Page 112 of The Slayer Seduction

Adam is worried that she’s throwing herself into projects to keep busy and not work through everything that’s happened, but I told him my sweet mate can do whatever she needs to feel better.

Scarlett trots into the apartment, climbing onto my lap and showing her teeth to Balam.

“Quite the vicious beast,” he says, looking down at the fox.

I stroke her fur. “She is a ferocious little predator.”

“When is he leaving? He’s your friend, Slayer. You need to tell him his pants are too tight. How can someone even slay vampires with such little breathing room?”

Iris and I can’t help but to laugh and Balam knows he’s not being told the joke. Balam is working on not wearing all business casual clothes like he used to, and the jeans he purchased are a little tight.

“What did the fox say?”

“Oh nothing,” Iris says as I answer at the same time. “She says your jeans are too tight.”

“Slayer,” Iris hisses at me, while still semi-laughing.

Balam rubs his hands against the too tight jeans, his cheeks pinken, and he gives the fox a dirty look.

“I will head home. Let me know when you would like to work on the book next,” he tells Iris, giving me a nod of his head and a glare at Scarlett.

“Tell him if he glares at me one more time, he’ll be leaving here with one less finger,” Scarlett says.

I pick her up, kissing the top of her head. “So blood thirsty, little fox.”

“I should work on some more potions,” Iris says as Balam leaves and, with some nudging from Adam, I shake my head.

“You need rest, Iris.”

She looks away from me gingerly, and I place a finger under her chin, pleading with her to tell me what I can do to make this better.

“How can I take away your pain?” I ask, and I watch in horror as she bursts into tears.

Chapter 49

Iris

“Idon’t know,” I say between tears, because I haven’t gotten a clue.

I thought I was strong, that I could handle all this, but I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. I’ve mourned my mother’s death for so many years and now it’s this open wound again. Not to mention processing everything else that’s happened over the past few days.

“I just want to feel like me again,” I tell him.

The Slayer looks at me, perplexed by what I mean and by the goddess, he’s trying so hard. I grab his wrists and squeeze, knowing that with him I can fall apart. He doesn’t expect me to keep my shit together. He loves me in any shape or form I come in.

“I feel guilty,” I rasp the words out.

His dark eyebrows slant down as he searches my face, like staring at me will give him the answers he wants.

“Why would you ever feel guilty?” he asks, and I know guilt isn’t really an emotion he feels often, or really ever.

I lick my lips as I try to word this the right way.

“My mom died because she was trying to protect me and all these years I thought it was magic gone wrong. For so long, I was angry at her for experimenting with magic in a way that would take her away from me, but to find out that I was the reason is hard.”

The Slayer shakes his head vehemently. “This is not your fault. The only person to blame is Celeste. She created your fate, she took your mother away from you, she sent you to the void. None of this is your fault and your mother would say the same.”

He’s so sure of the words and I know he’s right, that I shouldn’t shoulder all of this.