Page 58 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
And even though I didn’t feel like walking or like I had a lot of strength, I was up and moving, with Zephyr trying to pull me back to the bed with a suggestive smile. I batted him away with a laugh.
“Later,” I said. “Food first.” He sighed deeply and swung his legs out of the bed. I watched him stand up and stretch, all muscle and height, bulk strength, but with a deadly aim when a weapon was in his hands. I looked at his hands—hands that had killed but held me tenderly.
And yet, I no longer feared him.
He was the one I looked to when I was scared, now.
And I found myself knowing I didn’t want that to change.
***
Breaking out of the sanctuary for the first time in over a week was a breath of fresh air.
Sunlight filtered over my bare arms. I had thrown on Zephyr’s t-shirt from when we had arrived. Although it was fartoo big on me, it provided me with comfort, as I was surrounded by his scent. He groaned next to me, stretching out his body. He inhaled, and I did the same, smiling with the sun on my face.
“C’mon,” he said, “No time to waste.”
I could tell he was enjoying the fresh air, but he was also a man of determination. I knew he would keep us on track. Before he let me take any other step, he scoured the area, eyes peeled for anything in particular.
“Anything?” I asked. “I don’t sense anything.”
“It looks clear,” he murmured. “And Alex has Hec watching our route to the store. If anything appears as a threat, I’ll deal with it.”
“Ican deal with it, too,” I insisted. “Thatiswhy you’ve been giving me a speedrun training program.”
He paused. “I’d much rather you stayed away from it, Adalyn.”
I rolled my eyes, opting not to incite any argument about it. Thanks to Harper, I knew better than to get between a shifter and his protective streak. But Alex had protected Harper due to being his mate and the mother of his children. Zephyr and I… We weren’t like that. We didn’t have what they had.
Did we?
Definitely, not beautiful triplets that filled a home with joy. We didn’t have a home, history, an unbreakable bond that we’d fought for.
I glanced sideways at Zephyr, again doubting myself. WhatdidI feel for him?
As we headed into town, Zephyr was scouring the area. People walked along town's main thoroughfare as normal, albeitmore wary. They clutched extra pouches of what I assumed were herbs, or wore crystals around their necks. There were more flyers around stating a curfew and local witch protection advertisements. I wasn’t entirelyforusing our natural magic as a tourist attraction, but I genuinely hoped there were some witches who would offer their protective services.
I also hoped that some people weren’t just trying to make a little bit of cash on the side, feigning being a witch. We couldn’t see the beach from here, but Alex warned us that the demons were adopting their humanoid disguises.
We had to be careful. I knew that demons couldn’tquiteblend their eyes. Where mine were a deep shade of brown, theirs would be pure onyx no matter what form they took. Their voices would always be whispery.
“Why do demons take on human disguises anyway?” Zephyr asked, as if he read my thoughts as we passed some townsfolk. I nodded to Hesketh, the man whose eldest daughter would soon be eloping to the mainland. He gave me a bright smile. I couldn’t help wondering if the demons on the beach were merely temporarily there. If they hadn’t been as settled in that location as much as Alex believed.
It could be a farce. They dispatch demons to an open area of land to distract the wolves while others infiltrated the town.
“Demons don’t masquerade as humans to permanently fool them,” I explained. Up ahead, the grocery store, next door to Adrian’s convenience store where I had worked, was open and blazing neon. “They only do it long enough to get into an area with humans. Once they’re in, they’re automatically more powerful and hold the upper hand. Then they can use them as their playthings.”
“Do they ever want to kill humans?” Zephyr asked. “I know they targeted Harper, but that was due to her involvement with Alex, right? You said the demons had been pretty dormant until we arrived.”
I nodded.
“That means we’re endangering this place,” Zephyr said. “I’ve never thought of it in that way.”
I shook my head. “I think it means you’re just coaxing out what was always the inevitable.”
“Why aren’t they provoked by witches in the same way they are with shifters?”
“My guess is similar to what you once said. Witches aren’t an offensive threat. We don’t fight; we retreat and protect. We hide behind a peaceful distance. We’re not a violent people.”
