Page 102 of Cruel Revenge
“Uh, yeah!” I said, full of attitude, like I was turning into a frustrated teenager in front of him. He chuckled at me.
“I would run with you,” he promised. “But sadly, we don’t know what we’re running from right now, and we have other witches who we can actually deal with.”
I sighed, leaning back, not sure where to go from here. He got up and poured a couple of drinks from a small bar and handed me one. It was stronger than I was used to alcohol being as a werecat but still delicious. When he sat back down, I decided to speak.
“Did she tell you about my memories?” I asked softly. “What she had seen in my head?”
“No. Vague mentions but nothing to reveal your secrets. She would never.”
I did. I told him all of them. The first time I felt the Change halted in me, having seen Fenris do the same. Fighting the wolf in Germany and the heartbreak of it. I told him about my human parents.
The glass in his hand shattered.
“You can’t kill them,” I said softly, sipping mine as he cleaned up the mess.
“Why not?” he snarled.
“Because I’m asking you not to.”
It was enough. He settled, getting a new drink, downed it in one go, then went for another.
“It’s not Subira’s drink, but it’s punched up for me by her,” he explained. “I’m only allowed a bottle at a time. She’ll understand why this one is emptied faster than normal.”
“That’s nice. I knew something was stronger,” I said, sipping it as he finished his third, then finally sipped on the fourth. “Where’s Carey?”
“On the beach,” he answered. “Walking around, probably taking in the sights.”
“That’s nice,” I said, smiling. “Do you want to help me train her for the day? You trained me well enough. That’s what Heath said, anyway.”
He chuckled, and I knew we were on the same memory lane. There had been wonderful moments in the early days. It hadn’t always been bad or complicated.
“I would be honored.”
We got up together, finishing off the drinks, and went to find her. She was staring at the ocean when I called out.
She spun around in the ocean breeze and smiled.
“This place is beautiful, Mom,” she said as we got close. “Thank you for letting me come…um… Hasan?”
“Hasan or Grandfather… or Grandpa. I'd take Papa. Anything you'd like. The choice is yours.” Hasan was smiling as Carey flushed.
“Grandpa,” she tried softly, then grinned, game for the change in her life. “I’ve never had grandparents.”
“Now you have two, as well as three aunts, and four uncles,” he reminded her. “Now, what has Jacky taught you so far?”
“We’ve been practicing with the Change and play wrestling, letting her get used to the form and her strength in it,” I answered.
“Perfect. You two can try to play wrestle me down.”
“That’s it?” Carey asked, tilting her head to the side.
“You’re a baby again. We’re going to keep it fun for now,” he said, patting her head. Then daringly messed up her perfectly straight hair, making her gasp indignantly. He laughed as she looked at me.
I grinned. I knew Hasan could be playful. He just wasn’t very often with adult children who stepped on his toes. Carey had noidea what she was in for with this new grandfather she’d been given.
“Change and make him pay for it,” I said, pulling off my jacket. “We can strip over there in the tree line.”
She ran for the privacy of the trees, and I followed.
