“Laura,please,” Dad said before Mom came flying out of his study with tears trailing down her cheeks.
Rage built too fast, always reminding me of my anger issues, but I was in his study in the next breath stepping towards him aggressively. “What did you do, Dad?”
He did a double take and sighed, not afraid of me even when he should be. The fool was way too trusting and always thought loving someone would protect them.
Fool.
“Not what you’re thinking—not whatshethinks.” He scrubbed his hand over his head and sighed.
I chilled when he looked at the door and his eyes were full of agony. “What happened?”
“I don’t lie to my mate and sometimes I think I should to save her pain, but she wouldn’t mate me without it in our vows and I can’t ever break them.” He met my gaze. “I’veneverbroken my vows to your mother.”
No, he wouldn’t. Dad didn’t have as many faults as most, but he still had them. Hurting his mate wasn’t one of them.
Then I put the pieces together. “Mom thinksyouwere unfaithful?”
He relaxed a bit and sat on the edge of his desk. “I’m glad you know me well enough to know I would never.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “No, not that I’ve cheated, but—apparently I said a name in my sleep and she asked if I thought they were attractive. Yes. Okay,yes, the woman is attractive. I’m not dead, but I have—I wouldnever. Never.”
“Who?”
He shook his head, but it seemed more like a shiver and he rubbed his face again. “Taylor, I wasn’t even fantasizing about her. If I said…” He frowned. “The council estate was burning. That’s what I was dreaming. The familiars were inside and someone ran in. I guess…”
I almost fell over. “Bevin?You’re fucking attracted to Bevin Millen? Are you fucking—”
“No,no,” Dad argued, getting to his feet. “I’m notlustingover a teenager, Taylor. I said the woman is attractive. She is. I’m—” He shivered again. “I’m still disturbed at seeing those pictures of her underage. It wasgrotesquethat her parents passed bikini pictures around to sexualize her.” He gave me a hard look. “I don’t have thoughts of her like that. Notever.”
I let out a slow breath and took it down a notch. “I get it. She’s got pretty features and—she could easily model. She’s—I get it, but she’s not my type either.”
“Yes,exactly. She’s a damn kid—young enough to beyourkid.”
That was pushing it, but I understood his point. “And Mom asked if you thought she was attractive, not if you were into her—I get it. I’ll talk to her.”
“I wasn’t thinking—distracted and not giving my mate the attention she deserved,” he mumbled, gesturing to his overflowing desk. “She asked me and then… I didn’t know I said her name in my sleep.” He frowned again. “The only thing I remember dreaming of was the fire at the estate. It would take out all of our familiars if we’re not careful.
“I remember someone running in and… Yes, blonde hair. It was probably her in the dream—nightmare. I woke thinking we need to do a test on the sprinklers and magic. We need to learn from Charles Shaw’s demise and maybe not have all of our familiars together even if that’s helping. Put more protections in place. All of us.”
“Conrad. You’re upset about Conrad.”
“Of course I am,” Dad snapped, rare anger in his eyes and features. “I want that monster dead.” He sighed when I flinched. “It’s not because Bevin is attractive. She is more—Ibelieve herthat she is a test from the gods, Taylor. That is the way thepropheciesare told about a god or goddess witch being born to the former noble bloodlines.
“And that disgusting cockroach we despise already tried to—it’s unforgivable. It’s sexual and magical slavery. I am furious we didn’t do more to him, but it would give whispers to her being a goddess witch. Which they wanted. They want her named our pet goddess witch.”
I couldn’t hide my shock when he picked up a lamp from his desk and launched it across the room. “Dad?”
His chest heaved as he turned to me looking destroyed. “Why has our family—my mate—suffered so much to help this fucking society if the cancer is so far into our council and I let it happen as its leader? I’m so ashamed I didn’t see how bad it was and—I struggle to not step down. I’ve failed in the mission and the ones I love have paid a steep price for my failure.”
Fuck. Just…Fuck.
This wasn’t the time for Dad to have a crisis of faith.
It took me a bit to talk him off the ledge and I was honestly impressed that I could given it wasn’t my strong suit. Then I went to speak with Mom. She was much easier to deal with and I knew that wasn’t because of me. She confessed that she came back to discuss things with him and partially overheard us.
I told her the rest and was glad that she understood. I told them they needed to take a weekend for themselves. Even a fucking night without social events and go hide away at a hotel and have room service. Just do something for themselves before we all imploded.
“Take your own advice, Taylor,” she whispered, kissing my cheek. “You are doing so well and I’mso proudof the man you are, but I wish you would be a bit more selfish for your own health.”
“I’ll try.” I nodded and promised thinking it was great advice for all of us. Really, it was.
