“Blood in, blood out. You are his only heir, which means you don’t have a choice, Lorelei.” Salvador’s head is tilted back as he pulls as far away from me as he can, his short, thick horns nearly touching my wing. “He worked too hard to let the other factions choose a stranger to lead the Obsidian Angels.” His black eyes search my face.
Gods damn it.My father would grind me to a pebble if I let that happen. My wings slowly release, and Salvador takes a deep breath, realizing his words hit the intended target and I’m capable of seeing his reasoning.
“This is only temporary. You hear me, Reaper? Only until Harlow returns.”
Salvador drops his eyes to the floor, and I get a sickening feeling in my gut that doesn’t ease when he meets my gaze again and says, “Whatever you say, Boss.”
I spin to face the club, and my eyes rake over the group, finding Modeus front and center. How did I not notice him sooner? I’ve made sure to steer clear of the Prince of Lust, but Harlow told me I could trust him. He would be a powerful ally, however, I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.
I don’t see Thana, the sergeant at arms. Where the fuck is the vampire? If anyone is here, it should be her. She works almost as closely with Harlow as Salvador does. I see other faces in the crowd, some I would trust in a battle but not with details of my life. I let them all get a good look at me. As the only female gargoyle in existence, I am a marvel to some and a freak to others. I don’t give a fuck what they think about me, but I do care about them helping me find my dad.
Edicts fly from my stony lips as if to prove Salvador right in his selection. “You have the five minutes it’s going to take Reaper to catch me up to speed to make a very important decision. What assets do you possess that will help me find Harlow?” It’s implied that if they are not helping me, then they are worthless. A few heads look to the left and right, as if assessing their neighbor, or maybe they are questioning what right I have to make demands of them. Modeus doesn’t look away, though, I can feel his gaze crawling over my hardened skin. It’s unnerving.
I could make examples of a few members and get rid of a couple of creatures I never really liked, but it would be a waste of time and effort. I don’t want them to blindly follow me forever, and they should want to do everything to help me find Harlow.
“The boss is our only objective until he’s found. If anyone steps out of line or distracts us from this, the penalty is death.” I scan the room again, checking for any faces that might take issue with what I’m about to say. “This doesn’t only apply to our usual charges, it goes for club members too. Spread the word and heed my warning. I will not hesitate to kill anyone that stands in my way.” I allow my words to sink in before I level Salvador with my gaze. “Let’s talk.”
The floor groans in complaint as I jerk open the door to my dad’s office. It’s strange not seeing him sitting in one of the chairs or behind the desk. It’s been years since I’ve been in here without him present.
I avoid looking around too much. I don’t have time to be sentimental, I have shit to do. Salvador follows behind me and closes the door, locking us in the room.
“What the fuck, Sal?” I toss my hands into the air. I’d like to wrap them around his neck, but I refrain.
“This is not how I expected my week to go either, Lore.” The demon plants his hands on his waist and lets me see just how exhausted he is when his head falls forward. I give him the few seconds he needs to get his shit together.
“Tell me what you know,” I demand the moment Salvador looks up.
“It ain’t much,” he warns. “Harlow told me he had some business to take care of. I didn’t think much of it because that’s what he says when—”
“When he’s going to get laid,” I interrupt, waving my hand and telling him to get on with it.
“Or when it’s January,” Sal explains like I’m the one missing something.
Am I?Shit.January is the month I was born, which happens to coincide with his mate’s, my mother’s, death. Childbirth is a bitch for many species, but there’s a reason I’m the only female gargoyle left. The chance of survival is only about fifty percent, even less if the child is a girl.
“Is that where he went? To see her?” I question.
“I don’t know, Lore. I didn’t see him for a few days, which again, isn’t all that unusual for your old man this time of the year. When I did try to catch up with him, I realized he hadn’t been back since he originally left. That was three days ago,” he admits.
“Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” I snap. And why the hell didn’t I know my dad disappears in January?
“I thought I would find his sorry ass moping around, since it wouldn’t be the first time, but no one has seen him, Lore. He’s just gone.” Salvador flicks his fingers out like a puff of magic.
“No one just disappears. Did you check her tomb?”
“Of course I checked. There was no evidence he’d been there at all.”
“You should have called me.” My wings snap out behind me—proof I’m having a hard time containing my anger.
“He didn’t want you to know.” Salvador actually raises his voice to me. “For Christ’s sake, he waited until you were on your own before he even allowed himself the little bit of time every year to grieve his fucking mate.”
“He didn’t need to do that for me,” I holler back, feeling defensive.
“He didn’t want you thinking he blamed you or that he regretted it, Lorelei. Other than this club, you’re his fucking world, the only thing he has left of her. He loves you and didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Fuck you!” I scream with so much fury, the floor beneath my feet trembles. My entire body deflates, and much softer, I mumble, “Fuck you, Sal. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“For the same reasons he didn’t,” he admits. His black eyes have a hard time meeting mine. There’s some shit going through my head I don’t have time for, but what made them think I couldn’t handle the truth, and what else did I miss?
