“Thank fuck,” Ammi groaned once Meg had successfully teleported us out of the Hell dimension. “Our mates are so over-protective it’s ridiculous, and Kai-Kai needs to tell us everything.”

My lips quirked slightly, despite myself. But still, I couldn’t resist asking, “You were so eager to leave…but, with my father around, are you not…scared? Like, at all?”

Ammi’s eyes darkened, and she laughed humorlessly, “Oh, make no mistake, I’m fucking terrified. Michael made my life a living nightmare for years, Meg’s for decades, and tormented my angel. I may be a blustering idiot sometimes, but even I get scared.” She shook her head quickly, “But being around Luce right now…I need space, and the only way I can get that for the moment is to pretend to be Teflon. But once I’ve come to terms with this massive pile of shit, I’ll go screaming into his absolutely giant, perfectly muscular, ridiculously possessive chest and not come up for air for days.”

I definitely agreed with the last part of the plan, because though Marcus hadn’t exactly reacted in a flattering manner to the news, he was still my Champion. Would I expect an apology from him for snapping at me? Well, it would only be polite of him. Would I forgive him instantly because, for the most part, I was utterly incapable of holding a grudge? Most definitely.

I’d done my best to harden my heart against everyone, to remain suspicious and guarded, especially against my Champion. But I’d always been weak, soft-hearted, and foolish. I couldn’t control how I felt, and whether I’d intended it or not, they’d all crashed through my marshmallow defenses, with Marcus and Amirykal leading the charge.

Fighting their friendship now was useless. As for everything…erm…else Marcus offered…that remained to be seen.

Meg, grinned in a forced manner, before chuckling, “Sounds like a plan to me, my Queen. I’ll be doing much the same with my Raphie, once I make him grovel for being so rude to our new friend. Let me be the first to apologize, Kaiah, for his barnyard manners. I’ll straighten him out. And thank you again, for letting me off the hook for the whole…‘assisting in your kidnapping thing’.”

I shrugged, genuinely not upset. It wasn’t her fault, really, she couldn’t control her angel. Or, I didn’t think she could. And where I was now…I wasn’t so sure the kidnapping was a bad thing. Marcus…Marcus was in my life now, for better or for worse. And I was pretty sure it was for better.

“I’ve never gotten a pedicure before,” I confessed, changing the subject and wringing my hands slightly. “Is it…fun?”

Ammi took my hand, smiling encouragingly. “Damn right it is! You get to pick out your color, get a massage, the whole nine! And, as is ritual, we will gossip like crazy.”

“Then afterward,” Meg chimed in, “because Ammi can’t go an hour without eating, we’ll go to the food court and eat our weight in shitty Chinese food and greasy pizza.”

That sounded…fun?

“What color are y’all getting?” Ammi prodded, her eyes alight. “Ya girl is getting firetruck red!”

Meg snorted, “Dark purple for me, obviously. Color of magic and royalty, ladies.”

I bit my lip, “I…think I’d like pink. Not like hot pink, but…pretty pink, you know?”

“Hell yeah I know!” Ammi replied, leading us all through the mall towards the nail salon. “We’re gonna find the perfect color.”

As usual, Ammi followed through with her sweeping declaration. She and Meg were unerringly patient as I spent an inordinate amount of time deciding on the precise color I wanted. And then there was gel versus paint! When it came to split-second, life or death decisions, I would act in a heartbeat, as I’d been trained to do. But for something so, (frivolous wasn’t precisely the right word, maybe light?) choices, it was almost impossible to pick. But, when I was finally satisfied with my selection, I began to feel some excitement, to the point that I was beginning to bounce off the walls. I felt giddy, happy, almost childlike. The only thing missing was my…

…was my Champion.

But no. I was determined to enjoy my time with the girls.

The whole manicure thing was definitely a new experience, especially when they were touching the bottoms of my feet. I was ticklish, and I couldn’t resist the giggles I let slip. But, when I saw the gel polish swiped on my toes, I was absolutely in love with how it looked. It felt…like me.

