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I bit my lip so hard I drew blood when emotion welled up in me.
"But," he went on, his tone softening, probably because he felt the tremble of emotion in me, "I think you want more than that. I don't think you asked me to be your daddy on a whim. You are the most terrifying, beautiful, magnificent woman I've ever seen."
I made a throaty sound and rolled my eyes, touched so deeply that I almost cried. "That's what they all say."
"But I know the darkness that lives in your subconscious, and I can feel your upbringing weighing on your soul. Let me take some of that weight. If you hand me control, I'll take care of you, Avie. The decisions you're too afraid to make, I'll make them for you. The things you're too nervous to ask for, I'll make sure you have them."
I swallowed, releasing my lip from between my teeth. "You don't get to tell me what to do for the hell of it."
"Interesting choice of words; for the hell of it." He stroked my neck with a gentle sweep of his thumb. "I won't. Only when it matters—when you need me to."
I glanced away. "What do … what do you need from me?"
"The thing that scares you the most, sweetheart. Trust."
"Oh, is that all?" I laughed, finally daring to reach out and touch him. I flattened my palms on his chest and let out a long sigh. "It's not that I don't trust you. I'm just—so used to being on guard. I can't turn my back without expecting a knife to be buried in it."
"He trained you to fear love," Dev growled, blinding rage eclipsing my soul for a moment before he got it under control, his voice softening. "We'll show you that love shouldneverhurt. It shouldn’t make you flinch, or bleed, or bruise, or cry."
"Unless you trigger my gag reflex," I pointed out reasonably.
A laugh burst from deep in Dev's chest, and he tucked me closer to him, my head nestled under his chin. "Obviously, unless that happens. Do you understand what I'm offering, Avie?"
I made a throaty sound. "I understand you won't let me kill my—abuser."
Fuckfuckfuck, I nearly said the F word again. This had to stop.
"Correct," Dev agreed, skimming his claws up and down my back. "Becausewewill kill him. Together. That's the only offer on the table."
"Fine," I muttered, glaring at his chest.
My heart skipped when Dev laid a lingering kiss on my forehead.
"I'm proud of you; I know that was hard."
It was, and that was frustrating. Having help was a good thing; many hands make light work and all that shit. I wasn't opposed to having backup, just … not from my mates.
"But if anything happens to any of you—" I growled.
"We'll survive that, too," he said firmly, as if that was always going to be the end of my sentence. "Whatever happens, Eidolon dies. Today."
I tipped my head back, half pissed off with him, half in love with him. "You sound pretty confident about killing him."
Dev tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, making me weak with surprise at the intimate gesture. "The sceptre was destroyed, and he has the crown—"
"Thanks for reminding me," I muttered.
"But the orb was lost," he finished, his mouth twitching and a sneaky look in his eye.
"Lostlost, or lost on purpose? Is it like when you put things away for safekeeping and lose them for twenty years?"
"Exactly like that," he agreed. "Except I know exactly where to find it again."
"You're being intentionally mysterious," I accused, prodding his chest with a claw.
"There are several misconceptions about the orb," Dev said with pomp and ceremony. I rolled my eyes and prodded him again. "First, that it's far, far bigger than it is. Second, that it's made of gold when, in fact, it's glass."
"Third, that it's lost," I drawled, jumping at a sudden riot of barking from the bottom of the tower. "Go on, then. Where is it?"
