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“Bye, Dad,” I whispered.
Suddenly, I was very, very tired. Living a hidden life like this wasn’t easy. I kept my head down, worked the coffee counter part-time, and took odd jobs to pay rent.
Like with all his charitable wards, Dad donated a small sum of cash into my account every month. I’d asked him to stop when I was sixteen, but he’d said that treating me any different from the others could raise suspicion for anyone looking too closely. Once a month, we speak to each other on an encrypted line for five minutes.
Even with all the hiding, the careful living, I still had to look over my shoulder.
The door opened, and Azra appeared before me. She wore that fierce expression that was tight with protectiveness. Kindness. Love. “You called your Dad.”
“How’d you know?”
“It’s the only call you come back here to take.” With her usual fluid elegance, she lowered herself beside me. Her amber eyes, bisected by slitted pupils, burned through my soul. Digging for answers.
She was the only one who knew all of me. Knew exactly what I was.
Something that should have been killed before it took a breath.
Something that my mother had chosen to keep and raise.
Something my mother had decided to abandon and forget altogether.
Half Divine. Half Demonic.
A living crime.
Chapter Three
I told Azra everything, including my dad’s suggestion on how to handle the maybe-demon-stalker.
She was stone-faced and unblinking as I spoke. The only indication of her anger was a slight rattling growl coming from the back of her throat.
When I finished, she said, “If I could shift into my full leopard, I’d maul that motherfucker.”
“That is true love,” I sighed.
“Don’t joke about this, Gray.”
“What else can I do, Azra?”
She chuffed and turned her head, now restless and fidgeting. “That dipshit’s presence is going to put me on edge for the rest of the day. I’ll scare away the customers.”
Her curved fangs were coming out.
Patting her knee, I promised, “I’ll work the counter—”
“You will not. You’ll stay in the back and then come home with me until he leaves you alone or is arrested.”
“I have appointments at two and five.”
She hissed, “And you wouldn’t have to have appointments if you swallowed your fucking pride and lived with us.”
We were not having this conversation again. “That decision is final. I’m not going to crowd you and Dhalia. I’ll stay for a few nights if I need to, and that’s all. You will not sway me on this.”
“You’ve made that very clear.”
I didn’t take Azra’s anger personally. She was fiercely protective of those she loved and never quite forgave me for moving out. Three people was just too many for a one-bedroom apartment.
I pulled her into a tight hug. Her hair tickled my neck and cheek. “Love you, Kitten.”
