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Even Wrath seemed to sit up straighter.
“So, we’re supposed to just trust you now?” I asked, dumbfounded. “After you abandoned me? After you kept this entire identity from me?” My voice shook. Alek’s hand slid to my knee and squeezed gently.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I had spent my entire life accepting the fact that my father was gone, had left Theia and I for good, and would never be returning.
I had spent the last two weeks trying to adjust to the fact that my father had been a demon, one of the most powerful to exist. And that I was now a half-demon, which was a truth I still didn’t want to accept.
Now, sitting here and looking at him, I was supposed to believe he came back after everything to help us?
Police sirens sounded in the distance. Rain splattered the pavement outside, occasionally clinking onto the few glass windows in Night Raven. And aside from that, silence.
It was palpable and heavy and seemed to last for ages.
“I understand why you’re confused, and I would understand if it took time to trust me. I don’t want to take over the legion.” His eyes settled on Wrath. “I don’t want to take your place as the king of demons. I never wanted that, believe me. But my daughter, my blood, opened that veil. And if we don’t work together to close it, I fear all our lives will be in jeopardy.”
Natalie stared back at him with a set jaw. Wrath looked between us all as if waiting for our reaction. And Alek?
I listened to his breathing, felt his chest rise and fall steadily beside me. He was the only thing keeping me tethered to my chair, keeping me from exploding.
“I need some air,” I breathed. “We can talk about this more later.”
I slid out of the booth and stormed out of Night Raven, not caring who followed me. Not caring if it seemed dramatic or pompous.
Hell, after everything I had been through, I think I deserved to be slightly dramatic.
I let the door slam shut behind me as I stepped into the cold, wet night of the city. Out here, it was hard to imagine that my blood held the fate of our entire world. I wasn’t thinking when I dropped that veil, but Alek was dead. What the hell else was I supposed to do? Walk away?
This mess was on my shoulders, but I had to accept that. I would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant saving Alek’s life.
A few seconds later, the door opened again. I didn’t have to turn to know who had followed me.
“You’re under no obligation to be so nice to your father,” Alek said. I glanced over my shoulder to find him leaning up against the door, hands shoved in his pockets.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Neither are you.”
Alek walked up and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me into his addicting warmth. His chin rested on the top of my head as he held me. “At least there haven’t been any more world-shattering earthquakes. The night sky seems to remain intact. The world hasn’t come crashing down around us yet.”
I elbowed him lightly in the ribs with a scoff. “This isn’t the time for jokes, Alek.”
He laughed, and I tried to brand the way he vibrated through me into my memory. Alek had been my rock through all of this. Every time I woke up screaming with nightmares, every time my eyes jolted open to the sound of the house settling around us, he was there. Reminding me I was safe. Reminding me she wasn’t coming back.
But the truth was, we had no idea where Theia had escaped to. She would return, I was sure of it. I just didn’t know when or where.
“Something isn’t right.” I twisted around to face him as I muttered the words. Alek only wrapped his arms around me even tighter and placed a kiss on my head. He felt it, too. His instincts were fierce and primal and never wrong.
Something dark and monstrous clung to the cold winter air.
“Let’s get out of here,” Alek whispered. “Just us. We can go to the lake house and ignore all our problems for the weekend.”
I smiled. “I’m not sure your brother would appreciate that. Or my father, for that matter.”
“Wrath is the king for a reason. He’s good in a crisis, and he enjoys being in charge. Trust me, they won’t even notice we’re gone.” His lips curled into a knowing smirk.
That was almost laughable, but I let the idea wash over me, anyway. Getting away from this chaos sounded heavenly. For the last few hours, we had been digging ourselves deeper and deeper into this unknown hole with absolutely no way of getting out.
I deserved a break. I deserved peace.
Even if it were just one night.
