Page 36 of Tall, Dark & Horny

Typhon ignored their byplay, and his gaze slid back to me. “You’ve done well for yourself, daughter. Though I can’t say I’m thrilled that your mating bond is with his bloodline.”

His chin jerked toward Abaddon, and the disdain in his voice wasn’t subtle.

Abaddon crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t let your petty jealousies cloud your judgment. You have no reason to complain.”

Typhon snorted, the faintest curl of wind stirring around his boots. “Your boy waited until after the assassin came to brand his mate.” He glared at Adan. “Did your father teach you nothing about how demon matings work?”

“I didn’t forget.” Adan’s arm tightened around me. “I waited because she deserved time to breathe before the world started demanding things from her. Including me.”

Typhon’s gaze sharpened, and something ancient flickered behind his storm-touched eyes. “And now that she’s awakened? You think she’s ready?”

I lifted my chin and huffed, “I’m more than ready for you to stop speaking as though I’m not standing right here.”

Typhon’s lips curved into a pleased smile. “Tell me then…are you ready to become Adan’s mate?”

I tilted my head back to look up at the man who’d stolen my heart. “I thought I already was.”

“You are, baby.” He claimed my mouth in a deep kiss, not caring that our fathers were watching. “We just need to complete the bond so you’ll be officially recognized as mine in the supernatural world.”

“Sweet words, but she hasn’t been branded yet.” Typhon stretched a hand out to me. “You’re unmarked. Unbound. I could take you with me if you wanted. Let you learn what your bloodline is truly capable of, away from this place.”

“The Abyss is her place,” Adan growled. “And she’s not going anywhere.”

Typhon quirked a brow. “That’s not your decision.”

“No,” I said, stepping between them. “It’s mine.”

Both demons stilled.

“I’m not going anywhere. The Abyss is my home now. With Adan.” My heart thundered, but my voice didn’t shake. “I’m more than ready for whatever we need to do to complete the bond.”

“You heard the girl.” Abaddon laughed and slapped Typhon on the shoulder in a gesture strong enough to knock down a lesser man. “Though I’m guessing you wished you hadn’t, considering what they’ll be doing soon.”

I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but I didn’t let my confusion show on my expression because I didn’t want to give my father another reason to push for me to leave. After our battle with the assassin, the last thing Adan and I needed was to take on the powerful demon who’d gotten my mother pregnant.

“There’s your answer. You had twenty years to find Calliope and claim her as your daughter. I won’t let her be taken from me now.”

Typhon didn’t flinch at Adan’s words. He just looked at me. There was something in his expression I hadn’t expected to see—regret.

“Now that I’ve seen how you are together, I won’t try to take her,” he said finally, his voice quieter than before. “But I had to come and see for myself what kind of power my blood passed down. And to make sure she survived her awakening.”

The tension in Adan’s frame didn’t ease, but he didn’t interrupt my father.

“I owe you an explanation, Calliope. For not being there. For letting you grow up without knowing what you were.”

I swallowed, unsure what to say. I hadn’t expected an apology from him. Or anything, really.

“My mother said she never knew your name,” I managed. “Just that you were beautiful, mysterious—and gone by morning.”

His mouth twitched. “That sounds about right.”

Anger stirred, but not the kind that burned. It was more like a cold ache that had been waiting quietly beneath my skin. “You could have found me. But you didn’t even try, did you?”

“I did, but I waited too long,” he admitted. “By the time I realized your mother had carried my child, she was already gone.”

My breath caught. “From cancer, but she passed away two years ago.”

Typhon nodded slowly. “I know. I saw her burial but from a distance.”

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