"My mom was a fox shifter and my dad… is not." I wanted to tell him everything, but the gods didn't go around making themselves known for obvious reasons.
For as long as I could remember, I'd known who my father was and what that meant for me. If anyone knew—even shifters—they'd see me as a threat, or worse, and want to use what few abilities I had.
Apollo only told a select few, and those who did know were bound by a contract that would lead to their immediate death if they shared the information. I wasn't under those same stipulations, but I also had a lot to lose by word getting around that I was a demi-goddess.
"What is he? A unicorn? They heal, don't they?"Kingston chuckled. "Something about their blood... or is it their horn? Are unicorns real?"
"I don't think they are, but you never know." If they were, they were in hiding like dragons and other rare creatures. "He's magical… of ancient origin."
"Ancient origin. That's not much of an explanation. What are we doing, Wren?" He looked up at me, his eyes more open and awake now.
"What do you mean?" I smoothed my thumb back and forth over his chest. Maybe that would distract him from the conversation.
He sat up, keeping my hand captive against his chest. "I don't let people in easily and I've let you in. How can we trust you if you don't share yourself with us?"
Tears came to my eyes, and I put my head back against the tree trunk. "It's not easy for me to open up. My whole life I've…" I choked on my words and shook my head, hoping that would clear the tears.
"Your whole life you've had one purpose." He scooted next to me and pulled me against his chest. "You can do anything you want, Wren. But your job? It's sucked the life out of you."
He was right, and that was why I'd quit. At least, I thought I had. Agents didn't quit the coalition. Eventhough I was set on quitting, my brain was still stuck in work mode. I felt the need to see this whole investigation through. That meant I'd need to work with the coalition one last time. They had the resources to stop Marcos before it was too late.
"We have to fix this. Marcos and anyone else involved have to be stopped." I wiped my cheeks and pulled back to look at him. "If he has more wolves or is planning on revealing that wolf shifters exist…"
Kingston sighed and leaned forward, kissing me gently. He had such a sweet and tender side hidden under his tough guy persona. "I know… but I'm going to help. I started this whole mess in the first place."
"What else could you have done? You were protecting your sister." I stood and held out my hand. "Let's go get Sully and Zayn."
"What about his sister?" He took my hand and stood.
"She's back with her parents. She said she was captured and taken to a vet where her blood was taken. We need to look into all vets in the valley."
We started walking toward the cabin hand in hand, and Kingston didn't take his eyes off me. "Are you going to tell me how you gave me an energy boost?"
I stopped in my tracks. "I told you... my dad's an ancient magic user. He's also the creator of the coalition… the one that recruits all the agents and holds them to secrecy. There aren't many who know who or what he truly is. It's not my place to reveal his secrets."
"But it's a part of who you are too." He sounded so sad. "Iwantto trust you."
"But you don't." I couldn't blame him. I wouldn't trust me either after I’d lied to them.
"Do you trust us?" I shrugged because I hadn't given it much thought since I never opened up to anyone about myself. "Trust is a two-way street."
"I trust you enough to give you an intimate part of myself." I looked over at him as we started walking again. "Trust takes time. It's not like I can flip a switch and be a different person."
"I'm not asking you to be a different person, Wren. I want to know who I'm falling for." He looked straight ahead, his jaw ticking as he clenched it. "Now I sound like Zayn."
My heart thudded in my chest like we were running instead of walking. "How can you fall for someone you barely know?"
"I don't know." He grabbed the back of his neck and looked over at me sheepishly. "It's this feeling Iget in my chest every time I look at you or think about you."
I nearly stumbled over my own feet at his words. He reached out and grabbed my arm, steadying me. "Are you sure it's not indigestion? You said yourself you're getting old."
He threw his head back and laughed, the joyous sound bouncing off the trees. We laughed together for a few moments before we fell silent.
Kingston cleared his throat. "Are you planning on staying? Will the coalition even allow that?"
"I don't know." As much as I wanted to stay, I didn't know what was going to happen with the coalition or my dad. I was a grown woman but living completely by other people's rules. If they forced me to stay at headquarters, I might not have a choice.
"That's not fair to us." He sped up, leaving me looking at his muscular back.
