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"Just you and me today, little one," I murmur against Liora's downy head. She looks up at me with those intelligent gold eyes, a tiny crease between her brows as if she's concerned about something. "Your father will be back soon enough."
The word "father" still feels strange on my tongue. Stranger still is how naturally Vael has taken to the role, his massive demon hands somehow perfectly capable of cradling our daughters with impossible gentleness.
Our daughters. When did I start thinking of them that way?
A sharp knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. Jackie must have gone to the market—she mentioned needing fresh dreelk for dinner. Liora squirms against my shoulder as I make my way downstairs, my bare feet silent against the polished floors.
"Coming," I call, adjusting Liora's position against my hip.
I swing the door open without thinking, without caution—a mistake I would never have made on Galmoleth. The sunlight silhouettes a tall figure, and for a heartbeat, I think it's Vael returning early.
Then the light shifts, and my blood freezes in my veins.
"Well, well, well." Captain Drez'kor's silky voice slides over me like oil on water. "My little runaway."
He stands on the threshold in full regalia—black armor gleaming in the sunlight, a cape of deep crimson cascading from broad shoulders. His skin is darker than Vael's, a deep charcoal gray that makes his silver eyes even more unnerving. Unlike Vael's straight horns, the captain's curl like a ram's on either side of his head, inlaid with silver bands that catch the light.
Instinctively, I back away, clutching Liora closer to my chest. She whimpers, sensing my fear.
"What a touching domestic scene." Drez'kor invites himself in, boots echoing against the floor as he circles me like prey. "I've been looking for you for months, Trinity. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you'd been spirited away by none other than Vaelrix." His silver eyes narrow. "A bounty hunter taking something that doesn't belong to him. How... ironic."
"I don't belong to anyone," I manage, my voice steadier than I feel.
Drez'kor laughs, the sound like shattering glass. "Of course you do. You belonged to Asmodeus, and by extension, to me." His gaze drops to Liora, who's begun to fuss in earnest. "And what's this? A little half-breed abomination?"
My arms tighten around my daughter. "Don't come any closer."
He ignores my warning, stepping forward to flick one finger against Liora's cheek. She wails, the sound piercing through my panic and igniting something fiercer.
"Get your hands off my child." The words emerge in a snarl I barely recognize as my own.
"Your child?" Drez'kor's eyebrows rise, his smile turning cruel. "How sweet. You've gone native." He glances around the house. "Where's the other one? There should be two, according to my sources."
My heart stops. "What sources?"
"Information is a commodity, Trinity. Surely you haven't forgotten that." He studies my face. "You were always clever about collecting it yourself. Used it to improve your position quite effectively."
From upstairs, Kaelin begins to cry, as if sensing her sister's distress. Drez'kor's eyes shift toward the sound, a predatory interest flickering across his features.
"Ah, there she is." He makes a move toward the stairs, and I step in front of him without thinking.
"Don't."
He pauses, amusement dancing in those metallic eyes. "Are you giving me orders, human?"
"I'm asking you to leave." I try to keep my voice steady, but Liora's escalating cries and Kaelin's distant wailing make it hard to focus. "Vael will be back any moment."
"Will he now?" Drez'kor leans closer, his breath hot against my cheek. "My sources indicate he's at least three hours away. Plenty of time for us to... reconnect." His eyes drop to Liora again. "And to handle that pesky problem too."
My blood turns to ice. "What do you mean?"
He shrugs, a casual gesture that somehow conveys more menace than a drawn weapon. "Half-breeds are messy complications. I'd be doing Vaelrix a favor, really. And then you and I can return to Galmoleth, where you belong."
"I'd rather die." The words escape before I can stop them.
Drez'kor laughs again, reaching out to twirl a strand of my hair around his finger. "So dramatic. You know, I always appreciated your survival instinct, Trinity. The way you'd do anything—and anyone—to stay alive." His hand drops to my throat, not squeezing, just resting there as a reminder of how easily he could. "Where has that instinct gone? Surely these little monsters haven't made you forget who and what you are?"
Liora's cries have turned to hiccuping sobs against my chest, her tiny body trembling. Upstairs, Kaelin continues to scream, and I'm torn between the child in my arms and the one I can't reach.