Firefight in Darkness (6 page)

“You’re upset because the time he spends with her takes away from time he could be spending with you?”

“Exactly.” Pursing her lips, she reached for her glass of lemonade and took a long drink. “It sounds petty, I know.”

“Yes and no.” His lips curved as he studied her. “You should be his priority, no doubt. And I know you could care less about your mother’s feelings, but she has a right to spend time with him too.”

“I guess.” Feeling glum, she considered grabbing a chocolate chip cookie, only to decide against it. Even chocolate wasn’t going to help her now. What she needed was some time alone. “I’m gonna go to the library and try and find this book Capri keeps bugging me to read. I’ll see ya later, k?”

“Take care.” He watched her as she got up and left, unable to hide his uneasiness about the whole situation. He wished there was more he could do for her, but he knew that this was a battle she was going to have to face on her own.

Blythe walked through the corridor, making her way towards the library. She hummed “Highway to Hell” under her breath as she went, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls. When she reached the library, she shoved open the door, only to stop just inside and seriously consider walking right back out again.

Seated on one of the many sofas were Brogan and Nova, heads together, deep in discussion. The second the door opened they both looked up like guilty children, only to have the surprise on their faces replaced with disdain. It was a look she was well accustomed to seeing from both of them.

Deciding it satisfied her mood better to interrupt them versus hightailing it out of there, she walked forward, head held high and a mocking grin on her face.

“Don’t let me interrupt your little book club meeting.” She said sassily, even though she noticed neither of them had been reading a book. Curiosity almost had her asking them what they were up to, until something most unexpected happened.

“YOU ARE SUCH A BITCH!” Nova exploded, jumping to her feet and pointing an accusing finger at Blythe. Brogan instantly jumped up and restrained her, even though she had made no threatening move towards Blythe. Yet.

Torn between utter shock and a tinge of amusement at seeing her quiet, dark haired little sister have a passionate moment, Blythe stopped dead in her tracks and fisted her hands on her hips defensively.

“What the hell is your problem?” She countered, temper flaring as one eyebrow cocked indignantly.

“Your father is a horrible man! He’s going to take advantage of our mother! Do you even care about that? Does it even bother you that he’s using her again?” Nova managed, tears now streaming down her thin face out of dark eyes.

“Maybe she’s getting what she deserves for being a rotten whore.” Blythe spat, trying not to care about the despair and anguish on her sister’s face.

Brogan didn’t say a word, he simply pulled Nova against his chest to comfort her, his dark eyes locked on Blythe. The cold disgust she saw in them chilled her to the bone. What the hell was wrong with these two?

Deciding it wasn’t worth getting the damn book, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the library, not wanting to see her sister’s tears any longer. Why it had affected her at all was something to consider, she thought as she raced down the corridor towards the staircase that led to the living quarters. Nova didn’t mean anything to her, she was just another girl living on Euphora. They’d barely ever spoken to each other, much less even looked at each other. But there was something about seeing her cry that hit a chord deep in her heart.

Knowing it was easier to be angry than it was to dwell on the sadness she felt, she pounded up the stairs and raced to her room, slamming the door behind her. Once inside, she turned towards the flame retardant dart board Lucian had given her for her birthday and proceeded to hurl darts of fire at it.

They erupted from her wrist and shot through the air, and she felt a stab of satisfaction every time one burst against the board. She didn’t even care about accuracy, it just felt good to throw something. Especially when she had the pleasure of seeing an explosion of fire at every impact.

After what must have been forty shots fired one after another in rapid succession, she crumbled to the floor, gasping for air. Exhausted, she curled into herself and reveled in her momentarily empty mind.

Minutes later, she sprawled on her back and stared up at the ceiling of her room, trying to focus on her breathing. And as her heart rate and her breathing slowed, the thoughts returned.

Why was Nova so convinced that Brock was using their mother? The man had only been back one full day, they couldn’t possibly know his intentions yet. And if they were just making assumptions about him, then they were fools. They knew nothing about him, other than what Balgaire had told them since they were children, and she could only imagine what that bastard had had to say about his rival. Not a single kind word about Brock had ever come out of Balgaire’s mouth, that she was sure of.

