Page 62 of Forget

I’m done eating, so I nod as I pick up my plate to wash it. Intercepting it, he shoos me off, and I’m faced to answer one more message as I return to my room.

Domh:

Sweets, you fell off the face of the earth. I’m going to need proof of life before I storm the castle, please.

Shakingmy head at the theatrics, I text him back.

Me:

I’m not a princess being hidden in a tower, Domh.

Takinga photo of my eyes crossed and my tongue sticking out, I send it to him as my ‘proof of life’. I haven’t gone far from the kitchen, so I turn around and head back, exasperated.

“Dad, why does everyone think that I’ve been chained in my room for the past four days?” I ask, brow raised.

Snorting, he shakes his head as he does the dishes. There’s soapy water in the sink, and a bubble or two escapes. Like this, no one would believe that a domestic Cian Sullivan would be as scary as everyone else thinks he is.

“I’m an asshole, my daughter,” he says, continuing to wash and rinse. “I also have enemies, so people think I should be extra careful with you. However, no one outside of the family or those at the party last year knows who you are. Your knife work is also much better than it used to be.”

Blushing at the praise, I shrug. I like my independence, and I know how easy it is for an alpha to overpower me. Hayes easily did it when he first found me. I prefer to keep a knife with me at all times, we just won’t talk about the fact that the one I carry now is his.

“Everywhere I turn, people have this skewed view of you, and it annoys me,” I tell him. “I’ll let most people keep their misconceived notions because it’s working for you, but Domh just asked for proof of life.”

Barking out a laugh, Dad finishes up and pulls the drain on the sink.

“That’s hysterical,” he grunts as he scrubs the sink down. Dad is putting an alarming amount of elbow grease into cleaning that sink, and I watch him suspiciously. “Did you send him such proof?”

Walking over, I show him the photo, which makes him snicker as he rinses out the sink and dries his hands.

“I’m sure he wasn’t expecting that,” he says. “Domh is my lawyer, and doesn’t always see the best parts of me. He is a fucking shark in and out of the courtroom. I’m sure you know that my business isn’t all legitimate, either.”

“From how many times you’ve asked if you can kill people who make me cry and mean it, I’d say yes I do,” I tease him.

“See, you’re a smart girl,” he says with a grin. “A healthy fear of your employers isn’t a bad thing. I also have a feeling he’s interested in dating you.”

“He hasn’t specifically asked,” I tell him archly. “It’s all hypothetical until that point. I’m going to get changed.”

As I walk up to my room, I decide I am kind of annoyed that I haven’t seen him again since the rage room. I thought we clicked, but maybe he’s too scared of my father. That’s just sad if he’s not willing to fight for me.

Blah. I really hate these post heat emotions. They make me a mess. Jogging up the stairs, I notice a few more texts came in, and I ignore Domh’s to check Wren’s text. She started her heat a couple of days before me. She’s started giving me a heads up when she’s going to go radio silent, which is really sweet.

Wren:

Why do I have a feeling this was a rougher heat than usual for you?

Sighing,I wonder if she doesn’t have some kind of Aisling radar, the same way that I can tell when there’s something going on with her. Sometimes, I’ll show up unannounced with hot chocolate and nail supplies, simply because I got a weird vibe.

Me:

I was more lucid than normal. I have a feeling I’m running out of time. I feel a little crampy and blah now.

Wren:

When are your next dates?

Checking my phone,I sigh as I see the update from Hollis to my calendar and an email that I quickly read over.

Me:

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