Chapter 1: Charity

Chapter One

Charity

T he walk home from The Monster’s Den isn’t far. If anything, I enjoy the silence after a crazy night of managing monsters.

The chill in the air has me running my hands down my arms to try to warm up.

My head tilts, and I scan the street, preparing to get moving again.

My neighbor, Bane, used to walk me home every night. Ever since the incident with the wyvern, I’ve been managing on my own.

I should have known he was too pretty to trust—Bane, not the wyvern.

No man should be that gorgeous.

It’s unnatural.

“Hello, darling.” The airy Scottish voice belongs to Athos, the djinn.

Nadia and her demons, Knight and Wraith, brought him back from their adventures in North Falls.

The silvery-blue cloud appears before I can make out his features. Long, straight, silvery-white hair tumbles around his shoulders as he swirls into view.

I take a step back, though not because I’m afraid. It’s genuinely awe-inspiring to see him levitate with no bottom half. Sometimes I wish I had that ability, especially when my legs ache after an exceptionally long day.

The shimmery cloud that circles his middle is a cool trick, but I know from previous experience that he does have a full humanoid form. He just doesn’t use it regularly.

“What are you doing here, Athos?” My gaze slides up from the ring of smoke to take in his broad chest covered in black runes and sigils. It takes a few seconds, but my eyes land on his.

“My love”—he swirls closer—“as your mate, it’s my responsibility and greatest honor to ensure your safety.”

Good God, hearing him say my love in his accent is almost too much for my brain functionality.

A shy smile tugs at my lips as my head shakes. “That’s very considerate, but I’ve told you before…” My chest gets tight as I think of my wyvern. “Eldritch is my mate.”

Athos doesn’t miss a beat. “He was finally able to communicate his name?”

“Yeah, it’s just taking some time.” I mean, that’s what popped into my head while I was cuddling his beast one night, so I hope I’m not calling him by the wrong name.

“From what I understand.” Athos offers his elbow. “Nightmares are able to remove negative memories. It’s an extreme option, but if you’re sure he’s meant to be yours, it might be something worth considering.”

“Malice offered,” I say, referencing Aline’s nightmare demon mate. I loop my hand through Athos’s still-outstretched arm. “It just seems so extreme…”

“I’ve heard a bit of his history.” Athos guides us down the sidewalk toward my home. “Being kept prisoner and used to fuel Kash’s nefarious spells would have an effect on any one of us. That type of trauma is extreme, especially if his beast refuses to concede control back to the man. If he can’t make the choice, you might find you have to. In my opinion, it’s the more merciful option.”

I sigh heavily.

This is a conversation I’ve had many times recently. And it’s not like I haven’t spent hours obsessing about what the right call is.

Eldritch’s wyvern refuses to pass control back to his more humanoid form. His monster was protecting him from the trauma of being held captive and being tormented by Kash, but he’s safe now.

He has been for weeks.

Everyone’s patience is wearing thin at having a massive nine-foot wyvern in animal form running around town.

“If you were in a similar situation, you’d want your mate to make that call for you?” I tilt my head, studying Athos as he hovers at my side.

His forward movement stops, and he shimmers away, only to appear directly in front of me. “Mates are sacred. A gift from an otherwise cruel universe. They’re always a perfect match—genetically, emotionally, spiritually , physically . If you truly believe a matebond exists between the two of you, then you must understand. You’re physically incapable of making a choice that would hurt your other half.” His silvery-blue hand raises to brush my light brown hair back. “And for the record, I would trust you implicitly if I were in his place.”

My heart races as his silvery-white hair falls around his handsome face.

This is all so complicated.

It’s hard because I like Athos. He’s lighthearted, and he never fails to make me smile.

Things between us would be… easy .

Things with Eldritch might be significantly less easy , but my heart won’t allow me to forget about him. I’m pretty sure part of my matebond with Eldritch snapped into place the night his teeth nicked me when I almost fell out of the cave.

Athos bows his head slightly. “I understand your situation with Eldritch is complicated, but I fear you can’t deny our connection forever.” He swirls back to my side, taking my arm once again. “We need to discuss you accepting my jar. I’ve worn out my welcome with Nadia and her mates. Wraith and Knight regularly discuss dropping it off at The Den?—”

I gasp, shaking my head. “They’re just blustering. They would never actually go through with it.”

“Perhaps not, considering the implications if the wrong individual were to come to hold control of my wishes.” He hums. “Either way, I believe I’ve stayed longer than socially acceptable. They’re adjusting to life with twins, and I’m constantly underfoot.”

I’m sure that is tough, especially since he mentioned before that he hasn’t been in the human realm for hundreds of years. At the same time, it’s not as simple as inviting him to stay with me, even if I do have the space.

If I was single and lived alone, that would be one thing, but being a mom complicates everything.

Veryn is a precocious little monster. He’s a quarter siren from my side and half dragon. However, his dragon roots won out, which is complicated because his father abandoned us before I even realized I was pregnant.

It’s difficult to raise a child that’s a completely different species, but I’m doing the best I can, especially since he’s an alpha.

He really is a good kid, just willful and stubborn, like most alphas.

His father left me with no knowledge of how to raise a dragonling, and I’ve come to learn that male dragons actually plant the egg. Meaning, Cyril disappeared, knowing I was carrying our child.

It’s led to quite a bit of resentment on my part. I birthed an egg with no clue it was coming, completely on my own, only a month after conceiving. It was quite the shock to grow at such a rapid pace, and then I had a freshly delivered egg with no idea what to do next.

Luckily, instinct took over, and I managed, but the entire experience was traumatic. And all because Cyril couldn’t be bothered to have a simple conversation to warn me what to expect.

Dragons don’t even originate in the human realm. They reside in Faere, and their culture is secretive and extremely insular. Everything I’ve learned has come from species who’ve heard rumors from living in Faere themselves.

Well, until Bane.

Ugh.

Even thinking about that sexy dragon gives me indigestion. My feelings about him are complicated, at best.

Bane lives in one of the houses in the small cluster next to mine.

There are four in total, and the backs of each line up to form a courtyard. My friend Aline lives in the home across from mine. The old wolf shifter, Mrs. Segar, is on one side, and Bane resides on the other.

It’s impossible to escape him.

The housing market in Haven is cutthroat, considering how long everyone lives.

Not that I should have to leave.

Bane is the one who lied to me.

Okay, maybe he didn’t lie, but he purposely omitted, and that feels like the same thing. If he had been honest about being a dragon from the start, I wouldn’t have held it against him. It’s the lying and sneakiness that I’m not sure we can come back from. It reminds me too much of Veryn’s dad, and I’ve already lived that lesson once.

“I suppose it’s too much to ask that you would allow me to plant my jar in your home?” Athos asks, startling me out of my thoughts.

I snort. “Athos, I think that sounded more sexual than you meant it to.”

He chuckles darkly. “Oh no, darling. I’d say it came out exactly as sexual as I meant it to.”

We finally make it to the sidewalk that leads to the courtyard behind my house. Sometimes I go in through the front, but when I need to collect Veryn from Mrs. Segar, it’s easier to go in the back door.

“I see your dragon has been not-so-patiently waiting for me to deliver you,” Athos says, giving my forearm a squeeze. “Excuse me, I’d like to say hello to Eldritch now that I have a proper name to attach to him.” He appears in front of me, bending at the waist.

A sexual smile tips at his lips as he rights himself.

Dammit.

If I was looking to add another mate to my already full plate, it would definitely be Athos.