The goddess’ eyebrows crept up a millimeter. “You brought her here? Why?”

Kain’s nostrils flared at her disbelieving tone. “That is none of your concern. What did you do to her? Why? She’s an innocent!”

Golden eyes leveled a haughty stare at him, but then they shifted behind him, fixating on Selma.

“Yes, she is. Move aside, demon. I will tend to her.”

“I am going nowhere,” he told her flatly. “Answer my question or I will tear you limb from limb, you gilded cunt.”

The goddess huffed. “You don’t have the strength, not after how much power you poured into my barrier. And you can’t heal her, either. The fact that you’ve yet to try proves you know she needs me—what my barrier did to her can’t be healed by your twisted magic. Now step aside, or risk your mate dying in your arms.”

Kain dared a glance back at Selma’s quiet form. She seemed stable, but the goddess wasn’t wrong. His magic could heal many human conditions, even if he’d never particularly bothered to, but this? It wasn’t simple biology that ailed his mate. It was divine magic.

“If you harm her, I will not only kill you—I will butcher every woman hiding in your sanctuary, desecrate their remains, and trap their souls in eternal damnation. Do you understand?”

His voice was low, but the threat came across loud and clear. Despite the goddess’ attempt to remain stoic, a touch of green marred her flawless skin.

When she bowed her head in a single nod, Kain slowly took two steps away, allowing her to move past him to the woman curled up on the road behind him.

She knelt by Selma’s side and let her hands slide over her face and down her torso. Kain had to dig his nails into his palms to stop himself from tackling the goddess to get her away from his mate. Everything in him screamed danger at her presence, and allowing her to touch his Selma…

“Wake up, child.”

Kain blinked at the gentleness with which the goddess spoke. It was so very different from the tone she’d used on him, and it made his anger level just a little.

Golden light shimmered around her hands and flowed into Selma’s abdomen. When his mate groaned softly and shifted underneath the goddess’ touch, he could barely contain his relief. It would be okay, she was okay—

“Kalam!”

The Word of Power slammed him backwards so hard he hit the uneven tarmac of the small side road. When he fought his way back up, a cocoon of golden light arose around his awakening mate and the goddess who’d just attacked him.

20

Selma

“You silly girl.”