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“So… no… Lilith is not forcing us to do anything. In the beginning, none of us wanted to be mated. She was on the same page as us and even offered to reject us. We found out pretty quickly that she is a witch, and it was hard to accept, but ultimately what showed us that witches were not what we were led to believe was when she broke our family curse,” Daemon says.

“Curse?” Eldric asks.

“Yes… Everyone knows that three hundred years ago, when a group of rogue witches killed hundreds of our people. What they don’t know is it was to kill the last High Witch,” Daemon says. “She was mated to the Three Kings. This group wanted more power, and the High Witch being alive prevented that. Once the High Witch was killed, the Three Kings were cursed so that they couldn’t take a true queen. The fox shifters tried to help the three kings by warning them of the impending attack, but because witches could also shift into foxes, they were quickly deemed untrustworthy,” Daemon explains. “The curse was simple but awful. The kings, essentially, were forced to have a maiden in their bed or go insane. She would always end up dying an excruciating death. This continued to punish the foxes and the witches living among them because they were constantly having to send their own to replace the ones who died.”

“No matter what we did… We couldn’t prevent it. If we didn’t, it would drive us to insanity and kill us. If we had a maiden or our mate close and we tried to fight it, we would have been driven to kill her before still dying the same death they would have if we hadn’t tried to reject it,” Kael says.

“Exactly,” Daemon continues. “Our fathers waited until we were of age to take over before locking themselves away so that the curse could take over and kill them. Their fathers did the same when they were of age to rule.”

“So, while the three kings were earning a reputation for killing these maidens for fun, it was the exact opposite,” Callum says. “We always pushed the boundary as far as we could, and we made sure that whoever was with us understood everything. We never lied to them about what would happen. It wasn’t something they went into unwillingly. We took care of them to the best of our ability, and we stayed with them until the end. They were held in the highest respect possible because it was the only thing we could do to make sure the family line continued, but we were limiting how many women were hurt.”

“And Lilith broke that curse?” Eldric asks.

“Yes. I think the assumption was that because the High Witch was killed, she wouldn’t be able to produce an heir, but it doesn’t go by family line. It is random. The curse was that mating with the High Witch would end it, and it did. When the symptoms hit Lilith, she was able to heal herself. This showed us that not all witches were bad and that we had been misled. Just like not all wolf and lion shifters are bad because Zypher and Morwen are out there calling for the death of someone that wants peace.”

“I understand why you all are concerned,” I say. “When he tells you that I am a demon and you don’t know what that means, you can only base your opinion on what you are told. All I am asking is that you give me the chance to prove that I am not the monster that he is making me out to be. All I want is peace and equality for everyone, wolves and lions included. I know peace is not completely obtainable because neither of these groups are alike. We will have conflict even while we are fighting this war for peace, but we must move past this idea that someone is less than because of how they shift or if they practice magic.”

“Thank you for your honesty,” Eldric says.

“But let me becrystalfucking clear when I say that I will not tolerate the fox shifters, or the witches, being singled out or segregated against. You’re allowed to have your feelings, and you may disagree if you wish, but you will not attack someone in any way and not be made an example of. I very much want peace, but I will watch this world burn if it means that I continue to stand up for what is right. I will not tolerate innocent people being abused. If that is not something that you can stand up for, I’m sure Zypher and Morwen will happily take you in so that you can help take me down.”

Daemon, Kael, and Callum look at me and smirk at my aggressiveness, while everyone else claps and cheers.

“Damn, girl,” Daemon says before kissing me quickly.

“I didn’t think threatening people would make them clap, but okay,” I say with a nervous laugh.

“They respect your honesty,” Kael says with a smile.

“Okay, guys. One more thing,” I say to the crowd. “I will not require anyone to fight. If you want to stay here, the barrier will stay up and protect you. If you wish to fight with me, know that I will be with you every step of the way. I am not going to ask you to do something that I wouldn’t get out there and do myself. With that being said, I have every intention of going to Estroria, and rescuing those foxes. I am well aware of the fact that it is a ploy to get me closer because those are the people I grew up with, but I’m not going to just leave them there, knowing what Zypher and Morwen are capable of. I will need to talk with all of the representatives after I find out why I’m getting a death glare from my mates.”

“We will give you guys some time to talk,” Eldric laughs.

I turn to the guys, and they try not to show that they are mad, but I know why they are. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask as I walk over to Dad.

“You are insane if you think we are going to be okay with this. You know exactly what will happen if they get ahold of you,” Daemon says with annoyance in his voice.

“I know,” I say simply.

“Do you?” Kael asks. “You don’t seem to understand that he will hurt you. You are not invincible, no matter what powers you have.”

“I have to do this,” I say. “I don’t know why, but I do. I am not going to sit here while I am sending everyone else to fight a war that I am meant to end.”

“Lilith, honey,” Callum sighs. “You aren’t ready to fight. You can’t even access most of your power…”

“I may not be able to access that energy right now, but I can still do spells, just like any other witch,” I argue. “I am not looking for your blessing, Callum. I am doing this with or without you.”

“I understand you’ve learned spells, Lilith, but you have no real-world application. You’re going to storm in blindly and get yourself killed.” Callum says, his eyes brimming with emotion. “We…I don’t want to lose you… please”

“How about this?” Dad says. “Take a day with me, and we can work on those attacks, and defense spells. At the end of the day, you can show them what you know.”

“Fine,” Kael says. “You take a day with your dad. At the end of the day, you face all three of us shifted. If we can pin you, you do not leave this property. I don’t care if I have to tie you up somewhere and give you water from a bottle like a hamster. I won’t let you go out there and get yourself killed.”

I look at my three mates and consider what they have said. I know I need to go. If I am here when I am captured, it could easily cost everyone here their lives. I have to prove myself to them, or they are going to fight me every step of the way. “Alright,” I say after a moment. “But I am still planning with everyone.”

“Okay,” Kael says.

“I’m going to electrocute you again,” I say. “I hope you know that.”