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“That couldn’t have been easy.”

I swallowed and shook my head. “She was terrified that I’d hate her for it.”

“And did you?”

“No. But I hadn’t seen my parents since I was four, when they were carted away by the Realm police. So after thirty years, I went through the portal to Hell and requested a visit. I asked them if they regretted what they did. Destroying our family that way.”

She could probably tell by my eyes that my parents didn’t regret a damned thing.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my lips. “Maybe they do now, after three hundred years?”

I laughed humorlessly and shook my head. The second time I saw them was a hundred and forty years ago, and they still regretted nothing—besides not being more secretive about their plan. “I doubt it. But maybe. I blame them, though. Not my grandmother. Their choices are what led to their incarceration. Are what led to our family being broken apart. I have no siblings. And a lot of my aunts and uncles died in the last war.”

“What about your grandmother?”

Warmth filled my chest, and I smiled for real this time, taking her hand and pressing my lips to it. “She is going to love you.”

A tear slid down her cheek, but she smiled, relief sparkling in the emerald-green of her eyes. “She’s still alive?”

“I’m not sure anything will ever be able to kill Hildalia Rane.”

“Let’s hope not. Where does she live now?”

Even more warmth and happiness filled me as fond memories of thesecondmost important person in my life shoved away all the last remaining thoughts of my parents. “She settled in Australia about a hundred years ago. She rescues wombats, bilbies, wallabies, and orphaned joeys.”

Omaera’s giggle was almost as medicinal as her tits in my mouth. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “Yeah. She runs a very successful animal rescue center, but theyseem to end up with mostly wombats and orphaned baby kangaroos. One day, I’ll take you there and you can meet her and snuggle a joey. It’s a dopamine rush almost as good as sex.”

A sexy red raced up from her chest and into her cheeks. “I’m looking forward to meeting the woman who raised the crazy, caring—slightly psychotic—Maxar Rane. I need to tell her she did a pretty great job.”

A heat hotter than the fucking sun filled my face. It took a lot to make me blush, but a compliment like that from my mate was sure as fuck going to do it.

“Any more questions?” I asked, zeroing back in on her tits and licking my lips.

“Yeah … a few,” she said playfully. “I was eavesdropping on you and Melissima, and she said the vampire was being stubborn and keeping something from me too. Something that was causing him pain. Do you know what it is?”

I shook my head. “No. But even if I did, it wouldn’t be my secret to divulge.” I slid my hand along her smooth thigh. “Unless, of course, it put him further into the doghouse, and me even more cemented into your good graces.” She rolled her eyes again. “But alas, I know not what ails him. Besides, you know, being a massive pasty-faced, blood-sucking twat. But I don’t think those are ailments so much as character flaws.” My fingers covertly made their way up her thigh until I could feel the heat of her pussy. “Sexy time now?”

“Final question.”

“Fine.”

“Drak goes feral when I have my period, and apparently, Zandren will go feral when I am ovulating. Is there any time each month I have to worry about you going feral?”

Gripping her by the hips, I lifted her up with enough force to make her yelp, and placed her back over my hips, straddling me and my hard cock. “Baby, my loins arealwayson fire. For you, I’ll never stop burning.” Then I cupped her face with both hands and brought her mouth down to mine, devouring her moans and loving the way she handed complete control over to me, because she trusted me. And nothing was hotter than fuckingtrust.

I’m sure Omaera got up to go pee at some point in the middle of the night. And probably to check on Gemma, the vampire, and the bear. But when the first light of morning pierced through the askew drapes, she was nestled in at my side, her hand on my chest.

I kissed my queen’s forehead, and she instantly stirred.

“You put your shirt back on,” I said, disappointment only slightly coloring my tone. “You didn’t get cold, did you?”

“Not next to you,” she said, stretching and yawning. “I did get up for a bit to go eat, and check on everyone though.”

“How is Gemma?”

“No change. But Melissima says that’s a good thing.”