Page 21 of Tangled Fates

JUST DO IT, OKAY? DON’T BE NAKED IN FRONT OF DAD. THAT’S WEIRD.

I kept my gaze locked with my father for fear that if I blinked, he’d fade away into obscurity. Maybe he was nothing but a projection. Some sort of hallucination after pushing my muscles for so long. However, as I thought of my childhood, the rolling memories assaulted my conscious mind. As I slowly morphed back into my human form, I kept watch on him. I made sure he didn’t move a fucking muscle until every single patch of fur along my body had tucked itself back under my skin.

I looked down to make sure I wasn’t naked. To make sure I didn’t need to run for the nearest tree and try again.

And I found myself clothed in my favorite blue-and-white plaid dress that I practically wore holes into as a little girl.

“Wow, I actually did it,” I whispered.

Not the right outfit, but I was proud, nonetheless.

“You were always more powerful than you gave yourself credit for.”

I whipped my gaze back up and found my father approaching me. He moved with long strides, just as graceful as I remembered. Tears lined my gaze as I took a step forward, unlocking my entire body from its frozen position.

And when my father and I were only fifteen or so feet apart, he held up his hand.

“That’s close enough.”

I shook my head. “I want to hug you. Can I at least do that?”

He slid his hand back down to his side. “You reached out across the veil to me. That’s why you can see me.”

“The veil?”

A smile took over his features, lighting them up like a Christmas tree. “I’m so proud of you, Raven.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. What veil? What’s going on? Why are you here when you should be dead?”

“We don’t have much time, but I’ll try to tell you all that I can.”

I shrugged. “So, are you just going to ramble on? Or do I need to ask questions?”

He chuckled, and I committed the sound to memory. “I tried my best to find you, Lovebug. I love you so much, and all I ever wanted was to watch you grow up. To be your biggest fan. Your biggest cheerleader.”

A tear slipped down my cheek. “I found the flash drives. The recordings. The newspaper clippings.”

He smiled so big his eyes almost closed. “My pride and joy, right there. I showed them to anyone willing to watch them with me. Read them with me.”

I wiped at my hot tears. “Why were you trying to find me? After so many years, why were you trying then?”

“Always asking the right questions. It’s what makes you such a damn good reporter.”

I swallowed hard. “Thank you. That—that means a lot, coming from you.”

He took the smallest step toward me. “I knew that I couldn’t leave Bend without putting the entire pack at risk, but when I figured out that you were in trouble, I had to try. I had to try and get to you guys.”

“What kind of trouble? Tell me what I need to know, please.”

“I didn’t tell my Inner Circle of my trip to find you guys because I knew they would have tried to stop me. Portland is dangerous for our kind, but I knew that they had the quickest flights out of their airport into L.A. I didn’t have any time to waste.”

“What happened when you got there? Because I know you didn’t make it to the airport.”

His face fell. “I started losing control over my wolf. My scent radiated through the city, and it wasn’t long before I came face-to-face with bear shifters. They attacked me. Droves of them, coming at me with their claws and their teeth…”

“What? What was it? What did they do to prevent you from healing?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know, Lovebug. I honestly don’t. All I know is that whatever they did, it stopped me from healing properly. My wounds, they wouldn’t close all the way. And the pain. Jesus, the pain was damn near searing.”

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