Firefight in Darkness (4 page)

“Definitely not.” Clynn chuckled, toasting with his glass of apple cider. “Those were the days.”

“The four of you were probably the biggest handful I’d ever had in a Dryad group.” Thea put in suddenly, her eyes dancing as she looked around at them. “It was like you were made for causing me trouble and headaches. Thank goodness the new generation is much more mature.”

Blythe snorted again. “I’m not very mature.”

Thea focused her eyes on Blythe, tilting her head slightly in acknowledgement. “No, I suppose you’re not.”

“Yeah, and we know how to party.” Liam countered, looking insulted. “We can throw down with these old guys any day, huh Blythe?”

“Duh. They’re old, Liam. They need canes and walkers and stuff.”

“Now, wait a minute.” Brock wagged his finger at Blythe from across the table, a challenge gleaming in his eyes. “I’m willing to take you youngsters up on that bet. Whaddya say, boys? Can we party with the young crowd?”

“Actually, we probably can’t.” Lucian pointed out, smirking at the way Brock’s face fell. “But there’s no reason why we can’t give it our best shot.”

“Hah! Good man, Lucian, good man.” Patting the Water Dryad on the back, Brock grinned wickedly at his daughter. “Once dinner’s over, babydoll, we’re on.”

“Alright, old man.” Blythe returned his grin, and the similarity between the two of them had never been more clear.

It pleased her immensely that the first thing Brock did the moment they all headed outside to the patio was to pull her close for a dance.

“You’re a real funny girl, Blythe. Take after your old man.”

She rolled her eyes, but the pleasure she felt was obvious on her face. “I suppose. Though I think I’m funnier than you.”

“Maybe so, babydoll.” He grinned as he twirled her, while in the background Eric Clapton sang about a girl named Layla.

“It was fun to hear about all the old stories you have with Lucian and Clynn.” Blythe commented, gazing up at him. “I’ve always known both of them to be pretty mature and fatherly…so to hear about them when they were my age is bizarre.”

“Those were the best years of my life.” Brock sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. “When Thea and Sebastian showed up at my apartment yesterday and explained everything to me, I think the thing that hurt me the most was to know that those years had ended much sooner than they should have.”

“I think I was happiest then, too.” She told him, watching him closely. “I don’t know if you noticed, but Rhiannon doesn’t speak to me. We haven’t been friends since you left. So that’s another thing you and I have in common…we drive the Earth Dryads crazy.”

He laughed loudly, his smile bright. “Damn right.”

He twirled her again, and when the song ended, he led her over to a table where Lucian, Liam, Clynn, Capri and Rian were all sitting.

Brock sat beside Rian and turned to him, holding out his hand.

“I didn’t get a chance before to thank the two of you.” He began as he shook the Fury’s hand, nodding at Capri as well. “I owe you both for what you’ve done for me.”

“I was only doing my job, Brock.” Rian told him, his serious blue eyes locked on the older man’s tawny ones.

“If you and Capri hadn’t done what you did, I may have rotted down in that dingy apartment for the rest of my life.” Brock acknowledged, his expression unusually somber. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“By being a good man to your daughter. That is enough repayment for us.”

Capri nodded in agreement, smiling sweetly at Brock. “Everyone is so happy you are home. They missed you so much.”

“And I missed all of you, too.” He returned her smile, but it faltered a bit as he stared back at Rian. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. Roarke was one of my best friends, and one of the few who defended me after the raid. He was a good man, and a good friend to me.”

Rian nodded, but didn’t say anything. Capri’s hand sought his under the table to comfort him.

“By the way, dad, we might as well get this conversation out of the way now before I forget.” Blythe began, waiting for him to turn and acknowledge her. “I’m going after Dante.”

Everyone at the table went silent as they stared at her, disbelief on their faces.

“Blythe, you told us you wouldn’t go. The bounty hunter is handling it.” Lucian protested, eyeing her worriedly. “There’s no need for you to get involved.”

“This is a joke, right?” Brock grinned, glancing around at everyone. “You’re all messing with me.”

“No, they’re not. I’m completely serious.” Blythe told him, eyebrows raised.

