Page 104 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

A branch. I spin around.

Harek waves. “It was just me.”

I breathe a sigh of relief and keep moving toward the storage. It isn’t a huge structure, so I creep around it with my hand held toward it.

Nothing.

“To the house?” Harek asks.

Acid churns in my stomach but I nod. I’ve always dreaded seeing Gunnar, but now my anxiety is even worse after our encounter in the woods. He would rather see me dead than alive, unless he benefits somehow. At least I’m not alone.

Now the dragon is out of our line of sight. I should’ve suggested she follow us. Too late now. Hopefully, we can find my weapon and get out of here before anyone sees us.

As we approach the house, my right palm warms slightly. I can see how I never noticed before I knew about being fae.

It also has a faint, almost imperceptible glow.

My sword is close.

The front door of the house flings open. Gunnar stands in the doorway.

He aims a gun directly at me.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

My palm heatsand begins to glow. I can feel the sword, though I can’t explain how.

Gunnar steps out onto the porch, his weapon still pointing at me. “You dare to come back?” He turns his glare to Harek. “And you! The entire town knows what you are. How dare you show your face again? The whole lot of you aren’t welcome.”

I’m tempted to tell him his own children are part of Harek’s pack, but I can’t risk saying anything. He could turn on them. I wouldn’t put it past him.

My stepfather glares at my father. “And who are y…” His voice trails off and recognition flickers in his expression. “You’re her father.”

“That I am.” Einar squares his shoulders. “I heard you haven’t treated my daughter very well.”

I swear I catch a flicker of fear in Gunnar’s stance, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “You have no authority here. I was the one who stepped up and took in the unwanted orphan and her whore of a mother.”

My mouth falls open at the insult. As much as he’s always hated me, I’ve never heard him speak ill of her. Either he didn’tthink as highly of her as I thought, or he’s upset seeing her previous lover. That’s probably it.

Einar steps closer to the porch. “Say that again. I dare you.”

I exchange a worried glance with Harek. Things are about to get real before I even have a chance to find my sword. My palm is still warm, so that’s a good sign. Hopefully I’ll be ready with just that, considering my powers don’t seem to work against humans.

Gunnar laughs cruelly and steps toward Einar. “Don’t tell me you have feelings for the dead wretch. Why did you ever let her go if you cared so much?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation. Give us the sword, and we’ll be on our way.”

“What’s so special about it?” Gunnar turns the gun toward my father.

“No!” I run in front of him.

Both Einar and Harek pull me out of the way. I stumble to the ground. “Don’t hurt him!”

Gunnar sneers at me. “This loser means something to you?”

I scramble to my feet. Before I have a chance to respond, my father rushes toward Gunnar. They’re a similar height and build, but Einar is both taller and more muscular. He’s also probably killed many more times. Plus, his sword, while meant for fae, will be equally effective against a human.

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