Seventh Seal - Jacquelyn Faye Page 0,90

to my father when Yuki pulled me away. "Together," she reiterated.

We backed up as far as we could and hit it together, blasting it from the hinges and jumping over it as we fell into his cell.

"I told you not to come," he groaned through the pain.

"And I told you I would," I answered and looked at his bonds. His flesh was burning, but healing just as fast, keeping him in a constant state of pain. "Bheith fuar," I canted, watching the burning hot chains freeze against my spell. They were already warming as I canted, "Fuascail," Frantically pulling them off his wrists before they burned him again. He fell into my arms.

"Thank you, Daughter."

Lowering him to the ground, I leaned him back against the wall. For being imprisoned for over ninety years, he looked surprisingly well. His clothes were tattered, his flesh drawn, and his beard nearly to his waist, but he was alive. "We need to get out of here."

"No. You do. I thank you from releasing me from my chains, but I cannot leave."

"Why?"

"Because, Daughter. If I were to take my power from you, you would not survive. It is why I told you not to come!" He smiled at me sadly.

"Funny story about that," I said with a small chuckle and reached into the pocket of my jeans, pulling the stone and tucking it into his hand without showing it to him.

"A receptacle? How?"

"Gift from Delron."

"That dastardly elf!" He chuckled, but then looked at me again sadly. "Then you no longer have my…"

"Godhood? Nope."

He tilted his head and stared a moment, looking between Yuki and me. "But…"

I sighed. There was so much to tell him. Once we were back in the mortal realm. We would have all the time in the world. "Long story. Tell you later."

There was a flash of brilliant red light and he let the dust of the gem fall to the ground beside him. Shimmering, his beard disappeared as his skin filled, his clothes mended, and he radiated black power. The power of the night. He lifted me to my feet.

"So much better," he said and stretched, sounding much stronger. And then he hugged me.

The smell of the father I hadn't seen since I was a child wrapped around me, comforting me, soothing me. His chest pressed against my face as he kissed the top of my head and held me close. The tears started falling, soaking his shirt, as the sobs began wracking my body from the depths of my soul. The man I had thought I would never get to meet was real. And he was holding me.

Yuki just smiled and leaned back against the wall beside us, her hands folded behind her.

"I cannot believe how beautiful you are," he whispered and pushed me back to arm's length, getting to look at me with his own eyes. "Nor how strong. You look just like your mother."

It was funny, coming from my father's lips, for the first time, it felt like a compliment. "Thank you, Father."

"Oh, shush. Call me Dad, or Aodh, if you prefer. You're all grown up now."

"Lady of her own coven, Lord of the vampires, Master of the dark elves, and Lady of the shadows, too," Yuki chimed in proudly. "Just like her father."

Aodh stared into my eyes, put his hands aside my face and shifted his gaze to the air around me. "I see. That is why you no longer needed my power. You have your own." His face split in a grin. "Just like your father. More even. Since you have witches behind you, too." He sounded almost…proud.

I sniffled and rubbed my nose against the sleeve of my sweater. "Well, this is a conversation better left for home. Let's get the hell out of hell. I need some coffee."

We slipped out of the cell and down the never-ending hallway, breaking out into the bottom of the circular cavern just as the others dropped off the last of the stairs.

My mother fell to her knees. Nana smiled happily. Ellis, Shea, and Dar bowed to the floor, taking a knee. The rest of my boys looked at my father nervously. But Josie… Josie stared and didn't know what to do.

"I see you told her?"

I looked up at my father, smiling proudly. "Yep."

"Kids. They never listen." He chuckled and let go of me, taking a step closer to my sister. "Hello, Daughter."

Josie didn't run, but she didn't walk either, towing Candace behind her as she crossed the cavern and