Page 63 of Tainted Hearts

“Right, the little shitstains who thought it would be fun to fuck with my daughter.”

“Dad,” I chastise, stepping in front of them as Luke lets out a scared squeak. “You said you were not going to hurt them.”

“I say a lot of things,” he snarls.

“Daddy!” My powers come forth, the need to protect my mates makes my eyes glow and my hands burst into flames.

He looks at me with surprise. “I don’t think I’ve seen you use your powers before.”

“She’s a fucking badass all the time, but damn, when she uses them...” Zed trails off. I look over to see him biting his knuckle, arousal in his eyes. I shoot him a glare before looking back to my dad, who seems to have forgotten I’m standing right here.

“I have no doubt about how powerful she is. I am her father, after all,” my dad chuckles. “Fine, fine. I’ll let them live,” he sighs, waving a hand. Then he spots Isaac, and I sense the shit is about to hit the fan. “Him, on the other hand.”

He takes a step toward Isaac, but I grab my dad’s arm, pulling him back. “I need to talk to you—right now, please!” I shout, knowing he really is about to kill Isaac, not giving a fuck about what we talked about before. “Daddy, please.”

His eyes are black, his demon side seconds away from being on full display.

I manage to pull my dad out into the front yard. “I know, I told you I wouldn’t hurt him, Abby, but I don’t think I can keep that promise.”

I look at him with pleading eyes. “I know Isaac has done some shitty things to me. Things that hurt more than anything I’ve ever felt. But Dad, Michael... he’s so much worse than you thought.”

That gets his attention. “What do you mean?” he snarls.

“Michael has been beating Isaac for years. In some really fucked up ways,” I sob. “Some things that make Hell look tame. Dad, Isaac isn’t a bad person, he just made some bad choices.”

“Fucking hell,” he growls as he paces back and fourth. “After what you told me, what you overheard those three fools were up to...”

“We still don’t know much more than what I told you, but Michael is a monster. Isaac was hurting, deflecting from his pain. Dad, he thought you were the reason their moms died.”

“What?!” he shouts. “I didn’t kill their mothers!”

“I know that. My guess is some demons killed them, and Michael put the blame on you.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he scoffs, shaking his head. “So, Isaac hated you for something he thought I did?”

“I know it's wrong, and I shouldn’t make excuses for what he did, but Dad, he’s messed up. Broken. All I want to do is put him back together, to make sure no one hurts him again. I have you, an amazing dad who would burn down all the worlds to protect me. Daddy, he had no one.”

Dad deflates and pulls me into his arms. “Don’t cry, love. You know I can’t stand to see you sad. Fine, I won’t kill him.”

“Thank you.” I laugh.

We head back into the house and everyone is on edge. My dad walks right up to Isaac. For a moment, I think he’s going to say fuck it and snap his neck.

“You hurt my daughter again and I will kill you, do you understand me?”

Isaac gives him a firm nod. “I would rather die than ever hurt her again.”

“Good,” he snarls.

“Cookies are ready!” Megan cheers, stepping into the dining room with a big smile on her face, just now joining the party. Her eyes widen, smile dimming to something more shy.

My dad goes stiff, the look on his face has me shaking my head.

“No. No, no, no!” I protest, my heart pounding in my chest. I know this look, had this look a few times myself. “Dad, no.” I groan as he ignores me and strides over to Megan.

“Holy shit, is this really happening?” Zed mutters, but I say nothing as I watch my dad cups Megan’s face—and there it is, the shock.

Megan gasps, her eyes filling with tears. My dad leans forward and whispers in her ear, too quietly for any of us to hear.

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