Chapter Twenty-Three #2
Dominik froze for half a second, then his arms came up around her instinctively, solid and unyielding, one hand braced against her back as if nothing on this earth would tear her away.
The moment the footsteps had sounded, before Anabelle even moved, the others had stiffened. They’d scented him. They’d known he was coming.
We’re fucked. Was the single thought that ran through Rian’s and Cameron’s minds at the exact same time. What the fuck did we just do? They had growled. At the High Queen. In her own home.
Joshua and Dominik, however, couldn’t tear their eyes away from the sight in front of them. Anabelle, curled into Dom’s lap, clinging to him like her life depended on it.
Gods. That she trusted them, trusted him, enough to run toward them instead of away… it was everything. A gift. One that made something fierce and reverent twist in their chests. But there was no time for that now.
Rian, Joshua, and Cameron slid off the couch in unison, movements sharp and precise. They dropped to their knees, heads bowed so low their foreheads nearly brushed the floor.
“Our sincerest apologies, High Queen,” Rian said tightly.“And High Leader Mareken,” Joshua added, voice steady despite the tension coiling through him.“We meant no disrespect,” Cameron finished.
The room held its breath.
Mareken’s second growl rolled through the room, low, thunderous, a warning that vibrated in Anabelle’s bones.
Rian’s, Joshua’s, and Cameron’s heads dropped instantly, foreheads pressing to the floor in absolute submission.
The sound came again, deeper this time.
Mareken’s gaze wasn’t on them. It was locked on Dominik. On the fact that Dominik had not gone to his knees. On the fact that he remained seated on the couch. On the fact that a woman, small, human, shaking, was draped over him, tucked close to his chest like something precious.
The third growl was pure dominance.
Dominik didn’t move, but he angled his head, just slightly, a clear sign of submission.
At the same time, he shifted Anabelle farther behind him, his body instinctively curving around hers like a shield.
It was clumsy, imperfect, he couldn’t let go of her even if he tried, but the intent was unmistakable.
Protect.
The truth of it hit him all at once: she had chosen him.
Out of all of them, when terror had taken hold, she had run straight into his arms. The satisfaction that bloomed in his chest was dangerous, deep, fierce, reverent, but now was not the time.
One wrong move, one wrong breath, and this would turn catastrophic. He opened his mouth to speak...
“Okay. That’s it.”
Kat’s voice cut through the tension like a blade, sharp and absolute.
“Mareken, shift back. Right now.”
The demon turned his head toward her, eyes still black, shadows writhing at his feet.
“Kitten,” he rumbled, voice guttural and raw. “I will not tolerate subordinates disrespecting you in our own home. You know that. Don’t even try.”
His gaze dropped back to the males on the floor, his presence crushing. “Those were growls of objection and threat. I will not have this.”
Kat stepped around him, unafraid, her hand pressing lightly against his arm. “Mareken,” she said softly but firmly, “baby, listen to me. I need to do a blood locator spell.”
That stopped him cold. he shadows stilled.
Kat continued, her tone steady. “They were feeling… protective of Anabelle. Understandably so.” She gave him a pointed look, one that carried history, affection, and command all at once. “They meant me no harm. Nor disrespect.”
Then, quieter, meant only for him: “Please shift back. You’re scaring her. And that’s the last thing we need right now.”
Mareken turned, truly seeing the room for the first time.
Anabelle, pressed into Dominik’s chest, trembling.Dominik, coiled tight, eyes tracking Mareken’s every movement like a loaded weapon.Three males on the floor, unmoving, utterly submissive.
“Fuck,” Mareken muttered under his breath.
In the next heartbeat, the demon receded. Horns vanished. Shadows melted back into nothing. He stood there in his humanoid form, power still radiating but contained.
He did not tell them to rise. Instead, he walked forward. Every muscle in the room tensed.
Dominik’s eyes followed him with lethal precision, calculating distance, angles, exits, already planning how he would spirit Anabelle away if Mareken came one step too close.
Mareken stopped a few feet from them and spoke, his voice still rough, still dangerous. but controlled.
“This will not happen again.” His gaze swept over all four males.
“I do not care that my queen has a soft spot for you. Disrespect will not be tolerated. I understand feeling protective, but that does not excuse your conduct toward the High Queen.” Each word landed like a hammer.
“You are in her home. By her grace. You do not growl at her. You do not raise your voice to her. Ever.” His eyes burned. “Am. I. Clear?”
“Yes, High Leader,” they answered together, voices firm and unflinching.
Mareken nodded once. “Good.”
Then, with a final glare sharp enough to draw blood, he said, “Get the fuck off my floor. The next time I have to warn you, I will remove your heads before you even attempt to explain.”
The room exhaled, but no one forgot the threat. They swallowed hard.
Rian, Joshua, and Cameron rose slowly from the floor, movements careful and deliberate, the echo of Mareken’s warning still ringing in their ears.
None of them spoke. None of them dared meet his gaze as they eased back onto the couch, shoulders tense, bodies coiled as if ready to spring at the slightest shift in the room.
Anabelle hadn’t moved at all. She was still curled into Dominik, arms locked around him, her face buried against his chest. Now that the immediate threat had passed, the adrenaline that had been holding her upright drained away in a rush, and her body betrayed it.
A subtle tremor ran through her, then another. She was shaking.
The change was instant.
Rian’s hand came to her back.Joshua’s fingers brushed her arm.Cameron rested a steadying palm between her shoulders.
Not crowding. Not trapping. Just there.
The shaking eased, as if her body finally realized it was safe. A soft, exhausted sigh left her lips, the sound barely audible, but it hit every one of them like a punch to the chest.
Kat watched the scene unfold, her expression softening. There it was, the thing she’d seen from the beginning, the reason she’d trusted them despite the chaos. The instinctive care. The way they didn’t even have to think about it.
“All right,” she said gently, turning toward Mareken. “Come with me. We need to gather what’s required for the spell.”
Mareken hesitated only a fraction of a second before nodding and following her from the room.
Before she left, Kat paused and turned back, her gaze landing on Dominik, who was the only one still facing her fully, still cradling Anabelle like she was something sacred.
She gave him a small, decisive nod.
“Get the sample,” she instructed. “Have one of you bring it to me in the kitchen. The faster we do this, the faster she can begin her training and be registered. I don’t want to delay her getting her freedom back.”
Dominik returned the nod, gratitude flickering across his face. “Yes, my queen.”
Kat disappeared down the hall with Mareken, leaving the room quieter, softer, than it had been in days.
Anabelle remained where she was, perched on Dominik’s lap, her body heavy now. The fear, the shock, the grief, the anger, it had all finally caught up to her. Exhaustion wrapped around her like a tide pulling her under.
All she could think was how warm they were. How steady. How safe their hands felt where they rested against her back and arms. Her breathing evened out. Her grip loosened just slightly.
And before anyone could say a word, before Dominik could shift or speak her name, she fell asleep....right there, cocooned by them, trusting them without even realizing she’d done it.