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“I may have threatened them about the rains. It was lemurs last time, Dad.”
“We may have heard rumor of a woman-eating toad, but now I fear the rumor was more of a daughter-eating toad. Please tell me you are not the woman who got bitten by a dangerous toad.”
“Mouthy Asshole isn’t dangerous. He’s just grouchy about being endangered. He thrives on human flesh, which is why I may have agreed to go get bitten again. It’s for his emotional health, Dad.”
“I see you have decided that you are not actually a necromancer but a protector of all animals instead.”
“I know I’m not a necromancer, Dad. But I can’t beat the prejudices there, and I wasn’t destroying Erik’s reputation because people can’t distinguish the difference between necromancy and other abilities.”
My father sighed. “About a month after you left, he went on a campaign regarding abilities similar to necromancy in Miami. And he showcased every single life you saved and helped, making it rather clear that he felt their prejudices cost the city good people like you. He was promoted despite his vocalization, and six months later, he resigned his position to take on a new post while looking for you, his missing fiancée.”
Damn it. “He quit?”
“At least in Miami. You know that man, Kinsley. He never thought you were actually quitting on him. He knows the most damaging thing you could do to yourself was stay if it cost him his dream job. He proved himself in his first six months, and he has decided you will be his.” My father huffed, and then he snickered. “He came over asking for our blessing to hunt you down. Your mother made a variety of suggestions of what he should do with you once he catches you, all of which might result in grandchildren. He left feeling much better about himself. I’m being generous and warning you. It wouldn’t do if you didn’t show him some sport once he picks up your trail.”
“Erik quit?”
“Please don’t worry, Kinsley. He won’t ever quit being a cop. He’s just being a cop in a new way. It took him a few months, but he did realize that he would rather be a cop in a different way than be a captain and eventually a chief in Miami without you. But he did have your reputation cleansed in the eyes of your co-workers. All you have ever done is good for your people, and he made certain everyone knew it before he packed up and moved.”
“He’s really not in Miami anymore?”
“He is not. As he is our future son-in-law, we even offered to store some of his furniture until he captures you.”
On one hand, I didn’t need any more trouble. On the other, if Erik did show up, he might be able to help me get to the bottom of the problems in Dragon Heights. I’d have to pay the piper for my choices, but my father’s commentary offered hope of some future together, something I’d given up on the day I’d left Miami. “They outlawed parents marrying off children decades ago, Dad. You can’t just decide we’re getting married.”
Hope hurt, but because it was my father dangling tidbits of it within my reach, it hooked its nefarious claws deep within me. However, I would not give my father the satisfaction of catching me wanting to return to my comfortable past, one that’d been filled with good company, a great deal of love, and a willingness to sacrifice.
When I’d left, I’d understood the concept of sacrifice. I had not understood the reality of the pain and the longevity of the heartache, however.
My father’s chuckle irritated me and warned me he intended to cause trouble. He delivered when he said, “Oh, he’ll catch you. The only question is how much trouble you’ll give him before you accept his proposals and he corners you in a wedding venue. Your mother insisted; there will be a ceremony entirely for her enjoyment.”
If I didn’t change the subject, I would be bludgeoned to death with what my parents felt I should be doing. “I have a carbunclo kitten, she’s adorable, and her name is Garnet. I will be crushed if she finds a handsome suitor and leaves me to have a litter of kittens.” I snuggled my kitten again and settled her on my lap. “Do you know anything about carbunclo?”
“If she runs off to have kittens, she will come back to you in time. Once a carbunclo bonds with someone, they stay until death do you part with short separations for procreation purposes. If Garnet, her suitor, and her kittens stay with you, you will be saddened when you realize you can’t keep them all. Her suitor would return to his bond, and the kittens would eventually go to new homes. Your kitten will be an excellent companion, drive you to the limits of your sanity, and keep you on your toes until Erik catches you. And she can go all the places mundane pets cannot, thus rendering your concerns about having a pet null and void.”
Right. My father had never approved of my hesitancy to include other living things in my life—and he had been astonished when I’d brought Erik home.
“You seem confident.”
“Your mother is involved, and she has decided Erik is going to catch you. I’m smart enough to go with my wife’s flow when she decides an appropriate suitor is coming for our child. She’s quite upset she couldn’t just marry you off. You would have been married months ago had she been legally allowed. You were going to marry him anyway.” After a few more snickers, my father cleared his throat. “In good news for you, your mother is on an outing with your future mother-in-law, as they go out fairly often. I fear they plan your wedding, but I can’t confirm that.”
“Seriously, Dad?”
“I’m quite serious. We got together, had a lovely discussion about you, and comforted Erik. He refused to be upset with you for putting him over yourself, but he was also heartbroken it had come to you being forced to choose between his dreams and yours.”
Well, I’d be losing sleep over that. “You’re not allowed to tell him I was in Dragon Heights. If he finds me because of his own hard work, I will even let him pet my kitten.”
“And you’ll cry because you struggle to accept anyone could possibly love you enough to scour the entirety of the country for you,” he predicted. “And because you’re you, you will do your best to dodge him, as you are convinced that you will obviously crush his hopes and dreams for being an excellent police captain or chief. He might even aim for becoming a commissioner one day. He does love that paper pushing to a horrific degree, and he’s certainly charismatic enough to make such a path work for him.”
“That should count as child abuse,” I grumbled. “I have tried to be a good daughter. I wrote you letters.”
“Your mother will be expecting her next letter on time as always, by the way. She collects them, and those are part of her hoard now. If she does not get letters from you, she will side with Erik even more than she already does. You should send us individualized letters this time. I don’t ever get to keep the letters, and I want some letters addressed to me. That is the only way your mother is going to let me have one.”
“But half of the letters were to you,” I blurted.
“I very much appreciate one of the women in my life caring about me. Your mother has claimed any scraps of paper addressed to her in any fashion. What can I say? She’s a dragon, and she will never have a sufficiently large hoard.”
Well, since my father had brought up the subject of dragons, I would try to accomplish my work. With one hand, I petted Garnet. With the other, I snagged a pen and my notebook dedicated to the pilgrim murders. “How did you become a dragon, Dad?”