"What the hell was that? That wasn't Kiran so why were your lips on him? I told you I'd respect your bond, because I thought you did too." Topher appeared before me just as Percy said he would. His arms were crossed and he held a deep scowl.  "Oh fu.ck off. I don't owe you an explanation. You're not my boyfriend." I snapped.  "You're right, I'm not. I'm your husband." He snapped back.  "Like hell. That wasn't by choice." I told him.  I don't know what the hell happened, but in a single blink Topher pinned me against the wall of my bedroom. He had traveled us both to my room and placed me between him and a wall.  "You're my wife, Z.

Topher's P.O.V. I whisked myself into my seat in the meeting room, seeming like I'd been there the entire time.   "Good, now we are all here." Elder Stone, our oldest and lead Elder, began. "We have a problem. The north discovered a small shadow weaver boy on the black market a few days ago. They had rescued him already, but they discovered that his parents had also been captured. I was informed today by our special recon forces that they have found one of the parents. They're being held by a high-level demon."  "We can't fight those. Our shadows are absolutely useless against high-level demons. It's hard to use them, even with low level ones." Elder Turner reminded us all, stating the obvious as usual. "And that's where the problem lies." Elder Stone responded with a serious face. "Our only option is to kill the shadow weaver himself. We can't have the shadow's secret

Topher was bloody and out of breath. The demon before him was fu.cking massive, at least 10 feet tall. It had hooves and hairy legs like a goat. It had horns like a ram's that were long and curved. It's torso was still reminiscent of a human. Its eyes glowed orange, the way Alester's had. I thought back to that night, feeling any fear I had in me fade. I felt a new determination in me, wanting to prove that I could beat a demon. If I can beat this one, then Alester won't be a damn problem. 'Shade, I'm going to need you.' I felt Shade pull forward, lending me power. Topher was trying to tear the demon apart with his shadow, but the demon would quickly make his shadow lose power before he could do anything. There was a man cowering in the corner and three others bloodied and beaten on the floor. What the hell happened? I placed a thick strong shadow shield over my stomach to keep my babies safe before attacking. I kept hold of the darkness inside my shadows with the help of Shade.

I traveled myself to the hospital room, crying. Kiran's mother was out of the room, he was sitting on the small couch, looking at his phone. His face was illuminated only by the blue light emitting from it. He heard me this time, hearing me cry. He ran towards me, holding me tight, making me only cry further. "Zerena, what's going on?" He pulled back, looking at my face now. "Kiran, I'm sorry. I can't be your mate. I am not strong. I can't fight it off." I cried harder. I don't want to let him go. I don't want to lose him. I don't want to hurt him. I can't have him living with me while I cheat on him with some other man all because of some sham bond placed on us. Although I'm starting to believe it's not just the bond anymore. Topher's such a good person, it's hard to really want to fight off the bond. Especially when we are alone. Surprisingly Kiran held me closer. His touch, his arms, his scent, had me calming down within minutes. He kissed the top of my head, rubbing my bac

Percy's P.O.V. Zerena hadn't come to see me yet. Normally she stops by in the morning for a few minutes to show me the bump that's begun to grow. It's been growing faster here lately. I decided to go for my daily walk when she didn't show at her usual time. This place was beautiful, somehow the weather was always nice too.  "Good morning, Percy!" Dex's friendly tone reached me.  He jogged up to me, matching my pace once he caught up. Dex and I have been talking a lot since I helped Gabriel. He's a pretty nice guy. He's been giving me advice about raising a kid that isn't my own. It's been nice to talk to someone in a slightly similar situation.  Honestly, it was because of his advice that I told Zerena how I felt about her