Page 31 of Kiss of Smoke

Robin touched my shoulder gently as he got up from the table, a manila folder in hand.

I was left alone with my father for the first time in ages. It occurred to me that we’d never really had a moment alone before.

I stared at him frankly, happy to have something to focus on that wasn’t death or despair. “Are you okay with me calling you Dad?”

Noctifer stared back, then broke into a smile. “It makes me happier than I could put into words. I never got the chance to tell you how proud I was of you, once I discovered that you were my daughter.”

“It must’ve been a surprise,” I said, my own smile surfacing now. “Especially when we first saw each other.”

“You looked terrified of me,” he said with a chuckle.

“I mean, Dad, you’ve got a giant sword on your back and we were at an execution. How was I supposed to look?”

His smile faded a little. “It really doesn’t bother you that I’m the queen’s headsman?”

I thought about the joke I’d once made to Jack: it was more interesting than finding out your father was an accountant.

And maybe I hated the sight of blood, but I’d been glad when he took Brightkin’s head. If anyone deserved that fate, the prince certainly had.

I shook my head. “No. We all have our role to play in this world. I suppose I could ask if it bothers you that I sometimes crawl around in sewers and arrest people.”

“Not as long as you shower before you hug me,” he said, and we both laughed.

I bit my lower lip, worrying at it while I debated how honest to be with him. Our relationship was still so fresh and new.

Fuck it. If my father was going to know the real me, then he was eventually going to find out that I tended to wear my heart on my sleeve.

“Dad…I wish I could tell you how it felt to find out that you existed, and that you care about me. My relationship with Pomona was tumultuous, to put it lightly.” I fiddled with my spoon as I spoke, looking at it instead of him. “I never felt at home in Emain Ablach. There were some really bad times…I was an outcast. And I don’t want you to think I’m just jumping at the chance to have a family no matter what. I genuinely don’t care if you’re Unseelie, or if you chop off people’s heads for a living, or whatever. I’m just glad that you also accept me, too, especially since I’m a Lesser.”

Noctifer reached out and took my hand. I looked up at him, blinking back tears.

By the trees, sometimes I felt so happy I wanted to cry just to release the pressure of the emotions inside me.

“Forever, Briallen,” he said. “You’re our family forever. And you’re not Lesser; you’re one of us. Ashera is working on something that I think you’ll like.”

I gave him a watery sort of smile. “I bet I will.”

He touched the tattoo of the thorns and apple blossom on my wrist. “You’re the best of both worlds. Don’t believe that you are less than us ever again.”

I gave in to the sudden compulsion to get up and throw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back.

No matter what happened in Avilion, no matter how the events played out, I had everything I could ever want: a family that loved me, all under one roof.

Sure, we were mismatched. But we all fit together perfectly.

12

The funeral wasn’t happeninguntil tomorrow, and the queen quickly put Jack and Robin to work on preparing the Queen’s Garden, where she would be laid to rest. Teams of gnomes were working overtime to ensure all the debris was cleared from the grove, under their direction.

Noctifer had to leave, since he was on full-time protection duty for the queen, and I didn’t want to be alone after what happened today.

I found Gwyn in the garage, poking at his bike. He had a tarp spread out on the ground, which was filled with greasy parts and tools.

The bike was grumbling softly, as though it knew it was being worked on and didn’t appreciate having its insides pulled out and put on display.

“Hey.” I sat cross-legged on the ground next to the tarp, close enough to feel Gwyn’s warmth but trying not to be in his way. “Thank you for taking me to get Beans. It means a lot to me.”

Gwyn’s long hair was pulled back, and he had a streak of engine oil on his jaw. He put aside the wrench and sat back on his heels.

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