I lifted a shoulder. “You’ve been gone a lot over the past few months. This seemed like the sort of thing that should be discussed in person rather than through voicemail or text.”
“Is Connor aware?”
My flinch was slight. “I had to call him in to compel the police that showed up afterward.”
A note of anger broke through Liam’s rigid control. “You went to him because he’s less likely to defy you. You were afraid I’d compel them to forget.”
I might not have realized it in the moment, but that’s exactly what I’d been thinking.
“There’s one last thing,” I admitted.
Might as well get this all over with now while we were here.
“My father—”
Liam cut me off. “If this is about him being hunter-born, I’m aware.”
I stopped and stared, my lips parting in shock.
“I’m in charge of the territory’s security. I had a background check run on you and everyone close to you after I found out you were of Thomas’s line.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” I burst out.
“I guess that makes us even. Now we’ve both kept something from each other.”
I pressed my lips together so I didn’t say something I would later regret.
“This is a pretty big thing to have kept in your back pocket. What if he’d been dangerous?” I grumbled.
“I considered that possibility. If you’d followed the rules though, he never would have known.”
“Except he did,” I pointed out. “Apparently when your daughter suddenly becomes nocturnal and has pale skin, it’s a bit of a giveaway.”
“He may have had his suspicions, but he wouldn’t have acted without confirmation,” Liam corrected. “Given your attachment to your old life, I was willing to give him a chance. It helped that he’d been out of the game since meeting your mother. Also, his line is known for their integrity. They rarely hunt any but the worst of our kind. I judged the risk level acceptable.”
“Then Drake—” I trailed off.
Liam’s gaze sharpened. “What’s this?”
So, he didn’t know.
“He’s my cousin on my dad’s side.”
Which also made him a hunter.
“He said he’s here under council orders,” I added as the silence lengthened.
Liam looked at me. “Does Connor know what he is?”
I nodded. “He picked up his trace that night. I think he got close to him for answers.”
That seemed to satisfy Liam. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. Connor will keep an eye on him.”
I had to wonder if Liam was aware of the romantic undercurrents between those two. If not, I didn’t plan to be the one to tell him.
“Liam, what if I become a monster after all this?”
It was my biggest fear given voice.
