Kesh sighed irritably, wishing his brother was the one to have this conversation, not him. “You follow her to the bathroom. That’s not normal. You know that, right? And you… hover. To a disturbing degree. I’m frankly surprised to see you here, this far away from her and the baby.”

A shadow passed over his father’s eyes, and for a second, dread clutched at Kesh’s gut. If he’d pushed him too far⁠—

“I hover because, if she dies, Kesh… so does your brother.” The words came out stilted; like they were too sharp to comfortably pass through his throat. “Women are… delicate, after giving birth. To a degree neither you nor Kain can fully comprehend. I am only here because no one else can be. But while I am, utilize me. If taking care of this complication will mean the girl can be mated and you can return your full focus to the war sooner, then trust me to guard her while you are away. She is not Selma; my… instincts… won’t be on edge with her. And we need your attention on the kingdom, especially now that the gods are getting involved.”

A long moment of silence passed between them. It was, perhaps, the closest his father had come to acknowledging how much their mother had hated them, and the shadowy talons raking at his guts in response were acid.

It didn’t matter. She was long dead, and he’d known the truth since he was young.

Kesh forced a slow, even breath through his lungs, forcing his focus to what did matter. “Very well. I will leave Georgia under your care while I deal with the lowlife who owns her contract. I will be back shortly.” He paused, giving his father a firm look. “But keep your distance. I don’t want her traumatized.”

34

Georgia

The sound of the front door slamming shut made Georgia perk up.

Finally.

It’d become very swiftly clear to her that the lunatic attacking her out of nowhere was Kesh’s father—which hadn’t made the situation any less tense. For the rest of her life, she would remember the tight clenching low in her gut as the big, brutish demon prince cried in her arms while he divulged the horrors his father had committed, and the devastation they’d led to.

She hadn’t anticipated ever seeing him in the flesh, and now that she had, she was glad the experience was over. Even without shooting black magic at her and accusing her of being a goddess, of all things, it’d been obvious that there was something not-right about him. He’d looked like a human to her, in the same way that Kesh did now she’d been marked—slightly too big, ever-so-slightly off—but even so, his eyes had given away what even Kesh’s recounts from his childhood couldn’t quite capture: something fundamental was broken inside him.

Georgia shuddered at the memory of those black eyes, so similar yet so entirely different to Kesh’s, and then resolutely pushed it aside. Whatever was wrong with him, it wasn’t her problem. In a week or two, she would likely never see the demon prince again, let alone his unhinged dad. And that was absolutely fine. More than fine.

She pushed open the door and walked through the hallway into the living space. Kesh stood staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to her, black hair tumbling over his shoulders.

“Well, you weren’t kidding. Your dad’s certifiably insane. I’ve never been called a goddess before, but blasting magic at me seems like a wild overreaction. I see where you get your charming temperament fro—” Her snarky voice died on a wheeze when the demon by the window turned toward her, and dark, dead eyes pierced her to her soul.

“You feel comfortable mouthing off to my son? And he feels comfortable enough with you to touch on my… instabilities?” Kirigan looked at her with what seemed like nothing but polite interest. Georgia still took several steps back toward the hallway, her mouth turning dry with abject horror at her mistake.

“How very… interesting.” Those awful eyes swept up the length of her body, as if investigating a new puzzle piece for where it might fit.

“Where… where’s Kesh?” she managed to croak.

“Out.” He didn’t take his gaze off her. “He will be back soon.”

Kesh just left her with him? Alone?

Georgia fidgeted under the disturbed demon’s intense stare, feeling heat flood her cheeks and her pulse thud unevenly in her throat. Kesh wouldn’t have left her if he’d believed his father a threat to her—that much she felt certain of, despite everything else. Yet her instincts screamed at her that this creature was far more dangerous than any of her demons she'd encountered.

“Um… I’ll… wait for him in there, then…” She backtracked until the bedroom door hit her ass, fumbled with the knob until the door swung open, and quickly stepped inside. Then she slammed it shut and turned the lock.

“Jesus Christ.” It came out in a hoarse whisper. She shuddered and rubbed at her arms, trying to settle the sudden flush of goosebumps.

“I never did understand why humans really went so hard for him in particular. I mean, I know his PR campaign was flawless, but… there are so many other, far more interesting deities to worship. Don’t you think?”

Georgia yipped at the unexpected voice and spun around. On the bed, wearing a clean white dress, her feet bare and legs crossed at the ankles, sat Suzanne.

“Wh- How—what??” Complete confusion. This—this made no sense. Did Kesh bring her here? No, that would be ridiculous. He’d made it plenty clear he’d seen the girl as a stain to be scraped off his boot as swiftly as possible.

Did she follow them back from Maine?

No, even more ridiculous—and even if she somehow had, it didn’t explain how she’d made it through Kesh’s guards and up to the penthouse floor.

“Don’t be scared. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Georgia blinked at the scrap of a girl. “Hurt me? Honey, how did you get here? Does your mother know where you are?”

Pearling laughter cut her off. “Oh, Georgia… Your kind really are the gentlest souls humanity has to offer.” Suzanne waved a hand. Golden light shimmered off her slim figure, and suddenly, a grown woman sat on the bed in her stead. “I apologize for deceiving you, dear one. I needed to tap into your protective instincts in a bit of a rush up in Maine. And seem as non-threatening as possible to the big brute you’ve been saddled with.”

Acid shock replaced confusion, followed by a wave of fear.

Kesh’s terrifying father was right—there had been a goddess on the battlefield.

“What do you want from me?” Georgia had seen plenty of demons in her life. A goddess, however? That was a first. Instinctively, she backed up and fumbled for the doorknob. A soft prickling in her fingers as she connected with the metal made her glance over her shoulder. The door shimmered in the same golden light that had turned Suzanne from a sweet, non-threatening child into a full-ass goddess.

“It’s just a little… camouflage. That demon out there has quite the nasty reputation. Trust me, neither of us wants him aware of my presence.” Suzanne shuddered. “And you really don’t have to look so scared, Georgia. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help. Come, have a seat. Let’s have a little… girl chat.” She patted the bed.

“Help?” Cautiously, Georgia peeled herself off the door and approached the goddess. She looked sincere, her facial expression friendly and open. And if there was even a chance… “Help how? Can you… can you get me out of this… Breeder situation?”

Suzanne sighed softly, her soft lips tilting with a hint of regret. “Unfortunately not. The Breeder situation was negotiated many centuries ago—it’s not in my power to undo it. But I can help you get a bit more say in what happens going forward. To you, and the world around you. Is that of some interest?”