[Rock] I knew Carmen had a run-in with her bitch cousin. I saw them, but I let her take care of it. Carmen was as capable as anyone else and as time went on, I was able to reign in my more protective urges that told me to do things for her instead of letting her do them. She seemed to like that I was backing off. Not that I didn’t still look for things I could do for her and try to make myself useful to her. And it didn’t stop me from picking her up whenever I could. I liked how she felt in my arms and that wouldn’t change just because we had been together for a while. We still had one hundred years to look forward to and I would still be picking up my sweet mate whenever I could. When Carmen came over to me and cuddled me, I knew she was upset. There were too many people, so I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. Whatever it was, it upset Carmen. She joined in the conversation I was having with some of Mike and Beth’s other friends, the ones who weren’t ranked members of the pack. They seemed like good wolves. All of them were friendly, though they made sure to give me space. Someone announced that it was time for a game. Because there were so many people, there would be teams. Carmen held me back from joining them in the living room. “Is everything really okay?” I asked. “Queenie pissed me off. She called you a monster,” Carmen grumbled. I chuckled. “I am a monster, Carmen. Trolls were one of the first monsters. It’s okay. I know what I am and what other people think of me. Remember, I’m not just a troll, but a troll that looks more human than troll. You are the only person who thinks I’m handsome in any way and I prefer it that way. You are the only person whose opinion matters to me.” “I’m sorry. I wish I weren’t so defensive of you, but I don’t think anyone was ever defensive enough for you. Sometimes, I feel like I’m screaming into a void,” she sighed. “Don’t worry about me, little wolf. Their words can’t do anything to me. Do what you have to do to feel better, but don’t worry about my heart. I already have you and that is more than I ever thought I’d have. Did you want to leave? Has she upset you that much?” I asked. Carmen shook her head. “No. I want to stay for the gifts. I never realized Queenie could piss me off so much.” “That’s love, you know. Your love for me makes you more sensitive to that stuff.” She hugged me and I stroked her back. No one really got angry on my behalf. I hated that it hurt her when people insulted me, but I loved that she felt strongly enough to get mad. When the game was over, they started opening gifts. We rejoined the crowd for the gifts. The living room was packed. I could see Gemma and Austin against a wall by the front door. Carmen leaned against me heavily. I knew she was using her magic to see and had been for most of the party. She was probably exhausted, but she wasn’t going to leave early. I could only hope she stopped before she was drained. We watched as the gifts were all opened. Some people gave large boxes full of hand-me-down clothes, others had toys, mobiles, car seats, a triple stroller, and Cathy gave some bouncy seats that could buzz to mimic a heartbeat or car engine. I didn’t realize there was so much more that babies needed other than a bed. Carmen and I bought hats, swaddling blankets, socks, and gloves. Her mother gave a huge pack of cloth diapers. No one gave repeats of what they already had. I’d built them a couple extra dressers, high chairs, and the other two cribs based on the one they already had, along with fixing up a few things they had in storage. We didn’t feel like we needed to give more than what we already had, so we went with staples that were sometimes forgotten. When the gifts were done, Beth announced that she was feeling tired, the cue for everyone to start leaving. Beth’s mom and Corrine started taking things into the nursery. A few other people helped. Gemma and Austin were the first out the door, but Carmen and I waited. Once the living room had mostly emptied, we said our goodbyes and headed out. Trolls were big on not overstaying their welcome when invited to parties outside of their own community. We wanted to be invited back. Today, I got to touch a lot of softies. A year ago, I would have been thrilled at being in this situation, but none of them made me happier than touching my own soft mate. Carmen would always thrill me. She was more than just soft and warm, she made my heart swell at every little thing she did. We got into my truck and headed to the human town. Tonight, we were buying some big steaks and whole chickens. I felt like something easy to make so we’d have the quickly cooked meat and the rotisserie chickens. Carmen was making a side salad, but we didn’t need much else to go with them. Gemma said she and Austin would make a dessert. She liked cooking them and I really liked eating them. Tonight was a fruit tart with fresh whipped cream. I never realized that I liked desserts so much. When we arrived at the store, Carmen slipped her arm through mine. We went to get a grocery cart and wheeled it into the store. This was a membership club store. You had to be a member to shop there and they sold things in bulk. It was perfect for trolls with the wide carts and even wider, taller, aisles. Because it was a weekend afternoon, the place was pretty crowded. A lot of people waited for weekends to do their shopping, plus there were free samples set up all over the store and most people went there to have a ‘free sample lunch’. Carmen held on to the side of the cart while I pushed it to where we were going. People moved aside, sensing there was something that would eat them coming up behind them. It was a huge perk to being a monster. No one stayed in my way for long. We went to the meat coolers and I started looking through the meats available. There were some huge steaks there and they all looked great. I grabbed five decent-sized packs, then six chickens off of the warming shelf.