Before I could resort to throwing a massive fit that would rival a hundred toddlers, my dad began coughing profusely. Liam and Augie rolled him onto his side toward me in an attempt to help him recover easier.
I bent down, placing my hands on his face. “Dad?” I whispered.
“Sweet Girl,” he replied softly.
The guys helped him sit up slowly. He was weak but alive, and I couldn’t be more grateful. His arms opened for me and I stepped into them with no restraint. “I missed you so much,” I cried into his chest as I held on tightly to him.
“I missed you, too. How long have I been gone?” He looked around before I could answer and saw Davis’s body laying prone next to us. Tension rolled through him and my heart broke for the loss of his best friend all over again. “What did he do?” His voice was rough and angry.
“There’s a lot we have to talk about, Dad, but not right this second. Let’s get you inside and some pot roast in your belly before we go over specifics, okay?”
“Taya …” he warned.
“I know. It will all make sense when we explain it to you, but please make me happy and let’s get you settled before we get down to business.”
A small smile returned to his face. “You went and grew up on me while I was gone.”
I shook my head at him. “Come on. Dinner’s getting cold.”
“Gerald, sir,” Liam fumbled with his words, “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Elijah’s son, Liam.”
Oh, now this was funny. Big, confident Liam was a nervous wreck.
“Nice to see you again, Liam. I’m assuming I’ll learn why you’re here once I’m settled?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Now, let them help you to the house.”
Augie leaned in, giving my dad his own hug. “Hasn’t been the same without you.”
“We have much to discuss,” my dad said, and I wondered what he might have learned during his time in the spirit world.
Liam and Augie each took an arm and helped my dad stand. His legs were wobbly from weeks without use. Hopefully, some food and normal rest would do him some good. I didn’t imagine being in a coma was anywhere near the same as a good night’s sleep.
I turned toward Rick, Sam, and Tommy. “You three still okay to take care of Davis?”
Rick nodded. “He’ll be fine, Taya. Go take care of your dad. We’ll see you guys in the morning for the ceremony.”
“Thank you, guys, for everything. Today was a great day.”
Caleb and Aiden joined us. “We’ll help them and give you guys some time to settle in, okay?” Aiden offered.
I nodded, appreciating their respect for the situation. I turned back toward the others, but they weren’t headed toward the house like I assumed. I glanced back at the platforms and saw my dad leaning over Davis, shoulders shaking.
I raced over and joined him as my own tears fell freely.
He squeezed Davis’s hand. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. I will make them all pay for what they’ve taken from us. I promise, Davis, your death will not be in vain.”
Dad’s stance slipped and I caught him, along with the help of Liam.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I wish I could say something to make this better, but I know nothing will help. Please, let us get you home and feed you a proper meal. You need to rest, and we will deal with everything tomorrow.”
Earlier today, I’d made sure Courtney cooked my dad’s favorite meal and kept it warm in the slow cooker. I wanted everything to be as perfect as possible for him when he came to. We’d have some crap-tastic things to tell him and I hoped the food would soften the blows, but after seeing him fall apart over Davis I knew nothing would make this okay.
Liam and Augie got my dad settled on the couch while I went to the kitchen to help Courtney serve the plates. Once everyone had food in front of them, my dad tapped his fingers against the tray he was using. “So, is anyone going to tell me why my beta was lying dead beside me and there are witches here? As happy as I was to hug my daughter and be back, I need to be filled in now.”
Well, he wasn’t happy, but I guess I should have been prepared for that. He and Davis had been alpha and beta for over four decades. Davis was family, and while I’d had a week to process the loss, my dad hadn’t.
“I’m sorry, Dad. A lot has happened since you’ve been gone. When you shook Declan’s hand at the Decennial Gathering, he did something to your soul, which is how you ended up in the spirit world. The sorceress he’s been working with is named Jaye. She was able to transfer some of her magic to him, which he used on you. You’ve been unconscious for two weeks.”
“Cliff notes on the last two weeks?” he quipped, frustration growing as he learned more information.
“Elijah had his sons help Augie and I get you home. They stayed and helped me search for the witch covens once we realized magic had been used against you. Instead, we found Declan and Jaye due to the help of one of Declan’s pack members that Davis took while we were in Arizona. A group of us traveled to Colorado and retrieved the turned humans, while some of us fought against Declan, Jaye, and his closest guards. Davis was severely injured in the fight.”
I paused, taking a deep breath as I remembered his mangled body. “He lost the use of his legs. A couple days after we got home, Zarai showed up and said the only way to get you back was to exchange your soul for another from our pack. Davis volunteered. I tried to stop him, but I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over.”
My dad’s golden eyes turned dark and stormy. “Where is Declan now?”
“We don’t know. Zarai is going to try to track down Jaye by magical resources. We assume they’ll still be together, so when they locate her, we plan to go and hopefully finish this. I really am sorry, Dad. We did the best we could while you were gone.”
He wrapped his arm around me. “It’s not your fault, Sweet Girl. You did well. Everything I would have done if I had been here.”
“Davis helped a lot. He left some things for you in your office, but I want you to eat and sleep first. We can deal with the rest tomorrow.”
“Who made you boss?” my dad joked.
“Davis tried to, but I said no. I knew you’d make it back to us. Do you remember being in the spirit world? Zarai said she saw you there. Did you see Cord?”
