Page 166 of Halfblood Deceived

Luce’s brow furrowed. “I have an eidetic memory, Dad. Your exact words were: ‘Goddess, that female frustrates me to no end, but I’d still take a fucking bullet for her. What the fuck is wrong with me?’” Her imitation of Andreas’ sour tone was on point and hilarious.

Mari and Andreas gaped at Luce and each other.

Zeydan snorted so hard he ended up coughing.

Gabby giggled into her laughing husband’s shoulder.

Aroth gave Luce a strangely non-creepy, almost warm smile.

The rest chuckled and grinned at both flushed idiots.

“Maybe we should put Luce darling in charge of something,” Kerian said to his sister.

Kam hummed. “We definitely will in a decade or so if she wants.”

Luce lifted her chin, brown eyes sparkling with delight. “Unlike Uncle Zeydan, I love telling people what to do, so yes.”

“Goddess help us all,” Zeydan muttered.

Kamilla sobered. “There is a lot to do and think about, but we can’t do it in one day, and we can’t rush and blunder our way through this, either.”

Aroth bowed his head at Kamilla. “As a happy citizen of Darkwood, I volunteer my help as well, Princess. If you think you can trust a demon.”

There was defiance in Aroth’s gaze, but also something else—there and gone in a blink—that made Zeydan think the demon was bracing himself for rejection.

“Of course we trust you, Aroth,” Kamilla said, with no hesitation. “We’d not leave you in charge of Hecate and Kali if we didn’t. Or allow you to have a place in the court. Your help is most appreciated and will be put to use as soon as possible.”

Aroth smiled, looking genuinely delighted.

“For now, I think we should all sleep for a few hours at least,” Sebastian suggested.

“Yes, please,” Evan all but groaned.

“How about a nice cup of warm cocoa before bed?” Kerian asked.

He got enthusiastic if beleaguered, approving noises from all of them, and left toward the kitchen. Aroth trailed after him.

“Who volunteers to carry me for a while?” Evan asked with a pout. “I’m convalescent.”

Lex stood, carrying Gabby. “Sorry, mate. My arms are full.”

Gabby gave her husband an almost adoring look and kissed his carotid, making him shudder with pleasure and smile as he headed toward the dining area.

Evan made puppy eyes at Andreas.

Andreas scowled. “I’m just as sore as you are, you melodramatic tosser.”

“Rude,” Luce scolded her father, giving Evan’s hand a pat. “I’d do it, Uncle Evan, but I think I’d end up dragging you instead.”

Evan smiled beatifically at Luce. “That’s why you are my favorite person in this whole rotten world, Luce.”

Sebastian winced as he stood along with Aylana. “You are out of luck, Evan.”

The werewolf sighed, shaking his hair off his face dramatically. “Life is full of injustices—”

Zeydan moved as fast as his still-tired body allowed him and carefully chucked Evan across his shoulders. “Where to now?”

Evan squeaked. “Bridal style! I wanted bridal style, not firefighter style!”

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