“Get yourself some breakfast.” He held her gaze. “Please.”
“All right. Don’t have a stroke.” She sighed, dragging herself to her feet. “I’m not that hungry.” But once she was at the sideboard, she didn’t spare any space on her plate. She returned, sitting closer to Herne so that she was kitty corner to me.
I broke open my croissant, spreading butter and jam on it. As I bit into it, she gave me another look, again rolling her eyes and shaking her head. I swallowed the bread, then dabbed my lips with my napkin.
“Is there a problem?” I asked. I would try to be nice, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to be walked over, especially by a whiny brat. It didn’t matter whether she was the daughter of a god or an Amazon or the kid down the street.
Herne glanced at her. “Answer her.”
Danielle gave him a glowering look. “You told me to be polite to her. If I answer her, I’d be breaking my promise.”
So we were playing the passive-aggressive game, were we? I decided to quit mincing words. I set down my fork, propped my elbows on the table, and leaned my chin on my hands, staring directly at her.
“Danielle, You don’t know me. You don’t want to talk to me. Fine. But the fact is that I’m your father’s girlfriend, and we have been together for over six months. I don’t care if you like me, or what you think about me. That means squat to me if you’re going to be a snot about it. I would like to become friends, but I’m not going to play all nice-nice while you treat me like shit. However…for the sake of your father, how about you and I both show some civility to each other?” I wasn’t feeling particularly diplomatic today, and at this point I didn’t really care what the girl thought about me.
She blinked, the sneer sliding off her face. “What makes you think you can talk to me that way?”
“If you act like a snot-nosed brat, I’m going to treat you like one regardless of who your parents are. Now, let’s change the subject and make brunch as pleasant as we can.”
I glanced at Herne, surprised by the laughter behind his veiled eyes.
“I agree with Ember,” he said. “Brunch is a civil event, or it’s supposed to be. Let’s relax, enjoy the food, and be polite.” He turned to stare at Danielle. “No matter what you’re feeling.”
She seemed to be gauging her chances. Then, with a shrug, she said, “Whatever,” and dug into her food, ignoring the both of us.
Herne's phone rang at that moment, and he stepped away from the table to answer it. I finished my croissant when Danielle wiped her mouth on her napkin.
“My father says that you’re part Dark Fae, part Light Fae. I didn’t think the two courts could interbreed.” It wasn’t so much a statement as a question.
I shrugged, wiping my own mouth. “Both sides would prefer that people believe that, but the truth is, Light or Dark, we’re all the same race. The Fae can interbreed with each other, with humans, and with some other members of the SubCult. Saílle and Névé just don’t like that fact, and they do their best to cover it up. Neither court recognizes me as legitimate.”
The surly look began to slide off her face. “How did your parents meet?”
“To be honest I’m not quite sure. My mother promised to tell me when I was older, but they were murdered when I was fifteen, before she had the chance. So I never found out.” I held Danielle’s gaze, still hoping that we could establish some sort of common ground.
She recoiled, wincing. “They were murdered? You were only fifteen? That was probably tough,” she said, a slight hesitation in her voice.
“Oh, it gets better than that,” I said. I seemed to be getting through to her by being blunt, so decided to go for it. “My grandparents on both sides ordered my parents’ assassinations. I found them when I came home from school, on the floor, stabbed so many times that they had bled completely out.”
Danielle let out a little bleat. She glanced at me again, her cheeks flushing, then she stared down at her plate, toying with her food. I felt like this was a good time to change the subject.
“So, are you having fun getting to know your father?”
Again, she gave a little shrug, but this time she didn’t seem so snarly. “It’s okay. It’s not quite what I thought it would be.” She looked me in the eye. “I didn’t even know who my father was until last month.”
“Your mother never told you that Herne was your father until now?” I knew the answer to that one, but I had the feeling that Myrna might be using Danielle as a pawn.
