Morgene closed her eyes, focusing on her heartbeat. When she first learned to calm herself, it was to the beat of a drum, her older sister p

Morgene closed her eyes, focusing on her heartbeat. When she first learned to calm herself, it was to the beat of a drum, her older sister patiently tapping out a rhythm to teach her the way to count her breaths. Power was not talent. Power was control. All the gifts of the Atainna blood were useless without a strong mind to guide them. Strong enough to handle their many curses. Many times, her blood had tested her. She hadn't always prevailed.

Tonight wouldn't be another of those times.

Ever since she met her daughter-in-law, she'd been tempted. Remembering her daughter's clumsy attempts to hide her mate's abilities still made her chuckle. Her daughter, still yet to see her first century, had a lot to learn. She still didn't understand what it meant to have Atainna blood. Didn't understand what it meant to be descended from a matriarch. Morgene could smell the power coming from Lou. Could practically taste the potential every time she breathed in. An Atainna would never miss such a perfect mate.

Had it been any other circumstance, she would have snatched Lou. If it just meant her daughter hating her, Morgene would have born the grudge with more smug than grace. At least until the day Kierra removed her head from her shoulders. The blood was strong. Just as she couldn't ignore such a mate, her daughter would never forgive her for taking Lou. Like many a matriarch before them, the younger, spiteful generation would come for her mother, sparking a new and stronger bloodline. A fate Morgene hadn't resigned herself to, believing she didn't have to embrace all the traditions of her ancestors, but one she had accepted as a real possibility.

But she couldn't do it. She could accept being hated, as it would drive Kierra to new heights. Morgene loved all her children and they were all special in their own ways, but Kierra was different. Her little Kii. The only child from her union. Smart, talented, vicious, but still capable of nurturing. She was it. The potent seed that the traditions of Twilight were meant to produce. She was Morgene's pride, the one she expected to shoulder the Atainna legacy, maybe even add to it with her own feats.

For that, Morgene couldn't break her and taking Lou would have shattered her daughter. She'd seen Kierra when she realized she couldn't shoot her hated enemies. Had seen the doubt, something her prodigious daughter had never needed to contend with. Morgene had threatened her. Thrown her back into the hunt and pushed her into spars. When fighting wasn't enough to bring back her edge, Morgene tried soft. It didn't come naturally or easily, but she tried. She didn't have much patience for it either and quickly tossed it aside when it didn't produce results.

Truthfully, she didn't know what else to do. Trapping Kierra in the Enchanted Forest was a last-ditch effort. She'd put her hopes on her daughter's spirit carrying her through. But Kierra hadn't broken through. Somehow, Morgene still hadn't come up with a plausible explanation, Lou wandered into her cage. She saved Kierra. Between that and the Atainna blood she had little experience controlling? Her poor daughter didn't have a chance.

Kierra hadn't fallen for Lou. She was obsessed with the creature posing as a human woman. She'd tied her future to the girl. Her identity. Her clan. Lou was her everything. From the moment her daughter pushed the wide-eyed girl behind her back as they appeared in the village, Morgene knew that Kierra needed her.

So, she controlled herself.

But she could feel her control fraying as the faintest echoes of her daughter doing her ancestors proud tickled her long ears. It didn't have to escalate to challenging her daughter for her mate. She'd just borrow the creature for a night. Maybe two. And she'd return her in one piece.

Ah. She didn't have to be gentle. The creature had a powerful physical affinity. Along with fire, water, earth, mental, and null. Maybe more? It seemed with every practice she secretly observed, Lou revealed something more.

How many affinities did she have? By the Spirit, five was enough. That kind of magic potential with that exquisite physical form…

Morgene knocked her head against the wall, fighting her instinct.

"I see you're still the same beast."

Morgene cracked open an eye. Seated cross-legged on the bed was her dedia, the other half of her heart. Orum wasn't handsome, but she liked his heavy brow and wide nose. He had the face of a bandit, the kind that looked best swearing and scowling. More than that, she liked how solid he was. So much potential, tightly held by control.

He was no five-affinity Spirt-blessed baby godling but she once more congratulated herself on a partner well-picked.

"How do you see anything with your eyes closed like that?"

She smiled as his eyes opened. "I can hear you panting."

"I bet you can hear a lot more than that. Our daughters have a bit of stamina, hm?" She cackled at his sour frown. "What did you expect sleeping under her roof?"

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His frown deepened. "We should have found our own shelter. It is only proper."

"And miss all the fun things going on in this house? The food alone means I'm not going anywhere. And you won't go anywhere without me. Too scared to sleep alone."

"You know I remain close to ensure you do not make a mistake." Orum stood from the bed, flexing as he stretched. Morgene's mood meant her eyes lingered longer than usual. "Though I suppose you should be commended."

"Oh? Are you going to sweet talk me?"

He didn't rise to the bait, but his frown eased as he approached her. "I used to think that I had to watch you constantly. To protect our daughter…and to protect you. The beast that climbed on top of me while I was still bleeding wouldn't hesitate to make an enemy of her daughter."

