Winter's War (Her Guardians series Book 4)(16)

“Everything okay?” Wyatt asks as he walks into my bedroom where I’m putting my belt full of daggers on. Wyatt’s blonde hair is as long as when we first met, and his jaw is freshly shaven. Somehow, just dressed in smart, black trousers and a white shirt that is slightly undone, he couldn’t look more powerful with the massive sword strapped to his hip. He couldn’t look more like the vampire king he is meant to be.

“I’m sorry I shut you out, after mum,” I say, my voice cracking a little.

“Winter, you can shut me out, throw those daggers at me, or, in general, just ignore me, and I will still be here for you,” he tells me, and I chuckle.

“You would catch the daggers anyway.”

“True,” he smirks.

“We have angels to go see,” I say and walk over, leaning up to kiss him gently.

“I’m proud of you,” he tells me, and I nod, letting myself have this moment with him before pulling away. Wyatt takes my hand as he leads us down the corridor. The door at the end opens, and Freddy walks out, followed by a boy I’ve not seen before. He has wavy, black hair, with what looks like red tips in his fringe. I can’t tell what he is, but he seems almost familiar to me. I spend way too long meeting the boy’s eyes before pulling my own eyes away.

“Winter,” Freddy says when he notices me and runs over.

I hug him, and I’m a little surprised when Wyatt says, “Son, who’s your friend?” I know Freddy is his son, yet it’s still strange to hear him say that.

“Josh, come here,” Lucifer says as he walks down the corridor towards us.

“Is Josh your son?” I ask Lucifer when he places a hand on Josh’s shoulder and Josh looks over at me. The bright-blue eyes are so familiar and clash against the tips of red in his hair.

“Yes,” he replies tensely.

“So, you’re an angel? Sorry, for a second I thought you might be something else,” I tell Josh who just crosses his arms and looks at his dad. Josh looks a lot like his dad, I can tell he is going to break some hearts when he’s older, much like I can see Freddy doing. The two of them should be locked away from girls.

“Yeah, Dad, why is that?” Josh asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Josh and Lucifer seem to share a look before looking back at us again.

“Angels do not get their wings until their sixteenth birthday, and that is why,” Lucifer answers, but Josh surprises me by laughing loudly.

“Any kind are welcome here, you don’t need to hide anything from us,” I tell Lucifer.

“Nah, it’s more the issue that my step mum and half-brothers wouldn’t be happy with anyone knowing my secrets, right Dad?” Josh says.

“Let’s go,” Lucifer demands, and I watch as they both walk away.

“Your friend is odd.”

“He’s a half,” Freddy tells me, shocking me a little bit, but some part of me knows the truth in his words as I look over at Josh before he walks out of the corridor.

“Half what?” I ask, knowing I was right, and there is something strange about that boy.

“He doesn’t know. His dad won’t tell him, but he was living with humans until recently,” Freddy tells me.

“I’m going to find Mich,” Freddy says, reminding me of the deaf wolf that Freddy made friends with. Seems they are still friends.

“Is Mich a half, too?” I ask Freddy, just having a feeling.

“Yes. His dad was a witch, how did you know?”

“A feeling,” I say, and Freddy hugs me before walking away.

“Keep an eye on who you make friends with, son,” Wyatt tells him, and he turns around at the end of the corridor.

“Careful, you’re starting to sound nice, vamp,” Freddy laughs before walking away, and I look up at Wyatt who is trying not to laugh as he watches where Freddy was. They are very alike.

“It’s weird you have a child, a child that’s not mine,” I blurt out my thoughts, and then cough realising what I just said.

“Does it bother you?”

“Sometimes, I’m jealous of Demi, that she had your love first. That she had your children first, and then I realise I’m jealous of someone who is dead. I just can’t help how I feel,” I admit, what I’ve never really said to him. He takes my hand and leads us out onto the balcony, and shuts the glass doors behind us. I look over the woods from the balcony, the very place that reminds me of my first date with Atti and loving the pots of flowers someone has placed out here.

“What I felt for Demi . . . well, I never want to admit it to Freddy, but it wasn’t love. I know that now, but back then, I didn’t. It was lust and tiredness of everyone in my home that was so fake towards me. The countless vampires my father tried to make me mate to. The countless humans and vampires I watched him kill. It was just a chance to be happy. I know this because I never felt for her, an ounce of what I feel for you. Nothing in my life compares to how I feel for you, you’re so much more, Winter,” he says gently, his dark eyes willing me to believe him.

“I don’t want you to just say that,” I whisper.

“I’m not. You will understand one day soon that I love you so much that I would die for you. I would do anything to keep you safe,” he tells me and looks away, watching something out in the skies. I know how he feels because I would do the same for him, but more. I would do anything to just have a life with him, with my other mates. I feel like every one of them ran away with my heart the moment we met, and I wouldn’t ever chase them for it. It’s theirs.