Danielle shook her head. “No. In fact, for years she told me she didn’t know who my father was. Then all of a sudden she changed her tune and start talking about how she’d found him, and that I really should meet him. I guess I’m glad to know, and at least he’s not some pervert or war god. But we got along just fine without him. In fact, everything was just great until she met Thantos. Then everything fell apart.”
Hmm, what was Myra looking to get out of this? If she had never felt the need to look up Herne before, what had caused the change?
“Who’s Thantos? Obviously her boyfriend but…”
Danielle shrugged again. “He’s one of Zeus’s sons. I don’t know who his mother was, some woman I guess. Thantos is a demigod, like Herne. But then he got all pervy, and he came onto me. My mother caught him trying to feel me up, and they got in a huge argument. He said some really nasty things and stomped out. I guess she blames me. I don’t know why, because I can’t stand the thought of him touching me. He’s gross.” She paused, suddenly looking up as though she hadn’t realized she had been talking out loud.
“So that’s when she contacted Herne to see if he would take you?”
Ten to one Myrna was trying to get Thantos back, now that her daughter was out of the way. It surprised me that any Amazon would knuckle under to a man like that. If Danielle had been my daughter, Thantos would have been nursing a broken pecker.
“You think she’s trying to get rid of me, too, don’t you?” Danielle’s eyes crinkled, and I could see the wounded child beneath the exterior. She might look like an adult, but we were truly dealing with a young woman.
I paused, trying to frame my answer so it wouldn’t reflect too badly on her mother.
“I think your mother might be a little mixed up right now. Maybe she needs some time to think.” Part of me wanted to pay a visit to Myrna and set her straight, but that would be a huge mistake. But I couldn’t just let this go.
“Mixed up is right.” Danielle shook her head. “I wouldn’t have let him touch me,” she said, a pleading note in her voice. I wondered just how much her mother had believed her. “No matter what my mother thinks. I haven’t told her this yet, but I like girls.” She said it almost shyly.
I smiled, then, nodded. “Also, you told him no and he didn’t listen. What he did was wrong, Danielle. You weren’t to blame. And because he’s an adult, it means he’s totally at fault.” I stopped as Herne returned to the table.
He glanced at Danielle, and then at me, his brow crinkling. “So you two haven’t been beating each other up, I hope?”
Danielle shrugged, but this time she smiled a little. “No.”
I finished my bacon. “Who was that on the phone?”
Herne’s eyes flashed as he stared at me. “Kipa. Ember, can I talk to you in private?”
Oh crap, I thought. Kipa had ratted me out. I said nothing, but stood and followed Herne into his study.
HERNE SHUT THE door behind him as I crossed to the window, leaning against the sill. He sat on the corner of his desk, staring at me with his arms folded across his chest.
“So, you were partying with Kipa last night, were you?”
I kept my eyes on the birdfeeder out back. It was blustery outside, pouring rain and the wind was rising. The trees surrounding Herne’s rental were swaying and I could feel the storm growing. Unfortunately, I had the feeling that I was in for quite a storm of my own.
“Angel and I went to Medinos.
Kipa happened to be there, and we had a few drinks with him. Why do you ask?”
“Kipa told me you got shit-faced drunk. He said he helped take you home and pour you into bed. Now, normally I wouldn’t think to ask this but given it was Kipa, and given you’re my girlfriend, I feel it necessary to ask if he poured you into bed alone?”
Swinging around, I pointed my finger at him. “You listen to me. I’m not Nya. You know I love you, and I’ve told you that I have no interest in bedding Kipa. I’m insulted you feel you have to ask that.”
Herne couldn’t look straight at me, but his voice was gruff as he said, “Kipa said you danced together.”
“Yes, we danced. I like to dance and you weren’t there. I’d dance with Angel if she wanted me to, or Viktor, or Talia, or Ginty. Dancing isn’t fucking. Not that I feel I owe you an explanation, but here it is, all laid out. Yes, I flirted a little with Kipa—all in fun. He was the perfect gentleman. He kept his hands to himself. I was drunk off my ass and feeling horrible over breaking the news about Ulstair to Raven. You weren’t there. But Angel and Kipa were. If you don’t believe me that nothing happened, ask her. Except she’ll bust your ass for suspecting me.”
