Page 64 of Tainted Hearts

“Damn, your dad really is a sweetheart, isn’t he?” Frankie asks. For a second, I wonder what the heck she’s talking about, and then I remember she has vampire hearing.

“Did we just watch our parents reveal as mates?” Libby asks.

I say nothing, still looking at the two of them in shock.

“Little Bird, relax,” Zed soothes, wrapping his arms around me.

That snaps me out of it. I spin in his arms and gape at him. “Relax! Are you kidding me? Our parents are mates!Mates!”

“I can see that.” He chuckles.

“How are you so calm?!”

“Because,” Zed starts, gripping my face softly and guiding my head back in my dad and Megan’s direction. “My mom has been suffering for years with heartache and pain, and I know your dad has too, in some way. My mom was rejected by her first mate, your dad was left by his. You know what it feels like to be away from yours, the hurt you feel. They don’t have to feel that anymore.”

“Shit,” I sigh, realizing he’s right. I watch as they whisper together, my dad wrapping an arm around her waist as he looks down at her with... damn it, he’s totally smitten with her. “It’s like looking at you with me.”

“Yup.” He chuckles.

“He’s totally head over heels for her at first glance, isn’t he?” Zed hugs me from behind, kissing my neck.

“He would burn the world for her too now.”

“So, he’s like your step brother now too?” Luke asks. “Your mom is with his dad and now his mom is with your dad. Trippy.”

“Don’t even start.” I warn him, and he raises his hands, smirking.

“Kids,” Megan says, her face flushed pink as they walk over to us. He doesn’t take his hand away from her, a grin so wide on his face, I can’t even be mad. I’ve never seen him this happy. “I’m going to go ahead and assume that you all know what just happened.”

“That Abby’s daddy is my new daddy?” Zed chuckles, grunting when I elbow him.

“Here’s the deal. Megan is my mate, she’s coming back to Hell with me, so we can get to know each other. She is, however, worried about you two.”

“Don’t,” Libby says, sounding like she’s about to cry. Her mom looks at her with panic. “Dont worry about us,” Libby sniffs. “I’m eighteen, I’ll be fine. I have my mate and Zed, as well as Abby and Frankie.”

“Libby, honey, are you sure?”

Libby steps up to her mom and places her hands on her shoulders. “I saw what my dad did to you for years. All I wanted to do was help you every time he laid a hand on you, but I was too little. Zed knew if he did anything, you would have gotten it worse when he wasn’t around. We love you so much, Mom, and we just want you to be happy.”

“Oh, baby,” Megan cries as she pulls Libby into a hug. I look at my dad, knowing he’s ready to snap his fingers and find Libby’s dad at any second. He’s pissed, really pissed.

“I should go pack a bag,” Megan says.

My dad is about to follow her when Libby grabs his arm. “Mr. King of Hell... Sir. Can you find my dad and kill him?”

My dad gives her a smile that freaks even me out. “Oh, love, I already planned on doing that.”

“Good.” Libby nods. “Thank you. You won’t hurt her, will you?”

“Never,” he replies with so much emotion you can’t take it as anything other than a promise. I can’t help but smile.

“Thank you.”

My dad nods and follows after Megan, like even just those few passing moments were too much time away from her.

“So, that happened,” Frankie says. I turn to see her taking a bite of one of Megan’s cookies.

“How is this even my life?” I sigh.

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