“As much as it pains me to say this, Ian is right,” Connor said. “I’m going to meet with Faith first, and I’d like to talk to the baby’s father too.”
“His parents haven’t even let him out of the house to go to school,” Mitchell said. “They like humans only slightly more than Faith’s parents like vampires.”
That meant Ian likely knew the parents. They’d probably been supporters when he and Simon had been trying to get Connor out of power.
“I’ll deal with them,” Connor said. “Just give me the information.”
Mitchell nodded.
“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Connor said, eyeing everyone to make sure they were paying attention. “I’m going to talk to the vampire parents tonight. Simon, you’re going with me after you clean up because they’re likely people who wanted to see you take over as leader. We’re going to insist that they get that kid back in school,” Connor said.
“It might help that Faith is a vampire now,” Ian added. “They aren’t looking at having a human grandchild anymore.”
“Good point,” Connor said. “They’re assholes for feeling that way, but that’s the way those type of people think.”
Ian laughed. “Assholes like me?”
Connor gave him a level look. “Exactly what I meant. Tomorrow, I’ll meet with Faith and her parents, not at the same time. I’ll have Raven, Danny, and Layla come with me.”
Everyone nodded their agreement, and Ian was relieved that he didn’t have to be part of this drama. He’d half-expected Connor to take him along to see the vampire family.
“If that’s all, I need to get home,” Ian said. “I’m kind of worried about how Kyleigh spent her day. This is all pretty new to her.”
“From what I hear, she stayed home all day,” Raven said. “Eloise stopped by with food but only stayed a little while because Kyleigh said she had some things to take care of.”
Ian frowned, wondering what things Kyleigh needed to take care of. Meeting with Oriel couldn’t have taken up her whole day. He was probably worrying over nothing. For all he knew, she could have spent the day dealing with souls that needed to be released. The woman had been on her own for centuries and could certainly handle one day alone in his home.
Chapter Thirty
Kyleigh was deep in thought when Ian walked in the front door that evening. She’d had no idea what time he’d be home, hadn’t even thought to ask when he’d left that morning. After their activities in the shower, both of them had tried hard to avoid talking. For her part, she wasn’t sure what to make of the sex. Okay, so logically, sex had been a regular activity for them since the first time, but things were different here.
“Hey,” Ian said cautiously. There was blood splattered across the front of his shirt and pants. “How was your day?” He gave her a brief smile but was obviously as uncomfortable as she was.
Kyleigh hesitated, not really sure she wanted to talk about her conversation with Oriel but knowing she had to. “I talked to Oriel.”
Ian’s gaze snapped to hers. “Are they saying we have to leave here already? He didn’t threaten you, did he?” There was no mistaking the menace in Ian’s voice.
Kyleigh shook her head. “Nothing like that. According to Oriel, we aren’t technically breaking any rules.”
Ian let out a quick bark of laughter. “I love how you put that. What exactly does that mean in asshole Fae terms?”
“It means they’ve never made any rules regarding our situation, so we can be here.”
“That’s good,” Ian said.
“He also said that not having any rules doesn’t mean Arawn won’t try to mess with us, which is easier to do while we’re in this realm. So far, he’s been kind of quiet, but Oriel says that’s not likely to last.”
“So, I shouldn’t get used to having my life back because it’s only temporary,” Ian said almost angrily.
Kyleigh didn’t answer because what could she say? Oriel was right; Ian could only have his life back if Arawn gave it to him, something Arawn was unlikely to do.
“I’m gonna get myself cleaned up,” Ian said. “Too bad I can’t wash this day out on patrol from my memory.”
“Rough day?” Kyleigh asked.
“I ran into Seth,” Ian said. “He led us to a really big Moon virus outbreak. Luckily, we were able to prevent them from rising as turned vampires, but it’s messy work.” Ian hesitated before continuing. “Seth was having a hard time coping with everything.”
“Poor Seth,” Kyleigh said softly. “He’s much too young to deal with the things we see in this territory. The Fae really should have assigned him somewhere less active for at least the first decade.”
“Yeah, he seemed pretty shaken up,” Ian admitted. “We talked some.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Seth is one of the few people I care about, and I really appreciate you taking care of him.”
Before Ian could answer, Kyleigh stood and gave him a fake smile. “Well, I’ll let you get cleaned up. I’m going up to my room.”
“It’s kind of early for bed,” Ian said.
“I’m going to read for a little while, unless you want me to stay down here until you finish showering.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound too desperate.
Ian hesitated before shaking his head. “Do what you want,” he said. “After I shower and change, I’m heading over to Simon’s house to spend the evening with Mitchell.”
There was a moment of hesitation, where Ian looked like he was going to ask her to join them. Whether he really wanted her there or felt obligated to include her, Kyleigh wasn’t sure. “I’m just going to read and maybe fall asleep early,” she said to take away any obligation he might feel to entertain her. Kyleigh headed upstairs before Ian could say anything else. With each step, she felt Ian’s eyes on her and fought the urge to turn around.
