"Protect me?" Nikolas's stomach twisted. "I'm not a child."
"You are my son! My son, okay! And it's my job to–"
"She's off limits, Mom," he said, interrupting her. "And I mean it. This is the one thing I'm asking you for."
He shook his head, adding, "It doesn't matter to me whether you accept her or not. I would love it if you did. But since you won't, it doesn't matter. I don't need you to."
"Nikolas, don't talk to me like that." Loredana glared at him.
Lucian stepped into the argument. "Mom, I think it's enough. There is nothing wrong with being with a human. You've never been with one, so you don't understand what it's like to love a human."
"Love a human?"
She laughed.
"Have you lost your mind, Lucian?" She looked at Nikolas. "Tell me something. Does she know what you are?"
Nikolas couldn't answer her.
