Page 50 of Demon Daddy's Hidden Daughter
That's all it takes. His mouth crashes against mine with a desperation that mirrors my own, all the terror and relief of the day pouring out in the way his lips move against mine. His kiss tastes like promises and forever, like the safety I never thought I'd find again.
Without breaking the connection, he sweeps me into his arms with that effortless strength that still takes my breath away. My legs wrap instinctively around his waist as he carries me down the hall, his wings rustling softly behind him. Each step sends little shockwaves of awareness through me, the solid warmth of his body against mine a reminder that this is real, that we're both here, that we survived today.
The door to his room closes behind us with a soft click, sealing us away from the rest of the world. He sets me down gently, his hands lingering on my waist as if he's afraid I might vanish if he lets go. The moonlight streaming through the tall windows catches the silver threads in his hair, making him look almost ethereal in the soft darkness.
"Lenny." My name on his lips sounds like a prayer, reverent and desperate all at once.
I reach up to trace the sharp line of his jaw, marveling at how someone so powerful can be so gentle with me. "I never thought I could trust anyone again," I whisper, my voice barely audible in the quiet room. "After what he did to me, what they all did... I thought that part of me was broken forever."
His eyes darken with something fierce and protective, and I can see his jaw clench beneath my touch. But he doesn't speak, just waits for me to find the words I need.
"But somehow you made me feel safe enough to try." My thumb brushes across his lower lip, and he draws in a sharp breath. "Not just safe in the physical sense, though that too. Safe enough to hope. Safe enough to imagine a different kind of life."
"Gods, Lenny." The words come out rough, strained. His arms tighten around me, pulling me flush against him. "You want to know something?"
I nod, not trusting my voice.
"I started falling for you the second I saw you. Fighting in the market and never backing down." The confession hits me like lightning, unexpected and devastating in its honesty. "Not just because you're beautiful, though fuck, you are. Not just because you're brave, though watching you face down the entire world to protect your daughter is the most magnificent thing I've ever seen."
His hand tangles in my hair, and I can see him struggling to find the right words. "I love the way you laugh when Ava does something ridiculous, these soft little sounds you make when you think no one's listening. I love how you tease Lira about her matchmaking schemes, how you've managed to charm every single person on this estate without even trying."
My eyes burn with tears I refuse to let fall. No one has ever spoken about me like this, like I'm something precious rather than something damaged.
"I love watching you cook," he continues, his voice growing stronger, more certain. "The way you get this little crease between your eyebrows when you're concentrating, how you hum under your breath when you think you're alone. I love that you're funny as shit when you let your guard down, that you can make me laugh even when I'm having the worst day."
His free hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb brushing away a tear I didn't realize had escaped. "But most of all, I love what an incredible mother you are. The way you'd burn the world down before you'd let anyone hurt her. The patience you have, the gentleness, the way you can calm her fears with just a touch."
I'm full-on crying now, quiet tears that track down my cheeks as years of believing I was worthless, damaged, broken crumble under the weight of his words. "I saw myself as broken," I manage to get out. "All these shattered pieces that could never be put back together properly."
"I know." His voice is infinitely gentle, infinitely understanding. "But I never saw broken pieces, Lenny. I saw a woman who survived torture and came out the other side with her capacity for love intact. I saw strength and grace and a heart so fucking beautiful it humbled me."
His lips find mine again, softer this time but no less devastating. This isn't the desperate claiming of before—this is worship, reverence, a kiss that speaks of forever promises and unshakeable devotion. I melt into him, letting myself believe for the first time that maybe, maybe I deserve this kind of love.
When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, he rests his forehead against mine. "You want to know what I realized today when I thought someone had taken her from us?"
"What?" The word comes out as barely more than a whisper.
"That you and Ava already are my family." His voice breaks slightly on the admission. "Not because of some ceremony or legal document, but because you're the people I'd move mountains for. You're the ones I come home to, the ones who make everything else worth fighting for."
The sob that tears from my throat is equal parts joy and relief and overwhelming love. "I love you," I breathe against his lips. "I love you so much it terrifies me."
"I love you too." His arms crush me against him, and I can feel the fine tremor that runs through his massive frame. "Both of you. More than I ever thought possible."
We stand there in the moonlight, holding each other like we're the only solid things in a world that keeps shifting beneath our feet. For so long, I thought love was something violent, something that took pieces of you until there was nothing left to give. But this—this feels like coming home to myself, like finding the missing pieces I didn't even know I'd lost.
"Stay with me," he whispers against my hair. "Not just tonight. Always."
I pull back to look at him, this incredible man who saw something worth saving in a broken woman and her half-demon daughter. His celestial eyes glow softly in the darkness, and I see my entire future reflected there—mornings in the garden with Ava, quiet evenings by the fire, a love that grows stronger with each passing day.
"Always," I promise him. "We're not going anywhere."
The relief that crosses his features is so profound it takes my breath away. Like he was still afraid, even now, that we might disappear if he blinked. But we're here, we're real, and we're choosing this. Choosing him. Choosing the family we've built from hope and determination and love.
26
RHYEN
The relief that crashes through me when she says those words is so profound it nearly brings me to my knees. Always. She's choosing to stay, choosing this life we've built together, choosing me. After spending the day in hell thinking I might lose them both, hearing her promise feels like salvation.
