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“Be good and try not to injure Kael,” Callum says as he hugs me tightly.

“My last statement stands,” I grin and go up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Don’t come home bloody, please.”

“We won’t. We will clean up before we get back, if we have to. My car is here, so we will bring it home.”

“Okay,” I say. “Make it hurt.”

“Oh… We will,” Daemon says with a wink.

I look at the rose in my hand, and it looks freshly picked. The colors are vibrant, and the petals are no longer wilted. I’m not sure how this happened, but I’m certain that my magia had something to do with it.

Chapter Nine

Daemon

WhenKael,Lilith,andLeli leave, Callum and I go to my car so we can go to the guard shack at the A3 train line. It is almost time for a shift change, so we should catch everyone. Callum already got ahold of the site manager, so he knows why we are coming. Not that we need it, but we have his full support to purge anyone who is abusing their power. I plan on finding each and every low-life son of a bitch rapist and ripping them apart. If not for Lilith, for every other survivor.

It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that I played a massive role in letting things get as bad as they have. I know it’s a generational issue, but it’s our job to break that cycle of complacency and do right by everyone. Just because this is how it’s always been doesn’t mean this is how it should stay. Our first step to fixing this issue is admitting we are contributors. Next is making real steps toward change, that means changing policies and laws. After that, it is sticking with our expectations of inclusivity and holding those accountable who fail to conform and adapt. There is no reasonable argument for inequality when it comes to this.

Watching Lilith handle Zypher today, and even Morwen, I know she will make an amazing queen. She is personable but firm in her beliefs. She refuses to submit but can still adapt when necessary. She is strong and confident in herself, even though she is still finding out who she is. Lilith has taken everything in stride and never complained unnecessarily. Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve only known for a few days? Maybe it’s the fact that we are destined mates, but I can’t imagine my life without her.

We pull up to the guard shack, and the site manager, Paul, immediately comes out to meet us. “Your Majesties,” he says with a slight nod. “I have all of the men from that line on the day you provided me. There are only three men who were on the overnight run that day, so we have those three in the office for you to speak with.”

“Thank you. We appreciate your cooperation,” I say. “Any that you suspect?”

“Yeah. Bertolf,” he grumbles. “I’ve gotten complaints, but I can’t ever get any solid proof so I can fire him.”

“What does he look like?” Callum asks.

“Black hair. Kinda big,” he says. “Always looks like he needs a shower.”

“Yeah. Bring him out for us,” I say.

“Not a problem,” he says. He goes back inside and comes back not even a minute later with a man in tow. Lilith’s description is spot on with this guy. He looks like he hasn’t showered in three months.

“Bertolf, King Daemon, and King Callum wish to speak with you about a passenger,” Paul says.

“I’ll do the best I can. I see a lot of people,” he shrugs.

“Let’s go for a drive and talk, Bertolf,” Callum says. He shrugs again and walks with us to the car. Even Paul knows he won’t see him again, but Bertolf doesn’t have the first clue. I open the back door and let him enter before shutting him in. We have the locks on so he can’t get out unless we open it. I get back into the driver’s seat and start driving toward the lake.

He’s drumming his fingers on his leg and looking around as I drive. He’s nervous.

Good. He should be.

“So, Bertolf. The other day, did you have an encounter with a fox shifter? She has long black hair?” I ask.

“Sounds familiar,” he says after a second. “Why?”

“What about her do you remember?” Callum asks.

“She was a hot little thing,” he chuckles. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel.

“What else? Hang out?” Callum continues, setting him up to tell the truth.

“Yeah, we hung out all right. You guys go through maidens all the time. You know how eager those girls get,” he says, almost proud of himself.

“Oh yeah?” Callum asks as he turns back to him and smirks. “How eager was she?”