She took a deep breath and hefted herself up off of the floor, feeling better than she had before. What did she care what Nova and Brogan thought anyway? It was useless to worry about things she couldn’t do anything about.

And if Brock was just using Nyxa, she didn’t really see how it was any of her business.

♦ ♦ ♦

Maybe her expectations were too high. Or, better yet, maybe her father’s standards were just way too low.

Whichever way she chose to look at it, the fact was that as the days progressed, she noticed him getting more and more distracted with his work.

The first couple of days he was reading the books she’d given him, and when she’d quiz him on the terms he was doing fairly well. Not perfect, but good considering the man hadn’t had to learn something new in twenty, maybe even thirty years.

But then it was like a light bulb switched off in his head. He started coming in later than their usual meeting time, nearly always dragging his feet like she was forcing him to be there or something.

When she’d ask him a question, he’d get frustrated and annoyed with her, as if the last thing he wanted to do was actually work.

Oh, and to top it all off, she could smell women’s perfume on him. He really just didn’t care anymore about working, and the fact that it had taken only one week for that to happen led her to believe she’d be working by herself after all.

Deciding she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily, she left him alone with explicit instructions not to touch anything, and she went to see Thea.

Ready to vent her frustrations, she burst into Thea’s lofty Garden room, mouth open and prepared to unleash all matter of indignities. But the moment she set foot inside, she heard a polite ‘shush’ from Sebastian, just in time for her to notice that Thea was busy talking to someone through a device resting on the small table beside her.

Sebastian was relaxing on one of the nearby chaise lounges, a glass of raspberry tea in his hand as he eyed her, amusement clear on his face as he noticed the waves of frustrated energy she emanated.

Resigning that there was little she could do but wait out the phone call, Blythe trudged over to where Sebastian was and plopped down beside him.

Smiling serenely at her, he lifted a small plate crowded with tiny cookies and offered her one.

With a sigh she grabbed two and settled herself down to wait.

It wasn’t until she heard the man’s voice that she actually paid attention to Thea’s conversation.

“I’ve got three demons and several humans who say they saw Dante at the Bellagio just two days ago. Now, I’ve checked the records and if he was there, he was checked in under a fake name. But, I did happen to get a lead on a Mercedes Benz that had been stolen out of the Bellagio lot just yesterday morning. I watched the security camera footage, and it’s our man.”

He had a slow drawl to his voice that gave a southwest flavor to every syllable he uttered, making the matter of fact way he told his tale all the more alluring. Blythe found herself leaning in closer, her interest piqued.

“Excellent. Do you have a lead on where he’s headed?” Thea looked immensely pleased as she tossed back her dark curls and winked at Blythe.

“My gut tells me he’s heading west. There’s not much to the east or to the north, and Phoenix is the only big city south of here. So west makes the most sense.”

“I trust your judgment one hundred percent, Jax.” Thea smiled then, clearly trying to hold back a laugh. “Have you been keeping your distance from the tables like a good boy?”

The man on the receiver chuckled before he spoke. “Yes ma’am. I keep my money firmly tucked in my wallet these days. I’ll let you know if I hear any more details, but until then, I’m heading west.”

“Safe traveling, darling.” She pressed a button on the receiver which ended the call, then turned to face Sebastian and Blythe. “How nice of you to come visit with us, Blythe. I know you must be very busy.”

“Was that the bounty hunter?”

“Yes, Jackson Murphy. He’s on Dante’s tail. It should only be a matter of days now.” Stretching her arms over her head, Thea yawned and sighed before looking back at Blythe. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Warring between curiosity over the bounty hunter and her frustration with her father, Blythe decided it was best to push curiosity aside in place of more pressing matters.

