My heart pounded the closer I got to him, and his beat even harder. I was still staring at his back and I longed to see his face. I’d seen it in my mother’s stone, but that wasn’t good enough. I wanted to run and jump in his arms; to tell him how, even though I didn’t know him, I loved him. Maybe it was stupid of me to think we could have a normal relationship. But I had to try.
Sebastian accepted me as his niece. If all else failed, I’d have him and Tyla. Swallowing hard, I closed the distance, leaving only three feet between us. I didn’t know if I should say the first word or wait for him to turn around. I’d heard of the Lyall stubbornness and figured it was probably best if I made the first move.
“Hi,” I said, my voice just above a whisper. He stiffened and didn’t turn around. “My name is Laila, but I’m sure you already know that by now.” Still, I waited for him to turn around and he didn’t. It didn’t matter though, as long as I said what I had to say. “I know all of this has come as a shock to you. Believe me, it was the same for me when I found out. I just want you to know I don’t blame you for not knowing. How could you? Nobody knew, other than my mother, but by then it was too late.”
His shoulders hunched and his head fell, breaking my heart. “Please talk to me,” I pleaded. When he didn’t, I held back my tears. I remembered what it had been like on the day I’d found out the truth. It had taken me some time too. “There’s something I want to give you. It was my mother’s.” In my hand, I held a black, velvet bag that kept her pink stone safe. I set it on the ground behind him and stepped back.
“I don’t know if you ever saw her with it, but it’s her rose quartz. She spelled it to capture her memories. It’s where I saw you for the first time.” I took another step back, hoping he’d face me. “If you ever want to find me, I’ll be at Tyla’s. She was nice enough to let me stay at her place.” For another few seconds, I waited, before realizing nothing was going to come of it. My throat closed up tight. I didn’t think I could speak, even if I wanted to.
Turning on my heel, I pulled out my phone and started to text Sebastian but thought better of it and put it away. He’d only get pissed if he found out my father ignored me, and probably start some big fight.
“Wait,” my father’s voice called out. Heart pounding, I turned around quickly. He glanced down at the velvet bag and picked it up, keeping his gaze on it. When he looked inside, a sad smile spread across his cheeks. “I gave this to her when we were kids. She used to carry it around everywhere. I found it in the creek by my house.”
My moonstone was in my pocket and I pulled it out. “I must take after her then. I always carry mine with me too.”
He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze to mine. Eyes wide, he stared at me. “You look just like her,” his voice cracked, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
I turned my head. “I know it pains you to look at me. If it’s too much, I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me again.”
He took a step forward, and then another, until he was right in front of me. His fingers lifted my chin and I lost the battle with my tears. “Don’t ever think that, Laila. Seeing you makes me miss your mother more, sure. But now I have a piece of her here with me. I just wish you knew how much I hate myself right now.”
“Why did you leave?” I asked.
His fingers fell from my chin and I could feel his anger. “Being a protector has always been my way of life. I knew that when the time came, I’d have to make a choice. I was prepared to defy my pack to be with her. And so, the night after your mother and I were together, I left to go back to Canada. I was to be back in a couple of weeks, but it ended up being closer to a month. When I showed up at her house, she was gone. There wasn’t a trace of her anywhere.”
“Vincent,” I growled.
He nodded. “But I didn’t know that at the time. I searched and searched for her, and there was nothing. I figured she’d gone back to the Land of the Fae. She’d always gone back there for visits because she loved it. In fact, the only reason she’d stayed on Earth was because of me.”
He turned the stone over in his hand and rubbed it between his finger and thumb. “After months and months of looking, I went back to Canada to fulfill my duty as a protector. Sebastian and Micah still had time to explore the world and it was Sebastian who found out she had been killed by Vincent. Only, he didn’t tell me until after he’d already killed him.”
“And you were mad because it was your right to do it yourself,” I added.
“I loved her, Laila. For the past thirty years, I’ve lived in a darkness I can’t seem to find my way out of. And now there’s you, a daughter I had no clue existed. The thought of what you went through while being with those monsters plagues me. And again, my brother was the one who ended them, when it should’ve been me.”
I shook my head. “Life isn’t all about vengeance. But if it makes it any easier, the Sierra Pack never hurt me. They knew they couldn’t. I was actually the one who turned on them and delivered death to their door. Sebastian and Amelie helped, but it was my doing. Take comfort in knowing that it was me who did it as well. I’m a part of you which means you were there too.”
He brushed a finger across my cheek. “Wise beyond your years.”
“I must take after my father in that respect.” He chuckled and it made me smile. “I don’t know much about my mother and I’m hoping you can help me with that. I was left with only a few of her memories, and a couple journals written in Elvish that I can’t translate.”
“I guess that means you’ll need my help.” He smirked.
I gasped. “You know Elvish?”
He nodded. “Your mother taught me. I’ll help you with anything you need.”
Jumping in his arms, I didn’t care if it was overstepping my boundaries or not. I was surprised when he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I feel like I’ve waited an eternity for this one moment.”
“So have I, my dear. And I promise I won’t let you down.”
For once in my life, I finally felt like I belonged.