Selma sighed from her protected vantage point and placed a palm against his back. From what little she’d managed to learn about them, a demon as agitated as Kesh needed a gentle hand.

“I’m going, Kesh.”

Slowly the big man turned, staring down at her with both dark eyebrows pulled into a frown. “Do you understand how ludicrous this idea is? You and your baby would be in mortal danger—the exact thing Kain sacrificed himself to prevent. No.”

It was just his instincts—he couldn’t help the urge to treat her like she was made of porcelain. Selma did her best not to show her brewing annoyance.

“If I can help in any way, I’m going. As you said, Kain sacrificed himself for me. I’m not going to abandon him.”

He narrowed his eyes. “He did not send you to me so I could drag you back into their claws. You are not going, and that’s final. Have I made myself clear?”

It wasn’t that she had complete faith in her ability to control the light inside of her—far from it—but despite Kirigan’s less-than-stable sanity, she knew from their discussion that he was right: she was their best shot at getting Kain out, because no one would think her capable of doing any harm. If they were spotted while trying to sneak in, Kain and Kirigan would distract the females so she could finish them off.

It was curious, really. She’d never imagined herself capable of killing, but the thought of ending the life of one of the monsters responsible for imprisoning Kain didn’t disturb her as much as she’d thought it would. Marathin’s death had proved that through her power, she finally had agency over her own life. She wasn’t weak like they’d tried to tell her she was, and she didn’t have to sit back and let others decide what was going to happen to her.

The monsters who’d taken her mate were going to regret what they’d done.

When she looked at the men in the helicopter transporting them as close to the queen’s residence as they could get, she caught Kesh’s angry glare and failed to suppress a mildly teasing smile.

The demon Lord had gone so far as to threaten to lock her up to keep her safe in his father’s house while they attempted to rescue Kain. Neither of them had been prepared for the sudden outburst of tears his last shouted “no” had caused, but while Selma was fairly sure it was just due to pregnancy hormones, Kesh had looked like he’d just accidentally killed a litter of puppies.

He’d cradled her and cooed and soothed with a clear undertone of panic, and that was when she’d realized how she was going to get her way.