Page 56 of The Magic of Destiny
“Plenty to say. But I'll wait until the kitty is finished. My name’s Maverick,” he snapped, earning a snarl from the kitty in question. Cam's lightning flared at this guy's attitude, and I was tempted to advise the demon to proceed with caution.
A crash sounded behind me, and we spun to see Bette standing there, a broken mug at her feet and black coffee pooling on the floor. Her hands were shaking so badly; it was no wonder she’d dropped it.
“Oh my stars,” she whispered, clutching her heart. Her normally rosy-faced complexion paled, as though she’d seen a ghost.
“Bette, what is it? You know this man?” Cam asked her gently, making his way toward the spooked witch.
“Bette Baby…”
What in the actual fuck?
Faris and I met each other's stare, and I'm sure we looked like we were part of some wide-eyed boy band. But for real...Bette Baby?
“He...He...” Bette started, but couldn't get the words out.
Kai shifted suddenly and pointed an accusatory finger at the demon. “He's Maven.”
“By the fucking sun,” Cam cursed.
“R–Rick?” Bette whispered, her voice now trembling as badly as her body.
“Who the hell is Rick?” I bit out and gestured to the demon. “You said your name is Maverick...Oh. I see. A play on his name.”
“But how is he Maven?” Faris demanded.
“That,” Maverick said, as he slowly stood to his full height and brushed white hairs from his chest, “is a very long story indeed.”
“Mother of the moons, blessed circles and skies above,” Bette rambled. Her eyes were as round as the full moon itself, and locked on Maverick.
“It's okay, Bette, we got you,” Kai told her, walking over to stand beside our mate's grandmother. When he put his hand on Bette's shoulder though, all hell broke loose.
“Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Mate!” Maverick boomed so loud that the windows shook, and his long white hair flew around his head as his giant golden wings snapped back out. The matching golden horns and spiked tail that followed made him look fucking terrifying.
“D–d–d–demon,” Bette squeaked, and Cam caught her just as she passed out.
“Who the fuck are you?! Who are you to her?!” I shouted. Usually I was a fairly calm individual, but I wouldn't tolerate such horseshit happening in my mate's home. To her own grandma, for fuck's sake.
“I'M HER HUSBAND!”
“Guess he found his voice then,” Faris unhelpfully observed, and I shot him a glare that he answered with a wink.
“You need to chill out. Now,” Cam said calmly. “If you're Maven, then you know we're not interested in your... mate. We have our own.”
“You mean my granddaughter? The very granddaughter I caught when she was freefalling one hundred feet to her death?” Maverick glared down at Cam as he propped up Bette’s head.
“You son of a bitch.” Kai charged forward, clearly choosing violence over diplomacy at this point, but I stepped in front of him, facing Rick. I could hear Napoleon having a shit fit from his perch on Kai’s shoulder, his squeaking letting me know that he was probably cussing me out in fluent French mouse language.
“That was... a horrible event. Thank you for doing that,” I bit out through clenched teeth.
“You're Saige's grandfather? So then that means you're Laurie's—” Cam voiced his thought process aloud, and we all worked to connect the dots from the bomb that had just been dropped in our laps.
“Father. I'm her father. Or, I wish I could have been. Perhaps none of this shite would be happening right now.” His light blue eyes flared with anger and pain.
“So why now? Why reveal yourself now, after all this time?” Cam crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Maverick's answer. Hell, we all were in a state of shock at this point. I didn't think there was anything he could say now that would surprise me.
“I was cursed, I think. I’m not sure what broke the curse, aside from the fact that when I saw Saige go over that cliff, I was able to shed the fox form I’d had for the past forty-seven years. So I can only assume the key to breaking it was an act of selflessness? Because I would’ve still gone over that cliff in fox form and hoped for the best. I love that girl.” He did—it was apparent from the look in his eyes and the sincerity in his voice.
“Weeks before the birth of my daughter, I was working for a man who turned out to be incredibly untrustworthy and evil. He had an agenda of his own and when I learned of what he had planned, he made sure I had no way of warning my wife, and no way of getting her and our unborn child to safety.” He slumped down into a chair, running his hands through his hair. With a sigh, he looked up at each of us. Bette was still passed out on the couch where Cam had placed her.
