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A tiny smile touches my lips instinctively.
It’s only been a few weeks since the fight at the Empire State Building, yet I feel as if I’m living in an entirely new world. The few times I ventured down to street level, I saw very few monsters, and those I did see stayed out of my way. I’ve actually seen morehumansthan monsters.
For the first time in forever, they have a fighting chance.
A clearing throat behind me pulls my attention off of the street and towards the tall, lean male beside me.
Tennious.
Behind him, his green eyes intent on me, is Chase. And I can only tell it’s Chase by the way he stands. Em would be leaning against the door by now, too lazy to remain upright.
Tennious clears his throat again, seemingly just as uncomfortable as I am, and then says, “Your mates let me in.”
Which probably explains why Chase is hovering.
I haven’t really had a chance to talk to Tennious since everything went down. Yes, he’s been around, but conversation between the two of us has been strained. He hasn’t brought up this elusive “Illy,” and I haven’t asked him. A part of me doesn’t want to know what he has to say.
“They seem a little overbearing, do they not?” Tennious continues in his cold, monotone voice.
He flicks his gaze towards first Chase and then the window beside the balcony door. I turn as well—just in time to see Tesq, Dev, and Creep all duck down.
I snort.
Overprotective fools.
Andthat’sanother reason why I haven’t been able to have alone time with my so-called bio father. All of my mates have been extremely needy since my apparent death. I’m barely able to leave the bed, let alone the room.
Well, all of my mates except for the Empty Man and Chase. Those two have been abnormally quiet lately. During the day, they travel into the city to find the Bell Witch who placed the spell on them, trapping Em in Chase’s body. At night, they retreat to their own room with only a mumbled word or two to me.
I thought when I woke up and Chase held me in his arms that all of our problems would magically melt away. But then, an off-handed, arrogant comment from Chase set me off. I got angry…and neither he nor I is the best at apologizing.
I hate the distance between us, but I know it’s not just their fault. At some point, I need to put on my big-girl panties and talk to them face-to-face. We can’t keep tiptoeing around each other.
But later.
Right now, I have a bio dad to deal with.
Tennious moves to join me at the railing. The wind stirs his white-blond hair, so much like the streaks in my own. We don’t speak for a long moment, but surprisingly, the silence isn’t uncomfortable nor fraught with tension. It’s almost…companionable.
Tennious breaks the silence at last. “You probably have questions.”
“You mentioned someone named Illy… Who is that?” I shift slightly so I’m able to see him fully.
The setting sun paints his white hair in swatches of red and orange.
“Illy…” A sad smile touches his lips, and I think it may be the first time I’ve seen an emotion on him that isn’t confusion or anger. “Illy was my mate. Myhumanmate.”
“Mate?”
Tennious…has a mate? No, he said “was.” So he had a mate? What happened to her?
I try to picture this stone-cold monster loving anyone, but the image evades me. I’m not even sure if he lovesme, and I’m apparently his daughter.
“Illy… Is that my mom?” I venture tentatively, unsure if I want to hear the answer.
“We met when she was nineteen. I tried to kill her.” He says this all the same way he says everything else—utterly expressionless.
I can’t help but smile, remembering all of the times I tried to murder my own mates.
