Page 3 of Little Mate

“You know my help comes at a cost.”

“I’m willing to risk anything to protect those I love.”

“Then ask, my friend. What do you need from me?” Lifting the golden goblet to my right, I bring it to my lips and take a long sip. The rich taste of the blood settles on my tongue; the donor was an adult human male from a nearby village who trespassed on my grounds while hunting for wild game. It’s earthy, the coppery tang sustaining me, but doesn’t quell the burning need inside of me that grows daily.

Nothing does. Hasn’t for a very long time.

Paolo lets out a harsh breath then, yet extends one hand to me. I expect this.

A reassurance that I’ll agree before he speaks, but I don’t take it. Something he accepts.

His hand remains in the air between us but relaxes a bit. “There’s a small cluster of covens that live out on the border of our land that seeks my head. They’re planning to rise against—me—us—and dismember each ruling house. These people are extremists—an anti-monarch group who’s teamed up to strike against Leonora and me within the next full moon.”

“So kill them and be done with it.” I see no problem. No need to accept fate.

“I wish it was that simple,” he spits out, fingers clenching and releasing, yet his hand remains held out. “I’d be displaying their heads embedded on a stake outside my door if it were. Making an example out of them would be a pleasure.”

“Then?”

“They have others aiding their cause.”

“Others?”

“Yes. The Mariano and Rossi family have betrayed me, yet they’re not the biggest threat.” His eyes close, nose scrunching up as if smelling something rancid, and yet all scents inside my domain remain the same. All except the slow decay coming from his very pores. “Their allies' magic is dark, Theodore. More depraved than anything I’ve encountered in all my years walking the earth. It's suffocating.”

“Outside your jurisdiction?”

“Yes.”

“There are only two other species who work with magic, Paolo.”

“The fae or merfolk.”

“Both are dangerous…” I say, taking a hearty drink “…yet they don’t work well with others. Wouldn’t be hard to pick them apart.” Another sip. My mind’s going through possibilities—motives—each is greedy enough to try and make a move. “They're too hot-headed and self-righteous to trust anyone’s competence. I don’t see the connection between them and those smaller covens you speak of, but I’m interested. What do you seek?”

“I’ve seen it.”

“I believe you.” He wouldn’t lie to me. I’d kill him without hesitation. “But more importantly, is it my support or my army that you need?”

Paolo swallows hard. For a second, his hand falters, still suspended mid-air, but Moore rights it and holds firm. “I need you to protect her at all costs, Theodore. No matter what. No matter how. Gabriella must come first.”

“Just her?” That’s the first question that comes to mind, but not the first thought. What he's offering is dangerous for her, but very enticing for me. “You have two other kids and a wife—”

“Leonora and I, we won’t make it.” His scent magnifies, death and sadness surrounding him. “Our fate is sealed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is, but my daughter needs protection.” With his other hand, he pushes the scrolls and the sealed letter closer. “Gabriella’s special—coveted. Her ability to take and give life scare most, while those seeking power or to expand their territory want to claim her as a mate. She’ll never allow that, and I worry that she’ll be—”

“Killed,” I say, finishing for him. Not that I’d let that happen. It doesn’t sit well with me for some reason. I’m a bastard, know and accept it, and I’d also never allow anyone to own—control—her powers other than myself.

Paolo nods, pain radiating across his features. “Please protect her.”

“Why not have her save you?” I’m curious about this. Is she as powerful as he says? For years, his daughters have been rumored to be both beautiful and untouchable. Many have made plans, tried to befriend the man sitting across from me begging for help—to get close to the twins—and yet none have succeeded in so much as meeting them. They’re kept away from those outside of his people. Those who live on Moore’s sacred grounds. “She could save you, no?”

“If she interferes, she dies. Isabella has seen this.”

“Your other daughter?”

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