NEVADA 

I smiled as I looked at August, his lips slightly swollen from the bruising kiss we had just shared and his eyes filled with a warmth I had never seen before. It felt like I was in a dream, floating on a cloud as I processed the fact that August wanted to be with me. Dominic had always been the wall between us but now it seemed as if August was willing to put his friendship on the line, just for me.

"I think you may have a hero complex," I teased which earned me a flat look in return.

"I'm no hero, princess."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner and rolled my eyes. "August, you refused to pursue me because of your friend, until you found out that being without you could literally kill me. If that doesn't scream damsel in distress then I don't know what does."

The fact that I was currently depending on August to stay alive did irk me to an extent because who would want their life linked to someone in such a dangerous way. I knew that once the claiming ritual was complete then August and I would be able to be away from each other, if we chose to be, without my life force being drained or his blood lust getting out of hand. Thinking of how we would fix this limbo we found ourselves in sent a rush of heat to my cheeks.

August scowled. "Your life is more important than anything else to me."

The way he had spoken those words left me with an uneasy feeling as if there was more he had chosen not to say.

"But?" I hesitantly prompted.

"But… you were right when you said that you don't know me. I want to do right by you, Nevada," he said, the warmth in his silver eyes nearly masked with sadness, "but I'm not a good person. I wasn't before I became a vampire and I'm even worse now. Dominic will never give his blessing."

I could hear the pain in his voice, the regret of not being who he thought I deserved. I laced my fingers through his and leaned my head against his shoulder in an attempt to ease his distress. 

"Dominic may have been your prince all those years ago, but he no longer holds that kind of power over you," I pointed out as gently as I could. "I know that he means a lot to you, and if I told you I didn't understand, that would be a lie because I get it. But he doesn't get to decide what makes you happy, or who."

August gripped my hand tighter but said nothing. I could only hope that he would find a way to accept that fact.

"As for not knowing you," I continued after a moment, "I know that you aren't a bad person, regardless of what you believe, because I've seen how deeply you care for others. I also know that the gods picked you for me out of every other being in the world and I choose to trust them."

I looked around the garden as I let my words sink into his mind, my eyes scanning over the brightly colored flowers now cast in shadow by the sun lowering beyond the horizon. The sky was a mix of pinks and oranges, flowing into shades of purple and finally dark blue as night grew closer. I could see storm clouds in the distance, a hint of rain riding on the warm afternoon breeze. It should have been simple, and maybe in a different life, it had been easier for our love to prosper. 

"I don't want you to love me because the universe tells you that you're supposed to," August finally said, the timber of his voice filling my body with a sweet warmth. "I want you to love me because you choose to."

I looked up, silently counting the few stars that were scattered across the darkening sky. I knew what he was actually asking of me and I felt a tug on my heart. August wanted me to know him, fully and completely, before we took that final step. There were things we probably needed to work out, both with each other and with those that were with us. If I agreed to wait, it would be a risk for both of us, and it could cost me my life. Did I trust August enough to put my life in his hands?

As if sensing my hesitation, August wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. The familiar scent of his cologne surrounded me and I felt myself melt into him effortlessly. 

"I won't leave you, princess," he said, softly pressing a kiss to my temple. "Wherever you go, I will be there. You have my word."

I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath through my nose before I spoke. "If I do this, if I trust you like this, you need to find a way to talk to Dominic about us."

"I will." 

A sudden realization sparked in my mind and I sat up abruptly, a sharp pain shooting up my side at the jolting movement and I let out a gasp. I looked at August with my eyes wide in shock.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his body instantly growing tense and alert as he studied my face.

"I just realized… " I trailed off, my thoughts stunned as I tried to think back to be sure of myself. "I just realized, I haven't actually talked to Dominic."

August appeared to be confused, his dark brows pulled together. "You mean, since you woke up earlier. It's alright, you haven't exactly had the chance."

"No, that's not what I mean," I corrected, shaking my head. "Since, well, ever! I've never had any kind of conversation with him."

A sadness settled in my stomach, my chest tight as I repeated those words again and again in my head. Dominic Drakos was my father, my biological father whom I knew relatively nothing about, and I had never spoken a word to him. I hadn't talked to Alana either, not since that first night in my bedroom at August's, but I had at least done my best to give her the benefit of the doubt and hear her out. Why did it feel so much more daunting to face Dominic for the first time.

