Page 87 of Wicked Heirs

Seriously?“I don’t want my father fighting my battles.” I jerked down my shirt to reveal the tattoo my father had imbued with his magic. “It’s bad enough that this is needed. I want to stand on my own, to figure all this vampire shit out without pulling him into it.”

“Have you told your new girlfriend that’s whyshehad to step in and sort the whole blood situation out for you, and useherpull?”

“No,” I ground out, well aware of the threat in his tone.

He scoffed. “She’s demanded honesty and trust from me, yet here you are getting away with doing the opposite.”

“It’s something that needs to come out naturally, over time. My case is different. She’s demanded what she has from you because it’s the basis of why you targeted her.”

“And yet I’m not targeting her anymore. She’s already well aware that it’s over and done with.”

“Color me shocked, but maybe she doesn’t trust you at your word.”

He hissed at me.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Good. Maybe it will finally ground you a little, all-powerful Dark Fae Prince.”

“Xavier—”

I held up my hand. “We’re done here. When you’re ready to issue an apology to us both and put these underhanded fucking tactics behind you, we’ll talk. Until then, keep the hell away.”

With that, I twirled my hand and dematerialized in a cobalt-blue teleportation cloud.

I smiledto myself as my pen flew across the page.

I’d needed something to calm down after my confrontation with Orpheus, and writing always fit the bill. I could escape into another world and leave my rage and other emotions behind—at least for a little while.

There was most definitely something about Fiona—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on—that pulled meinto her orbit. Much like a moth being predisposed to seek out a flame, knowing it would reduce it to ash all the same, she had that effect on me. I knew better, but she drew me to her just like the flame did the moth and the danger in such an act was inexplicably cast aside into non-existence. But that comparison only went so far, for I was the one who stood to burn her to ashes. Innocence like hers couldn’t stand alongside my darkness.

I stopped writing as that last sentence hit me in the gut.

It wasn’t just about my characters, it encroached on real life.

I’d been holding back with Alena and taking things slowly because, as I’d stated to her, she deserved better than just being taken in a quick fuck, and also because of my issues with my control and bloodlust.

But the more time I’d spent with her—after our classes and then culminating in our date earlier—the more I’d realized there had been another reason.

I was concerned about poisoning her with my darkness.

As a Nephilim, she was a literal angel.

And as half vampire, I was a literal demon.

I mean, I knew she had an edge to her, but up against my dark side… it was another story.

I hadn’t shown it to her yet.

Maybe it would be too much.

And even if it wasn’t, should I really subject her to that? Would it infect her? Would it hurt her? I couldn’t stand the idea of that.

Shehadbeen with Orpheus and he didn’t hide his darkness. Not really.

Fuck,I guess him interfering in our date had brought that question home to me when I’d previously been trying to ignore and deny it.

She’d claimed that she’d pulled away after they’d slept together and grown close due to matters of trust and the issue between their parents that he was refusing to fill her in on.

But could it have been about his nature too? Or, even instead of what she’d claimed?

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