Page 11 of Luca

I blinked from my thoughts. “Hm?”

“Was it a woman he was meeting? A human?” my mate asked, and I nodded.

“I believe so. Whoever it was, they were certainly a romantic attachment. I could tell by the way he smiled when he mentioned it.”

“So, he had someone to keep returning for,” he mumbled under his breath before adding, “Do you remember how long ago that meeting happened, by chance?”

I wrapped an arm around him, picking up the book he’d swapped out for the one lying across his knees. I tapped the last date entered. “Then.”

“Surprise, surprise.” He laughed, his sky-blue eyes glistening at the edges as he glanced up at me, his smile hopeful. “Could he be my dad?”

“It’s a possibility. He spent a lot of time in the human realm, and…” I trailed off, and Luca tilted his head, the look he gave me a reflection of one I’d seen before.

“What?”

I combed my fingers through his curls, smiling down at him. “You have his eyes. Not the color—yours are bluer, more ethereal than any I’ve ever seen—but the shape. The way they crease when you’re happy, the spark you get when you’re talking about something you love. If he’s not your father then it’s a phenomenal coincidence.”

Luca sniffled, a single tear tracking down his cheek. I sensed relief, wonder, elation, but no sadness, so I just held him, smoothing my hands over his back to keep him grounded.

“That’s something, I suppose?” he said after a moment, wiping at his face. “But there’s no other information recorded for him except his name and the crossing dates. I have no idea where he could be or if he’s even still alive.”

“Hold on…” Another realization was suddenly rushing at me. Keeping my mate steady in my lap, I reached back to collect the book I’d left open on the table. I’d dismissed the text earlier as it felt insignificant. There was no author attached, only that same seal I hadn’t recognized, but now that I knew it belonged to Zadok…

“These journals contain a mixture of spells and diary entries.” I flipped through several pages until I found the one I needed. “Here. This is dated a few months before Zadok’s disappearance. It’s a little vague, but there are mentions of a farmstead in the Outerlands. Rosewood Creek. It’s worded as nothing more than a fancy, says he’d learned of its existence and dreams of one day taking his mate there and raising a family together, but I wonder if he went by himself?”

“I mean, it’s a longshot, but…Rosewood.” Luca released an incredulous laugh. “It surely can’t be a coincidence that this guy’s fantasy home is named after my mom, can it?”

Rosemary. Of course.

“There has to be a catch,” he carried on, flailing his arms as his agitation rose. “Or it’s all a trick of some sort. How can we have gone from nearly a year without finding a crumb to a secret door appearing that can only be accessed by portal—which we just so happened to find a book about months prior,by the way—then to all of this? It feels too good to be true.”

“I agree.” I kept my tone gentle. “But it’s the only lead we have, pet.”

“I know.” He sagged. “I suppose he organizes shelves the same as me, so it’s pretty much a sure thing, right?”

Humor was a positive sign, but my mate often used it as deflection, so I tipped his chin up with my finger, coaxing him to meet my gaze. “If you do not wish to go any further than this, I understand. You have his name, and a possible location. If that is enough, we don’t have to pursue it.”

Luca snorted, and I already anticipated his response. “You know who you’re talking to, yeah?”

“The boy who would never dream of giving up until his curiosity was sated,” I said, amused. “Yes, I am aware.”

His lips curved at the corners, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were focused on his fidgeting fingers. I searched deeper and noted the slight tinge of distress in his scent. It was barely there, but enough that I knew something was bothering him, making him hesitate.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

“I don’t know.” He slumped forward, his head connecting with my shoulder as his worry heightened. “I’m happy that we’ve found something, but I’m nervous. What if he doesn’t want to know me? What if he’s no longer alive? What if we’re being sent on a wild goose chase, and he’s nothing like the vision I’ve built up in my head?” A sharp exhale fanned my collarbone. “I’m overthinking, I know that, but I’m feeling too many feelings right now to be rational.”

“You’re allowed to be overwhelmed,” I reassured him, burying my fingers in his silken mane, earning a satisfied hum. “Your whole life, you’ve had to endure the mystery of who your father might be. Yes, you swept it to the back of your mind for a lot of years, but it’s still an answer you’ve always sought, however subconsciously. It’s natural curiosity, wanting to know where you come from, who you are, and finally being close to having those explanations is terrifying and exciting all in one.”

Luca nodded against me. “Yeah, it is.”

“If your father does not wish to know you, then he is a fool,” I said firmly, struggling to imagine anyone rejecting the sweet little creature. The thought almost had me baring my fangs and snarling, but I clenched my jaw instead. My duty was to calm him, not to give his wayward emotions any more reason to spike. “And if he has passed on, then we can deal with that outcome, but for now all you can do is follow the trail and take each day as it comes. I will be beside you every step of the way, and no matter what happens, I’ll be there to comfort and protect you whenever you need me.”

Luca raised his head, his eyes sparkling. “Why are you so perfect?”

“I have to be,” I said, kissing the tip of his adorable button nose, letting his sweet chuckle seep into my bones. “To have even a single hope of holding a candle to you.”

A rosy hue spread over my mate’s skin, and his answering smile was sheepish, but I could feel his heart skip against my chest and his pleasure surge.

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