Page 28 of Demon Daddy's Baby Girl

"As long as they need."

Dezoth gives me a knowing look. One that reminds me how he said the same thing about the woman who is now his mate.

"I think we should step outside," I say quietly, nodding toward the door. "Don't want to wake her if she's still sleeping."

Dezoth follows my lead without question, transferring Sephy back to my arms with careful movements. The weight of her in my arms settles something in me—a feeling I'm still getting used to.

On the porch, the afternoon air hangs heavy with moisture from the earlier rain. I lean against the railing, cradling Sephy while looking out toward the dense line of trees that marks the edge of my property. Their dark silhouettes stand like sentinels against the permanently red sky of Ikoth.

"Her master was Kaelith Shadowfall," I say, my voice low despite being outside. The name tastes foul on my tongue. "Aurelie's been his... property since she was nine. Started using her when she turned fourteen."

Dezoth's jaw tightens, golden eyes narrowing to predatory slits. "The son of Councilor Shadowfall." Not a question.

"The same. High commander of the southern defense forces."

"I've crossed paths with him. He's... politically connected."

I run a thumb gently over Sephy's cheek as she sleeps, marveling at how someone so small could weigh so heavily on my conscience. "He was going to kill Aurelie. Take Sephy and dispose of her." The words taste like ash on my tongue.

"And you think that he still plans that?"

"I think now we know he has resources and is coming after them." I turn to face Dezoth fully. "He has his men posing as concerned relatives, searching the human quarters. Three days ago, they extended the search to the merchant district."

"Moving outward in a spiral pattern," Dezoth observes. "Systematic. Military."

"He knows what he's doing. Worse, he has friends in every level of command." I shift my weight, feeling the aged wood creak beneath my boots. "If he finds her?—"

"He'll hurt them both." Dezoth's eyes flick down to Sephy.

"Demon blood. She'd be a prize, not just property." The thought makes my grip tighten instinctively before I force myself to relax. "Powerful bloodlines have been known to manifest early in mixed offspring."

Dezoth turns to face the forest, placing his hands on the railing. His ritual markings catch the dim light—symbols of mastery, of status. Status that could be useful.

"I've been watching his movements," he says after a pause. "His unit rotates to border duty in three days. He'll be gone for a standard cycle—twenty days."

I raise an eyebrow. "You've been tracking him?"

"I track all potential threats." His tone makes it clear this is nothing special, but I know better. Dezoth doesn't waste time on meaningless surveillance.

"I can't hide them forever. Sooner or later, he'll expand the search this far."

Dezoth's knuckles whiten against the railing. "Then we make sure he doesn't."

The words hang between us—not a promise or bravado, but a simple statement of fact. Like a weather report or duty assignment. His certainty startles me.

"You hardly know them," I say, watching his profile.

"I know you." He turns, meeting my eyes with that unnerving directness he's known for. "That's enough."

Something tight in my chest loosens at his words. I've spent my life surrounded by cruelty and indifference, and yet somehow I've found myself in the company of demons who understand loyalty. Who understand me.

We head back inside, the conversation settling between us with the weight of a blood oath. Sephy stirs in my arms, tiny eyelids fluttering but not opening.

I step into the main room and freeze. Aurelie stands in the kitchen doorway, hair loose around her shoulders, wearing one of my old shirts that hangs past her knees. She looks better than she did even yesterday—some color returning to her cheeks, her hazel eyes more alert.

Dezoth notices her too, his posture shifting subtly. Not threatening, but not relaxed either. They've never formally met.

"You must be Captain Blackwood," she says, voice soft but steady. "Ada mentioned you."

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