Page 15 of Wrath's Redemption

"Not yet. Was gonna tell him in the morning."

"Tell me what?"

We all turn to find Hellfire in the doorway, his massive frame filling it completely. His eyes take in the scene – me holding Anna, Lucy at my side, Crow grinning like an idiot.

"Sir," I start, but Anna chooses that moment to let out a happy gurgle, reaching toward Hellfire with tiny hands.

Something soft passes over our President's face. Something that reminds me of that day he found two scared kids stealing food.

"Well," he says, moving closer. "Looks like Iron & Blood has a new princess."

And just like that, watching these dangerous men melt over my daughter, I know Lucy and Anna will be safe here. Because this is what family looks like in our world.

It might not be normal, might not be what Lucy imagined, but it's real. It's solid.

It's home.

I watch my President – the man who saved my life, who taught me everything I know – holding my daughter like she's made of glass. His huge hands, the same ones I've seen crush men's skulls, are impossibly gentle as Anna tries to gum his finger.

"Take mine and Chloe’s room," he says, not looking away from Anna. "Ground floor, end of the hall. Best bed in the house, and you both look dead on your feet."

Lucy hesitates, her eyes fixed on our daughter. "I don't know..."

"Trust them," I tell her softly. "Hellfire raised Angel by himself. Man's better with kids than most mothers." I touch her elbow gently. "And you need rest. Real rest, not sleeping in a rocking chair."

"She'll be fine," Crow adds, already setting up another dose of medicine. "Uncle Crow's got stories to tell his niece."

"Appropriate stories," I growl.

"Yeah, yeah." He waves me off. "The PG versions, I promise."

Lucy bites her lip, then nods slowly. "Okay. But if she needs anything—"

"We'll come get you," Hellfire promises. "Now go. Both of you."

As we move toward the door, Lucy keeps glancing back. Anna has managed to grab Hellfire's beard, making him chuckle – the rarest of sounds.

"She's got your grip, son," he tells me. "Strong little thing."

Pride swells in my chest as I guide Lucy downstairs. The main room is empty now, most members either gone home or crashed in their rooms.

Hellfire's room is exactly as I remember – sparse but comfortable. King-size bed, private bathroom, mini-fridge. Lucy stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, and suddenly I realize what this looks like.

"I'll take the floor," I say quickly. "You get the bed."

She turns to face me, exhaustion and something else in her eyes. "Wrath..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything tonight. For wanting to be her father. For..." She steps closer, close enough that I can smell her shampoo again. "For being you."

Before I can respond, she rises on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. Her lips linger for a moment, warm against my skin, then she pulls back.

"Goodnight," she whispers, disappearing into the bathroom with her overnight bag.

I stand there, hand touching where her lips were, feeling like some teenager with his first crush. Upstairs, I can hear Crow's muffled voice telling what sounds like a heavily edited version of how we met Hellfire.

My daughter is upstairs with my brother and my President. Her mother is in the next room. And I'm standing here, realizing that in one night, my whole world has shifted on its axis.

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