“When did you decide this?” Liam asked her, the look of concern on his face identical to that of his father.

“Just now.” She beamed at all of them, finding it humorous that they were all so shocked. “C’mon, hearing about all the good times you guys had back in the day, and knowing that Capri’s mother and Roarke died because of this bastard…I made up my mind. I’m going to get justice, and I’m too damn impatient to wait for some bounty hunter to find a man who shares my blood. I bet I know more about what Dante’s thinking than that human does.”

“Blythe, he’s dangerous.” Brock suddenly looked very much the stern father as he stared at her incredulously. “Stay away from Dante. You’re letting your ego get the best of you. Trust me, you don’t know what he’s capable of, or what he’s thinking.”

Pride bruised, she looked at him with hurt eyes.

“I’m surprised that you’re not siding with me on this. Better yet, why aren’t you offering to come with me? Don’t you want to find him, to take him out?”

He stared at her, and she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes before his own pride kicked in and reared up to take on her own.

“I just spent the last fifteen years in a crappy apartment in goddamn Las Vegas, penniless and alone and the only thing I want right now is to relax and enjoy being home. Sure, I want revenge on that cocksucker, but I’m gonna leave that up to the man who’s already on the job. I’m content to let him take care of it.”

Blythe stared at him for a moment, chest heaving as she fought back all the angry things she wanted to shout back at him. They could have a shouting match, then and there, and they’d most likely resolve the issue. But something inside of her was far too hurt to muster the energy for it.

“I thought you were like me, dad.” She murmured, disappointment on her face. “But I guess we’re nothing alike.”

With that, she stood up and raced off towards the castle, confused and hurt.

Back at the table, Brock stayed where he was for a moment, unmoving. After a second, he turned and smiled at everyone.

“Maybe I’ll go find another female that I can piss off.” He said in a cheerfully sarcastic voice as he rose from the table and stalked off to where Nyxa was seated with the other Fates.

Lucian stared after him, disapproval clear on his face.

“I’ll be back.” He muttered as he stood and ran after Blythe. When he found her, she was pacing back and forth in the corridor, her hands clenched and glowing bright red as she held in the fire she wanted to unleash on everything at the moment.

When she heard him approaching, she turned, ready to shout again, until she noticed it was Lucian, and not her father.

And seeing him, seeing the remorse and the understanding on his face, destroyed her resolve. She stood motionless until he wrapped her in his arms, and then she crumbled against him and wept.

“It’s okay, honeypot.” He cooed, his voice soothing to her. When she was all cried out, she sighed so deep it ached in her ravaged chest and shook her bones.

“God, I have high expectations.” She confessed, turning her eyes up to look at him. “I haven’t gotten off to a good start with him. This is the second fight we’ve had and he’s only been home a few hours.”

He smiled at her and chuckled, his hands cupped gently over her shoulders.

“This is rougher on you than you’ve let on, isn’t it?”

She shrugged, averting her eyes from his. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes.

“I just…” She stopped because she felt her throat tighten again, and she cursed herself for being weak. “I just wanted to believe that I needed him to support me and be with me…but the more I think about it, I really don’t need him at all. I never did.”

“Every child needs a father.” Lucian reminded her, his eyes kind.

“I know that…but even though he was gone, I had you.” She felt a tear slip down her cheek despite her attempts to fight it back, and her lips trembled slightly as she watched him.

His face softened as he pulled her close, squeezing her tightly. “I must confess, honeypot, I may have used you to fill a gap in my life as well.”

He pulled away and kept his eyes on hers. “Clarity kept Cilla to herself, even though she was just a baby at the time. But I’d always wanted a daughter, and I would watch Brock play with you and I was always envious. And then when you were all alone, I took the opportunity and snatched you up for my own.” He cupped his hand around her cheek and smiled. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

“Thank God you did.” She threw her arms around him and held on for dear life. “I don’t know who that man is out there, Lucian. But I hope things get better than they have been tonight.”

“They will be. He’s a lot to handle all at once, but then again, so are you.”

“Damn right.” She agreed with a shaky laugh.

“Let’s get back out there. We haven’t danced in awhile; maybe we should show them all how it’s done.”