“I did, but not for long. Time worked differently there. From what you’ve said one day there equated to one week here. It took me a while to figure out where I was and how to get around, but once I did, I found your brother and mom.”
I wanted to say something, but no words came out. I turned toward Augie. I knew he’d understand what I needed.
He stood from his spot and sat on the cushion next to me. He placed his arm around my shoulders, offering silent support and speaking for me when I couldn’t find the words. “How are they?” Augie asked.
“Cord was pissed and rightly so. Teresa has done a good job of calming him down, though. I have to admit it was hard to come back when I finally felt the pull toward my body.”
Fresh tears leaked from the corner of my eyes. My mom. How could I have thought he might see my brother, but not my mother? Of course, they’d be together.
“Did you tell them how much we love them?” I croaked out, fighting back tears.
“I did, and your mother is so proud of you, Taya. She’s watched over you your whole life. You have her fire and spunk. I had forgotten how much the two of you were alike until I saw her again. She hasn’t changed, even in the afterlife.”
“Thank you for coming back, Dad.” I couldn’t imagine how hard of a choice that must have been for him. To choose between the real world, which was a shit show, and his daughter, as opposed to being with his mate and son again.
“I wasn’t ready to leave you. You’re stuck with me for a little while longer, kiddo.”
“Decades. I want many more decades.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Augie went back to his chair and everyone began eating as silence encroached on the room. Liam had been quiet, and I felt bad for leaving him out, but I had needed my best friend in that moment. The one who had been with me while I cried for a mother I never knew and a brother I missed more than life itself.
I made eye contact with Liam and immediately knew he understood why I’d needed Augie. He nodded, offering the briefest of smiles, and it was all I needed to feel a bit better.
“Liam, how long do we have the benefit of you and your brothers help? I’m sure your dad is hoping you’ll be home soon.”
“Oh, well, um, he said we could stay as long as our help was needed to find Declan.”
Liam was in the hot seat. I needed some popcorn.
“That was generous of him,” my dad mused. He totally knew something was up already. Damn parental instincts. “Taya, do we still need help?”
“It would be nice to have them around for a while longer,” I said coolly, pretending I didn’t know what he was fishing for.
“Okay, then. Is there anything else I should know for tonight?”
“I think you’ve had enough excitement after basically coming back from the dead. How about some real sleep for you?” I asked.
“Walk me to my room?” Dad stood with his hand out toward me.
Great, now I’m going to be in the hot seat, I thought. There was no way my dad was going to miss an opportunity to question me further once we were alone. I wasn’t afraid of him, though. If he’d had a problem with Liam being here, he would have said so right away, instead of letting him sit in on our conversation.
“Of course.” I glanced at Augie and Liam. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
I took my dad’s hand and his grip was firm around mine. He already had more energy after just eating. I hoped he’d be back up to full strength in just a day or two.
As we walked to his room, I braced myself for the interrogation I assumed he wanted to give me, but it never came. Instead, I was shocked by my dad’s next words as he sat on his bed.
“Taya, I could see into this world from the spirit world. Did you know that?” I shook my head, not sure where he was going with it. “Well, I only did it once when your mother mentioned watching over us. I asked her to show me how she did it. We saw you with Liam. I saw the way you looked at each other then and it was even more intense tonight, yet you didn’t introduce him as something more to me tonight. Do I need to have a chat with him or Elijah?”
“I’m not five years old, Dad. I don’t need you interfering with this particular situation. I promise, we’ll sort it out soon. You just worry about getting back to your normal alpha self, and I’ll let you know if we need to bury a body out back.”
He laughed, deep and loud. Just how I remembered, warming my heart. “That’s my girl. Make sure he knows what he’s getting into up front. I’ve got the perfect spot if we need a hole in the ground. I’ve been saving it just for this occasion.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
My dad. My hero. I loved knowing I could count on him to have my back, even though I was certain it wouldn’t be necessary when it came to Liam. We’d work it out soon.
“Because I’m your father and you’re my princess. I’d do anything for you.”
I leaned in and hugged him, breathing in his scent. I had missed him so much. I had missed these moments more than I realized. I would never take them for granted again.
When he pulled back, his eyes were glassy. “There really was no other choice for Davis?” he asked softly.
“I tried to find a way to heal him, but even Zarai said she couldn’t help. His legs had no feeling left. The nerves had been shredded in the fight. The hospital we had taken him to had wanted to cut his legs off, the damage was so severe. We were lucky to stop the blood loss when we did.
“He truly was at peace with the decision. I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to him. I think that was the hardest part for him, too, but he was proud to be the one to do this for you. For us.”
He smiled. “I would suspect so. He was the best damn beta this pack has ever had. The best friend I ever had. It’s going to be hard to replace him as my right hand.”
“I think once you read through whatever he left you, you’ll find he already has a recommendation.” I laughed.
“Of course, he does. He always liked being one step ahead of me.”
“I’m glad you’re back, Dad. I missed this.” I hugged him once more. I saw a lot of hugs in our immediate future. “I love you. Get some rest, okay?”
“I love you, too. I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
He was right about that. I doubt I’d be letting him far from my sight for at least a few days. I needed to know he wasn’t going to slip away again. I wasn’t sure I’d survive losing him a second time anytime soon.