Chapter Thirty-One
While Ian had enjoyed his evening with Mitchell, it had been hard to miss the accusing stares from Layla. The woman had been pissed off that he’d left Kyleigh at home, and she made no effort to hide her feelings. Ian was a little pissed at himself. He really should have talked Kyleigh into coming. After being cooped up alone all day, she needed to get out. Then again, he might be reading the situation wrong. Kyleigh was used to being alone and might prefer her privacy. Hell, he didn’t know if he’d screwed up or not.
Saying goodnight to Mitchell had been especially difficult after his talk with Kyleigh. Any minute, she could tell him they had to leave. That’s what was bothering him most— the idea that this could be the last time he saw his son.
His home was quiet when he walked in the front door and headed upstairs. Looking around his room, he felt like he didn’t belong here. This place should bring back memories of Kate, but very little of her remained. Inhaling deeply, Ian could still smell Kyleigh in the room, but Kate’s scent was long gone.
Ian headed down the hall, past the room Kyleigh was in, to a room with butterflies painted on the walls. Opening the door, he stared at the barren room. He’d let Simon convince him to give Sarah’s things away. She’d been at an age where she thought she was too old for many of her toys. They’d been planning to repaint Sarah’s room right before she died, much to Ian’s disappointment. In fact, Kate and Sarah had been on the way to the business district to pick out new paint the day they’d been killed.
The familiar guilt settled in when Ian remembered how mad he’d been with Kate that day. After returning from patrol and finding them still gone, Ian had messaged her and told her they needed to stop shopping and head back before it got dark. He’d been seriously pissed when she didn’t respond, and even more so that he’d had to go to the business district to track them down.
That anger had quickly changed to panic when Ian learned they’d never made it to the paint store. In fact, no one in the business district had seen Kate or Sarah. Then he’d had the horrible wait. Two days of fruitless searching turned up nothing, but he’d still hoped for a miracle. All
of his hopes and dreams died on the third day. That was the day Sarah’s body was returned to the settlement with a note that bragged about the horrible things that had been done to his precious daughter and his beautiful wife. One day, he had been afraid of his daughter growing up, and three days later, he’d been grieving the fact that he’d never see her grow up.
Ian shut the door on Sarah’s musty room. This door almost always remained closed. He had four bedrooms upstairs. Mitchell’s door was open, but most of his belongings had been moved to Simon’s house. Only his bed and dresser remained.
Ian hesitated outside the door to Kyleigh’s room. He wanted to go in there just as much as he wanted to move away from that door and go back to his own room. Not that his feelings made any sense, but that’s what he felt.
Finally making a decision, he walked down to his own room and swore he heard Kate telling him what an idiot he was. If Kyleigh hadn’t already told him there were no ghosts, he might believe Kate was haunting him. Who was he kidding? Kate haunted him, and she didn’t have to be here to do it.
Ian headed back to Kyleigh’s room. Carefully opening the door so he wouldn’t wake her, he slipped into the room, undressed, and slid under the covers with her. Wrapping an arm around her from behind, he pressed himself against her back.
“Ian?” she mumbled sleepily.
“Were you expecting some other man?” he asked with a smile before kissing the top of her head.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, hoping she didn’t say yes.
“No,” she said and was quiet long enough that he assumed she’d gone back to sleep. Finally, she spoke. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired,” he said.
“Liar,” she mumbled, “but you don’t have to tell me. If you want to you can, but I know it’s personal.”
“Thank you,” Ian said, grateful that she got it. So many people didn’t understand that he didn’t always want to talk about his feelings. Simon got it, but he was about the only one.
“Sorry I woke you,” he said.
“It’s okay,” she said with a sigh. “Good night.”
“Sweet dreams,” he said, and some of the peace he’d felt in her realm came back to him. As he drifted off to sleep, he had the craziest thought— maybe it was Kyleigh, not her realm, that calmed him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Danny hated Faith’s parents almost from the second he walked in the front door. Connor was doing his best to be diplomatic, and if Danny wasn’t so pissed, he’d be amused that the vampire was being the nicest to the vampire haters. Since Raven and Layla weren’t human either, Danny suspected they had good reason for being angry with the bigots they were dealing with. Layla’s presence was a surprise to Danny, but he suspected Connor wanted as many people from the island settlement with him as possible, without changing the patrol schedule.
Before coming over to their house, they’d met with Faith under the watchful eyes of Shelby and Carla. Both were determined to make sure Faith wasn’t upset. That hadn’t been completely possible, but Danny was really glad he’d involved Shelby in Faith’s problems. Right now, Faith needed someone on her side.
Not much had been accomplished in the last twenty minutes except Faith’s parents ranting about her being tainted by a vampire and demanding that she be returned home.
“After this incident, I’m afraid to send my other children to school,” Faith’s mother said with a hateful glare directed at Connor. They were one of the rare families from the island who had multiple children, four to be exact.
“You’ve already told me that your children received the Moon virus vaccine,” Connor said patiently. “There’s no reason to worry about them contracting the virus.”
“We’re not happy about them being forced to be on friendly terms with the vampire children,” Faith’s mother snapped. “It’s unnatural.”
