Page 24 of Highballs & Hexes

Fi didn’t want to be the one to bring it up, but she had to ask. “Do you ever wonder if the twins are yours?”

“No. Their eyes are the same as mine. Few possess such a color green as the O’Malleys.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For asking? Don’t be. It’s a question many would ask if bold enough.” He huffed out a laugh. “I appreciate your boldness, love.”

She wanted to show him just how bold she could be, but they were in a cell under the watchful eye of their jailor, and the timing was shite.

CHAPTER 11

Noah was flabbergasted.

The dark-haired sprite was the spitting image of his brother in child form. But where Damian was reserved, this girl was anything but, and her engaging grin was difficult to dismiss.

Uncle Noah.

He’d had no idea she even existed, and the urge to question if Damian had more children was plaguing him. But he wouldn’t because he wanted nothing to do with the Aether or the Dethridge legacy.

“I have a brother, too,” the girl said. “But you’re not evil, Uncle Noah. Neither is Papa. Grandpa Damarius was wrong.”

Her words were a knife to his fecking heart. How did she know? And how many times had he wanted his father to see the good in him? Wanted a portion of the love the man held for Damian? There were many occasions when Noah had stumbled upon his father, drink in hand and staring at a portrait of himself with his wife and firstborn. The longing in his eyes had made Noah’s stomach tighten and his heart ache. He’d only required a small token of his father’s affection, and yet, he’d never receivedit or a kind word of any sort. More often than not, it was a boot to his backside that his father provided.

Paralyzed and helpless from the wall of emotions crashing over him, Noah was unable to answer the girl. Her obsidian eyes turned to large pools of sadness the longer she watched him, and his desire to squat down to hug her was strong. But he’d learned early to hold back or face his father’s wrath, and that lesson didn’t simply disappear.

“I’m Sabrina, but you can call me Beastie, like Papa,” she said, holding out her hand for him to shake, clearly undeterred by his reticence.

Sabrina. A beautiful name for so lovely a child. It fit her, though he suspected Beastie was more appropriate.

He cleared his throat and took her tiny hand in his. “Noah Riley.”

“I know. I’m an Oracle.” She wasn’t smug or arrogant, simply stating a fact, and Noah found his lips curling in response.

“That’s a tough job for one so young.”

“I can handle it. Papa is teaching me how to be a good Aether. I’m supposed to weigh everything I see and make an informed decision.” She glanced at her exasperated father. “Isn’t that right, Papa?”

“Yes. However, I also advised you to use caution, and you’ve ignored that important rule,” Damian replied dryly.

A small kernel of something resembling respect popped within Noah as he watched father interact with daughter. Damian’s parenting skills appeared to be vastly different from their da’s.

“Uncle Noah needs us, Papa,” she said simply. “He’s been alone too long.”

Another pang struck Noah’s heart, but rather than embrace her as he wanted, he withdrew his hand.

“By choice,” he told her with a tight smile. “You’ll find when you live as long as your father and me, putting up walls is necessary.”

Gah! That little tidbit had slipped out, revealing vulnerability to his potential enemy—his brother.

“I’m not your enemy, Noah,” Damian said. “You’ll discover I can be a great friend if you let me.”

“I’ve enough friends, thanks.” But he avoided his brother’s considering gaze.

“Don’t worry. He’ll come around, Papa.” Sabrina grinned up at him and clasped his hand again. “You just need love, Uncle Noah. We have plenty of that in our home.”

“I live in Ireland, girl. Yeah, and I’ve no need to visit your home.”

Although his voice was gruff, it didn’t faze her, and she tightened her hand. What had she seen for him? He curbed the desire to ask. But if she was truly an Oracle, he had no problem seeking answers about Fi.

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