Chapter Twenty-Two
Dylan
With Julian Talbot in the room, I couldn’t give in to the temptation to follow Allie, and I had no doubt she was up there packing her things and insulting warlocks. While I’d expected to be upset about Allie not telling me she was a witch that first night, I understood her reasons, and it probably wouldn’t have made any difference if we’d just had the one night together. What I couldn’t figure out was why I wasn’t upset about Allie being a witch now that I wanted more than one night. There was this voice in the back of my head calling me a liar, but I decided to ignore it and focus on the formidable Julian Talbot. Yeah, Allie wasn’t simply some witch; she was a pretty high-ranking witch, even if she wasn’t a witch in good standing.
“Alana’s always had a feisty temper,” Julian said, and when I looked over, I found him smiling—not the reaction I was expecting.
“I didn’t know she was your daughter,” I repeated, and felt like an idiot because I’d just said that not five minutes ago. “I thought she was a succubus. I mean, she is a succubus, but I didn’t know she was part witch.”
“You might want to quit before you dig yourself a deeper hole,” Julian said with a wry grin. “I’m aware that you didn’t know Alana was my daughter, because I know your reputation. Had you known she was a witch, she wouldn’t be in your home right now, and she’d likely be dead if you hadn’t saved her, so I suppose I should be grateful to you in some way.”
“But you’re not quite ready to thank me for sleeping with your daughter,” I finished for him.
Julian gave me a tight smile. “That is not an image I want in my head, if you don’t mind.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling like an ass for being so blunt with Allie’s father.
“Alana is a succubus, and that complicates her life,” Julian said before running a hand through his hair.
I had trouble keeping myself from laughing at Julian’s polite way of saying his daughter needed sex to survive. From what I’d always heard, succubi liked sex and didn’t consider having sex a complication. There were plenty of men and women who wanted to give them what they needed. Of course, Allie was different—in a hot, sexy kind of way.
“Stop thinking about my daughter that way while I’m talking to you,” Julian snapped.
I was embarrassed that I’d been thinking about sex with the man’s daughter right in front of him, and even more embarrassed to realize I was blushing. “Sorry,” I mumbled again.
“If you say you’re sorry one more time, I will hurt you,” he warned. “That is an incredibly annoying habit.”
My mouth opened to apologize again, but I quickly closed it and nodded. I guess this was what guys went through when dealing with the father of the woman they liked.
“It’s my intention that Alana marry a warlock of good breeding,” Julian said, watching my reaction closely, which meant he had to see how pissed I was. “I have several suitable warlocks in mind.”
“You are not going to force Allie to tie herself to some warlock just because you think his breeding is right,” I said through clenched teeth.
Arranged marriages had always been common among the higher-ranking witches and warlocks. They would often refuse to take the recommendations made after an affinity test because the family wanted the right alliances. It was all pretty damn mercenary. While it would be hard for many to find a warlock for their half-succubus daughter, Julian had enough power to not only make it happen, but to have warlocks begging to be with his daughter. Allie was also gorgeous and fun to be around, making her more tempting to social-climbing warlocks.
Of course, they wouldn’t be clamoring to marry her because they understood Allie’s true value. None would take the time to appreciate her sassy nature because they’d only be thinking about elevating their station. To them, she’d be a means to move up the social ladder. I had no idea why any of the families still engaged in this practice since it generally led to misery and infidelity. Julian’s own marriage had ended because he was incapable of remaining faithful. The same was true of Julian’s brother, so he’d seen firsthand how bad an arranged marriage could end. Granted, I had no idea if those were arranged or just poor choices.
All through my inner rant, Julian watched me with a grin, which is when I realized he was playing me. “You wouldn’t force Allie to marry anyone, would you?”
Julian let out a humorless bark of laughter. “I’d prefer to avoid putting any of my daughters through the same suffering I put my ex-wife through. Even if that weren’t the case, I doubt Alana would allow me to choose a warlock for her. Surely, you’ve noticed how strong-willed Alana can be.”
“It’s one of her best qualities,” I said honestly.
“And one few warlocks would appreciate,” he said.
That, I did not doubt.
“With that being said,” Julian continued, “while I appreciate what you’re doing for Alana, you are completely unsuitable for my daughter.”
“Why?” I asked, not sure what possessed me to argue about this. “There are plenty of families hoping I’ll agree to marry one of their daughters. My parents have been approached dozens of times, and asked to arrange an affinity test.” Luckily, despite my mom’s obsession with grandchildren, my parents wanted me to choose my own witch. Although, my mother had threatened to change her stance if I didn’t start dating witches soon. “My family lineage is more than acceptable.”
“I don’t give a newt’s ass about your family lineage,” Julian snapped. “My daughter is not going to be stuck with a man who sleeps around on her. The warlock she ends up with will be smart enough to understand what a true treasure Alana is.”
I bit back any response I might have because it would’ve been an insult to Julian. Even knowing he was basically saying his daughter was too good for me, I decided not to argue. “Regardless of how things end up going with Allie, I am going to take care of her until this killer is caught. Before you start accusing me of just wanting sex from Allie, you’re wrong. I really like her, and I will do whatever it takes to protect her.”
Julian looked like he wanted to argue, but he reined it in. “There is a council meeting in four hours to discuss this situation.”
“You called a council meeting to talk about me sleeping with your daughter,” I practically gasped.
Julian let out an exasperated sigh. “Could you stop thinking about sex with my daughter for five minutes?”
Probably not, but I nodded anyway.
“The meeting is to discuss the murders,” Julian said, and I couldn’t mask my own surprise.
“Why is the council getting involved in this?” I asked. “All the victims have been succubi. While I get that you have some pull with the council, they’re not the type to get involved with problems involving other preternatural groups.”
“The killings were ritualistic, clearly meant to drain power,” he explained. “That means there may be a witch involved. We’re basing this assumption on the markings left on the bodies.”
“How did you hear about the markings on the bodies?” I asked. The shade detective had been pretty unwilling to share details with Allie, and she’d been a potential victim.
Julian merely raised an arrogant eyebrow.
“Fine, you’re higher-ranking than I am,” I muttered. “So, the council is worried this may be part of a power move against them,” I surmised. “That’s the only reason they’re getting involved in demon business.”
“Naturally,” Julian said. “They’d never get involved if it didn’t affect them directly, even if a witch was helping kill demons. Since you’re involved in this now, I’ll see you in four hours at the council meeting. Just so you know, I will not be happy if you let my daughter go home,” he warned before grinning at me. “I’m beginning to think I may be wrong about you. Don’t disappointment me.” On those words, he walked out my front door, leaving me to wonder if Julian Talbot wasn’t a little crazy.
Shrugging off thoughts of Julia
n, I decided to focus on the stubborn little succubus upstairs. Four hours gave me plenty of time to deal with Allie’s temper and convince her to stay at my home.
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