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Turning on my heel, I led the way to my office tucked into the east wing of the house. Relief trickled into my veins when I noticed that neither of his guards were trailing after us. Good. This would actually be a private conversation. There was a part of me that was concerned they would try to intrude on my pet’s privacy and I quickly willed some of my magic to lock her door.
Quinn wouldn’t question me on this, not when I’d hurried her into the room and instructed her to remain there until my guests left. The look in her eyes revealed that’s all she needed to know. As far as she was concerned, this was my world that I had been born into and she wouldn’t object.
I nudged the door to my office open and eased out of the way, allowing my father to move inside first. Once he had reached the two chairs stationed across from my desk, his pale eyes strayed toward my chair. While he pondered something silently, I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached in agony. The tension didn’t fade until he seemed to reject an idea and took one of the two empty chairs. I shoved the door shut.
Salvatore’s eyes followed me as I eased around the desk and sat down. “You are my son, Asher. There’s no need for me to beat around the bush about this. Since you are wise beyond your years, you know why I’ve asked to speak to you alone.”
I nodded slowly, tugging the bottom drawer of my desk open. “You’re curious about my new pet.” My voice was soft as I retrieved the bottle of wine stashed there with two glasses. I eased one glass down on his side of the desk before I tugged the cork free and filled it halfway. Although my desire to fill it to the brim tore through me, I forced myself to give my own glass the same amount.
My father tapped on the head of his cane with his thumb. “A Bianca Gallows reached out to me a few hours ago to inform me that you’d put in a request to have old blood in storage analyzed. I’m fully aware of what you think of me, Asher. I am old and I am indeed paranoid. You would not have requested analysis of your pet’s blood if you didn’t believe it was required. I would like to know why it was needed.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I struggled to tame my frazzled nerves. I had known putting in the request would risk alerting my father. Something like that would certainly not escape his attention, not when it was related to the original ruling family. Add in the fact that the house still smelled like sex and there was no chance I could’ve swept this under the rug.
If I even wanted to.
I retrieved my glass and tapped a finger against it. “I needed answers.”
“About your pet.” He watched me closely.
This is not a conversation I want to have with a man who hasn’t been anything close to a father figure. Flexing my jaw to avoid agitating the bones any further, I nodded slowly. “Yes.”
It was no secret that I was answering his questions just enough to avoid his wrath. It was just another method I had been raised with and he knew it. That didn’t mean he was going to leave the matter alone. He shifted in the chair and reached out to grab his glass. “I’ve seen the report, Asher. There is nothing special about the girl aside from the mere fact that she had a demonic father. The man was never in her life more than impregnating her mother. So, why would you request further analysis?”
I responded with a small shrug, glass in hand and all. “She has Faxiss blood running through her veins.”
Salvatore’s head whipped around, his pale eyes honing in on the closed door. He sat there for several minutes while he seemed to process where his guards and my fellow demon lord were within the house. Only when he accepted their current location did he finally return his attention to me. “I was not aware Dionysis passed after spawning a living heir.” His voice was soft. “Most of us didn’t know he was still alive until his body was left on the street.”
A part of me had anticipated a wild rage at the news that there was still a surviving member of the original royal family. I’d grown up with the stories of how they were once a high-standing bloodline within the mafia world. They demanded unfaltering loyalty. No one had the balls to cross them. How things had turned against them so badly, no one knew. All that was certain was that their numbers dwindled until only a few remained.
Then the Faxiss family was simply no more and my father was chosen to take over the throne.
“Blood doesn’t lie, Father. She is Dionysis’ daughter.” I swirled the liquid within the glass, using it as a distraction to avoid letting my nerves take control. “The humanity within her is dying. Her demonic blood has taken dominance.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “You sound very certain, my son. What proof do you have that she is converting into a full-blooded demon?”
The frustrated groan almost escaped my lips. I could easily retrieve the file stashed away in my safe, but that would require teleporting out of the office and hoping I didn’t attract the attention of the others. So, I settled for the one piece of proof that didn’t force my brief departure. I reached under my suit jacket and tugged the gray shirt down to expose the fresh marking on my chest.
Salvatore’s eyes bulged. “The Faxiss emblem,” he rasped. “So it’s true. The girl is the only survivor of that massacre.”
Relief tore through me as he stumbled back into his own thoughts. I had feared the tattoo wouldn’t be enough to convince him. It was bad enough that Nico had stumbled upon me while I was still locked within Quinn. Hell, him spilling the news to Archer didn’t help. Admitting what had happened to a man I felt no bond to was something I had no desire to do. Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to.
When my father spoke again, I could almost see the echo of the man he used to be. Firm, determined — terrifying. His eyes narrowed into thin slits as he honed in on me. “I want to meet the girl.”
I dipped my head forward slightly. “As you wish, but your accompanying guards will not touch her.”
An eyebrow rose. “You’ve marked her.”
“I have. The mating bond has been completed and it’s only encouraged her demonic blood to continue taking dominance.”
Salvator studied me for a moment in silence before he finally responded with a slow nod. “Very well. I will see to it that none of my men lay a hand on your pet, Asher. She will have the protection of our family name. However, I will warn you…if she is bold enough to betray you…that will be no more.”
I rested the glass on my desk, struggling to conceal the relief pulsing through my veins. “Understood.”
From a man like Salvatore Aeternus, I could ask nothing more from him. All I could do was hope that meeting Quinn Rossi would earn his approval enough for him to leave me alone in these matters. As far as he was concerned, my mind was still set on taking out the angelic prince and putting an end to the war before it started.
Failure would only occur if the bastards managed to take us both out first.
I’m coming for you, Marcillo. You and that Nephilim.
