Twisted, but honest. “Don’t do it, okay? I really would hate you if you forced me to do anything.”
“Duly noted.”
Justin chewed his lower lip and then blurted out, “You really are beautiful.”
“As are you,” Abaddon said with a slight chuckle in his voice. “I see you have inherited my red hair and green eyes. What a delight that was to see.”
After letting one of his legs down to dangle over the chair, Justin dug the tip of his toe into the carpet as he felt himself blush at the compliment. He never thought of himself as good-looking. His entire life he’d been picked on for his androgynous appearance. Justin had always seen it as a curse, but Demetri had told him that he was beautiful, and now his father. “If you say so.”
“Seriously?” Abaddon asked, and Justin could hear true puzzlement in the man’s tone. “You do not see your beauty? It is as soft and subtle as a light summer’s breeze. Porcelain features, beautiful hair and eyes, a dancer’s slender body. How can you not see this?”
“Okay, enough about me.” Justin was full-on blushing now. He’d never known how to take a compliment, and one coming from a man who was truly stunning made Justin feel like a booby prize.
Abaddon laughed softly. “Modest as well, I see.”
“I’m in college,” Justin rushed. “I want to be an administrator in the social worker field. I don’t want other kids like me to get lost in the system.”
“That is a noble profession,” Abaddon said with what Justin thought was pride. “But how will you practice this career if you cannot be out in the sun?”
Justin had been worrying over that for the past three days. He was so close to graduating, and he was terrified that he’d spent the last four years studying for nothing. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“You seem smart and resourceful. I am confident that you will find a way.” Abaddon paused and then said, “You know I am here for you, young one, yes?”
“I have a lot to think over.” Justin didn’t want to commit to anything without allowing himself time to absorb all of this. It was overwhelming.
“Just know that I am a mere phone call away,” Abaddon said. “Or if you chose, I can be there in a moment’s notice.”
“Not yet,” Justin replied as he thought of Abaddon showing up and Demetri going all feral. He didn’t want the two fighting. “Give me time.”
“Then you shall have time. But if those dogs…wolves harm you in any way, I will feast on their entrails.”
That was a graphic image Justin wished he could scrub from his mind. He shivered at the thought and gagged a bit. “Tone down the graphics.”
Abaddon laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Crude, but no less true. You are my child, and now that I know who and where you are, I will be watching over you. It is a parent thing.”
There was nothing but pure pride in Abaddon’s voice, as if he’d waited twenty years to say that. Justin didn’t want to take away the man’s moment, but he had a lot of things to sort through in his mind.
“I’m gonna go,” Justin said as he fidgeted in the chair. “But I promise to call you again.”
“And I will hold you to that promise, son.”
Justin closed his eyes once more at the reference. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hear enough of it. “Okay…Dad.”
Abaddon sucked in a breath, and Justin knew he caught the man by surprise. “How long I have waited to hear that.”
“Same here,” Justin said before he bid his good-bye and hung up. He sat there reeling from the conversation as his fingers traced over the receiver. There was a tight lump in his throat as he stared at the lamp on Demetri’s desk. The conversation hadn’t gone bad. Justin still wasn’t sure if Abaddon was telling the truth about a lot of things. He didn’t know the guy, but he wanted to believe his father. He truly did.
You’re overthinking this. Just play things by ear and see how they work out.
“You okay?” Wulf asked as he entered the office. Sympathy filled his amber eyes. “All good?”
“You heard the conversation?” Justin asked as he sat up straighter and hoped the man couldn’t see that he’d been crying.
Wulf had the decency to look away. “Couldn’t help it. Superior hearing.”
“What do you think?” Justin asked as he placed his hands in his lap. “Do you think he was sincere?”
Wulf grunted. From a man his size, the sound was impressive. “Vampires and werewolves have always been enemies. I wouldn’t piss on Abaddon if he were on fire. But—” Wulf nodded and glanced at Justin. “He sounded sincere.”
“Do you”—Justin shrugged—”wanna play cards or something?”
Wulf smiled, and the tension in Justin’s shoulder began to ease. Familiarity. That was what he needed right now. Having Demetri here would be better, but Justin had always liked Wulf. “That sounds good. I’ll go get the snacks.”