Page 61 of Their Princess

Mom growled at him.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I knew they were up to something, that they were planning something, but I ignored it, focused on their trivial bullshit instead of seeing what I should have. I should have known that my mother would try to hurt you, especially after my father and she separated.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

His face softened and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss against my forehead. “My beautiful, stubborn mate, I am a lot of things right now, but mad at you for protecting yourself is not one of them. I wish I had shown up sooner to save you from so much pain.”

“Kay and Mas?” I asked.

“We’re safe, love,” Mason answered from somewhere behind me.

“I’m trying to heal you lot!” Great Nana Kara snapped. “Stop talking and let us heal you.”

“Yes, Nana,” all of us replied simultaneously.

Once they finished healing us, we were forced to let Dad teleport us to the house where Mason, Kayden, and I were ordered to lay on the couches while we waited for them to finish things up there.

Elrith ran to me, Kora in her hellhound form at his side, and they climbed onto the couch with me, cuddling with me silently.

“We’re all safe and sound,” I reassured them as I pet both of their heads.

Triston rested a hand atop my hair and whispered, “I’m glad they made it in time.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I whispered back, my eyes heavy. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

“You do that, child. Jol, Trey, and I will keep you safe,” he promised.

Though Mom had healed me, I was still depleted of energy and magic. A nap would help with that, but I really needed to return to the demon world to recuperate. Again.

“Trey, with me!” Triston suddenly snapped.

I opened my eyes and watched as Trey and Triston ran out of the house.

“Perimeter breach,” I whispered to Kayden and Mason, getting to my feet, Elrith in my arms.

Kora stood on the ground in her hellhound form, her quills puffed out and rattling as she growled at the door.

Out there, I could sense several powerful beings, but I had no idea if they were friend of foe.

“Stay here,” Mason ordered Kayden and us.

He opened the door and was immediately blown backwards by a huge fireball to the chest. His body slammed into the living room wall and I screamed his name.

Kayden ran in front of us, shielding the three of us with his body.

The sounds of fighting and Jol’s roar drew me towards the door and I blinked in shock as I stared at a group of over a dozen beings, a mixture of werewolves, dragon shifters, and mages, fighting Triston, Trey, and Jol.

Why? Why was this happening to us?

I don’t know where the knowledge suddenly came from, but I knew exactly what I needed to do. The plan and knowledge of how to execute it was just … within me.

I stepped forward to exit the front door, but Kayden called my name stopping me. I turned and thrust Elrith into his arms.

When I turned back around, I felt the shadows dancing along my skin just before they spread out to touch the shadows of everyone in the front yard fighting, freezing them all in place.

My lips twitched as I fought a smile, overjoyed that some of my shadow powers had returned at last.

“Lily, what’s your plan?” Mason asked as he joined me at the door, his shirt gone, the burned scraps on the ground and a few bubbled blisters from the fire on his chest.

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