Page 62 of Doyle

His praise went right to my head.

"It's easier than it looks," I said modestly. "I've been taking some online courses."

"And what about Doyle? He taking good care of you?" my dad asked, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

I couldn't help but flush.

"Yeah, our relationship is progressing nicely,” I said.

"He isn't here today though," my dad observed.

I hesitated, then told him, "There was another kidnapping. Doyle headed out to investigate a possible lead.”

The expression on my dad's face darkened.

"And Morgan? Did he come after you again?" My dad asked with a frown.

I shook my head.

"They wouldn't dare enter Sky Stead. There's also a magical barrier around town. Doyle told me Zane erected it a century ago, and it lets them know if anything supernatural enters the town,” I explained.

"That's a relief to know," my dad said with a nod. "I'm glad you're in a safe place, Mike."

We chatted more about life, work, and everything in between.

It felt good to catch up, to share pieces of my new life with him. The food arrived, and we dug in.

By the time we finished our meal, I felt lighter. Seeing my dad, sharing my progress, and hearing about his life helped me realize how far I'd come.

As we stood to leave, my dad pulled me into another hug.

"I'm proud of you, Mike. Keep taking care of yourself, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything,” he said.

"I will, Dad. Thanks for coming all the way here to see me,” I said.

DOYLE

"You don't have to tag along, you know," I told Ivan irritably as we drove past the 'Welcome to Maplewood' town sign.

"I could manage perfectly fine on my own," I added.

"Someone has to watch your back," Ivan said, loudly munching on a sandwich he bought at our last stop, getting bread crumbs all over my leather seats.

I gritted my teeth, wishing it was someone else sitting next to me. I understood why Zane assigned Ivan to me.

The last time I went on my own to track another Payne coven, I'd fallen right into a trap, and Zane had to send Draven out to rescue me.

While it was true I might've gotten a little cocky over the years after hunting down these black magic users, they were also getting a lot smarter.

The witch who tormented Draven had come up with a curse that prevented us from shifting to our dragon forms, stripping us of our greatest advantage.

When we ambushed Liliana's coven, we had the element of surprise on our side, and we were lucky none of her witches had used that curse.

"Turn left here," Ivan said between mouthfuls of sandwich.

"My GPS is telling me to turn right," I reminded him.

We argued back and forth a little more but eventually reached our destination.

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