His graying eyebrow rose slightly. He leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard again.
“Okay, here’s the thing.” Leya got up again, too on edge. “The fairy came from another world, right?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“And Aerén, yes, I, er…like him very much, too.” She could feel Aerén’s raised brow. “Well, he is like the fairy from a different world.”
“Leya.” Her father rose and parked his palms on the desk. “You want a man with blue hair, then I’m happy for you. But folklore is myth. It’s not true.” He dropped the thick accent. “We all know this.”
“Appa…” She reached for Aerén’s hand, and it wrapped around hers as he came closer. “What I’m telling you is real. Aerén is from another world. Only, he’s not a fairy.”Thank the stars for that.She ignored Aerén soft mutter. “He’s an angel, an Empyrean angel.”
Instantly, her father’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t see any wings or a halo.”
“No, I don’t have wings, Mr. Park,” Aerén said. “Most of my species don’t, unlike the divine angels.”
Her father eyed Aerén like he’d escaped the madhouse. She knew this would be tough for her hard-headed parent. Heck, for anyone. About to ask Aerén to do the dagger thing again, her father gasped.
He stumbled backward, dropping into his seat. “Angel…”
Leya glanced back. A bright, silvery aura surrounded Aerén.
Whoa! This was what she’d seen the first time she saw him in the coffeehouse, then it had faded.
The cell on the desk beeped with a text. Hana glanced at it. “Appa, it’s Uncle Shanker. He said you’re going fishing this afternoon?”
Her father blinked as if coming out of a fog. “Yes, yes, tell him I can’t come.”
“Appa, go.” Leya smiled affectionately. “I’ll still be here, Aerén too, and you can ask us anything you want.”
After a minute, he nodded, picked up his truck keys, and aimed for the door, then stopped. “Maybe catching fish will give me time to think.”
“Appa, please don’t tell Uncle Shanker about Aerén or what he is. Immortals can’t reveal themselves in this world. Well, only to people who matter.”
“Immortals?” He shook his head. “Oy, daughter, I don’t want my brother-in-law and best friend to think I’ve lost my mind.” With a little shake of his head, he opened the door and disappeared.
“That went well,” Hana chirped then burst out laughing.
“He’ll come back armed with a mile-long list of questions, if he doesn’t think this was all a dream,” Leya grumbled and met Aerén’s amused stare.
“It was fun watching you try and explain me to your sire—”
“I’ll do the scroll test.”
At her sister’s quiet tone, Leya wheeled around. “What?”
Hana rose and shrugged, shutting down the computer. “Pointless waiting. I might as well find out if I do have this blood magic. Maybe then, you’ll stop bugging me.”
Aerén didn’t say anything for a second, probably shocked Hana had agreed so easily, then he nodded, retrieved his cell from his jeans pocket, and sent a message.
“I don’t bug you,” Leya muttered.
“True.” Hana grinned. “I couldn’t resist. But I am curious.”
Her trepidation building, Leya shivered and slipped on her denim jacket. “I’ll see you later?” She directed her question to Aerén.
“You’re coming, too,” he said, tone flat. He didn’t seem relieved Hana had agreed to do the test.
“Oookaythen.” Hana walked around the desk, glancing between them. “Let me go warn Saul he must lock up after, er, Thiorr leaves.” She hustled out through the side door and into the dull, overcast afternoon.
