Maybe I didn’t need to know whether my father had ever loved me.
Maybe I just needed to know that I was capable of being loved differently.
“Baby, I’m home,” Jace called, the front door shutting behind him. “Where are you?”
“In here, Daddy.”
I listened to the rhythm of his footsteps coming down the hall, then the soft creak of the bedroom door opening.
He paused when he saw me.
I was flat on my back on top of the comforter, hands folded over my stomach, staring at the ceiling like it might offer answers if I looked at it long enough.
“What’re you doing?” he asked, voice softer now.
“Thinking.”
He hummed at that. The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge of the bed, fingers brushing over my ankle before trailing up my calf in a slow, absentminded stroke.
“Dangerous pastime,” he murmured. “Hopefully you’re not thinking about trying to leave me?”
“Never, Daddy,” I answered, smiling up at him as he crawled over me.
When his hands landed on the mattress on either side of my head, he smirked and looked down at me with a smug expression. “Good,” he purred. “I wouldn’t want to have to shackle one of those pretty ankles to the floor. Although…” His eyes heated.
“Whatever you want, Daddy,” I breathed.
His pupils expanded, and he took a deep breath, shaking hishead after with a grin. “One day you’re going to regret those words.”
Leaning down, he kissed me. My eyes fluttered shut at the feel of his teeth grazing my bottom lip. He pulled back without deepening the kiss, then rolled onto the mattress, stretching out beside me.
He didn’t crowd me, didn’t cage me in like he sometimes did when the world felt too big and loud. He just lay there, shoulder to shoulder with me, hands folded over his own chest, mimicking my posture.
We stared at the ceiling together.
“What’s up there?” he asked lightly.
“Nothing.”
“Must be fascinating.”
I smiled faintly, shaking my head.
“I was thinking about them,” I said after a moment. “The other people from the Covenant,” I clarified quietly.
Jace exhaled through his nose, obviously not pleased with the turn in conversation but willing to listen to me anyway. “Okay.”
“I keep wondering where they are,” I continued. “Like, are they in trouble like Father? Surely not all of them are, especially the children.” My throat felt tight, but not panicked, just a bit clogged with emotion. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“From what I understand, only your father and the Inner Circle members were arrested. I’m not sure where the others went, but I’m sure they’re fine. Some of them have even been testifying.”
“Really? Who?”
“I don’t remember a lot of their names. But I know that girl—well, young woman—the one who had her hair cut offby your dad. And then the boy you took the whipping for… Shiloh? I know it starts with an S—”
My eyes widened in recognition. “Marin and Silas.”
“Yeah, that sounds right. There are a few others, but it’s hard when I’m not part of the case. I think there are at least two older women.”
