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“Yeah… My mom visited me in a dream and told me about the prophecy. She also told me he assaulted me. It wasn’t until I told the guys that it clicked, and I realized that what Zypher and Morwen did was assault. Although, I feel a bit stupid for not understanding.” Leli looks at me for a moment before speaking.

“Zypher brainwashed you, Lilith,” she says. “You spent five years with him, and he spent every second of it breaking you down. He didn’t throw everything at you at once. He eased you into it, but with me, he had gotten used to doing it, so he used his pack to essentially break me in.”

“He tied you down, didn’t he?” I ask with a frown.

“Yeah,” she says softly. “I knew what I was getting into coming here to find you. They showed me visions of what the life of a maiden was supposed to be like. I studied everything I could so that when I came here, I could blend in.”

“I told him I felt uncomfortable with it, and he assured me that it was a necessary part of the process. Ultimately, he didn’t like how hesitant I was, so I was tied to a table and he put tape over my mouth so I couldn’t talk. I think that’s the first and only time I’ve cried in front of others,” I say.

“Oh, Lilith,” she says softly.

“Well,thatdoesn’t make me want to keep him alive,” Daemon says behind me. I turn and he is leaning against the porch railing watching us.

“Sorry. He shushed me when he came out,” Leli says.

“Yeah, I could hear him,” I say as he comes over.

“Ah. You can mind link?” she asks.

“Mhmm. Realized that this morning,” I say.

“I’m sorry he did that to you,” Daemon says softly, cupping my face.

“It’s okay. I’m with you three now, and I won’t cry if you tie me down,” I say, and Leli giggles.

“If he mentions your pussy one more time, I’m going to slit his throat,” Daemon says before kissing me.

“Well, let’s go inside so you can tell him I am your mate then,” I say.

“First, Leli. If you are okay with it, we’d like to bring you with us. It would be far safer for you to be where you don’t have to try and blend in with the fox shifters. There will be a lot of changes happening, so I don’t want that to add any stress on you or any of the other witches.”

“I appreciate that. I can help Lilith learn the basic spells. I’ve practiced my whole life, and back in Voradia, I hope to become a teacher when I get back. We will end up with an influx of witches who know nothing, so they’ll all need help. Lilith has to know the basics before she can be taught anything else,” Leli says.

“Oh. Apparently, she’s been here looking for me. Everyone in Voradia knows about the prophecy and has just been waiting for me to pop up and find you all as my mates. I guess I need to go there and learn… something,” I say.

“Not right this second, though. It’s easier to teach you the basics here. That will give things time to settle after announcing the changes,” she says.

“If Leli can get us in contact with someone, we can fly there,” Daemon says. “Two weeks should be plenty of time.”

“You don’t have to…”

“Yes, we do,” he stops me. “There is absolutely no way I am letting you leave the country to a place you’ve never been by yourself.”

“They do have to come,” Leli says. “You are the solution, but you need them to be that solution.”

Her words remind me of Daemon saying that a succubus feeds off sexual energy. That easily could mean that I draw power from my mates. “Do you know who my father was?” I ask.

“I… was specifically told to keep my mouth shut,” she says with a smirk.

“Ah. Well, that answers that,” I say. “Will I get answers in Voradia?” I ask.

“It’ll be the first thing explained,” she says with a smile.

“I can live with that. We should go before Kael chokes Zypher.”

Daemon kisses me deeply before we turn to go back into the house. I notice that Leli immediately pulls herself out of that maiden mindset and walks beside us. She is standing taller and walking with confidence. When we come in and Zypher sees this, you can see the rage in his eyes. Such a simple rule, yet it plays into the expectation that maidens shouldn’t be seen nor heard unless they are to be fucked in his home. He expected complete submission.

“Leli, you can go to your room. We can finish our conversation when they leave,” Zypher says. She ignores him and looks at me.