“Carmen, can you wait right here while I go get the veggies? I want you to rest a little,” I said, parking her in a corner. “There’s a bench right here.” “Sure. Thank you for not dragging me all over the store. I think I overdid it a little,” she chuckled lightly. I helped her over to the bench and put her hands on the cart. I didn’t need it with me to get the things I needed in the produce refrigerator. Before I left, I gave her one last look. Her gaze was fixed on the floor. Carmen looked like a painting. She was beautiful. Like art that should only be appreciated with the eye, and not with touch. It made me want to touch her even more. Leaving my mate where I could find her easily, I went to the produce refrigeration room. It was a walk-in refrigerator with a pathway going around a stack of fruits in the center. I grabbed a container of salad mix, some mushrooms, and some berries. Carmen liked berries and Gemma would be using the last of ours. On the way out, I got a container of tomatoes and made my way back to Carmen. There was someone standing by her, talking to her. I didn’t like the way he was so close to her. I picked up my pace and loomed over the man, letting out a small growl. He jumped and turned with a terrified expression on his face. “As I said, I’m fine where I am and I am not interested. Now, please leave me alone,” Carmen told the man. “You heard her,” I snarled. “Leave.” The man ran off without another word. I put the produce into the cart and sat next to Carmen on the bench, taking her hand in mine. Carmen squeezed my hand. “What the hell did he want?” I asked. “He started talking to me about a mixed community of supernaturals. I told him I was happy with my pack and not interested, but he insisted on telling me more. I used too much of my magic, so I couldn’t get away without running in to something. No matter how I told him I wasn’t interested, he kept pushing. It reminded me of those human cults. The really pushy ones.” “A cult?” “Yeah, he said something about the goddess ignoring all other supernaturals in favor of the fae and how she didn’t love anyone as much as original fae. The rest of us just exist to entertain them. He said there was a different option and it could free me from the curse the fae laid on me. It was like he knew about the blessing I got. I didn’t recognize his voice, but he seemed to know me. “He said there was a way for me to be made whole. I told him I was fine and not interested and that the fae didn’t curse me. He told me I was ignoring the truth because I had been indoctrinated with the goddess’ lies for most of my life. He wouldn’t leave until you came. I was worried he was going to try to take me out of here. “I would have fought, but he was a shapeshifter. Not a werewolf, but something else, and a fight like that would have drawn the bad sort of attention. Plus, I was exhausted from using my magic all day. Most of the people here are human, so they wouldn’t have been able to help me….” I wrapped my arms around her and held her. Thank the goddess I only needed to leave her for a few minutes. If that guy was acting that aggressively, then he could have actually tried that. A few moments later, Rhett appeared in front of us. He knelt down and looked at Carmen. “Are you alright? I sensed a darkness near you, but I couldn’t find you until just now. The darkness obscured you from me. What happened?” he asked in a worried tone. Carmen and I explained it to him. It wasn’t that I forgot about Rhett, but he didn’t factor into much for me. It was as if I didn’t think of him if he wasn’t around or brought up by someone else. Since he wasn’t a threat, he wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.“Go home, tell your queen about this. I’ll go talk to the werewolves again. I warned them about this darkness, apparently it has disciples now. People need to be told about this. I have no idea what will happen to the people they bring into it. Promise you won’t let them take you anywhere. Fight with everything you have in you, Carmen,” Rhett said. She nodded. “It felt really bad like there was something terrible that would happen if I went.” “It was your True Sight telling you the most likely future if you went with him. I know you would never leave me, but your True Sight was warning you about his intentions,” I replied. “Keep a closer eye on her, Rock. Whoever and whatever this is, it’s preying on those who are weaker. The small, the young, the misunderstood, and the rejected. You should be careful, too. Even fae are disappearing into the darkness,” Rhett warned. “We’ll do that. I’ll contact Queen Maeve as soon as we get home.” “What about my father, Rhett? He was rejected and he disappeared,” Carmen asked. Rhett looked at her, then away. He closed his eyes and I could see a darkness fluttering around him. He was trying to track down Carmen’s dad. I held her while he did this. “I’m sorry, Carmen, I can’t track him. I think the darkness might have gotten him unless he figured out how to hide himself from me, which isn’t likely. There’s nothing I can do,” Rhett answered. Carmen nodded and leaned against me more. I knew she hoped her father could be saved, but now it looked like he was probably gone for good. Rhett looked more upset than I thought he should, but didn’t indicate why. “I’ll head to the pack lands and deal with the wolves. You get Carmen home. The fae lands are safer for her than anywhere else right now,” he insisted. We couldn’t argue with that. He was telling the truth and it looked like Carmen’s father might have joined this group of supernaturals who were messing with something dark. I didn’t like the idea of him joining a group who may not have any qualms with breaking up a goddess-made match. If they didn’t believe in or follow the goddess, then they didn’t respect the mate bond. I wouldn’t lose my mate to anyone, ever. And I would kill anyone who tried to take her from me. Carmen was the best thing to ever happen to me and I couldn’t lose her. Carmen went with me to check out and we stayed on our guard while we were paying and getting out to my truck again. I loaded Carmen into the cab and put the groceries into the back before getting in. Though I kept it in a safe range, I drove as quickly as I could back to the fae lands. If nothing else, that man couldn’t find my mate if she was there. It was enough for me to consider keeping Carmen home until this was dealt with, but I couldn’t. She needed to be at work. She couldn’t be bundled up and locked away because of danger.She was stronger than that. Carmen was protected, even at work. Forrest and Viola would never let someone take her from there. I calmed myself and was back to normal before we pulled into the driveway. “Rock, I promise, I was never going to go with him. I don’t want to leave you and I am happy that the goddess matched us,” Carmen said quietly. “I didn’t think you would, Carmen. I was worried about him getting some friends to help him take you from me. It’s still a worry for me. You’re my most precious person, the other half of my heart. If I lost you, I would turn into the monster they all heard trolls could be. Always fight to come back to me, okay?”Carmen unbuckled her belt and crawled across the bench seat. She climbed into my lap and held my face in her hands. “You are mine and I will always fight. Never give up on me. I promise to always come back to you,” she whispered and kissed me gently. I wrapped my arms around her and returned her kisses. I would never give up on her and I would kill anyone who got in my way. Carmen was my mate and nothing would make me give her up.