“It’s my dad, Thea.” She began on an exhale, running her hands through her hair as though all she wanted to do was pull it all out. “He’s distracted, disinterested, and ridiculously careless. I’ve had to give him all my old books and notes from when you taught me so he could learn the proper way to do things, and he’s barely looked at them. I mean, the first couple of days he seemed to be committed and excited, but now it’s like he doesn’t even want to be there. I keep pushing him, scolding him, whatever it takes, but he isn’t responding to me. I’m at my wits end here.”

“Blythe…” Sympathetic, Thea leaned over and patted Blythe’s arm gently. “Brock has never had a very good work ethic. I’m sorry you’re frustrated, but there’s really not much I can do.”

“Can’t you tell him to get off his ass and get to work?” Irritation flickered in her eyes at Thea’s nonchalance.

“I suppose I could, but if I’m speaking honestly, which I always will with you, then I need you to know that I’m hesitant to push at him right now. Because of my decision he lost years of his life here, and I don’t have really any way to make it up to him. Except to give him time to adjust and to find ways to get those years back. That includes spending quality time with you, dear.”

“Well that sounds great, only he doesn’t want to spend much time with me.” Annoyed that she was being petty, she rubbed her face before looking at Thea again. “Look, I knew what to expect, alright? I knew he’d be difficult, I knew he’d be obnoxious, and I knew he would have a hard time keeping away from the ladies, namely my mother. But I guess I also expected him to give a damn about working with me, or even talking with me. God, he hasn’t even asked me if I have a boyfriend. Shouldn’t all dads want to know that about their daughters? He’s so goddamn self-centered he can’t see anything beyond what applies directly to him. It’s frustrating, Thea.”

For a moment Thea was silent, her gypsy eyes locked on Blythe’s. When she spoke, there was unmistakable pride in her voice.

“Of all of you kids, you have undoubtedly been dealt the hardest hand, Blythe. But instead of crawling into a hole and wallowing in your misfortune, you stand tall and make life work for you. I admire your tenacity, your determination, and your strength of will. I know you’re frustrated and more than a little disappointed in him, but give it time. I’m sure you’ll pull some trick out of your hat that will turn everything around.”

“I feel like my hat’s running a little short on tricks these days.” Blythe muttered, though Thea’s words had made her feel a little more optimistic.

“It may help for you to keep something else in mind, darling, as you consider how to handle your father.” Sebastian said suddenly, looking cool and composed as he nibbled on a lemon cookie, his soft gray eyes echoing with wisdom. She often found herself forgetting just how long Father Sky and Mother Earth had been around…how many times had they had virtually this same conversation, but with one of her ancestors? “When Brock was growing up, he didn’t have the same support system that you have. He had the other Dryads, but they were young and easily influenced by him, making him their natural leader. But he never really had a father figure, or a mother once Bristol left. And I suppose at that time we didn’t realize just how badly he needed guidance and authority to push him in the right direction. But you…you’ve had Lucian, and Liam, now Capri. And this time we knew we had to take a more hands on approach, and so you had us more involved in your upbringing as well. So, you see love, you can’t fault him too much for being what he is. All you can do is try your hardest to see things from his eyes, and then use that to your advantage.”

“That is a good point.” Blythe conceded, pursing her lips. “Alright, I’ll give it another shot. But if he screws up, I’m going to flip my lid, and I’m not giving him a second chance.”

♦ ♦ ♦

“Hey, wait up!”

Turning around in the corridor on her way to dinner, Blythe saw Capri running up to her, her smile cheerful and glowing. Stopping midstep, she waited for her friend to catch up.

“Hi, honey.” She greeted as Capri fell into step with her, attempting to smile in return despite her sour mood.

“I haven’t seen much of you lately. How’s everything going?”

Shrugging, Blythe kept her eyes focused ahead as they walked, unsure how much she really felt like discussing at that moment.

“Things are going good. I’m sorry I haven’t had time to really see you…I’ve been busy.”

“It’s okay! Liam told me you had to fully retrain your dad on everything. I know firsthand how long that can take.”

“Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass. But what can I do?” Chewing her bottom lip, she tried to push away the agitation she felt over the whole issue. It wasn’t going to get her anywhere, anyway.