All Chapters of MATERD TO THE SON OF THE DEMON KING: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Mercy's POVI woke to a soft knock at my door, morning light spilling through the curtains I'dforgotten to close the night before."It's me," Timothee's voice came through, low enough not to carry down the hall.Then I pulled on a robe and opened the door to find him standing there in plain clothes,nothing like the formal outfit from last night. He wore a dark hoodie pulled halfway up,looking more like a regular guy than a prince."You look different," I said."That's the point." He grinned. "Get dressed. I'm taking you out.""Out where?" I asked, looking surprised."The city. You've been stuck inside these walls since we got here. I figured you deserveda break from court, from Kaelen, from all of it."I blinked at him, surprised. "Is that safe?". asked."Safer than staying here and stewing over everything that happened last night," he said."Trust me. Nobody recognizes me when I dress like this."I got ready quickly, throwing on simple clothes I'd packed, nothing that stood out,

Timothee's POVI woke up smiling, which hadn't happened in longer than I could remember.The kiss in the alley kept replaying in my head, over and over, warm and steady, nothinglike the panic of the one at the rink. That one had been born out of necessity. This onehad been born out of something I'd been too scared to name for weeks, and now that itwas out in the open, I couldn't stop grinning about it like an idiot.I got dressed slowly, in no particular hurry, my mind still somewhere back in thatnarrow street with her, the way she'd looked up at me right before I kissed her.A knock at my door pulled me out of it."Come in," I called.Aunt Raven stepped inside, a folder tucked under one arm, her expression its usualmeasured calm, though something in her eyes sharpened the moment she looked at me."You're in a good mood," she observed."Is that a crime?" I asked."No," she said, setting the folder down on my desk. "Just unusual, given everythinghappening around us.""Can't a man

Mercy's POVTalon had leaned in close enough that I could smell her perfume, something sharp and floral, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper."I know what you are," she said, facing me with an expression I couldn't read clearly.My whole body went cold, my hand freezing halfway to my teacup. "Excuse me?" I said, turning my face to her "You don't have to pretend with me," she said, her grey eyes narrowing slightly, studying my face like she was searching for cracks in a mask. "I've been around demons my whole life. I can tell when someone's hiding what they really are."Relief and confusion hit me at the same time, an odd tangle of feelings I didn't have time to fully sort through."You think I'm a demon?" I asked."Aren't you?" she said, tilting her head slightly. "That's the only explanation that makes sense. Timothee would never bring a random werewolf here. Not into the palace, not into this world. So either you're something else entirely, or he's lost his mind."I opened

Mercy's POVI woke sometime past midnight, my throat dry, the kind of thirst that wouldn't let me fall back asleep no matter how hard I tried.I slipped out of bed quietly, pulling a robe around myself, and made my way down the quiet corridor toward the small kitchen near the guest wing, the palace eerily silent this late at night, only the soft hum of distant torches lighting my way.I filled a glass of water slowly, standing near the counter, my mind still replaying pieces of the day, Talon's sharp words in the garden, Timothee's reassurance on the bench, the fountain, the warmth of his hand around mine.I felt lighter than I had all afternoon, actually. Talking it through with him had helped more than I expected.I made my way back toward my room, taking the longer route past the open courtyard, the moon casting soft silver light across the stone path, the kind of quiet that made the whole palace feel smaller somehow.That was when I heard voices, though it was familiar voices.The

Mercy’s POVHis face changed."Who?"Aunt Raven looked directly at me.My stomach twisted."One of the palace guards found Talon there."Timothee stared at her."Doing what?""Searching.""For what?"Raven's expression hardened."Your old medical records."The room went silent.I looked at Timothee.He looked at me.Something cold settled into my stomach.Talon.The kiss.Her questions.Her obsession with knowing what I was.And now she was searching through Timothee's medical records."Why would she do that?" I whispered.Aunt Raven's eyes shifted toward me."Because she believes the answer to Timothee's illness is connected to you."My heart started beating faster.Timothee stepped closer to me."What did she find?""That's the problem."Aunt Raven's voice dropped."She found something."Timothee's expression went hard."What?"Aunt Raven glanced toward the corridor."Your father's waiting.""Raven."She finally looked at him."The file she opened wasn't only about your heart."My b