Page 72 of An Unending Claim
“I’m go—”
Nathan spoke right over me. “Léo, I know you and Peyton need to speak, but when you’ve finished, I’d like you to come to KBO. My dad will give you directions and I’ll have credentials waiting at the security desk.”
“I’ll come with—” I began again, only to be cut off once more.
“If you need anything, the enforcers watching the cabin can contact me.”
“Nathan fucking King!” I exploded as I jumped to my feet. Everyone stopped and stared at me. “I am not one of your projects. I don’t need you coming in on your high horse with your sword of justice and wiping out the threat. You don’t want my help? Too fucking bad. This is my fight more thananyone’s. My grandfather might be trying to take you down, but it’smeeveryone wants dead. I have the right to fight for myself.” I took a step toward him, matching his stony stance and expression. “And it’s myresponsibilityto protect my cub.” I breathed heavily for a few beats, then shook my head. “If you think I’m going to sit around and wait to be saved, you don’t know me at all. And after all this time, that’s more disappointing than anything else.”
“Peyton—”
“Go do what you need to, Nathan. And take your orders with you before I shove them down your throat and my stiletto up your ass.” Then I spun around and marched toward his home office. “Dad,” I snapped as I passed him, “You’re with me. Now.”
Before I entered the hallway, I looked at Michael and Beth over my shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay, but don’t expect to babysit me. If you want to help”—I pointed at Nathan—“keep that domineering, egomaniacal jackass away from me.” Then I stomped into the office and as soon as my dad entered, I turned to see Nathan hurrying after us and I slammed the door shut.
Right in Nathan’s incredulous face.
Immature or not, that felt fucking awesome.
My panther butted her head against me and I grinned at what was basically her version of a fist bump.That’s my girl.
I marched over to the small sitting area and sat in one of the chairs, pointing at the couch to indicate to my dad that he should sit.
Once we were both seated, I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Your turn,” I said flatly. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kick your ass back to your own universe and ignore you for the rest of my life. You know, kind of like how you ignored me for the first thirty-two.”
My dad winced and perhaps I should have felt guilty for being so harsh, but I wanted to hear his explanation before I decided what emotions to react on.
“We can go into great detail someday,” he started, “but for now, I’ll try to keep it to the basics.”
“Fair enough.”
“I met your mom while on a mission from Jude that required me to chase my target into this world. After I staked him, I stumbled across her in a bar. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought she was my fated mate with the way my body reacted to her.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Moving on.” I did not need to know anything about my parents’ sexcapades.
“We spent the night together, even knowing it was a full moon. It was stupid, but… Anyway, we realized the next morning that she was pregnant.”
“I get that you’re a panther and it’s your nature to take off, but didn’t you feel any responsibility toward me at all or a desire to know your child?” The question popped out and I mentally winced for sounding like a petulant child.
My dad’s face went white and he reared back. “What?”
“Well, I mean you took off and—”
“Peyton, you have it all wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“I intended to mate with your mother—well, we weren’t sure how that would work with our crossed fates, but I had no intention of leaving either of you.”
I didn’t know what to say, and he seemed to pick up on that because he went on.
“I had to go home to tie up my loose ends. Quit my job, say goodbye to my family and all that.” His face fell and the sadness radiating from him hurt my heart. “I loved Marissa, Peyton. Both of you. But I’m from a different universe, one with different rules, different…”
His words suddenly hit me like a freight train. “Fuck,” I gasped. “Your age… you’re not immortal, are you?”
He shook his head. “No. I recently learned that had your mother and I successfully mated, it would have changed that, but we had no idea at the time. It didn’t matter in the end anyway.”
“How could—”