The larger man holds out a hand. “Parxon. Eilidh’s father.” He has her violet eyes but barely looks older than Zuzu, maybe thirty, if that.
I shake with him. “Sorry our first meeting is under such chaotic circumstances.”
“Me, too.” He’s as tall as I am, and broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair just to his shoulders and tied back. If I didn’t know he wasn’t a shifter, I’d assume he was, just from the very air swirling around him. His scent is nearly identical to Eilidh’s, too. “She was distraught when she thought she might never see you again.”
“Yes, well, that makes two of us.” I look down at my beautiful girl. “Is there any way to chain her to the bed?” I smile, hoping he realizes that’s a joke.
He chuckles. “I heard the story.” He pats me on the shoulder. “You sound very dedicated to her.”
“I love her. She’s mine.”
“But are you hers?”
I take a deep breath, an easy breath with her scent once again on me and in my lungs. My pulse finally levels out and calms. “Forever.”
“Good. Come. We shall talk.”
“But—”
“She’ll be all right.” He nods toward Zuzu. “Please, let him attend to her. He needs this time with her. You and I will have a lifetime at her side.”
It hits me what he means—Zuzu won’t leave this world and we will. After leaning in and kissing Eilidh, I follow Parxon back downstairs. We stop by the living room, collect Garrett and Amber, and then end up in a kitchen that…
Well the whole house, actually, reminds me of some sort of fusion between rustic Art Deco and old French country, with a healthy dose of the Craftsman movement.
Parxon motions for us to sit at the table and then pulls dishes of food from what I assume is the fridge and passes out plates, cups, and a pitcher of what I think is some kind of tea.
“For starters, thank you very much for whatever you did that helped bring him back here,” he says. “Secondly, I hope you were not planning to return tonight. It will be tomorrow night at the earliest before I can return you. I am too exhausted, as is Zeuzehn, and Eilidh is obviously in no condition to go. But you will be safe here with us until then. We will keep the doors locked and the shutters drawn and wait until nightfall to take you back. We are still within the phase where my ring can transport you. But we must return you tomorrow night, or you will be stuck here until the next phase.”
Relief fills me. “Excellent.”
He leans back in his chair and studies me as he eats pieces of fruit that look like grapes. Then he focuses on Garrett. “You know this man, correct?”
Garrett looks reluctant to answer. “It’s complicated.”
Amber elbows him. “Yes, we know him. Dexter’s a good man.”
“You are the one who can see things?”
She nods. “That’s me.”
“Meaning he is a wolf, correct?” He points to Garrett.
Garrett darkly scowls, but nods.
“Do not worry. I have lived my life keeping secrets. I cannot wait to finally be able to join my daughter in her world. I have dreamed of this for so long and honestly had lost hope. Thank the fates and old ones for Zeuzehn’s faith and efforts. I truly do not deserve that man’s friendship.”
I lean forward. “So…yeah. About that. Our talk got interrupted the other night. What’s the deal with you two?”
“He is my husband, but we are not mates—we are friends.” He points to my shoulder. “Let me see where she marked you.”
“What?” me and Garrett both ask.
Amber smirks.
“She is half jotnun Alpha, and she said she bit you. She didn’t know what it meant.” He points at Garrett. “We all share common ancestry, from before the old families. People who could shift were among the sorted. People with the virus.” He points at me. “Alphas still mark their mates in our world. We have a kind of venom that bonds our mate to us, and us to them. She instinctively marked you because you are her true mate.”
Garrett stares at me in shock. I finally unbutton my shirt and show them the mark.
