Page 63 of Forbidden Magic
This can’t be.
Dad’s hands twitch over mine. “Your mother was beautiful and strong. Just like you. I was undercover for the Council, sniffing out of ring of demon slavers. Your mother was the daughter of the man I was spying on. As you know, she was killed a couple of months after you were born. She was funny and fearless, but there was darkness inside her—like in all of us. You see, time does not pass as fast in the underworld. When I left for my mission, I didn’t know about Allie. I was gone for a year, but to me it was ten. It doesn’t excuse anything, I know. I went back on my wedding vows either way, but I couldn’t tell Piper why. How all these years took a toll… and I fell in love with someone else.”
I grip his hands, speechless. No matter how angry or sad I feel about him lying to me all these years, I’ve never doubted that Dad loves Allie and I.
The wrinkles in his forehead deepen, and his eyes search mine. “Can you forgive me?”
“Of course,” I croak.
I’m not dumb, just shell-shocked. Dad hid this from me for a reason. If the Fae hate mortals, everyone is scared shitless of demons. If people knew, I’d have to live in hiding for the rest of my life.
“Is there a way for them to find out about me?”
“No. It’s not like there’s magical genetic testing. You’re still my girl, still a mortal. Your mother’s blood only makes you more powerful. As long as you don’t tell anyone, people will believe that you’re either a talented witch or a demon worshipper. Considering half our people can call upon infernal magic like it’s Chinese takeout, no one will think twice about it.”
Half our people… the rotten half.
I swallow hard, my head bent. My dark mane falls over my face, shielding me from Dad. “But it still could get me expelled from the Academy.”
He nods. “I’m proud of you, Munchkin. No matter what they say, anyone but you would have caused a lot more damage with an infernal burst of this size. You did well, and you taught that royal prick a lesson.”
My arms fall at my sides, fury still pumping in my veins. The butterflies in my stomach scramble at how dangerous Dad’s voice sounds when he mentions Cole.
“Oz told me about the girl that was attacked. Did you know her?” He asks.
“No.” I don’t have the headspace to care about Holly right now.
I know he’s keeping me grounded with his questions so I don’t throw a tantrum and slam a door in his face. And I hate that it’s working. “I cannot believe you lied to me.”
“Half of my job is choosing which secret should be buried and which should be shared. Things are not going to get easier at Dark Falls. The Magisterium must have an agent investigating this attack. Another violent act might have terrible consequences.”
“Are they going to put us on curfew?” I ask.
“Where did you hear that?”
From the worried curve of his brow, I figure Olson’s intel was right on money.
“Celeste Draco is going to use her position as Headmistress to retaliate against mortals, that’s for sure. The thought that you’re in the same class as her son… You keep your distance from that boy, munchkin. If he’s half as dangerous as his mother, he might be the one behind the attacks.”
Allie drags over to us, a towel wrapped around her head. “She’s not just in his class. He’s her S&S partner.”
My eyes bulge, and the betrayal stings deep in the pit of my belly.
The crafted calm melts from Dad’s face like wax. “This is unacceptable.” He paces the room, the yams forgotten, his knuckles white against his gray hair. He pulls and tugs at it like tearing it out of his head will make all the Fae disappear from this realm. “I’m not taking you back there. This place is too dangerous… Pairing you up with a Fae Prince. These people have lost their minds.”
I jump to my feet, the adrenaline from before spiked with a trickle of fear that slithers all the way up through my tight chest. “What about your fight for equality?”
“Being given the same opportunities as immortals does not mean you should be forced to collaborate with a Fae. I know all their tricks. How they use their beauty to further their sinister plots and belittle us into submission. My daughters will not be toyed with by a Draco. Never!”
In pure worried father fashion, his haunted tone paints a clear picture of exactly how he fears we might betoyed with.I sink my nails into my palms for my fire not to betray how close he is to the truth. How close I came to ruin.
I force the balls of my feet to the ground and uncross my arms. “You’re right. We won’t.”
“Munchkin?”
“We’ll show them we’re better than them. That their tricks do not work on us.” I tuck my chin up, conveying as much determination as I can muster. “You can’t expect me to scamper home with my tail tucked between my legs. That’s not who we are.”
He grins at my outburst. “You might have your mother’s eyes, but you’re my daughter through and through.”
