AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I inhaled sharply before telling her the truth about why I'd gotten weird, and why I was having a hard time looking at her. With Ariel, I would always give her nothing but the truth. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, because my closet was stuffed so full of skeletons that the fuckers had blown the door right off the hinges and come bursting out years ago. I wasn't ashamed to admit that I'd done some horrible things in my life, and I could never call myself a saint, but I had crossed a line a long time ago that should have never been crossed. I hadn't regretted it at the time, and I still didn't to this day, but I didn't think a girl with Ariel's sweet disposition would understand the things I had done or the why of it all. The why having mostly been in hopes of finding her. I never wanted to burden her with the admission of those things, but I also didn't want to lie to her, ever. It would be something I would need to reconsider at a different time.
For now, however, she deserved the truth from me, and she deserved for me to deliver it without acting like a fucking coward.
I looked her dead in the eyes and gave her what she deserved, the truth. "The Little Mermaid used to be your favorite movie." I swallowed thickly and forced myself to hold her gaze. "Do you remember watching it with your mother and I, or your grandfather?"
She shook her head sadly and said, "I don't remember anything from before my time with Vivian."
I nodded and finally had to look away from her.
A lone tear escaped to trail hotly down my cheek. I loved her even more in that moment because she let me have that one tear and said nothing about it, didn't try to make it better, didn't give me bullshit words about how it would all be alright. She just left her fingers pressed close to mine and waited in silence for me to get my shit together.
My daughter was a beautiful soul.
The most beautiful soul in the known universe, and I’d be damned if anything ever came between the two of us again.
I would kill anything and anyone who tried to take her away from me again. I would slaughter them without mercy or regret, because that’s what you did when you loved someone as much as I loved her. I had already bore the loss of her for years, and it had marked me beyond reason.
I silently vowed to never lose her again, no matter the cost.
Chapter Fourteen
"Can you stay?" I asked Rain quietly, hesitantly. He was staring down at the floor, and we were both trying hard to pretend he hadn't let a tear slip passed what I was calling in my head his iron control. I tried to bury the hope I felt at the thought of him staying here with me, but I might not have pulled it off as well as I had wished to. “You can sleep on the couch.” I turned to Julian and Damien who stood in front of the dresser, silently watching the exchange between Rain and myself, both were wearing looks of concern on their faces. I ignored that, and said, “Right, guys? Dash won’t care if he sleeps here?”
Actually, I knew there was really good chance Dash would care a whole lot about having Rain sleep over on his couch, but I figured he’d okay it anyways to make me happy, and to keep a better eye on Rain. As for me? Well, I was worried that if he didn’t stay here, then he’d disappear on me and I would never be able to find him again, and I’d just met him; I didn’t want to lose him now.
"Actually-" Rain began.
I cut him off because anything but yes wouldn't work for me.
"Please," I said in a high, desperate voice. Rain looked at me then, finally looking away from his silent contemplation of my rug. His mouth pinched in a tight, angry line, and I worried I might have taken it too far with the pleading, but it was a little too late to take it back. The tear I'd watched trail down his cheek had disappeared, and there was no longer any evidence that it had existed in the first place. If he'd lifted his hand to wipe away the wetness I had missed it.
Rain nodded sharply and said, "Alright, baby girl. I will stay here tonight with you. But tomorrow I must leave to check on a few things. I will be back for you though, never doubt that. I will always come back for you, and I will never be away from you for long."
My heart swelled at his words, they were exactly what I wanted to hear from him, except, of course, him saying that he'd be leaving tomorrow for a small period of time, that I hadn't wanted to hear at all. I feared tomorrow would still be too soon for me to let him out of my sight for any amount of time. I didn't trust him yet, or that he'd not return to me.
Curious, and unable to stop myself, I asked what I thought was an important question, "Where are you staying?"
I hoped he didn't say at a motel because it would remind me too much of where the Council was staying, and I didn't think that would be a good omen.
Rain hesitated like he didn't want to answer my question. I couldn't blame him, it was nosy and invasive, but I wouldn't apologize, and I wouldn't take the question back. I wanted answers.
"At a small cabin that I've rented," he said carefully. Rain shifted uncomfortably on his feet and hid his hands behind his back. "There's something time sensitive waiting back there for me so I'll need to be getting back in the morning."
"Do you have a pet?" I asked, hoping he said yes. He looked like he'd be right at home with a Rottweiler. Rottweiler’s were cute.
"Something like that," he said darkly and in a cold voice that caused chills to race down my spine. "But I don't plan on keeping him."
Oddly enough, I didn't think he was talking about an animal.
"What kind of-"
"Ariel," Julian called out. "Leave it be."
I looked between him and Damien, and wasn't at all surprised to see the two of them had grown alert and were eyeing Rain like they wanted to throttle him. I imagined they liked being out of the know even less than I did because they weren't used to being on this side. I was used to it, but I wasn't interested in putting up with it anymore.
Julian looked me in the eye and shook his head sharply. "Leave it be," he repeated firmly. "Some things are better left not knowing."
I opened my mouth to argue with him but snapped it shut. He was right. Some thingswerebetter left in the unknown; even I could admit that not everything was worth learning.
