bruises, but there is a giant smile on her face as she wiggles closer to both of us. Popping myself up on my arm, I stare down at her before glancing up to see Jair is doing the same. His eyes run across her face lovingly, a sheen of tears in them as he watches the woman who saved him.
I know the feeling. Like your heart might explode. Even broken, damaged, blackened, and hurt, she put it back together with her own blood and pain and made it beat again. For her. That’s what she does for us, she brings us back to life, gives us a purpose, a reason to live.
All in one small, beautiful, dangerous package.
He meets my eyes, not ashamed by his tears, and in those depths I see a promise. To always protect her, to always be with her. I know because it is in my own. Nothing could make me leave her. When the rest of the world does, even if her other mates do, I never will.
I am hers forever.
I will follow whatever path she takes, fraught with danger and enemies. Even if it leads me to chains again, even if it leads to my death, I would follow. He nods, promising the same, and we have a moment of understanding. It is hard watching another touch and love the woman who is supposed to be mine, but when they love her, when they want nothing but to protect her and be close to her like me, an understanding forms. I only hope the other mates are as accepting.
Because Jair and I aren’t going anywhere.
She sighs and we both jerk our heads down to check that she is okay. We are so in sync, waiting, watching, offering whatever she needs, but it’s happiness on her face as she presses her palm to my chest and grabs Jair’s hand and drags it across her waist, holding us both close like she can’t bear to be without us.
Our draya, offering and taking. Others might see her as a monster, a feat of evil, but I know the truth. Dawn is an act of God, a true saviour. Come to collect the monsters of this world and save them, to right the wrongs of man.
To some she is a monster, but to us, her mates, she is perfect.
And we will be here to help.
My hooves and horns are hers, and when we get free of this prison, I will kill those who dare to hurt my mate, who dare to make her question herself.
“Likom, Draya,” I whisper, leaning down and kissing her head.
I love you, I repeat mentally. She lifts her head, her eyes wide with understanding.
I love you too, my bull.
The whisper floats into my mind, wrapping around it with such love, such obsession and need, that I gasp. My little mate, how does she hold such emotions in such a tiny body?
That makes her giggle and Jair smiles at that as he brushes some hair from her neck and drops a kiss there, making her shiver. I inhale deeply as the musk of her arousal fills the air. Jair’s eyes flash red, his fangs descending as smoke curls from my nose, called forth by my mate’s need.
My cock hardens, prodding her stomach, and her eyes start to bleed to black again as her breathing picks up, but just then the door is wrenched open. I leap to my feet, dragging her closer as Jair turns, his fangs out as he snarls at the intruder.
Fallen.
“Griffin?” I exclaim. I’ve never seen him like this. His eyes are lost, his body wet and naked, and he looks wild and...scared.
I look to my men. “Leave,” I order. I don’t have time for niceties, he needs me, I feel it. They nod and get to their feet, but Dume doesn’t even tease Griffin. When they go to pass him, he cringes away from them and slides into the room, slamming the door behind him and pressing his head to the metal, muttering to himself under his breath.
Getting to my feet, I step over to him and rest a hand on his back. “Griff—”
He spins, his eyes leaking black. “Dawn,” he whispers raggedly. “Help me.”
“What-what happened? What can I do?” I almost scream, searching his eyes, knowing something is really wrong. This isn’t like my usual teasing or even angry fallen, something is very wrong.
I reach for his mind and see flashes of skin, of a hand before he jerks away,