayden walked in with a tray of snacks and juice boxes. “We do have a long discussion ahead of us.”

Understatement of the year.

The doorbell rang, and Kayden and I looked at each other with matching frowns. “I’ll go see who it is,” he said and quickly left.

Not even a minute later, Trey’s mother barged into the living room. She was a pretty woman, in her late fifties with black hair that was slowly greying at her temple; the greying made her look even more distinguished. Today she wore a blue silk dress that made me think of the ocean for some reason. However, her pretty face was a façade for the vile temper that simmered in her chest. “What do you have to say for yourself?” she snapped at me, hands on her hips.

My eyes widened at her abrupt tone. “What?”

“Was it your demon powers? Is that how you bewitched Trey? He is the smartest of the dragon males. How did you do it?” She snapped. Her eyes darted to Elrith, who had scooted across the couch to hide behind me. “And you convinced him to adopt this … thing?”

Shooting to my feet, I marched up to her, snarling, and knew I had partially shifted. “You cannot barge into my house and insult me and my son like this! Your son is not bewitched. He loves me and I love him. Just because you’ve never approved of hybrids, doesn’t mean your son shares your archaic beliefs. You could learn many things from him if you weren’t so stubborn and continued to stick to outdated beliefs.”

She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Learn from him? I would never mate with trash like you or pick up litter from another world. You’re nothing, but a conceited trollop and thatthingyou call a son is?—”

My hand swung out on its own, slapping her across the face before I realized what I was doing. A bright red mark spread instantly.

“Get out of my house, you aren’t welcome here,” I hissed.

She spun on her heels with a harumph and waltzed out without another word. Had that been a smirk on her face I’d seen just before she left, or had I imagined it?

Kayden made sure the door locked before rushing back to me. “Lily?—”

I put my face in my hands and whispered, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have slapped her, but I couldn’t stop myself. She … she …”

“She deserved it,” Kayden said immediately. He turned to Elrith and picked him up, patting his back. “You forget everything that mean, old lady said. She hates everyone and nothing she said is true. Okay?”

He nodded and clung to Kayden, burying his face against his chest.

My phone rang just as we’d gotten resituated on the couch. “Hello?”

“Did you hit my mother?” Trey snapped.

“Y-Yes,” I admitted. “She?—”

“Why would you hit her, Lily? She may be a thorn in my side and say things that irritate me, but she is still my mother and a dragon princess.”

“You don’t understand—” I started, but he interrupted me again. My heart began to beat faster, pain coursing through me.

“Is this about me being so busy? If you’re upset that I’ve been gone so much you should just tell me, not take it out on someone else.”

Was he taking her side right now without even knowing what happened? My throat constricted as unbidden tears grew in my eyes. “Trey, it’s not?—”

“I have to go clean up this mess you made. I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

Blinding fury surged within me and my hair flared into rainbows.

“Don’t bother,” I snapped and stood.

“What?” he asked, worry filtering down the bond.

“Don’t bother worrying about when you’ll be home because I won’t be here,” I hissed, my pain and anger merged stronger together and my hair glowed so bright it was like noon in the house despite it being dark outside. “I am yourmate, but you seem to have forgotten that. Forgotten that you should listen to me and hear out my side of things.” I wanted to break something, tear it apart. It was likely the spell … or perhaps it really was just me. Maybe I did seek pain and destruction.

“Lily, I?—”

I hung up and threw my phone into the fireplace.

Elrith and Kayden watched me with matching shocked expressions.

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