Page 53 of Understanding Fate

That man can certainly make anything look good, and even the thought has me craving him again. The ache between my legs quickly squashes that thought.

Nope. Too sore.

The smell of peppers and onions floats in the air, and my stomach growls in anticipation. There is a peaceful silencebetween us that feels comfortable despite the fact that I know we need to talk. Something had to have gone wrong.

Here we are: In a safehouse cabin in the middle of Colorado, hiding from a supernatural legal corporation who wants to send me to Reno with a complete psychopath.

You know, just another Saturday.

“Want this in a tortilla or just on the plate?” he asks, pulling one down from the cupboard.

“Tortilla, please. A burrito sounds amazing. Was there any hot sauce in the fridge?” I ask, not remembering if I had seen any in there earlier when we finished putting everything away.

“Unfortunately, no, but I may have seen some salsa I could add,” he says, turning to pull it out and put everything together.

When he slides the plate in front of me, I dive right in, not waiting for it to cool down, and regretting it immediately as the cheese he’d added burns the top of my mouth.

Ouch.

The eggs are perfectly cooked, and the combination of flavors makes me moan and dance a little in my seat.

His chuckle draws my attention, and I raise an eyebrow at him, challenging him to make fun of me to my face before chomping down another bite.

Shit. Still hot.

“Slow down there, Firefly. No one is going to take it from you.” His words hold the same humor I see dancing in his eyes.

“Well, with my luck, I’ll be rushed off somewhere before I get a chance to eat it,” I say with a smile once I’ve swallowed, causing his face to fall serious. My hand reaches for his on instinct.

“I was kidding, mostly. It has been a lot to take in, but honestly, I think I’m doing okay. I’ve accepted that my life is never going back to what it was, and that's okay because I willget to move forward and have a new life with you. And let's be honest here: the idea that I have a cool wolfy alter ego has me excited to let her loose. It will be nice to feel strong for a change.” I squeeze his hand before returning to my food.

“Before we get back on to the subject of you being Awakened, which, for the record, I still think is too soon to make a decision about, I promised you no more secrets, and I intend to keep that promise now that we are safely off the grid."

At his tone, I brace myself, wondering what the LLC did to make him jump to removing me from their custody behind their backs.

“Why did you have to take me out of there?” I ask, voicing the question that had rolled around in my brain for most of the drive here.

What were we running from? Is he going to get Dante in trouble? Are we running from Dante?

He levels his eyes on mine, reading me as he chooses his words.

“The LLC hearing yesterday came down to a split panel. Half of them sided with Marlo. The other two didn’t know where to fall, so they posed questions that led to your adjudication and DNA tests,” he says, helping me understand more of what was playing out around me.

“When they returned today,” he says, slowing down and sighing before continuing, anger rising in his voice. “They said that the DNA came back showing that Deacon Marlo is your biological father.”

Time stops.

The air leaves my lungs, and I feel as if I’ve been punched in the stomach.

No.

No. It’s not possible.

How?

Cain keeps talking, but I only hear fragments as my mind spins out of control with questions.

“...not sure how he messed with the results…”

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