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Or maybe I could just crawl in bed, snuggle into him, and sleep for a month. A year. A decade?
So many of my fantasies lately involved the two of us together, in bed and…unconscious.
Not the steamiest daydream for a newly engaged couple for sure.
“I’ve done what I can to sustain its magic.” Dad strode in with the braid in his fist. “A spell of this type feeds off its host’s energy. It had absorbed enough of Nan’s essence for me to revive it, but within the next six to ten hours, it will begin giving off my signature instead of Luca’s.”
Oh fun. Another ticking clock. Now the others would have a new friend to play with.
“How do we guarantee the director comes to us before then?”
“Asa makes a good point.” I leaned my shoulder against him. “We blew the wig test.”
There was no telling what precautions the director had taken, but the wig wouldn’t have been sent on a joyride without having a means of tracking its movements. He would know, or suspect, the driver was dead after he saw the car had been stationary for several hours.
“All we can do is stay put and hope that piques the director’s interest enough he gets bold.” Dad dipped his chin. “Now that Father has disposed of the spell on Clay, ensuring we can’t track his movements, our blind spot might prove enough of atemptation for him to pursue Luca, even if doubling back in this area is a risky proposition.”
But while we were playing Luca to lure him in, where was the real one?
“We’re wasting time.” I raked my fingers through my hair, yanking on the roots like that might tear out clumps of guilt instead of my scalp. “Innocent lives pay for every second we burn.”
Both humans and the denizens of Hael.
“This isn’t a waste of time.” Dad cupped my elbow, leading me to the door. “Neither is this.”
Asa shifted his weight forward, ready to follow, but Dad pressed a hand against his chest.
“I want to work on her magic.” Dad slid his gaze past Asa’s shoulder. “It’s best if we do that alone.”
The intensity of Asa’s stare as it settled on me almost buckled my knees, but he let it go. “All right.”
“Want to make out before I leave?” I fisted his shirt in my free hand. “Make Dad regret his life choices?”
A smile teased the edge of his lips, as I hoped it would, but he shook his head. “I’ll stay with Colby.”
Since I would much rather her stay here, and safe, while Dad threw magic at me, I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Come on.” Dad held the door. “We don’t have long, but I promised your mother I would make time.”
With Colby back with me, I had let the priority of the Hunk slide down the to-do list yet again. I was grateful Dad was throwing on the brakes, forcing me to take a moment for myself, even as life spun out around me. It was nice being taken care of, and not just by my friends and chosen family, but by my actual parents.
They had missed so many milestones in my life through no fault of their own, and I was grateful that this was when theyhad been returned to me. I was happy they could glimpse who I wanted to be, not who I had been raised to be. Happy they could meet Colby and Asa. Happy we could heal the wounds of our pasts together, even if it meant opening old scars first.
We entered the elevator and rode it to the top floor. The fancy lock on the door leading to the roof was no match for Dad’s magic, and I let myself out. A moment of hesitation as Dad joined me warned he had more on his mind than magic and wanted privacy to discuss it. “Colby shouldn’t be there if we have to fight Clay.”
The idea of wounding Clay opened a hole in my chest that sucked all the air from my lungs.
No wonder Dad wanted to have this talk out of her earshot. Truthfully? I didn’t want to hear it either.
“All we have to do is smudge hisshem.” I gripped Dad’s arm. “We need to neutralize him, not hurt him.”
The hard edges of Dad’s expression softened as his gaze settled on me. “I’ll do my best to only immobilize him.”
I narrowed my eyes on him to drive home the point I expected his best to be more than good enough.
“I’ll text Marita and Derry.” I pursed my lips. “We’ll need the backup if Clay shows.”
As much as I hated agreeing with Dad, I knew he was right to be cautious.
