Page 49 of Demon Daddy's Baby Girl

"If that's what it takes."

"You'll die before reaching her." He spreads the map across a dark wooden table. "And that helps her how?"

"I can't just—" I fight to control my voice as Sephy whimpers against me. "He'll kill her. Or worse."

Dezoth's eyes flash. "Not if we're smart. I know people in his household. Guards who owe me favors."

A sliver of hope cuts through my despair. "You'll help me?"

"I've seen how you look at her." His words hold no judgment, just fact. "And I know what Shadowfall does to his possessions."

A knock at the door interrupts us. Dezoth tenses, hand moving to the blade at his hip, but the door swings open to reveal Ada, her honey-blonde braid coming undone, face flushed from running.

"Rose told me—" Her warm brown eyes fix on Sephy, then on me. "Aurelie?"

I can't speak. Just shake my head.

Ada crosses the room with determined steps, holding her arms out. "Let me take her."

I hesitate, then gently transfer Sephy to Ada's waiting embrace. The moment she settles against Ada's chest, Sephy's crying softens further.

"She needs her mother," I choke out, the words scraping my throat raw.

Ada reaches up, her calloused palm cupping my cheek. Her touch is firm, grounding. "Then bring her back."

The simple directive hits like a physical blow. Ada's eyes, usually warm, now burn with fierce conviction.

"If you love them—fightfor them."

The word "love" hangs between us, undeniable. I've known it for weeks, tried to ignore it, told myself it was inappropriate, impossible. But now, with Aurelie in danger, the feeling blazes through me like wildfire.

I nod once, jaw set. "I will."

Turning back to Dezoth, I find him studying me with new intensity. "Show me where this bastard lives. Storming it might be a bad idea, but I can slip in easily."

Dezoth meets my eyes, mercury against gold. "Give me an hour to contact my sources. We'll know which wing they're keeping her in before we set foot on the property."

I glance at Sephy, now quieter in Ada's arms though her violet eyes remain fixed on me. The crescent birthmark on her chest glows faintly beneath her swaddling clothes.

"An hour," I agree, though every minute feels like agony. "Then I'm going to bring her home."

22

AURELIE

The carriage jostles so violently my teeth rattle, each bump in the shadowed forest path sending fresh waves of pain through my already aching body. The shadow-threaded cuffs bite into my wrists, weaving their dark magic through my veins, making every attempt to move agony. Blood trickles down my palms where the enchanted bindings have rubbed my skin raw.

I refuse to cry.

Across from me sits Kaelith Shadowfall, his eyes never leaving my face. The glamour he wears in public has melted away now that we're alone, revealing what he truly is—what I've always known him to be. His sleek black horns curl elegantly from his temples, catching what little moonlight filters through the carriage windows. His eyes, molten gold with that burning inner ring, drink in my discomfort like fine wine.

"You've caused me quite a lot of trouble, little pet." His voice is silk over steel. "Imagine my surprise when my trackers finally located you—playing house with another demon, no less." He reaches forward, and I flinch back instinctively. His smile widens. "Did you think I wouldn't find you? That I wouldn't claim what's mine?"

"I'm not yours." The words come out muffled through the enchanted gag, but the venom in them is clear.

"Still so spirited." He sighs with mock disappointment. "We'll remedy that soon enough."

The carriage crests a hill, and my stomach drops as I see it—the Shadowfall estate rising from the mist like a ghost conjured from my worst nightmares. Ivy climbs the dark stone walls in choking tendrils, and spires pierce the perpetually red sky. Nothing has changed. The windows still glow with that sickly amber light, and the gates still bear the emblem I've spent months trying to forget.

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