I shook my head and pulled the covers over his shoulder better. “No, you stay here. I don’t want to risk him catching us.”
“If you say so...”
Within Claude’s borrowed sight, a portal shimmered into existence, and Ambermourn of all people stepped through. I paused pulling my pants on to see where this was going. Dad smiled half-heartedly and went to hug him, but Ambermourn pulled him in for, to my shock, a lustful kiss. Claude slapped a hand over his mouth in astonishment. Dad shoved Ambermourn off and whispered, “Not here, idiot!” before tugging him through the portal.
“Follow him! I’ll be right on your tail!” I instructed Claude.
“On it!” he barked back before slipping through the portal as it closed.
I finished yanking on a t-shirt and jeans before teleporting to the bar Claude was hiding in, crouched under a table. I zig-zagged through the crowd until I could kneel beside him, my eyes narrowed angrily at the two men sitting a few tables down from us. I made myself invisible to Humans and clung to Claude’s forearm to keep myself from jumping up and outing myself. “Can you believe this fucking asshole?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions just yet. Atlas was terrified of this man not three months ago. There has to be more to the story than we’re seeing.”
“I don’t need a voice of reason right now. I need you to be pissed with me!” I grumbled stubbornly.
Claude chuckled and ruffled my hair. “Sorry, kiddo, but you get voice of reason Claude right now. Let's get a little closer so we can listen better.”
“He better pray to the Gods that this isn’t what I think it is...” I snarled before army crawling through patron’s legs. Claude stayed near the stage while I ducked under the table nearest them, hanging out of the side so I could listen better.
Dad and Ambermourn held hands on the tabletop, sipping beers casually as a singer crooned a jazz song on stage. Ambermourn lifted their embrace to kiss his fingertips, and Dad’s reaction was to smile lovingly. That smile made me throw up in my mouth. “How long are you going to make me wait before I can bring you back home with me?” Ambermourn pouted playfully.
Dad rolled his eyes. “You have no patience. Can’t you enjoy a nice evening out before trying to get into my pants?”
“Into my pants!” I gasped out in an ungodly rage.
Ambermourn let out a loose, sexy chuckle. “I’m taking advantage of the fun while it lasts.”
“I can see that.” Dad put an index finger under Ambermourn’s chin and guided his face closer to his. I was puffing clouds of black smoke under the table, so intense that I was astonished he couldn’t see it funneling out of me. Dad gave him a passionate, intimate kiss, full on tonguing him in the middle of the bar. Claude shot me a look of disbelief that I mimicked as the two parted. “You don’t have me long tonight. I have to help Nick in the morning with his Elite Elementals, so we have to cut things short a bit.”
“How fair is that? Can’t he handle one thing on his own?” Ambermourn whined.
Dad pinched his cheek to make him beam. “He needs my attention as much as you do.”
“I beg to differ.” Ambermourn walked his fingers up Dad’s forearm to flick his nose. “I think you and I have a much more fun time. Nick is all work.”
“He can be,” Dad admitted, “but he is taking things over for me after all. I need him trained to the best of his ability so I can relinquish my role.”
Ambermourn ran a maraschino cherry across Dad’s lower lip, watching the juice run over his mouth. “Will you have more time for me when you do?”
Dad bit the cherry seductively. “I’ll make room in my schedule.”
I was past the point of no return. Claude could sense I was at my breaking point and flashed across the room to tug on my arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here before you get yourself in trouble.”
“I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him!” I choked out as tears bubbled along my lash line. “How could he do this to us? To Mom? To my mom?”
Claude wiped the tears from my eyes. “Let’s talk to her in the morning, see if we can figure this out together. I’m telling you, Nick, that this is more complex than you think.”
“Nothing is worth cheating on my mommy!” I stubbornly sobbed out.
Claude snorted a little laugh at my tone and words. “Come on, blubber.”
I stormed to the doors leading into McBride Hall with smoke and tears bubbling around my eyes. The lights were on, meaning everyone was awake, and I was glad about it, too. I planned to cause the biggest scene imaginable. I threw the door open so hard that it nearly broke in two, scaring the absolute crap out of Zephryine and Halcyon, who were sharing coffee at the dining table. “Geez Louise, Nick! What the heck is up with you?” Halcyon huffed.
“Mommy!” I roared, which made Mom peer around the kitchen wall at me. She had been toasting a bagel for she, and I presumed Dad, who had come home after his midnight rendezvous after all. I knew this because his keys and shoes were next to the front door.
“Uh oh, you’re calling me Mommy. Something big must be wrong.” She automatically rushed from the kitchen and moved to cradle my face in her palms. Her thumbs brushed my tears away, which bubbled even harder when I was face to face with her. “Love Bug, what’s wrong?”
I sniffled once before breaking into a full sob and throwing my arms around her. “How could he…!” I managed to force out into her shoulder.
