Chapter 885

"Do you...just want to go back to be with the whore?" she whispers.

Jesse grits his teeth against a sigh because...well. Because he does want to see Daphne again. Very, very badly. "Mids, I promise that I want to go back to keep us safe."

"Are you going to go to her?" she snaps, turning to him with a frown.

"You are my first priority," he says, assured, leaning close to her. "I actually want you two to meet -"

She snarls, turning away, and Jesse grimaces, realizing he may have said the wrong thing.

"Midnight," he sighs, dropping his head into his hands. "Please."

"I don't want to leave my house," she says, quite mournful.

"You'll have a new house - a whole palace -"

"No," she snarls, starting to cry. "I want...this is my home, Jesse. It's the only home I've ever had."

He sighs and looks up at her again, realizing that his offer was callous. "Then we'll take it with us."

"What?" she says, turning towards him in surprise.

"We'll take it, the whole thing,” he says with a shrug. "Whatever you want, Mids. We'll do it."

"You're not just saying that?" she whispers. "To make me go?"

"Midnight, I love you very much," Jesse says, putting both of his hands on her shoulders. "I want you to have everything that you want and need. If that is this yurt, then hell yeah we're taking it to Moon Valley."

She looks to the side, her mouth twisting. "And I can decide...who comes in and out of the yurt?"

"Of course," he says, his heart lifting.

She turns back just a little to glare at him from the corner of her dark eye. "So...I can have a rule? No whores in my yurt?"

Jesse works hard to fight his smile and fails. "Not a single whore in the yurt, Midnight. I promise."

She exhales slowly with her eyes closed.

Jesse waits, barely breathing.

"Fine," Midnight snaps, suddenly jumping to her feet. "But we have to go now."

"All right!” Jesse says, jumping to his

feet and very nearly knocking the screen down in his hurry to get everything sorted. "I need all hands dismantling this yurt, and everything inside it, into as small a package as possible! Everyone hold a little bit if you have to!"

The entire group just stares at Jesse for a long moment of shock.

And then at once, they leap to the task, hope humming through the room.

Midnight stands at Jesse's side, watching everyone dismantle her home, tears in her eyes.

Mark and Rafe stand on the palace roof, watching as the helicopter comes in for the landing.

"Did we seriously have to come up here?" Mark sighs, shaking his head and glancing at his brother. "It's not like Hank doesn't know how to get inside."

"Mom asked us to greet her friend," Rafe bites out, glaring at his little brother. "So, we're doing it."

"Ariel's in Atalaxia, Juniper's in the freaking underworld, both of them facing death and negotiating wolf and cosmic power matches," Mark mutters, scuffing the toe of his boot. "And we're here saying hi to a delinquent."

"Oh, be polite," Rafe says, unable to help laughing a little as he gives Mark a little shove. "I'm sure even you can take a little human delinquent on. She can't be that tough."noveldrama

"Mom said she got kicked out of school for trying to set it on fire," Mark murmurs.

Rafe laughs and shakes his head, focusing on the helicopter as it begins to land. "She was suspended for being incendiary and rallying her fellow students to protest. That's...very different."

Mark mutters further discontent but Rafe ignores him, straightening his shoulders and preparing to meet Hank and his delinquent daughter with as much grace as he can muster. Hank called earlier, letting Ella know he had to bring his daughter along with him on the trip as there was no one to stay home with her and ensure that she didn't get into any further trouble. Ella had, of course, been enthusiastic about the addition – but Rafe? He wasn't so sure. She sounds like a handful and he doesn't really want any further trouble right now, not with his life already falling apart.

Both Rafe and Mark watch closely as Hank steps out of the helicopter and waves

to them before turning back to the door and getting in an argument with whoever

is still inside.

Rafe grimaces a little as the argument continues for way longer than it should, until Hank has to reach bodily into the helicopter and yank his daughter forward.

The moment she appears - tall and slim, in baggy jeans and an oversized hoodie, a disgruntled sneer pasted over her mouth - Rafe's expression drops from his face.

His wolf goes still in his soul, staring forward at her.

Rafe's heart basically stops beating as Hank and his daughter come forward, Hank arm wrapped forcefully around her elbow, obliging her to come along, clearly against her will.

But no...it's impossible...Hank's daughter, she's...human...

"Hey Mark, Rafe," Hank says, perfectly amiable, apparently missing the fact that Rafe is frozen to the spot and not breathing. "You remember my daughter, right? Say hello, Maryam."

Maryam just sneers at the princes, clearly refusing to obey.

Rafe's wolf howls in delight.