Page 61 of Bargains with Benefits
“Were you two looking for something?” His gaze finally fell to the crumpled letter on the desk. I assumed he knew what it was by the wear and age. “Luna, I can explain that.”
She pushed herself from my arms and turned to face him. “I don’t know what is worse. To learn that the father who hasignored me my entire life wanted to spend time with me, or that my mom, the woman who raised me, blackmailed him to stay away.” The tears started streaming again. I let my hand fall to the small of her back in reassurance. “It’s another thing entirely to realize that your father could be blackmailed. That something like court affiliation would be enough to keep you from me.”
Darius raked his hand through his hair. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.” He gestured to the paper. “I’m sorry, but I have little defense against everything you say. You have the proof there. Even when your mom convinced me you didn’t have magic, that changed nothing for me. I was still your father and wanted to be present in your life.”
“You were donating to people who would teach magic to half-fae?”
He nodded. “No matter how much the fae tried to pretend half-fae weren’t a part of our world, they always have been. And there have always been people willing to break the rules to help them understand that part of their heritage. I’m sure you know the magic side you inherit is never straightforward.”
Luna laughed, but with her tears, it came out garbled. “I’m well aware.”
“I hoped you would be interested in studying when you finally came to Sandrin. But”—he shrugged, looking a little ashamed—“all I could sense was your anger at me for abandoning you.” He gestured again to the letter. “And for that, I have no excuse.”
“Was the court position so important?” I asked. I didn’t mean to insert myself, but Darius didn’t seem the type to cow to blackmail. If there was something else in this, Luna deserved to know it.
He glared at me but relented. “I didn’t give a shit about the court position, but the last Norden Point was dangerous. Rumors spread that he was searching for those with magic whoweren’t pureblood fae. If it came out I was helping half-fae, the natural conclusion would lead him to find you.” His gaze held Luna’s before turning to me. “He was unstable at best. I couldn’t risk Luna being in his crosshairs.”
It didn’t change the result, but the explanation fit much better with the picture of Darius I’d been assembling.
“Everything in this house is yours. I want you to feel that way, Luna, but can I ask what made you decide to start rifling through drawers now?”
She tensed in my arm and glanced at me with wide eyes. I read everything in them. She would find a way to forgive her father and would want to have a relationship with him. However, she did not want to start that new relationship with lies. I sighed. I would do this for her. I would do anything for her, though I didn’t want to contemplate that too hard at the moment. “I’m afraid that’s my fault.”
Darius’s gaze snapped to me like I’d finally proved to be the weasel he expected.
“I had a tip at the paper that you were doing the exact opposite of what this letter says. So, before accepting everything you said tonight as truth, I wanted to ensure you weren’t lying to Luna.”
“A tip,” he said through clenched teeth. “That I was…”
“Bribing the governor to stop development of the magic school for half-fae,” I said.
Darius snorted. “I’ve done many things I regret in my relationship with Luna, but stopping her from exploring her magic has never been one of them. Stopping any half-fae that wants to from exploring their magic is never something I could abide.”
“Where did this tip come from?” Eloise asked with narrowed eyes. She’d been quiet so far, letting Darius explain himself to his daughter, but she was ready to pounce on me the same way Darius was.
“I’m not sure, hence why I needed to investigate it.”
She opened her mouth to retort, but I got there first.
“I admit, I thought it was farfetched until I heard Darius in the stairwell at the governor’s office. He was talking about a payment and the magic school.” I let the information hang there, hoping he would take the bait.
He laughed, but it was dark. “Yes, well, the tip has some truth to it. Not about me.” He strode farther into the room, pulled more papers from the desk, and handed them to me. “Someone is paying the governor to halt her decision on the school in Sandrin. I’ve been trying to figure out who and matching the bribes on the opposite side.” I could feel his glare as I perused the documents. They were everything I needed to prove his innocence. It was the entire letter, of which the packet I’d been given had only snippets. This clearly stated his intention to see the school’s development proceed. I met his gaze as I handed the items to Luna. Something in this stare felt knowing, accusatory. I bristled, unsure what he was trying to say.
“Vincent is being overly kind, making it sound like he was the only one with questions, but I had them, too.” Luna lifted her chin. “I wanted to know for sure before accepting any kind of relationship with you.”
As Darius’s gaze turned from me to Luna, it softened. “I understand.” He waved his hand at the documents. “Take them if you need them. Are there any other questions I can answer for you about it?”
“Was Mom’s time here so bad,” she asked quietly, “that she’d want to deprive me of a father?”
Darius’s face crumpled, but he found a way to answer. “It wasn’t good. I don’t fault her for leaving. Klein was cruel, as were his guests. They spoke down to her, belittled her, and treated her as less than. I don’t fault her for wanting to protect you, either. I only wish she’d remembered that I wasn’t like my father. I wasn’t like any of them, and I like to think it’s what drew her to me in the first place.”
Luna chewed on her lip before responding. “I think we should go. I need to…” Her words trailed off as she gestured around the room. “Process all of this. I’m sorry we went through your things,” she added sheepishly.
“You’re welcome here anytime, Luna.” He held her gaze. “I want you to know that.”
She nodded and slipped her hand into mine, interlocking our fingers. “Let’s go.”
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