Meg and Ammi chatted the whole time, going out of their way to include me, which I appreciated. At first, I was sad, realizing I didn’t exactly have much to bond with them over. Though, from the small comments they made here and there, neither of them had had an easy time of it in the past. But they hadn’t been so disconnected from the world as I had. They’d had a childhood, no matter how traumatic.

I didn’t resent them for it, though I listened to their stories wistfully. Yet, when they noticed my silence, they began to focus the conversation more on topics I could understand. It filled my heart with warmth and melted it down into goo.

“So,” Meg sighed, looking down in satisfaction at her one painted foot, “spill the cauldron, Kai-Kai. What’s up with you and the cranky daemon?”

Not a daemon.

I clamped my mouth shut before I could spill that little fact. Not that I’d have anything to follow it up with, mind you. I knew what he wasn’t, but that didn’t mean I knew what he was, as much as it may frustrate me.

“Well, I don’t know…” I blushed furiously.

Ammi clapped her hands together in excitement, “Oh man, did you two fuck like bunnies?”

“No!” I gasped, appalled at her, glancing down in horror at the woman carefully painting my nails. “We did not…have…you know…” I blushed even harder.

Meg, mercifully, let me off the hook.

“Well, then, what’s actually happened?” She smirked slightly, “care to enlighten us?”

I wrung my hands together, “Well, he’s been very clear that, erm-”

“That he wants you,” Ammi finished. Meg punched her lightly on the shoulder and she went on the defensive. “What? Anyone with half a brain can see that. Plus, you’re his mate.”

“He’d have to be an even bigger idiot than he seems to ignore the mating call,” Meg agreed.

“He’s not an idiot,” I protested without thinking. I chose to ignore the way their grins widened at my automatic defense of him. “Well, okay, so I got scared last night, and he slept on my floor.”

“Ooh la la!” Ammi teased, “did you hold hands and everything?”

“Don’t make fun of me!” I yelped, narrowing my eyes at her.

She waved me off, “Oh, trust me, I’m not. I’m just giving you shit. I think you two are absolutely adorable, and if you want to take it slow then he can damn well wait.”

Sometimes I wish he wouldn’t be so patient, I thought, before mentally shaking myself by the shoulders. I’ve known him for a day and a half! What part of that was slow?

“The real question here,” Meg drawled, eyeing me speculatively, “is how you feel about him, excluding his juvenile behavior this morning, of course.”

After a moment of pressing silence, I crossed my arms in a huff, muttering, “Okay, fine, so I like him, alright?”

“But do you like him, like him, or just like him?” Ammi pressed in the single most confusing sentence I’d ever heard.

I paused, before replying, “…Like him, like him, I suppose. But neither of us have time to focus on…whatever this is. With my father out for blood, it seems foolish.”

“Take this from me, Kai-Kai,” Ammi warned, suddenly becoming serious, “If you have a problem, or you want to go further, don’t wait for the catastrophe to be over. It doesn’t do anything but damage.”

“Being apart from your mate, physically, emotionally, mentally…it doesn’t matter,” Meg agreed solemnly. “Whatever is keeping you apart, it’s never worth it. Never.”

My eyes bounced between the two of them for a moment, taking in their grave expressions with no small trace of foreboding.

“Is no mate story a happy one?” I asked, feeling my stomach drop, fearing the answer like none before.

“Oh, they’re happy,” Ammi rushed to say, “the only difference is how long it will take you to get there.”

With that, we fell into a pensive silence for a long, long while. Only the sound of the soft, soothing music and the gentle whispers of the other women disturbed it. It wasn’t an uncomfortable thing, though. The sweet smell of the essential oils that perfumed the salon and the relaxing ambiance didn’t allow it, though there was no doubt we were all doing our best to get lost in our worries.

It wasn’t until we were almost finished that Amirykal dropped the bomb that shattered the moment like a glass window.

“I’m pregnant.”