Jaw dropping moment.Who is this guy?This isn’t the nose-in-the-book Dad I’ve always known. “Who are you, and what have you done with my father?” I pick my jaw off the floor and give him my bug-eyed look.
“Just because you know me as being the stick in the mud physician, doesn’t mean I don’t have another side, Ry. If you sat down and actually took the time to talk to Lilith, she would tell you about a different side of me.” A wistful look appears on his face and it makes him look years younger. “Then again, it’s probably a good thing you don’t,” he chuckles.
I don’t remember him being so open and jovial before. Normally, like he said, he’s the physician with his nose in a book and his past close to his heart. So, if he’s in a sharing mood, I’m not passing up this opening to dig for a little bit more.
“Oh really? So you were pulling in the hooch like crazy?”
“I wasn’t required to come to Purgatory Prep like most Fae. Let’s just say I needed a fresh start,” he says without looking up from his reading.
“Being disowned, right?” I ask and take in some pleasure at the look of shock on his face. “I do pay attention to some of your stories.” I’m still not sure what happened for that to come about, but knowing my dad, his family must have had a huge stick up their asses.
Clearing his throat, he nods before continuing, “Indeed. One day, I walked into my lab class where the Sulks had struck again and Lilith was my sub. One thing led to another, and I was a lost cause. Never had I met someone who gave me a run for my money in the intellect department.”
Looking up, he gives me a knowing look. The fact that he can read me like that book while wearing his nerd swag makes me squirm in my seat a little.I wonder if I would look good with glasses?I could attract a whole new demographic…if my dick actually worked. Maybe Rez would like them. Nerd kink is a thing, and that girl lets her kink flag fly…if she ever talks to me again. Damn.
“Find a woman, or man if you prefer, that challenges you. Someone who brings the spark to that burning ember of yours because you will never be bored,” he advises. Turning to the correct page, he turns the manuscript around and pushes it towards me. “Here.”
Pulling the book into my lap, I bookmark the page with my finger and flip it over so I can see the title.Shifter life for Dummies.
Rolling his eyes at the skeptical look I give him, he continues, “It looks like you’ve already found someone.” He chuckles and leans over to point to the section in front of me.
Alignments of Unexplained Sexual Inability
*Curses
*Dampening cuffs
*Mate found
I find him smirking at me when I meet his eyes. “But how? I’m not a shifter, and that’s only a shifter thing.” I twist uncomfortably in my seat and wait on bated breath.
He leans back into his chair with his hands clasped and laying on his flat stomach. “Ready for a little history and Magical Essence 101?”
That isn’t where I thought this conversation was headed. All I can do is flap my jaw and give him a slight nod.
“Are they still teaching in school that Lilith was the first human?” I nod, having no clue where this is coming from. There’s no part of my DNA that needs a freaking mate.
“I thought so,” he says, with a thoughtful nod. “Well, here’s the real history. There were a total of six original beings. Two on Earth in a lush garden, and four that walked between two planes freely. Adam was human until Lilith had her way with him. Lilith was a different creature in her own right. The four that walked freely were the four horsemen, and they were in charge of…well…chaos at the time. Death, Pestilence, Famine, and War. They helped balance the world.”
Of course, I’ve heard about the four horsemen, everyone has, but no one has ever said there were six original beings and all of them being different. For some reason I always thought the horsemen came about in a time of need, I guess. Taking in my expression, Dad chuckles.
“Oh, that’s just the beginning, and I know you’ll go back and tell the others, but it’s high time you all know.” I quirk an eyebrow at that.What the hell do we not know?
“Lilith wasn’t just a normal demon. Since she was the first and most powerful, she needed a check and balance system: Mates. They were made to keep her balanced and keep her strong mentally.”
Okay, he was losing me. “Okay, wait.” I stop him, leaning forward to get his attention. He has an almost reminiscent look as he explains, and I don’t know how to feel about that. “So, let me get this straight. You’re saying that Lilith wasn’t originally a human, but really a demon, like we know now, right?” His nod is the only answer I get. “So, why isn’t that being taught in school, and what does that have to do with my dick not fucking working?”
“Patience, young grasshopper, I was getting there.” Slumping back in my chair, and groaning from the hard plastic digging into my back, I roll my eyes. Annoyed, I wave my hand at him, indicating for him to continue on. “Like I was saying, before you had to interrupt—most demons don’t have true mates. Yes, you will see them form a legion and say they are all mates, but that’s not accurate. Actually, Lilith is the only one that needs multiple ones, hence her harem. And they don’t teach it because it’s Lilith’s story and not everyone needs to learn it.”
Wait. Lilith has a harem? Since when?
For as long as I’ve known her, she’s only been around her assistants and the other council members. Heaving the book back up onto his desk, I point an accusing finger at the word ‘mate.’
“Then why show me this if mates aren’t a true thing in the demon world? I always figured my mother was part demon. It’s the only explanation for why I’m part Incubus.” Frustration seeps out as I shoot Dad a condescending glare.
Chuckling, he picks up the book and looks down at the page he opened. He runs his hands over the words like they are precious and revered. “Lilith needed four mates to be exact, and even though she wasn’t capable of birthing children, that didn’t stop her. There’s beauty where Science and Magic combine, creating vast and endless possibilities, Ryker. You are one of them.”
That sends my head reeling.What the fuck is he talking about now?