Arm in arm, they walked back out into the courtyard, where many people were already up and dancing. Blythe saw Capri and Rian, Rohan and Serendipity, Thea and Sebastian, and Rhiannon and Brogan all swaying to an old Temptations tune.

She glanced around, but didn’t see her father.

“I wonder where he went.” She murmured as Lucian lead her out onto the dance floor. The song switched to an up-tempo jazzy beat, and she quickly forgot about her father as her and her favorite person in the world did what they did best.

Out of breath and exhausted, she slumped against him after the song was over. “Damn, we’re good.”

Lucian chuckled, wrapping his arm around her. “I taught you well. One day you’ll dance circles around some lucky man who’s going to fall head over heels for you.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one.” She laughed breathlessly, grinning at him. “I’m going to be a crazy cat lady, you watch.”

“Nonsense, you’re beautiful, honeypot.” He paused, noticing something that he hoped to God Blythe wouldn’t see. He was about to turn her away towards the table, but her eyes caught sight of it before he could. And when he heard her sharp inhale and felt her tense against him, he knew the damage was done.

Brock and Nyxa were walking together arm in arm, practically leaning against each other for balance, both looking more than a little breathless and disheveled, with pleased looks on their faces. Blythe had a distinct feeling that they hadn’t been dancing, at least not in the literal sense of the word.

“Figures.” She spat, tearing her eyes away from them. “We have an argument, I leave all pissed off, and what does he do? Oh, that’s right, he goes and bangs my whore mother.”

“They were married once, Blythe. It wouldn’t be unusual for them to want to get back together.” Lucian reminded her, though she wasn’t having it.

“I don’t care. That woman disowned me, and instead of being disgusted with her over that, he’s all over her. He clearly doesn’t care about my feelings at all. I’m his child, his blood! He’s mine, not hers.”

When Brock and Nyxa got within a few yards of where Blythe and Lucian were standing, Brock beamed like a cat that had just devoured the entire bowl of cream.

“Hey, babydoll. You feeling better?” He asked, his arm still around Nyxa. Nyxa rolled her eyes and refused to look at Blythe, who was glaring at her with similar disdain.

“I was. But I’m going to refrain from saying what I really want to say right now because I feel we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. I’m just going to distance myself from you and enjoy the rest of the party, and then I’m going to bed. We can get a fresh start in the morning, okay?”

He looked momentarily taken aback, but he smiled anyways. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

With that, he sauntered off, Nyxa at his side, to one of the empty tables near the back.

“Now just what in the hell am I supposed to do about that?” Blythe said angrily, turning to Lucian.

“Exactly what you said, love. Try for a fresh start tomorrow.”

She was annoyed, but knew he was right. Until then, there was nothing left to do but shine on.

♦ ♦ ♦

Despite her frustration with the events of the night before, when morning came she did precisely what she did every day: she ran.

Her sneakers pounded the soft ground as she jogged through the forest surrounding the castle. The hazy morning sunlight cascaded through breaks in the trees above her, sending shimmering beams of light down to highlight the ferns and moss growing wild there. Birds scattered overhead, startled by her intrusion into their world. She hardly noticed, however, as her mind was as fine tuned in this moment as her body was. She was all focus, all strength, and pure energy.

She had headphones in her ears blasting Zeppelin, Springsteen, ACDC, and Queen. She loved rock music, especially the classics, because it had just the right amount of attitude and power. The rock gods didn’t ask you politely to listen to them. They commanded it. It was a sentiment she found she agreed with wholeheartedly.

She kept her breathing steady as she rounded a turn and emerged out onto the cliffs edge of the island. Following the strip of land that extended beyond the forest, she kept moving, her mind focused intently on the task at hand.

Her muscles felt warm and strong, powerful with every movement. The wind from the ocean blasted her face, but she embraced it. It only made her feel freer. In her mind, this was the next best thing to flying.

The song changed and she picked up the pace, her lips curving into a smile as Highway to Hell lifted her spirits.

She made the entire loop around the island, then headed back through the trees towards the meadow and the entrance gates. It was a long, satisfying run, and in her eyes there was no better way to start the day. Other than coffee, of course, but she’d already had that.