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“I mean, I'm glad she's talking to someone because Mira and I have noticed she's been more withdrawn lately.” Steve frowned. “But I'm going to be honest here. It fucking bothers me that she's going to you instead of me.”

Daniel couldn't blame him for feeling that way. He knew how much Steve loved Drew, and there wasn't a damn thing the Warrior wouldn't do for her. Steve hadn't fathered Drew, but that didn't mean shit. He'd stepped into her life and loved her without hesitation, treating her as his own from the beginning. Daniel had always respected him for that. Steve might be goofy as fuck and rarely took anything seriously, but when it came to Drew, there was no questioning the kind of man he was. And hearing the hurt in his voice bothered Daniel more than he expected. The last thing he wanted was for Steve to think he was somehow taking his place in Drew's life.

“Listen, Steve.” Daniel wanted to make one thing perfectly clear before anything else. “That little girl loves you more than anything, and nothing is ever going to change that. Just because she talks to me about certain things doesn't mean she trusts you any less. You're her dad, man. I'm just someone she feels comfortable talking to when something's bothering her. Most of what she tells me is about school. How much she hates it, the kids picking on her or not including her in things. She never said a word to me about her magic until I caught her messing with Sid.”

Steve was quiet for a moment as he took that in. “I didn't want her going to public school in the first place because I knew she'd become a target. But Mira wants her to have a normal upbringing, and I get that. I really do.”

“She's well protected,” Daniel assured him. “I made sure of it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Steve rubbed a hand over his face. “Between you, Kira, and Mira, I know she's protected from all the evil shit that seems to follow us around. But you can't protect her from kids being assholes. I know what it's like to be picked on, Daniel. Been there, done that, and it fucking sucks. I don't want her going through this shit.”

Daniel thought about that for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Have you ever picked her up from school?”

“Yeah, every day that I can.” Steve gave him a confused look, obviously wondering where the hell he was going with this.

“On your motorcycle?” Daniel cocked an eyebrow.

Understanding dawned in Steve's eyes. “No, I haven't. Dude, why in the hell didn't I think of that?”

Daniel grinned. “Bet it would shut a few of those little...assholes...up when they see Drew climbing onto the back of a motorcycle with her badass Warrior dad.”

“Fuck yeah!” Steve jumped to his feet, looking ready to head straight to the school before his excitement faded and he dropped back onto the bench. “Shit. Mira will hate it. She doesn't like Drew riding on the bike.”

“Not trying to cause trouble between you and Mira, but this is about Drew.” Daniel shrugged, trying not to laugh at the sudden change in Steve's mood. “Maybe this is one of those times you do it first and deal with the consequences later.”

“You do realize we're talking about Mira, right?” Steve gave him a look of disbelief. “The woman who can turn me into a fucking toad or a pile of shit if she gets pissed off enough. Being mated to a witch can be hazardous to your health, man.”

Daniel couldn't help laughing. “Once you explain why you did it, she'll understand. She wants what's best for Drew just as much as you do.”

Steve eyed him suspiciously for a long moment. “You better be right about this, Daniel, because if I end up hopping around eating flies or become an actual pile of shit, your ass is figuring out how to turn me back. And just so we're clear, she's threatened me with both.”

“Deal.” Daniel grinned, still chuckling as Steve headed toward the workout area. Before he reached the door, though, Daniel stopped him. “Hey, Steve. Wait a second. You asked me earlier how I knew Drew was going to be important to me.”

“Yeah.” Steve turned back toward him, his earlier humor fading as he waited for Daniel to continue.

Daniel wanted to be completely honest with Steve. The last thing he wanted was for the man to question his intentions whenever he spent time with Drew. He had always cared deeply for the little girl, and knowing how protective Steve was of her, he understood why he needed answers.

“I've always known there was something special about Drew, and I suspected magic had something to do with it.” Daniel paused, trying to find the right words to explain something he didn't fully understand himself. “But whenever she's around me, everything inside my head calms down. All the noise, the demons, everything I've lived with my entire life just...quiets. For the first time in my life, there are moments when I actually feel normal.”

Daniel had never imagined he'd be admitting something so personal to Steve, but the man deserved to know the truth.

“I need you to understand something, Steve. I would never use Drew for that. I would never seek her out just because being around her makes my life easier. She's a little girl, and whatever this connection is between us, I won't take advantage of it. You have my word on that.” Daniel held Steve's gaze, wanting there to be no doubt about his intentions. “And the strangest part of all this is that she knew what she was doing for me long before I realized she knew.”

Steve reached out and gripped Daniel's shoulder. “Listen, Daniel, I trust you more than most, and I know you'd never take advantage of Drew. Hell, half the time I don't know what the fuck is going on with her, but knowing she's got you looking out for her along with the rest of us makes me feel a hell of a lot better.”

Daniel had expected questions, maybe even a warning to be careful where Drew was concerned. Instead, Steve had given him his complete trust, and coming from a man as protective of his daughter as Steve was, that said a lot.

“And I'm glad she helps you. You know, I've got a few demons of my own. Not the kind you deal with, but they're there.” Steve glanced down at his arm, where faint scars remained from the night he'd been hung on the gate at the old compound, words carved into his flesh. Daniel had seen some of the lingering faint scars on his chest when he had changed shirts. “Some shit stays with you no matter how much time passes. But that little girl has a way of making me forget about it, even if it's just for a little while. So I get it.”

“I appreciate your trust, Steve,” Daniel said and meant it.

The door opened as several recruits began filing into the workout area. Daniel started to turn back toward Steve when his gaze collided with a pair of the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Whatever he was about to say vanished as every fucking demon inside his head suddenly came alive, their deafening roar nearly bringing him to his knees. He'd lived with them his entire life, but never had they reacted like this. And all because of a young woman standing across the room staring at him. There was something hauntingly familiar about her, something that made absolutely no sense because he was damn sure he'd never seen her before. What the fuck was happening to him?

“Who is that?” Daniel demanded, unable to tear his gaze away as she glanced around the room before looking directly at him again.

“That's Jamie.” Steve frowned, looking between the two of them. “Lana and Caroline's sister.”

Daniel barely heard Steve's answer. His gaze remained on Jamie as he struggled to make sense of the chaos going on inside his head.