“Oh, fuck,” I breathed. “There’s zero room to counter any of that and you know it.”
His eyes twinkled as he sipped from his tea.
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “So, how will this work? I perform Undead Domination a couple of times and… document it for you?”
“No physical evidence, Winter. You know how… squirrelly some beings still are about Necromancy after everything came out about Morien, following the war againstPuritas.”
“The Hybrid Liberation War is what they’re calling it these days.”
“A shiny term for that hell on earth. At least it highlights what mattered most—the shift in the way hybrid beings were viewed.”
Something all my parents were working really hard to ensure stayed that way, and that the rampant prejudice and anti-hybrid rhetoric that had been around back then didn’t revive and get its claws back into supernatural society again.
“You’ll perform it a couple of times, then call me. I also want you to employ Soul Track before you enter any new spaces.”
“All right. And then?”
“I’ll give you some time to settle in and then I’ll work around your class schedule to carve out a mentoring session—once a week at first.”
“And what about… you know… my issues with—”
“The fear?”
“Yes.”
“A very effective way of easing fear—and the stigma you hold toward Necromancy—is normalization. Through exposure to it and practice.”
“Okay. I… all right.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “With me about to attend Loxley Academy, it’s the time for exploration, for change. This should be part of that. And you’re right… I shouldn’t be this unnerved about an entire half of my makeup. Besides, I should really start focusing on the fact that I’ve got a positive example in you when it comes to that.”
He smiled out at me. “Very good.” He gestured at my half-finished dinner. “Eat up.”
We settled into the actual dinner of it all, now the heaviness had been dealt with.
“I’m proud of you,” he told me, beaming out at me.
“For enrolling in an academy?”
“It’s more than that for you with how sheltered we kept you. This was all your call and, considering the situation, it’s courageous and very mature of you. With that in mind, make sure you have fun as well while you’re there, independent of the academics.”
“And your apprenticeship?”
“My apprenticeship is going to be chock-full of fun.”
I chuckled. “You know what? I don’t actually doubt it, Dad.” Especially with his unconventional approach to… everything.
“And if Pops’ texts become incessant, let me know and I’ll see to it.” He shifted his weight and reached for the single piece of cinnamon toast he’d also ordered to go with his tea—kind of like a pre-dessert for him. “He’s going to really miss you, so it’s to be expected. It’s hard for him to let go. You know… not having you right there in the house anymore when he wakes up in themorning, when he comes home from working at Vyrn Hollow Shifter Habitat with the hybrid shifters alongside his mom… all of that.”
I smiled. The thinly veiled subtext wasn’t lost on me for a moment.
“I’m gonna miss you too, Dad.”
He raised his gaze, barely suppressed emotion glinting in his eyes. “I love you, son.”
“Forevermore.”