Herne’s eyes flashed, but then he began to deflate. “Kipa told me nothing happened. But he wanted me to know just in case anybody saw you two and decided to spread rumors. Were you at least going to tell me?”
I still didn’t like his accusatory tone, but I knew how badly Kipa had hurt him before.
“Yes, I was. But not in front of your daughter. We haven’t had any time alone since I got here until now. What more do you want to know? Do you want to know what song we danced to? Because I can’t remember. I do remember how crummy I felt. First, finding those bodies, then telling Raven, and let’s not forget finding out my boyfriend has a daughter. Apparently, I broke down in front of Kipa and Angel last night and ugly cried. So, yes. I got drunk. I got shit-faced drunk. I danced with Kipa. I drank three goblin blasters… Maybe four.”
Herne coughed. “You drank three goblin blasters? No wonder you were three sheets in the wind.”
I let out a long sigh. “Herne, I’m terrified you’re going to drop me because of Danielle. And there’s absolutely nothing I can say because… Family. Your family comes first, and she’s your blood. We’re not married. We’re not engaged. You owe your daughter…well…I don’t know what, but she needs you. After talking to her in there while you were on the phone, I see that. So if I’m coming between you two, I know the score. And I’m angry at myself because I feel so insecure.”
He held out his hands. I stared at them, wanting to take them, but I couldn’t. Not just yet.
“Ember, there’s room in my life for you and for Danielle. Even if she doesn’t like you, we’ll find a way.”
I dropped to the sofa. “Look, I have to say something. Yeah, we’ve said I love you but until now, I didn’t realize just how truly in love with you I am. And that scares me because it makes me vulnerable. I’ve been alone most of my life, except for Angel. I don’t like needing other people. It’s scary, being invested in somebody else’s life, when they might just toss me aside. I’ve always had to rely on myself. And lately I’ve come to rely on you. And that scares me too.”
Herne sat beside me, pulling me into his arms. He lifted my chin and pressed his lips against mine. His strength flowed through me as the kiss swept me up, back into his world. He lingered, and the longer he kissed me the more I realized that I had truly lost my heart to him. After a while, he let me go.
“I will always tell you where we stand. I won’t lie to you. I give you my word, as the son of Cernunnos. I give you my word on my mother’s magic. If something does happen, I’ll tell you. I’m not sure how all this will play out, but Ember, you have the key to my heart. And I promise you that I won’t let anybody tear us apart.”
I leaned back against the window, relieved and yet still afraid. Being vulnerable meant being open to pain. But I trusted Herne and decided to release the worry that had crept into my heart. Herne had given me his promise on all that was sacred to him, and that was all I could ask.
After a moment, I nodded. “All right.”
“So what did you and Danielle talk about while I was gone?”
I licked my lips, not wanting to break her confidence but feeling that Herne should know about Thantos.
“Actually, it was okay. But, Herne, I think I know why Myrna contacted you. And your daughter needs reassurance right now.” It might not be my place to tell Herne what Danielle had told me, but he was her father and I felt he should know. If Danielle went back to Myrna’s while Thantos was there, she’d be in danger. And there was no way I could let that happen.
“What do you mean?” Herne asked.
I motioned for him to sit down. “You have to promise me that you won’t tell her I told you. I don’t want her to think that I’m carrying tales, but this is important.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
I told him what Danielle had said. “Thantos obviously doesn’t care about her age.”
Herne’s expression darkened. “I can see I need to have to have a talk with Myrna. I’ll keep you out of this, but there’s no way I’m letting my daughter go back to her mother if that pervert is around. Unfortunately, this is a big problem in the realm of the gods.”
At that moment my phone rang, and I glanced at it. It was Raven. “I need to take this,” I said. “I’ll meet you back at the table.”
Herne nodded, heading out the door as I answered the phone.
