Page 72 of Wings of Valor
“Zeke,” I try again, but he ignores me.
“You nosed your way into our lives, all to help your father and this stupid crusade against the Fallen.”
“Zeke!” All eyes turn to me. It might be the first time I’ve raised my voice like this, but it had to be done. “That’s enough. Now sit down and fucking eat something.”
“But—” Zeke tries, but I cut him off.
“Now, Ezekiel.”
He looks pissed but sits anyway, though he doesn’t even pretend to eat anything.
I take a deep breath, then release it slowly. “Mira, why didn’t you tell me? After everything we’ve been through together, I thought we were closer than that.”
“I’m sorry. I had my suspicions when I learned he witnessed you survive an angel blade. When I found out, I asked him about a rumor I’d heard at the guild. He always used to tell me the cool things he discovered on a mission, but this time he lied to me. Told me I needed to stop believing everything I heard, and then he just took off. I never would have guessed he’d sided with the likes of Auriel, and then when we found out, I didn’t know how to tell you he’s my fucking father. It doesn’t even really feel like he is, not anymore. Not for a long time.” She pauses for a beat, and the room grows silent. “I swear I never did anything to hurt you. He never knew where I was spending my time. In fact, I doubt he even knew I wasn’t at home.”
I watch her as she speaks, looking for any hint of deception, but I don’t find any. “I understand. And I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s been like for you. Finding out a parent isn’t who you thought they were can’t be easy.”
“It’s not exactly easy when you’ve known who they are all along, either,” Raphael adds, trying to lighten the mood.
“Please don’t keep stuff like this from us again. As far as I’m concerned, we’re a family. I won’t keep things from you, and I hope none of you will keep things from me either. We’re stronger together.”
Everyone but Zeke agrees, including Mira, who promises to share whatever she knows and offers to spill on all the details she’s collected so far on her dad if it’ll help.
“Why don’t we do that now? It’ll give these four a chance to, erm, settle things,” Dina says. “We can do it in my room. You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Mira disappears into Dina’s room, and the moment her door closes, Zeke speaks. “You’re just going to forgive her?”
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
I nod. “Just like that. If she wanted the same thing as her father, she wouldn’t have protected my dad when we came to rescue you. He’s a Fallen, after all. She could have just let him die, but she didn’t. She helped me train and gave me a literal drink to hide me from demons—a drink that helped save you, I might add. And other than this one omission, she hasn’t given me any other reason not to trust her, so I’m going with my gut on this one.”
I take both of his clenched fists in mine and run my fingers along his knuckles. “I don’t expect you to move past this as easily as I have, not with what her father did, but I need you to try, Zeke. We aren’t the sins of our parents.”
“I’m with Hayliel on this one,” Dina says. “Besides, I can’t imagine finding out something like that about someone I looked up to, and then having to deal with it all on my own.”
“Exactly. She’s been there for me, so I’m going to be there for her.”
Dina leaves us then, heading into her room to chat with Mira about her father and leaving me alone with my three men for the first time in what actually feels like months. It’s not exactly the reunion I was hoping for. None of us are in a very celebratory mood about what we just found out, but the fact is … we’re finally together.
Alive. Safe.
And that’s what matters.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing the platter of taco fixings. “Let’s finish these off and then figure out how the four of us are going to fit into that room.”
28
Icount as I skip rope, not stopping until I reach two hundred.
Sweat drips down my back and stomach, and even though I’m tired, I give myself just enough time to catch my breath, grab some water, and towel off before I start the next workout.
Zeke is busy with his dad, Hayliel and Dina are trying to find some semblance of normalcy with Mira, and Raph is dealing with more bullshit from his family.
I’m alone in the gym, trying to work through the strange feelings that have plagued me since I let that demon get away. Strange, because IknowI made the right choice to let him go, so why does it feel like I lost my only chance at justice?
Add Mira’s news to the mess inside my head, and it’s a fucking party. How did we miss who her father is? Thinking back to when we found out Lieutenant Atlas was the mole, I realize therewere signs. They were subtle, a little tremor here, a furrow there, but if I’d just been paying attention, maybe I would have noticed. If we’d known, would everything have happened the way it did?
