Magic Tides (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years #1)(6)

That was fine. The day was still young.

“What kind of person is Darin?”

Thomas turned and looked at me as if I’d punched him.

“What sort of kid is he?” I asked.

“You want to know what kind of person my son is? I’ll tell you. Jason has a friend who comes down here during the summer to visit his grandma and grandpa. Last summer they went down to the beach after a storm. Jason told him not to go into the water, but the boy thought he was a good swimmer and the boy’s grandfather said it was fine as long as they didn’t go out too far.”

That did not sound good.

“The boy got caught by a riptide, and it pulled him out into the ocean. Jason ran to get Darin and by the time they made it back to the beach, you couldn’t even see him anymore. Nothing but ocean. Darin went in after him. Somehow, he found the boy. They washed up three miles down the shore in the marsh, and then Darin carried that exhausted child all the way home through the marsh filled with leeches and God knows what. That’s the kind of person my son is.”

Thomas looked me straight in the eye. “But even if he was a lazy, terrible kid, I would still be out here, looking for him, because he is my son. My child. I don’t know why you’re doing this. Maybe it’s a power trip for you, maybe you can actually help. But if you can’t, don’t waste my time. Don’t waste my son’s time, because I don’t know how much he has left.”



Curran

MY EIGHT-YEAR-OLD SON hoisted an entire pallet of lumber with a look that asked if it was enough.

Beside him, Jason looked slightly shocked. He was gamely struggling with smaller individual boards.

“Yes, very impressive. Carry it inside the big gate and then meet out here by the doors. Jason, you’re doing fine. I’m just going to borrow Conlan for a minute.”

Conlan deposited his burden, trotted back, and stood a respectful distance from me. Waiting. He was my son, but he was also a shapeshifter standing before his alpha.

“Well?”

“Jason is my friend, and his brother was taken. Right off the street. Nobody will help them. Everybody is afraid of those guys.”

“Did you ask your mother to find him?”

He hesitated. “Not exactly.”

“No. But you knew if you brought Jason to her and mentioned it, she would drop what she was doing and go fix it.”

“Yes.”

“You manipulated her. I wonder where you learned that?”

Conlan’s face turned slightly defiant. “He likes you. He says you’re powerful.”

“I’m sure he does. Your grandfather says a lot of things.”

“He’s very old. He knows about a lot of things. He was a king.”

“He was that.”

“He wanted Mom to be a queen, to rule with him.”

No, he didn’t. “Do you think he means it?”

Conlan seemed to think it over. “No. He wouldn’t share his power. Ever. With anyone.”

“Good. That’s the most important thing to understand about him.”

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Your grandfather will never sacrifice anything for your sake. Your mother is his only living child. All the rest, and there were many, are long dead.”

“He says he loved them all.”

“I’m sure he did in his way. At least until he didn’t anymore. Then, he destroyed them.”

“Except for Mom.”

“Not for a lack of trying,” I told him. “Your mom is not like the others. She survived, and she beat him.”

“Is she stronger? Is that why she beat him?”

“Your mother is very strong, but that’s not why she won. She beat him because she’s not like him. He didn’t raise her. As young as you are, you’ve spent more time with him than she ever did.”

He squinted at me. “That’s what this is about? You don’t like me visiting him.”

“Yes and no. No, I don’t like it, but I don’t have to. He’s your grandfather. His blood runs through your veins. I can’t change that. Learn from him, listen to his stories, but don’t ever buy into his bullshit.”

“Dad!”

“Have I ever forbidden you to see him?”

“No, but…”

Roland was a wound that wouldn’t heal. Trying to keep Conlan away from him would only backfire. The last thing we needed was for our son to discover his magical grandfather when he was 25, because then Roland would be a forbidden secret we had hidden from him. No, we let him visit, and when he came back spouting dangerous nonsense, we dealt with it right then and there. As I was about to do now.

“Yes, Conlan, he was great. An immortal god king who wanted to rule everyone, everywhere and give them all a better life as long as it was on his terms and his alone. Look where that got him. Next time you see him, when he tells you how special you are and how much he loves you, and I know he means every word, really think about where he is now and how he got there. That’s all I ask.”

“I will. But you were like him.”

“How?”

“You were the Beast Lord. You were in charge of everyone like us. You were a king.”

“No, I was a pack leader.”