at him. “It was imperative I was on the council. I fed you information that would help you find him so you would see his greatness once again. We knew you would see the possibilities and hire him, then I made sure to gain your confidence and trust with my position, to stop any threats to his life while using you.”
“This is better than any Jeremy Kyle,” Aska mutters.
Dawn shrugs. “Fine, you die too.”
Titus shakes his head. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. You see, you might be powerful, maybe even more so than me...but I have been around a long time. And I plan to be around for a lot longer, at least until our mission is complete.”
“I knew you would not allow this.” Gabriel smirks, looking at Dawn. “Kill her.”
Titus sighs and pushes up the sleeves of his shirt. “Apologies, I would have liked to have gotten to know another like myself, but I must do my duty.”
“You’re a puppet,” she hisses.
I glance from him to her and step in front of her. She can protect herself, my little monster, that is true, but he is not touching a hair on her head. He isn’t even getting near her. Just because she can defend herself doesn’t mean she has to, we are here too. I look to Griffin and he nods, then we move as a unit, as one.
He aims for Veyo, I for Titus. I hear a scream and glance over to see Griffin ripping the council lackey to pieces. Titus is more difficult, he’s powerful and sees me coming.
We clash in a flurry of fists and power, but I have something more I am fighting for—not duty, but love.
And love, with a bit of hate peppered in, always wins.
He flings his power at me, trying to throw me off guard, but he should have known I am stronger.
I block his desperate hit and twirl behind him, breaking his neck. He drops to the floor, dead. Gabriel stumbles back, gaping at his now dead creation. “You killed him! You killed him!”
I shrug and step over the body. “He threatened my little monster, council member or not, he dies.” I look to the crowd. “No one, no matter of their station or power, touches my mate. Don’t so much as look at her wrong! Do we have that clear? She is mine!” I roar, letting my power blast through the room, every inch of it. It knocks them to their knees, and their eyes widen. Even those who thought they knew me, who have never felt it before, I let them see every trick I have, everything I will use to protect her.
“And mine,” Griffin snarls, passing over Veyo’s bloodied stump of a hand to Dawn. “The one he touched you with, Vasculo.”
“And mine,” Aska adds, tilting his chin back as he allows his magic to leak from him. In the shadow behind him, I see a dragon with a crown on its head.
“Mine,” Jair and Dume declare in unison, stepping closer to her.
“Touching,” Lucifer drawls and looks around. “This woman is under the sleeping court’s protection for now, death will be swifter for those who think of breaking that rule.”
Dawn grins at us with tears in her eyes before she blinks and gazes over my shoulder. I turn in time to see Gabriel picking up a sword and rushing me. Before I can move to intercept him, Dawn is there.
The sword plunges into her stomach and we all freeze. She looks down slowly at the glowing, golden blade as Gabriel steps back with a triumphant expression. Time freezes for a moment as everything in my body stops. No.
No.
Little Monster!
Eyebrow arched, she reaches for the handle and unhurriedly pulls the sword free of her body. My heart stops at the blood there.
Little Monster—
She holds the sword up to the light, her blood coating the blade, and we all stare as her stomach mends. The hole closes, allowing me to breathe again. A fear like I had never experienced before recedes to anger. She looks at Gabriel and tuts. “That was a bad move, angel.” Then she plunges that same sword into his gut while he is gaping at her.
She doesn’t stop there. She pops up behind him and rips both wings off, the sound screeching and loud. He screams as he drops to his knees. She grips either side of his head, her eyes locked on mine as she leans down to whisper in his ear.