Page 75 of Heir

“I . . . I don’t know. As far as I know, it’s just us . . . and now you. Don’t make me regret telling you this, Dad.” I made sure my threat was clear. My father was deeply devoted and in love with my mother for centuries. He would have eviscerated his own parents for her, and he knew just by my words that I would do the same for my mate. “Don’t push her. I don’t know if it’s you leading this charge to manipulate the new queen, but stop. Two demons just killed her aunt yesterday. The only parent she’s ever known. She is grieving. She is trying to come to terms with this new world, her role and the fact that three men showed up on her doorstep claiming to be her Fated Mates. You need to understand that she needs time.”

“I always hoped you’d find a love as deep as the one I had for your mother. I’m proud of the mate you’ve turned into, Son.”

A lump formed in my throat, but I couldn’t let my emotions cloud the true reason I called him. “Dad, don’t push her. If she’s not ready to meet the High Council, then give her time.”

“When do I get to meet her then? She’s family now.”

“When she’s ready.”

“I’ll see what I can do. But I’m just one of three on the Council.”

“Yeah, but you’re the toughest.”

His chuckle was gravelly. “Three mates, huh? That can’t be easy. Especially for you, with one of them being a vampire.”

“He’s an asshole too. You know King Howar’s head guard? Drak Ferrin?”

More silence.

“Dad?”

“I know him, yes. He’s the King’s cousin.” The bitterness and hate that resonated through the phone had the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up.

“Well, that’s the vampire. And the other one is some chaotic, unhinged, fire mage with a penchant for drama and murder.”

“Drak Ferrin,” he rumbled. “Golliver Ferrin was his father.”

I narrowed my gaze, my attention pulled away by the movement inside the apartment. Omaera and Gemma were awake and in the kitchen. “Listen, Dad. Please, do what you can to tame the rest of the Council. She needs some time to adjust. She’ll meet with you all when she’s ready. But if you push her, she’s . . . well, let’s just say, I think her being half human hasn’t diminished her powers in any way. She may very well be one of the strongest demons to ever live. She just needs to learn how to control her powers before she kills someone.”

After mentioning Drak’s name, my father’s mood shifted, and I could tell he wasn’t in any frame of mind to be on the phone. He grunted.

“I’ll call you again soon, Dad.”

Another grunt.

“Bye.”

The line disconnected, and I stared at the screen for a hot minute before I opened the sliding door and stepped inside.

Omaera was staring at her phone. “There’s a game tonight at the Black Fox.”

Gemma grunted and nodded, filling up the coffee machine with water. “What’s the buy-in?”

“A thousand. But there are some high rollers expected to show up. And by high rollers, I mean men with big egos who will hate to lose to a little girl.”

Snorting in mirth, Gemma bobbed her head, jostling her red curls. “I only work a five-hour shift today. Ten to three. So it’s totally doable.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, my belly rumbling with the need for food.

“Poker game tonight,” Omaera said. “It’ll be good to do something normal. The last few days have been insane. I just want to go back to the way things were.” Her gaze turned deadly. “You know, after we take care of whoever killed Delia.”

“Absolutely not,” Drak said, looking up from his phone where he sat like an undertaker on the couch. “It’s not safe.”

Omaera glared at him. “I’m sorry, but I’m not asking for your permission.”

“As your mate, I have a say in things that will unnecessarily put you in harm’s way,” he countered. “And going out to a poker game is absolutely unnecessary. You need to work on controlling your powers. You also have the meeting with the High Council today.”

I glanced away, hoping to the Gods that my father reached out to Queen Anysa and King Howar, encouraging them to give Omaera some time to adjust. However, unlike my father, who had a secondary stake in Omaera being treated gently because she was also his daughter-in-law, I was skeptical the Vampire King or Mage Queen would see it the same way.

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