My vision blurred as I met August's gaze, his eyes bright even in the fading light. He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again and tilted his head to the side as if listening. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh before looking at me once more.

"It seems that life continues even if I wish I could hold this moment frozen in my hands forever," he whispered softly before pressing a gentle lingering kiss on my lips. It was over quicker than I would have liked, leaving me aching for more. "I'm going to walk you back inside where you'll be safe. There's something I need to deal with."

"But you said-," I began to protest but he instantly shook his head, silencing me.

"I won't be far, and I won't be long. You won't suffer from this, baby girl."

"Where are you going?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

The corners of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile. "My progeny suffers and so I suffer with him. I'm not one to gossip, love, but he fled from your dear brother just now and I must calm him before he does something stupid."

Hatter had run from Nova? Well that was certainly intriguing but, while I wanted to pry even more, I knew August wouldn't budge. Instead, I nodded reluctantly and let him lead me back to the front of the house where we stopped on the porch.

"Make sure you eat," he instructed and waited until I agreed before he went on. "Maybe this will be your chance to talk to him?"

I bit my lip and looked nervously towards the closed front door. "Yeah, I can't exactly put it off any longer. I mean, we have a few other issues much bigger than this to deal with, don't we?"

"It'll be fine. I'm sure he's just as nervous as you are," August reassured me quietly before kissing my forehead. "I'll be back soon."

I blinked and he was gone before I could say anything more. I scowled at the place he had been, making the decision then and there that the vampire speed was obnoxious. With a resigned breath, I entered Ashira's cabin and was immediately met with the delicious aroma of food as it wafted from the kitchen. Following the scent like a bloodhound, I stopped in the kitchen doorway with my heart racing.

Dominic was stirring a large pot on the stove while  Alana and Ashira talked quietly at the table. It was now or never, so I cleared my throat nervously to get their attention but my eyes were trained on my father. I could see his shoulders tense when he looked over at me, the tension between us nearly visible.

"Can we talk?" I asked, my voice small and scared even to my own ears. I clasped my hands tightly in front of me to keep from twisting them which was a habit I had been trying to break.

Dominic looked at Alana, a silent conversation seeming to pass between them in those few seconds. I could feel his anxiety, jagged and unruly as he wiped his hands on a dish towel and nodded his head. With a glance at Alana, who smiled encouragingly, I turned around and made my way to the living room. 

He sat in the arm chair across from me as I took a seat on the couch, my mind racing and emotions bouncing around inside my chest like ping pong balls. I wanted to hit him, to cry and scream at him for leaving me behind, but I didn't. I wanted to hug him and tell him that I had missed him so much even though I had never known him, but once again I didn't. The room was nearly suffocating as we silently studied one another. 

Dominic was tall and broad shouldered with dark hair and bright green eyes, ones that I saw every time I looked into a mirror. His face was unlined despite his age thanks to the fae blood that ran in his veins. I could see faint scars hidden beneath the dark facial hair that was trimmed in a way that accentuated his sharp features. Nova looked so much like him except where Dominic was dark, Nova was light. I couldn't help but wonder if either of them had noticed.

"You have every right to be angry at me," Dominic spoke up, breaking the silence. "To be honest, I'm angry with myself. I know you've talked to your mother, I mean Alana, about it already but I want you to hear it from me. We didn't want to give you up, I didn't want to even though you may think that way of me."

I saw the door open quietly behind Dominic as Nova came back into the house. He froze when he saw Dominic and I sitting in the living room, undoubtedly feeling the uncomfortable energy surrounding us. I didn't say anything, or mention his presence as I looked back at Dominic.

"I tried so hard to make it safe enough to keep you, because I wasn't sure I could survive the loss of another," Dominic continued, oblivious to Nova's presence as he kept his eyes trained on his hands. "Edith had disappeared, taking Nova with her and had become a ghost as if neither of them had ever existed. I couldn't find him and I didn't want to lose both of you, but I failed in the end."

The pain in his voice was an agony of remembered loss, something that I wasn't sure could ever be faked. Glancing up at Nova, I saw that he was staring at Dominic's back with a look of shock that mirrored my own thoughts on what had just been said.

"You looked for me?" Nova asked in disbelief along with a hint of confusion. Dominic tensed and twisted around in his seat to find Nova behind him. "You… you tried to find me?"

