So the hell what? He’d never given one whit about public opinion, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to start caring about it now.
“Not for nothin’, but Zane Kyllwood is barely more than thirty years old, is now happily mated, and recently had his baby girl turn one year old.” Daire stretched his neck.
“So?”
“So, Zane couldn’t take me in a fight, thus I’m not worried he’s coming after me. Plus, I’ll deal with any opposition in the witch nation.”
Adam snorted. “Forget the witch nation and worry about Zane Kyllwood. He may be younger and lack your centuries of experience, but geez. You mated his mother.”
Well now, that was a good point. Did that make him a stepdad to Logan? His head pounded.
Adam shook his head. “With the mutated virus, you know you could negate the mating bond, right?”
Fury roared through Daire’s blood, and he tamped it down, swallowing several times.
“I guess not,” Adam said slowly, his gaze widening. “All righty then. Congrats on your mating, bro.” The screen crackled and the picture morphed. “I’m about to lose the connection. Good luck, and let me know if I can do anything.” The screen went black.
Daire shook his head.
“Do you want to stay mated?” Felicity asked, scooting up to sit.
He eyed her. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. My shoulder is all healed and my arm doesn’t hurt any longer.” She scrubbed both hands down her delicate face. Her blond hair was mussed, and her eyes sleepy, giving her a sexy let’s go back to bed look. Or perhaps that was just his interpretation.
He nodded. “I want to stay mated.”
She blinked. “I like that we have a choice these days.”
Yet how much easier would it be if they didn’t? The mutated virus could negate matings, and he wasn’t sure he liked the new ways. “I’m kinda’ all in or all out, baby.” He didn’t know how else to put it to her. If they were going to make a go of it, there was no out clause.
Her eyes widened, sparkling like onyx jewels. “You want a decision on forever right now and this quickly?”
Aye. If he was going to give it a shot, he wanted to know she was, too. “It’s how I work.”
She snorted. “You’re going to have to learn how I work, Enforcer.”
“I do know.” He needed to learn some finesse, and he might as well start now. “I don’t mean to pressure you.”
“I’m not feeling pressured.” She stretched her neck and rolled out her healed shoulder. “I just, ah, need time to think.”
He smiled. The woman who seemed perfectly comfortable jumping right into any dangerous situation needed time to think about being mated to him.
The plane started its decline, and he motioned for her to take a seat and buckle in. She did so and added an impressive eye roll. The rainy Seattle weather jostled the plane around, but finally, they touched the ground. The pilots hit the brakes, and within minutes had driven inside a private hangar.
Daire unbuckled and reached the door first, pushing the button to open it and unfold the stairs. He loped down them and held out a hand to help Felicity.
She jogged down and shivered. “Seattle is always chillier than I think it’s going to be.”
Daire nodded. “We’ll get you a jacket.” Their car must be right outside the door.
His nape tickled. A scent wafted on the breeze. He turned and set Felicity back on the stairs. “Get back into the plane. Now.”
She turned, confusion crossing her face.
Men in black poured in the large open door of the terminal, guns out, wearing masks. Daire planted his body between the stairs and the soldiers. “Get back inside,” he ordered under his breath, his hands up.
The soldiers secured the area, taking posts all around. The nearest one stalked up and ripped off his mask.
Ah, hell.
“Zane!” Felicity pushed past Daire and barreled into her eldest’s arms. “What in the world are you doing here with guns?”
The leader of the demon nation smoothly set his mother behind him. Zane Kyllwood was six and a half feet of muscled killing machine. His eyes were green, his hair black, and his face scarred down the jaw.
“Give me one good reason not to cut off your head right now,” Zane said.
Daire bit back a sharp retort.
Zane leaned in, and the men around them tensed. Make that the demons around them. “You take my mother to the Caymans to rob a fucking bank?”
Daire kept silent.
Felicity slid to the side and shoved her son in the ribs. “You mind your manners.”
Zane blinked.
Daire fought a chuckle.
“Mom, please let me handle this,” Zane said.
Felicity shook her head. “The bank robbery was my idea. Daire just came along and wouldn’t leave.”
Zane glanced down at her. “Don’t try to cover for him.”
“Nobody has to cover for me,” Daire said, more than a little curious. Felicity barely reached Zane’s shoulder. How in the world had the petite woman birthed three such hulking sons? “The bank robbery was my fault.” He should’ve put the brakes on the entire affair and not allowed Felicity to join in. “But I have to admit, your mom can create a hell of a good plan.”
Zane’s eyes flashed black through the green. “She was injured.”
Man, the kid had great Intel. He must’ve already gotten the videos of the robberies. “How did you know it was her?”
Zane cut him a hard look. “Once I figured out she wasn’t on a cruise, thanks to Nicholai, it wasn’t that hard to track her down . . . and watch her get shot.”
“Aye. Her injury is on me.”
Felicity scoffed. “Don’t be silly. It was one little bullet.”
Zane paled. “One bullet is all it might take.”
Daire winced. “Again, my fault.”
Felicity shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. For goodness’ sake. Daire was shot three times in the chest.”
“Good,” Zane spit.
Felicity grabbed his arm. “Now you knock it off. My getting shot was no more Daire’s fault than was the polar bear mauling. And I assure you, I healed from both.”
Zane stilled. His gaze slowly moved from Daire to Felicity. “Mauling?”
She nodded, her cheeks rosy. “Yes. Before the helicopter accident but after I fought with a witch on the ice.”
Zane rocked back on his heels.
Daire could almost feel sorry for the guy. “As you can see, your mother is fine.”
Felicity lifted a shoulder. “You should also probably know that we mated.”
Tension roared through the hangar. Daire braced himself just in time to take the impact from Zane’s fist. Pain ripped through his skull. He stepped back and accepted the ringing in his ears. The demon hit hard. “That was one, demon, and it’s all you get.”
Zane smiled then. “The fuck it is.” He moved forward, and Daire settled his stance, more than prepared to go to the ground. He couldn’t really beat the crap out of Felicity’s kid, could he? And he sure as shit couldn’t lose the fight. So he’d have to contain Zane, and that wasn’t going to be fun and would probably put the demon and witch nations on another path to war.
“Stop it right now.” The crack of command in Felicity’s voice echoed throughout the entire building. “I mean it, Zane.”
Zane lowered his chin. “Mom? I’d like to speak with you alone. Outside.”
She clasped her hands together. “Excellent idea. Daire, I’ll be right back.”
“Absolutely not.” He stepped forward. Enough people in her life had forced her into boxes, and son or not, Daire wasn’t going to allow Zane to do the same thing.
Felicity smiled, winking an adorable dimple. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Please give me a moment with my son.” Turning, she led the way toward the opening outside.