"I take it you're the girl everyone is so keen on?" Dominick asked and she nodded, unable to take her eyes off him. It was odd, but he was the only close living relative that was left, and she wasn't sure what to think about it. He was so incredibly attractive and yet he was her great grandfather.
"Don't suppose you remember Tephania," Daemon said, and Dominick's eyes snapped to him, narrowing in anger.
"What about her?" he demanded.
"Well, she never told you, but she had a child," Daemon said slowly, unsure about how to broach the subject and Etani was stunned by the fact that he was capable of having children. His genitals must have formed when he fell in love.
"Tephania and I never married," Dominick said, and Daemon laughed.
"Reproduction doesn't require marriage. Trust me, I know she had a child because she asked me to take that child and hide her away. That child was named Tatialia, and she was chosen by Winter."
Dominick was looking at her again and she was staring back at him, curious to know what his thoughts might be.
"I'm sure you know who Etani here is. Tatialia's granddaughter and the heir of Winter," Daemon said.
Dominick jerked, realising the connection. "That's impossible, Lutheral had no children," Dominick snapped.
"He had two, to a Celestrial woman named Belladonna. Twins in fact," she explained.
Dominick glared at her, trying to find the lie in her words but the longer he looked at her, the more his anger seemed to fade.
"His eyes," Dominick finally grunted, Daemon nodded in agreement.
"So why did you bring her here?" Dominick asked, unable to look away from her.
"Well, the rumours are true, we are running through the family tree to return her magic but it's not for her to become the Queen of Winter. It's so she can become a Creator again."
The silence that followed was absolute as Dominick stared at her while she shrugged, forcing her eyes from him to study the sparse room.
Letting the Nephilim process the news, she went about his room studying the various objects, coming across a small glass bird that reflected the light of the sun coming in the window.
Placing it back, she jumped as she found Dominick right behind her, his hands going to her jaw as he lifted her face to his. His expression was stern as he looked into her face, forcing her to look up at him.
"How did I not know I had a child?" Dominick asked but he wasn't speaking to her.
"Tephania asked me to hide her pregnancy from everyone, so I did. And when the girl was born, I took her to Winter to be raised. She was not aligned with Summer, so there was no issue with her integrating and Titania raised her."
"Where is Tephania now?" Dominick asked but Daemon didn't reply straight away. Their eyes turned to him in unison.
"She's dead, Dominick. She killed herself," Daemon said slowly.
"Why?" Dominick didn't seem overly hurt by the news, but she saw the shift in his eyes.
"She realised you would never have her, so she said she wanted to go see her mother's grave. I took her, but she jumped off the cliff before I could stop her."
Dominick's fingers pinched her jaw painfully and she clenched her jaw to keep from making a sound, his eyes back on her with a burning fury.
"And you killed my child," he said slowly, her jaw aching under his grip.
"She had no choice," Daemon said but it was a lie, she had the choice not to kill her, she simply chose to do it anyway.
"Yes, I killed her," she whispered. He pressed her into the wall, fury burning in him.
"Why shouldn't I just kill you?" he whispered. Daemon moved but she held up her hand to stop him, her eyes locked on Dominick's.
"Because I'm the only thing keeping the Creators from destroying the human world and then what? They try and create another one? What are the odds of that working?" His grip was so tight she was sure he was going to break her jaw, but she refused to flinch. "What happens if they fail again? Will Faerie survive another attempt? What if they bring down Faerie?"
Tears had sprung to her eyes at his grip and he finally let go, trailing his fingers down her jaw to her throat, clenching it instead.
She refused to try and pull his fingers off her, her chin lifted and staring up into his eyes in a silent dare for him to answer her.
"What do I care if Faerie falls?" he asked and she frowned, not understanding.
"You are a Protector," she whispered.
"I was a Protector, not anymore," his nose as only an inch from hers and she swallowed, thinking fast.
"What if I can find a way to make you one again?"
Daemon hissed and Dominick's eyes widened for an instant before narrowing.
"How?" he demanded, his fingers clenching painfully.
"I don't know yet, I'll find a way," she said, her voice strained.
She was running out of options, and she glanced at Daemon, his face stricken though she didn't know why.
Dominick jerked her neck when she looked away and her eyes snapped back to his, finding him close enough that his nose brushed hers.
"Tell me, little witch," he whispered in a lethal voice.
"I'll find a way."
"Not good enough."
She felt something between them, and she shivered as the whisper of metal against her side and she knew Daemon hadn't noticed. He could kill her in an instant and there was nothing Daemon could do about it.
"I can't give you that answer right now," she whispered, and she flinched as the knife dug into her side, blood trickling down to drip off the handle. "But I promise I will find a way, I'll be the Queen of Winter, death, and a Creator, I'm even supposed to be a Goddess," she whimpered as the knife dug deeper.
He paused at that, his eyes narrowed at her in his confusion. "That's not possible," he said slowly, unsure suddenly.
"Daemon made is possible," she whispered.
"Why did you come to find me?" he demanded, and she smiled very slightly.
"You're my great grandfather, and the only Nephilim known to exist, I need your magic."
His eyes were hard on her, but she saw his wavering, unsure of if he should believe her or not.
"You've seen what the Creators are doing, you've seen the sky. It's going to happen in only a matter of days, if we even have that long," she whispered.
He swallowed, clearly wavering. "You have five," he breathed and her eyes widened.
"Five?" she asked.
He nodded, the knife slid free of her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "They are waiting for the equinox. That's in five days," he said, and her eyes turned to Daemon, hope filling her that they might have just enough time to get it done.
"We can do it," he whispered, and she turned back to Dominick.
She opened her mouth to speak but his lips were on hers and she gasped at the sudden flood of magic into her that left her tingling all over.
He broke back from her as her head spun and he let her go, leaving her to wobble to Daemon who caught her.
"You're not to touch my great granddaughter, lust demon," Dominick growled. She felt Daemon moving, glancing up to see him staring at the Nephilim in surprise. "I see the way she looked at you and you watch her. I know what you are going to do. If you touch her, I'll kill you."
Daemon could only nod, clutching her to him as her world spun in the most enjoyable way.
Dominick looked at her and his breath sucked in at the sight of her, Daemon grinning at the response.
"Sucks being on the receiving end of that pull, doesn't it?" Dominick said and Daemon nodded slowly.
"Where will you go now?" Dominick asked after a short pause.
"We have to get Uzo, then it's to the Celestrials."
Dominick snorted and shook his head. "Good luck with that last."
Daemon could only sigh his agreement and reached for Jagum who allowed the demon to grasp his arm.
"We'll no doubt see you again soon," Daemon said, and Dominick growled in response.
"I will be coming for my kin, Daemon, and if you try and hide her, I will find her." The threat made her shiver and she looked to Dominick who was glaring at her. "Don't forget your promise, little girl."
She nodded her agreement as they stepped backwards through the tear and into rain.