He frowned then slowly smiled, reading her mind. “Pretty perfect, yeah.”
“Kaia?” Her dad left the front porch and met them halfway across his front lawn.
She couldn’t read his face as he took in her new hair color, but he swept her into a tight hug without hesitation. Grateful for that acceptance, she hugged him back until a familiar growl made her smile.
She pulled back. “Dad, you know Orion.”
“Honestly. I’m a good person. I’m not sure how I keep getting involved with blood-suckers,” he muttered.
“Dad.”
Her father reluctantly released her and gave Orion a sweeping onceover. “The vryko. I’m not surprised.”
Orion yanked her close, glaring at her father until she cleared her throat and subtly stepped on his foot to get his attention.
“What?”
She frowned. “Be nice, please.”
He gave an exasperated breath but nodded to her dad. “Mage.”
“Vamp.” Then her father turned to Mormo and smiled. “Magician, welcome to my home.”
Mormo shook her dad’s hand and pounded him on the back. “Good to see you, Will. How’s Diana?” The two turned and swept into the house, leaving Kaia looking at Orion in surprise.
“They seem pretty friendly,” he said as they followed.
“I know. That’s weird.”
“Not weird,” her dad said and closed the door behind them. He gestured to the dining room, where he’d laid out some food. “After we fought with Mormo in the Chaos Coliseum, and Macy joined his cult” —Mormo’s raised a brow, and her father amended— “I mean,clan, it made sense to keep tabs on the new power vampires in the city. But I found that Mormo’s a pretty sensible guy. And Diana got to meet Hecate, which checked off one of her bucket list items. She had a thing at work or she’d be here, Kaia.”
“I know.” She did. Diana had always been there for her, and Kaia loved her unreservedly.
Orion squeezed her shoulders, standing behind her like a rock she could always rely on. She felt him hum with satisfaction, pleased to be useful and protective, which was new. She’d been hearing his thoughts on and off but not sensing his emotions. She didn’t know if she liked that. Did that mean he could read hers too?
He leaned down and whispered, “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled over her shoulder at him.
“Well, that’s to be determined,” her father said, drawing her attention once more. “Mormo, you don’t sense any demonic energy in her, do you?”
“No.”
Kaia heard a question there.
Orion lifted her hair and stared at the back of her neck. “Nothing here.”
“What?”
“Never mind.” He let her hair go and stepped back while her father flashed a net of golden energy over her. Awash in mage magic, she relaxed into his psychic touch, feeling at ease with her growing power despite not yet knowing what she could do.
Her father finally stepped back. It felt like a warm bath of power that took no time, but when she looked at the clock on the wall, she realized an hour had passed.
“Well, you’re definitely more than a sea nymph now. I mean, the white hair confirmed it.”
“What does that mean?”
He smiled tiredly. “It means you’re the new White Sea Witch in town. And your mother is not going to be pleased.”