Faith’s father put a hand on his wife’s arm and took a deep breath before speaking. “Despite what you may think, we don’t hate vampires. We just don’t believe there should be this kind of intermingling.”
“Why the hell did you move here?” Layla snapped. Danny was impressed that she’d kept her temper under control this long.
They both hesitated a little too long for Danny’s comfort. Finally, Faith’s father spoke. “We didn’t have much choice. The island settlement was torn to pieces after your disagreement with our leadership.”
The disagreement he referred to was the leadership at the island settlement torturing Raven and trying to destroy the vampire settlement. Danny was still pissed about it, but he held his tongue.
“Recently, we tried to move to Treasure Island, but they don’t have the space for us,” Faith’s father said. “We certainly didn’t want to move with our old leadership. What they were doing was horrible,” he said a little too enthusiastically.
“Faith can’t come home,” Connor said. “There are some things you don’t know about her condition.”
“We already know that vampire boy got her pregnant,” Faith’s mother spat out.
“It wasn’t Mitchell,” Connor said. “We’ve spoken to the baby’s father and his parents. It seems he cares a great deal for your daughter, and he wants to take care of her and the baby.”
“I don’t want that creature anywhere near our daughter ever again,” Faith’s mother hissed.
Outbursts like that made it hard for Danny to believe these people didn’t hate vampires.
Connor looked at Raven, who sighed before speaking. “Faith is a vampire now,” she said softly and quickly added, “Born vampire.”
Faith’s parents were quiet for a very long time while they processed this information. Danny could see shock turn to disbelief.
“That’s not possible,” Faith’s father said in a strangled voice. “All of our children were vaccinated when they got here. We were told they were safe.” His accusing stare burned into Connor. “You assured us these vaccines rarely fail.”
“Faith said she found a way to avoid getting it,” Danny explained.
“Why would she do that?” her mother asked in utter bewilderment.
“I don’t know her reasons,” Danny admitted. “She came to me for help. Well, Mitchell brought her to me for help because they’re friends. Faith didn’t really tell me much.”
“So, I’m sure you can see why it would be best for Faith to stay with someone else,” Connor continued.
Faith’s mother merely nodded. “Yes, we have the other children to think about.”
“Do you think we’d hurt her?” Faith’s father asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Honestly?” Connor asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “I have no idea what you’ll do. I’ve lived long enough to know hate often causes people to do unspeakable things. Your wife just admitted she wouldn’t want Faith around your other children.”
“I love my daughter,” Faith’s father said almost desperately.
Connor studied the man closely before finally nodding. “I believe you. For now, I want you to think about where Faith fits into your lives. She can’t change what she’s become, and from what I can tell, she’s happy with the change.”
Faith’s mother wept, and her father looked worn down and defeated. Danny couldn’t bring himself to pity them. Their daughter was alive, but they were acting like she’d died. What kind of fucked up parents did that sort of thing?
“You’re right,” Faith’s father said. “We’ll think about all of this.”
When Connor stood, so did Faith’s father, giving Connor a sad smile. “Tell Faith I love her.”
“I will,” Connor said.
“And thank you for taking care of her,” the man said a little uncomfortably.
No one was in a good mood when they left the house.
“At least no one got in a fight,” Layla said.
“Yeah, I know how hard it is for you to keep that temper under control,” Danny said as he
wrapped an arm around Layla. For some reason, he really needed the physical contact.
“Are you okay, Danny?” Raven asked.
Leave it to Raven to sense something was bothering him.
He shrugged. “That whole meeting was just too fucked up.”
“I agree,” Connor said. “You know, I’m getting really tired of dealing with so much hatred.”
Raven slipped her arms around Connor’s waist. “Wishing Simon and Ian were in charge again?”
Connor laughed. “Now, that I never wished for.”
“Hey, little kit!” Zane called out as he came up behind them, wrapping an arm around Danny and Layla’s waists before resting his head on Layla’s shoulder.
Danny still wasn’t used to the shifter’s inability to understand personal space rules.
“What are you doing here, Zane?” Layla asked.
Zane laughed. “You mean, who am I doing here?”
Layla elbowed him in the gut. “Back off, Zane, before Simon comes out here and beats the hell out of you.”
“Your pretty vampire is out on patrol,” Zane said, “and it wounds me that you want me to leave you alone.”
Danny pulled away. “I’m going over to the training center to work out,” he said, hoping Connor wouldn’t tell him he’d already worked out that day.
Thankfully, Connor just nodded. “We could all stand to relieve some tension,” he said. “I’ll meet you over there after I change.”
“I’ll come too,” Zane said, falling into step beside Danny. “Don’t worry, human. I’ll go easy on you.”
“Didn’t we agree that you’d stop calling me human?” Danny asked.
“Nope,” Zane said. “We agreed that I had to call you Danny while I was a guest in your home.”
Danny shook his head and wondered if people found him as irritating as he found Zane.
“So, what’s really bugging you, Danny?” Zane asked.
“I’m not sure,” Danny admitted. “We just met with some vampire haters, though they claim they don’t hate vampires and just want to live separate from them.”
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