Sloane may be exactly what the Winter Kingdom needed. We could overthrow my mother. I could relinquish my claim to the throne to one of my sisters. Stay on Earth with her and the guys. It sounded like a fairytale, but I knew with time it could be true.
I wouldn’t let her go. I refused to bow down to my mother again. At the first sign of another fae snooping around, I’d tell her everything. I couldn’t keep my past hidden from her. She needed to know why I ran, how my father was captured, the danger that came with being my mate. I couldn’t keep her in the dark. Just a little bit longer. I wanted to enjoy our time before I brought another fight to her doorstep. It would help if the others could get stronger too.
I wondered what the guys thought about Sloane. Did they feel the same way I did? I really needed to talk to Novak, but I knew how he felt. I could see it in his face this morning. Whatever happened last night, after we’d left, didn’t bother him at all. Quite the opposite, actually. That maniac was falling faster than all of us. But I wasn’t that far behind him.
25
York
Monday Late Morning
After Sloane and Vaughn misted out, Palmer worked hard to shrink the two hellhounds’ sizes so we could all fit comfortably in the rental van the guys drove here in. They loaded the bags as Levi and I climbed in the third row and Cronus’ soot-colored body snuggled up to my side with his head in my lap. Atlas clumsily clawed his way into the middle seat, with a boost from Palmer, and circled around the center of the bench to find the right position to sleep in. Briggs and Palmer sat on either side of the drowsy, fawn English Mastiff puppy. It was the first time I had seen them as anything other than gigantic, power-wielding versions of dogs. They really could pass as ordinary dogs right now. Novak shut the driver side door and turned the vehicle westbound down the rocky drive.
Six hours and I’d be home. Sloane may be ignoring me, but that modern, monolithic mansion was still home to me. I wondered how much it had changed in the two years I’d been gone. She’d just moved in a few months before we’d started dating. The place was barren, and any noise seemed to echo through the structure. I spent the last year with her living there part time, bouncing back to the house I shared with the guys once or twice a week.
I was sure she had thrown all my stuff out, not that it mattered. It was all replaceable. I left Stone with the task of storing my important possessions. He’d never let me down. I could buy new clothing. My truck, on the other hand, couldn't be replaced. That ‘76 Ford Bronco was the first thing I’d purchased when I’d finally escaped the camp that very first time. I’d put blood, sweat, and even a few tears into making her run. The matte paint job cost me more than the actual truck. That hunk of metal kept me busy and gave me something to focus my energy on instead of dwelling on the past. She was sentimental.
I had few other things to my name that were irreplaceable. I could name them on one hand. My truck. The handmade leather box filled with my Druid history. Sloane. That was it. That list meant everything to me. From least important to most.
Living without Sloane in my life was worse than anything else that I went through. I didn’t know how to fix this yet, but the idea of picking a fight to make her confront me had been rolling around my brain for hours. I knew it wasn’t right. I knew I should give her some time. I was selfish, though. I needed her. I don’t want to wait days, or weeks, for her to come around and talk about her feelings. I would rather her scream at me and get this over with so we could work on fixing what I broke by not telling her the truth.
I wouldn’t lose her. I knew that. It was irrational of me to think that she’d walk away. Before I was taken, I feared how deeply she loved, how protective she was, how consumed I was with her. Now? I feared losing her and not being by her side. My life without Sloane King in it was no life at all, regardless of my circumstances. Without her, my heart wouldn’t beat. The throne that awaited me would be nothing but a burden, a heavy weight on my shoulders that I was too weak to carry alone.
I looked at Atlas and thought of his namesake. Sloane was my strength. With her, I could endure the weight of the world in my hands. Just seeing her face woke the long destroyed resolve that I’d always held so near. I knew I had to put the work in. She was mine once, and though I’d have to share her this time around, I refused to lose her. I would do whatever it took to always be with her. I could start with opening our mate bond back up. Maybe then she would be able to feel my determination to mend the fragile heart I knew I’d broken.
With my path chosen, my purpose was clear. I’d have to talk to Palmer about what I had in mind. I thought it would work, but the other guys wouldn’t like it. They wouldn't help me with my idiotic idea, but they wouldn’t stand in my way either. I scanned my eyes from face to face, happy to be with my friends again. I spotted Stone in the passenger seat staring out the window, showing that he was deep in thought. I’d bet that everything that was running through his mind right now revolved around Sloane too.
Stone
My demon was taking a life of his own around Sloane, urging me to take her as my mate and stop waiting. This bonding business was tricky. I didn’t want to jump into it just days after I’d met her. I wanted to know her, her likes and dislikes, all the faces she made, the goals she hadn’t reached yet.
I also knew that holding my demon at bay was getting really fucking hard. Especially after last night. One would think such murderous tendencies in a mate would be frowned upon, but not to a demon. Everything about her drew me in, like a moth to a flame. I’d never been the moth before. I wanted to enjoy my wings before I flew too close. The heat of that flame was enticing, though. I didn’t notice how cold I’d been until I thought about stepping away. The idea of moving further, not closer, made me feel a physical chill.
She was more than any of us deserved, yet here she was. She held a strength that each of us lacked. We all had something to offer in return. I couldn’t be the things that the other guys would be for her, and I saw now that that was okay. I could be her quiet place. The person who understood her without a single word. I could stand by her side and be the other half of the Devil Spawn that the Underworld needed.
I wasn’t the kind of demon that would want to own and possess her. I take that back. The possession part sounded like fun. It was only a matter of time before my demon got a voice of his own. Then I wouldn’t be arguing with just myself. He wanted her. The moment her demon form began to pierce her human flesh, I knew that was it for me. I spent the entire time I was in that cell with her struggling to remain in control.
Her ivory horns were magnificent. The way her tail looked made my imagination ramp up with thoughts of what her full form would be. She was no ordinary succubus, I knew that. I’d never seen another demon with a tail made of hellfire and bone, nor had I seen one command hellhounds. No other demon had ever made me lose my grip like she did.
It may be the bond hurtling my emotions through fast forward, but the more I learned about her, the deeper I fell. I couldn’t be the only one. I didn’t have the slightest clue how they were faring. I wondered if the others were fighting against her as hard as Briggs was. I didn’t blame him. He fell in love quicker than any of us. Soon he’d be so smitten that he’d follow her around like a pup with hearts in his eyes.