"You weren't calling me a beast then."

"You gagged me with my shredded armor."

"For your own good. You would have bit your tongue otherwise."

He sighed. "I am trying to say I am proud of you. You controlled yourself, even when there was no one around that could have stopped you." A large, green hand rose to cup her cheek.

Morgene playfully leaned into the touch. "What if I told you I'm playing the long game? Waiting for that delicious treat to grow up a bit so she's a proper meal."

"Then I'd call you a liar. If you can control yourself now, when the prey is weakened, then you will have more discipline later. The more time that passes, the less likely your chances of victory against Kii. That cursed blood of yours should be screaming at you to strike now, when your rival is unprepared."

It was. So many would be horrified if images of them stabbing their child through the heart came to mind. Morgene was long accustomed to the intrusive thoughts and brushed them aside, though it took effort.

"It will only be easier from here. Determination is always rewarded and habits have their own power."

"When you say it like that, it makes me want to do something bad."

"That is because you are a menace."

She closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the toned muscles of his stomach, smiling. "Are you looking forward to a boy or a girl for your first grandchild?"

The hand stroking her cheek stiffened. "It's too soon."

"Too soon or not, it's happening." She knew that particular roar, had heard it from her own mouth and her sister's. "You remember how cute she was as a girl?"

"Do you mean when she would come home bloody after playing hunter? Or how about the time she turned her brother blue for a prank?" Despite his words, Orum chuckled. "She was…a trial."

"Mm. Any child of hers and Lou is going to be more talented. I wouldn't be surprised if they let the little terror out to play and the kingdom was conquered before dinner." A sinister thought slithered into her brain. One that said if she birthed the child, it'd be no less talented. Her strongest child to date.

She vented her mounting frustration by nipping her mate's stomach. Kierra's large canines weren't a quirk of her style, but another legacy of the Atainna blood, a remnant of a time when they were far less civilized.

A rough tug on her hair forced her head back. Orum glared down at her, a small cut over his navel slowly oozing. "You drew blood."

"You smell tasty."

His clicked his tongue. "One day, I will wake up to you ripping the meat from my legs."

"You know me so well~" If she did decide to eat her mate, it'd only make sense to start with his legs. That way he couldn't run. Not that she would. It'd been three generations since the Atainna swore off cannibalism. "If you like waking up with all your fingers…" She rose, looping her arms around his neck. "Maybe you should feed my other appetites."

It took effort not to laugh as Orum looked at her with suspicion. She remembered when he used to fight his desire. And when he gave into it fully in a hilarious attempt to out-debauch her. Those were fun days. Recently, he thought to test her with abstinence. An idea she scoffed at…until he threw himself in the ocean to escape her. She'd found partners to amuse herself, but it was like eating ration bars as opposed to a proper meal. Atainna were choosy with their mates for a reason.

Her fingers brushed over his large shoulders. "You aren't still mad at me, hm?"

"I am."

An obstacle she'd hurdled many times. "Let me make it better," she whispered, hands trailing down his back until they reached the waist of his pants. With impressive speed, he caught her wrists, the strong grip impossible to break.

"Can you change?"

The sincerity in his voice gave her pause. She looked up into his dark eyes, her grin fading to something softer. "You know I can't."

She didn't expect him to smile at her confession. "You have never lied to me. Even before, when you first challenged me. You told me that you were taking me home. Whole or broken was up to me."

She chuckled at the memory.

"You have always been honest with me, my monster. That is what I love most about you. Always honest with me, but not always with yourself. You've already changed."

She scoffed. "I'm—"

The kiss cut her off. His lips swallowed her indignation, but her eyes glared at him as she once again tried to move her hands. His grip refused to budge as he forced them away from him and across her chest. Then, with the speed of a striking viper, his arms closed around her, trapping her against him. A gentle but unbreakable cage.

Morgene squirmed. She used her magic, relocating him to the other side of the room, but he was back around her in an instant. She dodged his lips to bite him more savagely, her mouth filling with the taste of war as she swallowed. Still, he held tight, kissing her hair.

She gave one final half-hearted attempt to grind her heel into his toes before relenting, relaxing in his arms. Her teeth released his neck and he didn't hesitate to kiss her again. This time, she sank into it, her eyes slipping shut. Her moan encouraged the hands that dropped to her ass and lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her toward their bed.

She'd let him have his gentle lovemaking. It was amusing, if nothing else. She didn't know what nonsense he'd filled his head with during his journey, but there was only ever one truth. Blood. It could never be denied. And just as she had matriarch blood in her veins, he had the mountain in his. She appreciated his peaceful nature, but it could only endure so long. It would be their new game, she decided. Would he be the first to separate an Atainna from her baser urges? Or would he snap again, resulting in another chaotic decade and another impressive child?

Normally, it'd be a foregone conclusion, but Orum didn't give up easily. He'd fight till the end. She was counting on it. After all, that was the only kind of mate she could imagine spending a short eternity with.

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