“Ember, I wanted to ask if you and Angel would come over this afternoon? I’m holding a ceremony to mark Ulstair’s passing, and really, we didn’t have many friends in common. Very few of my kind understand my desire to be with someone who isn’t Ante-Fae. And he didn’t have a lot of connections from the Dark Court. He had a few work friends, but they wouldn’t understand this kind of ceremony. So I thought…”
“I’ll be there. What time?” I understood her feelings of isolation.
“Three-thirty? Will that work?” There was a frailty in her voice that touched my heart.
“That’s fine. Have you called Angel yet?”
“I did. She said she could come. I really appreciate this. I just can’t face this alone and I didn’t know who else to call.”
Reassuring her I would be there, I hung up and returned to the table. Herne and Danielle and I finished our brunch on relatively good terms, and I made my good-byes.
As I drove home to change clothes and pick some flowers to take to Raven’s, I thought over everything that I had learned about Danielle. She really wasn’t that bad, once I understood where she was coming from. And if Herne had to have a child, at least she wasn’t a toddler. On the other hand, I wanted to bitch slap Myrna. Any woman who blamed her daughter for a grown man coming onto her had a few screws loose.
All the way home, I thought about Danielle, and how she had suddenly become a part of my life. It wasn’t something I had planned on, but as long as Herne and I were together, she would be a factor in our relationship.
Chapter 14
“WHAT SHOULD I wear?” Angel said. “I’ve never gone to something like this before.”
“Yes, you have. Remember, I held a small cord-cutting ceremony for my parents. You were the only one there.” I was sitting on Angel’s bed as she foraged through her closet. “I suggest wearing a dress in either purple, red, or black. Long and floaty would probably be the most appropriate.”
Angel sorted through her clothes, sliding the hangers one by one across the pole until she stopped, removing a dress from the closet. She held it up for me to see. “How about this? Do you think this will work?”
The dress was beautiful, a long gauze dress in a coral color. It had smocking on the back, and embroidery on the front, looking Bohemian. Yet it wasn’t flirty enough to be inappropriate.
“That’s gorgeous, and it will be perfect. Pair it with a black shawl.�
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“What are you wearing?” Angel asked.
“A purple skirt, and a black corset top. The skirt has a cropped jacket that goes with it. I’ll go get dressed now. We should take some flowers, and maybe a bottle of wine.”
I pushed myself off her bed, feeling exhausted. The combination of my drunken debauchery and the emotions of the morning had left me tired and spent. I told Angel about what had happened.
“I’m glad at least you and Danielle came to some sort of peace.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t easy.”
Angel shimmied out of her jeans, and pulled off her top. I stared at her stomach, thinking you could grate cheese on her abs. My own stomach muscles were just as defined, but they were covered with a nice layer of padding. I was muscled and fit, but I had curves, where Angel was tall and willowy.
“Me too, and I hope it lasts.” I headed toward the door. “I’m going to go change. Can you make me some coffee?”
“Roger that. I could go for a cup of tea, myself.”
After we changed clothes, we decided to save time and stop at the nearest Starbucks drive-through. There was a flower vendor on the corner, and while I ordered my coffee and Angel’s tea, she ran over to pick up a bouquet of rust-colored mums. We made another quick stop at The Grape Vine to pick up a bottle of their best merlot, and then headed over to Raven’s.
“You don’t think she’s going to try to summon up Ulstair’s ghost, do you?”
Given Raven was a bone witch, I was hesitant to say no, but logic won out.
“I sincerely doubt it. I can’t vouch for the Ante-Fae because you never know with them, but if she has any sense at all, she won’t attempt it. The only way I can see her doing so is in order to find out more about his murder, and right now, since we’re on the case, I doubt if she’ll try.” I paused. “You know, she truly loved him.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Raven’s made me rethink my assumptions about the Ante-Fae. I guess I can’t base my opinions on Blackthorn and his son. Stereotyping is pretty stupid, when you get down to it. Everyone is different, and that means it’s always a crapshoot when you’re dealing with someone new.”
A Shadow of Crows Page 16