30. Hunter

30

HUNTER

D eath looked…out of place as he sat on the sofa in my office. He was known for his brutal reputation, but he appeared almost vulnerable as he sipped on a passion fruit lemonade.

It was unsettling, yet oddly endearing, especially since he was now my father-in-law.

“I haven’t heard from Craven,” Death said, holding the lemonade in both hands and taking a deliberate sip. He smacked his lips together with a small hum.

“No, but he told me he’d be silent.” I grimaced as I reached for my coffee cup. The caramel fae wine smoothed down my throat as I took a drink.

“Makes sense. He is undercover in a cult.” He slurped from the straw again. “Fates, this is good. Why have I never heard of this before?”

I cocked a brow at him from behind my desk. “Maybe because it’s not a common lemonade flavor?”

“Yeah.” He sipped some more. “Gotta be the reason.”

“You’re a lot different than you used to be,” I said, setting my cup down.

He chuckled, flicking his dark eyes up to me. “That’s because I have a purpose in life again—my daughter.”

I smiled. I was so happy that Pandora was finally experiencing parental love. “She loves you, you know.”

“Really?” His eyes lit up, and the straw fell from his lips. “I mean, I love her. Of course I do. She’s my daughter. She’s never told me she’s loved me before, though. Has she told you?”

My cheeks heated as I nodded. “She has told me she loved me.”

“I meant me .” His gaze narrowed as he sipped the lemonade again. “Did she tell you she loved me ?”

“Oh.” I reached up and loosened my collar, glancing around my office. “We’ve never really talked about it, but I know she does.”

He deflated, sucking on the straw until the lemonade was gone. Sighing, he got up and tossed the cup in my trash bin before coming back and sitting on the sofa again. “How’s she doing with the others?”

“She officially mated Reed, and she’s forgiven Grimshaw,” I updated him.

“I knew that .” He rubbed his face. “Hasn’t forgiven Hemlock or Shadowheart?”

I shook my head. Those two were going to have a Fates of a time getting Death to be semi-okay with them after what they did to Pandora.

“Good.” He crossed his arms, almost pouting.

The air between us felt heavy. There was so much happening right now with Pandora, and it was stressful as her mate to see her go through it. I couldn’t imagine how much it weighed on her dad.

My tablet buzzed with my own dad’s call, breaking the tension.

I tapped the green button and answered it. “Hey, Dad. You’re on speaker, and Death’s here.”

“Hey, Hunt, and hello, Death. Been a while.” Dad’s voice came through the tablet, cheerful and warm.

“Nice to hear from you,” Death told Dad, a smile playing on his lips. “I can’t believe our children are fated mates. I’ve always thought you were a good demon, but you raised an even better son.”

Pride swelled in my chest.

“That has a lot to do with him being like his mother,” Dad chuckled. “I’m glad they found each other, though. I’m also very relieved to hear you approve of my son. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just calling to tell Hunt that I’ve found a few leads for Inferno’s dad’s killer. Unfortunately, it’s all tying back with the Shadowhearts.”

“Shit.” I raked a hand down my face. “You’ve already started working on it? I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve helped more. If it’s Shadowheart related, it’s probably Dark Veil related. I was worried about that.”

“You’ve got so much on your plate. We’re going to take our time with this case because Dark Veil is already being infiltrated. We need to speak with Joel when we can. However, you need to breathe,” he dismissed me. “It’s fine. I’d love to come meet your mate, though. Seeing Death again would be a plus.”

“Ah, yes it would,” Death agreed. “We need to do something. Perhaps a dinner with all of us.”

“Just plan a date and let me know. See you all soon. I just wanted to update Hunt about the case.”

“Sounds great. Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, Hunt.” He hung up.

I sighed, setting the tablet aside as I met Death’s gaze. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He shook his head. “I’m glad you have a good relationship with your father. Also, you have been doing a lot of work. You need to slow down a bit. Pandora needs you right now.”

“You’re right.” I nodded, but I still felt bad for leaving my dad to run the business on his own. “Reed confirmed to me that Vane was behind Pandora’s nightmares. Also, she said something about Reed’s mother taking something from Dark Veil. We need to get in touch with her as soon as we can.”

“I see.” His eyes darkened. “Vane’s soul is worth nothing. If I come across her, she will part with it.”

“I have no problem with that.” I grabbed my cup and sipped on the wine. “If I cross her, she’s dead, too.”

“I’ll send someone to the Nyx house,” Death groaned, glancing at the trash bin where he’d tossed his lemonade. He clearly had an addiction to the stuff. “Let’s just hope she’s around somewhere.”

The sandstone walls seemed to close in a little as the gravity of the situation settled between us.

Dark Veil had a strong presence in the Demon Capital now. I had never thought that we’d have problems like this at the academy. I hated that my mate had to deal with attacks from other fucking students. If she hadn’t killed them when it happened, I would’ve.

My gaze drifted to the window, where the sun started to set, casting long shadows across the room. I wanted to be with my mate, and I would make damn sure I got to her tonight.

Death leaned back on the sofa, his demeanor more serious now. “I’ve seen many threats over the centuries, Hunter, but this one feels different. It’s personal. For all of us.”

I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. Pandora was at the epicenter of whatever plot Dark Veil was planning, and we needed to make sure she was protected from them. “We’ll find Vane, and we’ll make sure she pays for what she’s done. But we also need to be careful. There’s more at play here than just her. Joel mentioned that he thinks we have a mole on the council, and I think he’s right.”

“Agreed.” He glanced around my office, his eyes lingering on the various artifacts and books. “You know, when you first decided to be a counselor and remain on the council, I thought it was odd. But you’ve built quite the place here. It’s...cozy.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s an achievement I’m proud of.”

Death’s lips twitched into a small smile. “It suits you, and it’s good to know my daughter has someone like you watching over her. Someone close.”

“Thank you.” A rush of gratitude spread through me. “I’ll always protect her. No matter what.”

“I know you will.” He smirked. “If you didn’t, I would eat your entire soul.”

The room fell silent for a moment as I rolled my eyes. Death hadn’t been joking, but it was almost endearing. With him on our side and the support of Pandora’s mates, I knew even if there was a betrayal in the council, we’d be okay.

We were going to uncover the truth, protect my mate, and ensure that vengeance was served. Magic rippled beneath my skin at the thought of putting a stop to Dark Veil and their thirst for dark magic.

The fight was far from over, but we would see it through to the end to make sure they couldn’t come after Pandora again.