Page 75 of Mortal Blood
“How much trouble am I in?” I asked, and he just shook his head.
“With me? None. I wished you’d told me you were leaving, though, princess, so I could have protected you.”
“That wasn’t the deal,” I muttered.
“Deal?” Tension flickered across his jaw. “With Aodh, I take it?”
I nodded, and a shadow fell over his face.
“And what, exactly, were the terms of this deal?”
“It was last year,” I said quietly. “I needed a portal to your pack, and you were locked up. He traded me the portal for a favor.”
“Cali…”
“I know! But I set limitations. I tried to make sure he couldn’t take advantage. I, uh, didn’t do as good a job as I thought.”
“And he called in this favor?”
I nodded again. “Last time we saw him. He grabbed me after you went through the portal, and gave me the Cailleach. He said I had a month to meet someone.”
I looked down, picking at a loose thread on the bedspread.
Cole uttered just one word, his voice icy and rippling with tension. “Who?”
“My father.”
“Your— He sent you to meet yourfather, the man who illegally created you and terrorized your mom?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.” He lurched from the bed and I grabbed his arm, tugging gently. Murder still lurking in his eyes, he sank back onto the bed beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, holding me close.
“I’ll kill himlater,” he amended. “Tell me what happened when you met your father.”
“Oh, you know, he was absolutely insane.” I shrugged and tried to keep the note of hysteria from my voice, and, from the look on Cole’s face, failed miserably at the latter.
He traced his hand gently across the bruise forming on mycheek. “He did this?”
I nodded, and felt Cole stiffen beside me.
“Say the word, princess,” he growled.
I blew out a breath and melted against him. “He wanted me to go with him.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. He had some weird ring that opened a portal, though. He was going to force me to go with him.”
“Not that I’m not glad, but how did you get away from him?”
“Pure luck? Or Aodh, maybe. Another portal appeared.”
“And you just leapt through it?”
“Well, I figured it had to be better than the alternative, right?”
He sighed. “One of these days, princess, we’re going to have a serious talk about your safety.”
