“What’s wrong, honey?” he asks, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
“It’s not what you think. We love you, and JP and I told him you’re our dad in every way. That you’ll always be our dad. Just because we found out he’s our bio dad, that doesn’t mean you aren’t ourrealdad,” she cries, hiccuping between sobs.
Matthew shh’s Moni and coaxes her to calm down until she breathes more evenly. Once she’s calmed enough, Matthew makes eye contact with me and smiles.
‘I understand. I’m not upset. I was just surprised, that’s all,’he tells me. I give him a small understanding smile and nod, and he turns back to care for Moni. Chester, sitting back watching the performance, finally walks over and helps Matthew calm his mate.
Returning to the others, the heated debate between Delvin and Dr. Steinbeck has turned into what has inflicted Rez. Dr. Steinbeck believes it’s some kind of poison, and Delvin believes it’s a curse.
“Maybe it’s both,” Ryker cuts in, looking at Rez.
Reaper is lying peacefully across Rez’s legs on the sofa as her upper body is in Delvin’s lap, her hair being combed by his long fingers.
“Here, how about you both budge out of the way and let us take care of her?” Zeke suggests, leaning over Delvin with a wet cloth and dabbing her forehead.
“I think I can take care of my daughter,” Delvin insists, trying to move Zeke out of the way, but he won’t dare move Rez since she’s resting peacefully.
“That’s up for debate. Seems she’s taken care of herself for the past six years without a parent. Past fifteen without you, if I did my math correctly,” Ryker throws out nonchalantly, flipping one of his daggers in his hand.
Delvin removes one of his hands from Rez’s curly brunette curls, and his power dances across his palm as each fingertip turns an electric blue with a spell, but Ryker doesn’t flinch as he calls HellFire to engulf his dagger.
“Enough,” Matthew shouts. “Can we please focus on what’s in front of us?”
Where did Zeke get the wet cloth? Turning around, I notice a small door in a corner behind a stack of books that I didn’t notice before. Peeking around the corner, there’s a tiny bathroom filled with toiletries on the counter with a shower in the corner. Not much, but it’s not bare.
“Fine, truce for now, but I don’t know who you are to be demanding such things of me,” Delvin says.
“Oh, that’s simple,” Ryker purrs, looking like a predator on a hunt for prey.
“She’s ours,” Knox growls.
“Yours?” Delvin asks mockingly.
“Yes, she’s our mate, and you’re lucky we’re letting you fucking touch her at all,” I say, finally rounding on him, joining the others as we stare him down.
Rez
“She’s coming to,” Moni yells.
Cracking my eyes open, I catch neon green and light teal swirls of color before my eyes, causing my stomach to roll.
An unladylike groan escapes from me before I roll over, throw up, and empty my already sparse stomach on the floor and the leg I’m lying on.
“Ewww, is it supposed to be that color?” Moni squeaks, turning a light teal with concern.
“Sorry,” I whisper as I try wiping the back of my hand across my mouth.
“Here, Nerezza, drink this. It will help with the nausea and bring down your fever,” Dr. Steinbeck encourages me, but I’m too tired to move. My head hangs over a knee as I look at the wall of feet before me.I recognize those boots. My men are here.
“Here, honey, let me help,” a familiar voice says, and I blink as tears slowly gather in my eyes.
It can’t be.
Hands help sit me up and lean against the back of the sofa. A wet washcloth is pressed against my mouth and chin, and I’m gently cleaned as I get my first glance at my father in years. His black hair is longer than I remember, but his light gray eyes are the same, with an added spark of life as he takes me in.
“You’ve changed so much,” he notices as he exchanges the cloth for Dr. Steinbeck's drink and hands it to me.
I’m flabbergasted at his words and his presence. I haven’t seen my father since I was six, and that’s what he has to say to me?
