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“He throat-fucked me. I did my best to hurry him up so he’d leave me alone, but I guess that just makes it look like I was willing,” I say.

“What train line?” Daemon asks before Kael can speak.

“A3,” I say. “I was in the last car with the fox shifters.”

“We need to stop this bullshit where everyone is segregated,” Callum says.

“With all due respect, Callum,” I say. “This happens because you three have allowed it. The fox shifters are treated like garbage and have been for my entire life. We are given shit jobs. We are separated from everyone like we are untouchable. We aren’t allowed to shift. You created these monsters, so you can’t be surprised now that I am your mate and I’m telling you something I saw happen daily as a child.”

“We?” he says.

“Yes, we,” I snap at him. “I may not be a fox, but these people raised me. They may be conniving by nature, but it stems from trying to survive. They are kind people who do not deserve this treatment. Why are only the foxes, maidens? Why not wolves, bears, panthers, dragons, lions, or even the Hellhounds? Just because the foxes can take more sexual abuse without dying means we should be subjected to it?”

“Lilith, we didn’t put those laws into place,” he says. “They’ve been that way for a long time.”

“Well, you could have changed it,” I say.

“And we will. It’s clear that a lot is connected to what the witches did, so we need to find the source and the reasoning. If we can figure out why they did what they did, we can figure out how it is affecting things now. I won’t say it’s not our fault, because it is. We will make that known when we make these changes. I am still surprised that people like Zypher and Morwen think that they can go about their lives without consequences,” Callum says calmly.

“What will you all do to them?” I ask.

“Zypher will lose his privileges, at the bare minimum,” Daemon says. “Morwen will depend on what he says tomorrow.”

“Oh Gods,” I sigh. “I didn’t tell you just to cause problems, Daemon.”

“Did you consent?” he asks me.

“No, but…”

“No buts. You didn’t say yes. He used his position to hurt you. The guard on the train will die.”

“What?” I ask. “Daemon…”

“Understand this now, Lilith. No one touches you but us. Ever! We may not have known you yet, but you are still our mate. I will be damned if I let him continue to breathe after hurting you. If Morwen does anything but go to his knees and beg for forgiveness, I will kill him myself, and you will watch, just so you know exactly what happens when someone touches what doesn’t belong to them.”

“You’re not seriously going to make me watch you kill him,” I say.

“I am,” he says. “In fact, as long as Kael and Callum agree, it’s about time the citizens of Grimitara learn who their new queen will be.”

“As long as we keep her being a witch between us for now, I agree completely,” Callum says.

“It’s far too dangerous for anyone to know that she is a witch. We need to find out more about the prophecy first,” Kael says.

“Take a step back for a second,” I say. “Tell everyone that I am your mate, but only remove him from his position. Let everyone handle the news of a fox shifter being queen while you make the changes that need to be made. He won’t have any power by then, so he will be less likely to do shit like that again. Just have him watched and wait for him to fuck up. If you waltz in there, name me queen, and kill three people, you will lose a lot of support.”

“Okay. We will bring you with us in the morning to meet with Zypher and Morwen. I want them to know exactly why it’s happening,” Daemon says. “But the guard still dies.”

“I can accept that,” I say.

“The second that Morwen fucks up, which I know he will, he dies too,” Kael says as a promise.

“He’ll fuck up. It’s just a matter of when,” I say. “How do you think everyone will take me as queen?”

“This country has not had a true queen since the beginning of the curse,” Daemon says. “They are so desperate for a queen that I think they will happily accept you.”

“It will also help us to make these changes when they see that we trust you,” Callum says.

“That makes sense,” I say. “So, can we pack away the possessive testosterone tendencies for a moment? We have a lot more to worry about, and we can’t cause an uproar in the name of… well, me.”