Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,76

threw on my robe and raced down the hall, only to find him shouting into his phone.

“What the hell? How did you find out?… She did, did she?”

I had never seen my father look so angry and immediately knew that he was talking to my grandfather. Kipa was making breakfast. He motioned me into the kitchen.

“What the hell’s going on?” he whispered.

“I have a feeling my grandfather’s telling him not to move to Annwn.”

Kipa raised his eyebrows. “Really? And how would you know that?”

I sighed. “Promise me you’ll keep this a secret, but my mother and I thought this might be the only way to keep him over here. My father might be one of the Ante-Fae and a Black Dog at that, but we all know that he can’t survive over there. I love him but he’s a marshmallow. Oh, he’d protect his loved ones with his life, but Y’Bain is filled with big, mean monsters.”

Kipa paused, spatula in the air. “So you and your mother decided to go behind his back and enlist your grandfather in your plan?” He was frowning, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes, and hush,” I said, cringing as my father let loose with a volley of swear words in Scottish Gaelic. I didn’t understand most of what he was saying but I caught a few choice words that made me wince. “He’s pissed.”

“I would be pissed too,” Kipa said. “However…I understand why you did this. You’re right, your father isn’t really set up for life in the wild.”

“You’re damned right he isn’t. He wouldn’t survive. Not all of the Ante-Fae are good at roughing it.” I thought about Vixen. I knew that they wouldn’t make it in the wild, that was for sure. Or Apollo. I wasn’t even sure I could, though I stood a better chance than my father.

“I won’t tell, but isn’t there another way you could have found besides going behind his back?” Kipa sounded so worried that I realized he might think I’d do this to him, as well.

“What are you talking about?… You want me to what?” My father’s voice echoed from the dining room.

I took the spatula out of Kipa’s hand and set it on the counter. “Listen to me,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to protect my father. Sometimes if someone is too stubborn for their own good, you have to step in. Phasmoria agrees. And if you don’t like it, you can stuff it up your…nose.” I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t angry, but Kipa needed to understand that I had reasons for interfering and my decision wasn’t his to question.

Kipa stared at me, then sputtered out a laugh. “Up my nose? Did you really just say that?”

“It seemed more polite than telling you to stuff it up your ass.”

He shook his head. “You take the cake. But you’re right about one thing. Y’Bain is one of the most dangerous places you could choose to move to. I suppose I understand why you’re being so protective. You love him and you want him to be safe.” He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. “I understand. I do.”

I rested my head against his chest. “He’s the only father I have, and now that I know I have a brother, I feel a responsibility. Curikan may never be able to meet Conner, but I want him alive for the boy. Maybe someday they can write to each other or talk on the phone. Da’s curse doesn’t extend through the phone lines.”

Kipa pushed me back, holding me by the shoulders. He stared at me with a skeptical look. “You’re planning more than just keeping your father here, aren’t you? You’re planning how to put your brother in touch with him, aren’t you? Raven, you might want to rethink that.”

I averted my gaze. Kipa didn’t have to know all my secrets. “I never said anything like that. While he’s underage, I won’t even attempt to contact Conner without permission. But I won’t promise to keep quiet once he’s an adult. By then, he’ll be able to understand about the problem with his genes and Curikan’s nature. As a child, I get that he wouldn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.”

“Raven,” Kipa said, giving me a warning look. “You’re playing with fire. I understand protecting Curikan from himself, but seriously, leave things alone for now. Promise me?”

“I already promised my father. You don’t get to bind me to promises about my