Eve’s eyes went wide, the bread dropping forgotten to the tray. "My uncle?" Her voice ca out barely above a whisper. "But he’s... everyone’s dead. My whole family is dead. my mom told ...."
"Margaret also told you about a shadow that protected you," Silas interrupted gently. "A watcher in the darkness who kept you safe from threats you never knew existed. That’s him. That’s Raphael."
"He’s here?" Eve’s voice cracked with emotion.....hope and disbelief and desperate longing all tangled together. "Really here? In the estate?"
"Guest suite in the east wing," Damon confird, his expression carefully neutral. "He showed up right after you killed the assasine. Said he felt the power surge. He said he’s here to help you integrate the knowledge your parents’ echoes gave you."
The mories started flooding back then....not complete, but fragnts. The dream garden. Her mother’s face, so like her own. Her father’s amber eyes. The white light pouring into her chest. Knowledge burning through her mind like molten tal.
And then waking to find an assassin in her room. The fight. The draining. The way she’d pulled his life force into herself until there was nothing left.
She’d killed soone.
The reality of it hit her suddenly, violently. She’d taken a life. Drained the assasine completely dry, turned him into a crystallized corpse that crumbled to dust. And part of her...a dark, primal part she didn’t want to acknowledge.....had enjoyed it.
"I killed him," she whispered, looking down at her hands like she’d never seen them before. Like they belonged to soone else. "I killed that man. I drained him until there was nothing left."
"You defended yourself," Silas said firmly, his hand tightening on hers. "He ca to murder you. You did what you had to do to survive."
"But I liked it," Eve admitted, her voice small and broken. "When I felt his life force flowing into , when I felt him dying....there was this rush. This feeling of power and satisfaction. Like so part of was built for exactly that. For killing. For draining people dry."
"That’s your succubus nature," Damian said, his voice gentler now. He sat on the other side of her, his hand resting on her knee....a grounding touch. "Incubi and succubi are predators. You’re designed to feed on life force. It’s natural that taking it from soone would feel good. That doesn’t make you a monster."
"Doesn’t it?" Eve looked at him with haunted eyes. "What kind of person enjoys killing?"
"The kind who’s strong enough to do what’s necessary to survive," Damon said bluntly from where he stood at the foot of the bed. "The kind who doesn’t hesitate when their life is on the line. The kind who will make a damn good queen when the ti cos."
Eve wanted to argue, to reject the idea that she could be a queen....that she could rule over people when she couldn’t even control her own nature. But the knowledge her mother had given her was already there, settling into place, showing her that yes, succubus queens had always been warriors. Had always killed when necessary. Had always used their power to protect their people, even when it ant doing terrible things.
"Tell about my uncle," she said instead, pushing the guilt and self-loathing aside for later processing. "What’s he like? What did he say?"
The brothers exchanged another look....this one clearly uncomfortable.
"He’s..." Damon started, then paused, clearly searching for words. "Intense."
"Beautiful," Silas added. "Devastatingly so. Radiates sexual energy that affected half the pack just being near him."
"Possessive," Damian said, his jaw clenching. "Demanded we hand you over to him so he could ’help’ you. Didn’t seem to understand or care that you’re our mate, not his responsibility."
Eve frowned at the hostility clear in their voices. "He’s my uncle. My father’s brother. Of course he feels responsible for . I’m the last of his family."
"That’s what concerns us," Damian said bluntly. "You’re the last of his family. The only blood relative he has left. And from what we’ve learned about succubi and incubi, family bonds don’t always look the way they do in wolf packs. There are no... restrictions."
It took Eve a mont to understand what he was implying. When she did, her eyes went wide with shock and disgust. "You think....you actually think my uncle might see as....." She couldn’t even finish the sentence. "That’s disgusting! He’s my father’s brother!"
"Which ans nothing to their kind," Damon said, though he had the grace to look slightly uncomfortable. "We’re not saying he does. We’re saying he could. That the possibility exists. And until we know for certain that he sees you only as his niece and nothing more....."
"We’re going to be cautious," Damian finished. "We’re going to watch him. Monitor his interactions with you. Make sure he understands that you’re claid. Mated. Off limits to anyone’s desires, including his."
Eve stared at them, seeing the genuine concern beneath the territorial posturing. They really were worried about this. Really believed her uncle might be a threat to their bond.
"He’s family," she said firmly. "The only family I have left besides you three. And I want to et him. Want to talk to him. Want to learn everything he can teach about who I am and where I co from."
She looked at each of them in turn, making sure they understood she was serious. "I know you’re protective. I know you don’t trust easily. I know having another male anywhere near makes your wolves crazy. But this is important to . He’s important to . So you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it."
The silence that followed was tense.
Finally, Damian nodded slowly. "Fine. You can et with him. Talk to him. Learn from him. But....." He held up a hand when Eve started to smile. "There are conditions."
"Of course there are," Eve muttered.
"One of us is present for all etings," Damian continued, ignoring her sarcasm. "You’re never alone with him until we’re absolutely certain his intentions are purely familial. He stays in the east wing....far from our bedroom. He doesn’t touch you without explicit permission. And if at any point we feel he’s overstepping or making you uncomfortable, he’s gone. Imdiately. No argunts."
Eve wanted to protest the restrictions, wanted to point out that she was perfectly capable of defending herself and didn’t need a chaperone. But she could see the genuine fear beneath their dominance. Could feel through the bond how much the idea of losing her to anyone....even family....terrified them.
"Okay," she agreed quietly. "I can live with those conditions. As long as you promise to actually give him a chance. Don’t just hover and glower and try to intimidate him into leaving."
"We make no promises," Damon said, but there was a hint of amusent in his voice now. "But we’ll try to be... civil."
"That’s all I ask," Eve said.
She finished her breakfast quickly, her earlier ravenous hunger sowhat sated. When the tray was empty, Silas removed it and set it aside.
"So," Eve said, looking at her three mates. "When can I et him? When can I talk to my uncle?"
"After you shower and get dressed," Damian said, standing from the bed. "And after we establish the ground rules with him. Make sure he understands the boundaries."
"Which you’ll do without present," Eve guessed.
"Exactly," Damian confird without sha. "Male to male. Alpha to incubus. We make it very clear what happens if he crosses any lines."
Eve rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile. Her mates were ridiculous in their possessiveness. Territorial to the point of absurdity. But they were hers, and she loved them for it.....even when they drove her crazy.
"Fine," she agreed. "Go have your territorial pissing contest. I’ll shower and make myself presentable. And then you’re going to bring my uncle to et , and you’re going to be on your best behavior. Understood?"
"Understood," all three said in unison, though their expressions suggested they had no intention of actually behaving.
Eve shook her head, climbed out of bed despite her protesting muscles, and headed for the bathroom. Behind her, she heard the brothers imdiately start planning their confrontation with Raphael....discussing tactics, deciding who would speak, agreeing on what threats to make.
She smiled despite herself.
Her mates were idiots.
But they were her idiots.
And she wouldn’t have them any other way.
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