“Anyway.” I cut in. “Vince and then rest caught up, and he called Verity to knock me out. He wanted her to force me to shift so he could…” I just looked down at my hands.
“Please tell me he didn’t.” Thoth’s voice dropped to a deadly threat. Even with the voice warping, I could hear it.
“Baby.” My father was calm, but I could see the twitch in his eye. “Did he?”
I shook my head. “I stayed shifted. Verity told him she could only put me into a light sleep from where she was. Apparently, she had already made it to the car with the ‘brotherhood’, so she knocked me out. I woke up on the way to the jail, but I pretended to stay asleep because I needed to figure out if Rick really was with them. I had told him my secret. I had already taken his mate, pup, and him to the cabin and I showed them Carly.”
“The shaman?” My dad asked. “How is she holding up? I heard Carl was dead?”
I just nodded. “She is doing okay. I let Carl see her every so often.”
“Wait, you just said he was dead.” Thoth sounded a little breathless. “How are you letting a dead man see his kid?”
I just looked at his screen and pretended it was his face. “Magic.”
My dad snorted. “A new power, because it wasn’t a thing for me. It started with my grandmother, and now it apparently extends to Carl.”
I winked at him. “The Goddess has given me a bit of leeway.” I waved my hand again. “Anyway, back to Rick. He has a corrupted rune burned into his neck.” I yawned, the day catching up to me. “I was confused about it until I realized Verity, or her sisters, all laid draining traps all over Vince’s woods. Anyone that runs in there will lose their strength. It pulled my power in, too. And funneled it all into Rick. Making him faster and stronger until the power transfer was completed.”
My dad furrowed his brow. “Why would Vince give it all to Rick?”
“Because it’s killing him.” My answer was soft. “He can’t control the transfer and when he’s done using the power, the extra is purged from his system, so he can’t use it against Vince.”
“I thought you said they were working together?” A sound from Thoth’s side had us all silenced. Then there was movement before he dropped out of the call.
I looked at my dad and he held up a finger. “Give him a minute. He is in a room that I charmed. If anyone tries to get in, it lights up. He dropped the call to make sure no one would hear or see us.”
I nodded. “Who is he?”
My dad smiled. “That’s not for me to say. Why do you want to know?”
I looked away. “I-”
My dad’s eyes narrowed at me. “You like him, don’t you?”
I snapped my eyes to his. “I…” I groaned. “It’s stupid.”
My dad smiled. “What is pumpkin?” He was goading me. I groaned, and I covered my face with my hands.
I shook my head. “OKAY LISTEN.” I yelled and then hit my head against the wall. “After everything I went through with Brandon, finding a man I liked was the last thing on my mind. But then I met Rowan, and I had thought…” I looked off to the side. “I thought maybe, you know. Even when I knew it was impossible, he’s the king for Goddess’ sake. But I felt it in here.” I hit my chest, and I watched my dad’s eye turn sad.
“You really liked him?” His question caught me off guard.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Isat for a second, staring off to the side. “No, daddy I didn’t like him. I loved him, as stupid and reckless as it was. I was stupid enough to fall in love with him.” I looked back and I felt the tear, so I quickly swatted it away. “But he was always honest with me. If it was his choice…he would have chosen me. But he had to work with his wolf, who was in love with someone else.”
My father growled. “He’s a dumbass.”
“Not really.” He looked at me. “His wolf was in love with Nix, but we were both too stupid to realize it. Our wolves were in love and so were we. But there was never any crossover, so we didn’t know.” I rubbed my forehead. “And when I was forced into a heat, he refused to help.”
My dad was silent. “Rowan is saving himself for his mate.”
I nodded. “He is.”
My dad then growled. “He could have helped you.”
I sighed. “I thought that too at the time.” I wiped away another tear. “I hated him for a long time because it was just that simple. He could have helped me.” I turned to look at my dad. “But if you were an honest man, one I know you are. If you were in love with the wolf that was in heat in front of you. And she was throwing herself at you. Would you have been able to resist?”