I could see the struggle in Nova's eyes, conflicting emotions as he tried to wrap his mind around the notion. Nova's mother, Edith, had never told him that, at least not as far as I knew. Without a word, I held out my hand towards Nova as I patted the space on the couch beside me. Still dumbfounded, Nova moved toward me like an automaton without ever taking his eyes off of Dominic.

"I did try, Nova," Dominic replied, his voice cracking slightly but he cleared his throat and continued. "Everything seemed to have happened all at once back then. A price had been put on Edith's head as well as yours and then the kingdoms had turned on Alana and I, making it impossible to do more than run. The first chance I had, I searched for you but I couldn't find Edith. She had gone underground and changed her identity multiple times to the point I couldn't track her. Alana was pregnant with Nevada and I couldn't expose myself and put another child at risk too.

"I hadn't heard anything, not a word in regards to where Edith might be and I knew that if I couldn't find you then neither could anyone else," Dominic ran a hand through his hair in frustration and stood from his seat to look out the window. "I convinced myself that you were safe wherever you were and that finding you would only put you in danger. Maybe I was a fool, but I didn't know what else to do."

Nova gripped my hand so tight that I thought he would cut off the circulation but I didn't flinch. My heart ached for all of us as I watched Dominic, his shoulders hunched in on himself as if he could hide from the painful memories. When he finally turned away from the window to face us, I saw a look of determination fill his eyes.

"I don't want either of you to think that I didn't want you. I've made countless mistakes and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a good person," Dominic said, his words reminding me so much of August that I drew in a sharp breath despite myself. "I will continue to fuck up, because it's just what I seem to be good at, but if I had been able to be with you, to give you the lives that you deserved, I would have."

Tears welled in my eyes, truth ringing in his voice as he looked back and forth between Nova's eyes and mine. I could hear rain hitting the window, the large drops sounding like small pebbles. Lightning flashed outside, outlining Dominic's silhouette and giving him a fearsome look that I sure would make many unsuspecting men cower before him. 

"Did my mother know you were looking for us?" Nova asked hesitantly. 

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen or heard from her since the day I told her to hide," Dominic said as he turned back to the window. "August was the one that found you years later, but he wouldn't tell me where you were because he knew I would come."

"August knew?" I asked incredulously. 

"He was right not to tell me, Nevada. I would have put Nova in danger, and it also seems you as well since you two have been close since you were small children." His explanation made sense but it didn't hurt any less. "Alana and I had no idea where he took you, we felt it was the safer option so we wouldn't be tempted to see you. 

"Not only were we being hunted by two kingdoms as well as Torch but we were also trying to find a way to bring Torch down. We constantly had people, humans and supes alike believe it or not, on our tail." Dominic shrugged casually as if he was unbothered by that fact, and maybe he was. "It wasn't something either of you needed to be a part of."

A roll of thunder vibrated through the house like a physical manifestation of how I felt, the overwhelming emotions that swirled around the room between the three of us. Nova hadn't moved, his face guarded as he watched Dominic but I knew what he was going through. As I went over everything in my head that he had just told us, along with what I had learned from Alana, I was drowned by the memory of my late adoptive father. 

He had been the only father I had ever known and losing him to his vices had left a gaping wound in its wake. Dominic was my real father and, now that I had met him and despite not knowing him, that familial connection was there. I wasn't sure I could turn my back on him now.

Nova released my hand and stood up, the rustle of his clothing causing Dominic to turn around to face him. Nova's face was blank but his bright indigo eyes matched the tumultuous storm that had begun to rage outside.

"I don't hate you," Nova told Dominic, both of them holding a wary stance, "but I don't trust you either or particularly even like you. However, that's a common opinion for me to have these days it seems so you could probably overlook that for now."

A slow smile spread across Dominic's face and he held his hand out to Nova in a gesture of acceptance. "I'll take what I can get."

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched Nova grasped Dominic's outstretched hand. The moment was cut short as the front door burst open to reveal Hatter and August, dripping wet as rain poured down behind them, startling the three of us. August shoved Hatter into the room causing him to slip on the hardwood floor and land on his ass.

Hatter growled as he struggled to his feet from the wet floor and glared at August. It was then that I realized the front of Hatter's shirt was stained red and his eyes were pools of silver and molten fury. 

"What in the name of the gods is going on in here?" Ashira cried as she and Alana rushed into the room.

"Lurkers on the border," August explained.

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A/N: One chapter left! 😭🤧

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