"Then you talk to one of us. Tell us and we'll work as a team."
I huffed, clenching my fists. "You wouldn't have gone back with me; you would have made me wait. And I'd return for my dad again in a heartbeat if given the chance. He'd been tortured, did you see how he looked?" My words quivered, and I held my chin up, hating Derrial for looking at me like I was the monster in this scenario.
I didn't know what he expected. That I'd sit obediently while those I cared for faced danger. Hell no!
"We just want you safe," Corran added.
I blink.
“Then why bring me to this psychotic planet?” I snapped, and I regretted the words as they fell from my lips.
I tore my gaze from him and Derrial and swallowed the thick ball of dread sitting in my throat. Tears rolled down my cheeks, my insides tearing apart because everything was too much, and I wasn't sure how much more I could take. Anger raged inside me, but it was tapered by the fear I had for me, my men, my parents.
This was the version of Derrial from back on Earth, when he was dominating and in control, when his words were blades piercing my heart. I'd fallen for him since arriving on Veon, given myself to him, believed he wanted the same. Now all I could remember were his kisses that tasted like the best chocolate cake in the world, the strength of his arms around me, and yet fury bubbled under my skin that I’d made a mistake.
His disappointment made me feel like utter crap.
I shot to my feet and crossed the room before heading into the back room where I shut the door. There, the tears flowed like an untamable rapid. With my spine pressed to the wall, I slid to my ass and cupped my face as I cried quietly.
I cried for killing someone who deserved it. For rescuing my father and still not knowing where my mom was. For Derrial being such a dick. For the frustration surging through me. Since arriving here I'd been pushed and pulled in every direction, and I'd had enough.
I didn’t remember how long I stayed in the room, but it was my father’s groaning that had me stirring and climbing to my feet.
His eyes were wide open, and he pushed himself to sit up, panic in his gaze.
“Dad.” I rushed over to the side of the bed and hugged him. I closed my eyes tight and couldn’t stop crying. My stomach tightened.
“I thought you were dead.” His voice was strangled, and I held him tighter. I’d found my dad, after he’d gone missing, after I buried an empty coffin. I found him.
His arms were strong around me despite his fragile state, and he needed this embrace as much as me, to remember we somehow survived this far.
“I thought I’d lost you forever.” He pulled back and wiped my tears. “I can’t believe you found me. I was resigned to dying in this barbaric planet with these aliens.” Sleep clung to his eyes, but there was hatred on his face.
But when he looked at me, the fury faded, replaced with a genuine smile filled with devotion and utter love. I was transported back to my younger days when our lives didn’t include aliens and invasions. When all I worried about was convincing my parents to take us back to the beach on sunny days because my friends were all there.
“Where’s Mom?” I finally asked and pulled back.
He was shaking his head, the agony on his face shattering my heart. “We were separated years ago. Women were taken to be sorted for training to become servants or for mating.” His ache deepened his frown and he lowered his gaze, my insides shattering like shards of glass.
“Mom’s strong,” I added. “She’ll fight against that; you know she would.”
“You take after her.” His voice broke, and my whole body wracked with despair, but I blinked hard and swallowed back the hurricane of sorrow pushing forward to engulf me.
“Tell me how you got here, who those Vepar with you are?”
I held onto his hand, feeling like I was a kid again, except this time, I was the strong one. I explained what happened on Earth after him and mom vanished, how the Vepar instilled new rules, stepped into the seats of power, tried to make us healthy. Dad laughed at that part.
Then how I ended up on Veon and a summarized version of what I’d been through. But I didn’t mention my feelings for the men or the blood connection. Did Dad even know such a thing existed...and how would he react? I’d tell him soon, but I wasn’t ready yet.
“You like these three Vepar?” he asked.
My mouth dropped open. “I never… wait, where did that come from?”
“It’s not the words you used, but how you say them when you spoke about the men. Your eyes lit up like they used to do when I snuck you a chocolate cookie when your mom wasn’t looking.”
I was lost for words because after all these years, Dad didn’t miss a beat. “They are arrogant, rude, and super bossy, but…” I combed a hand through my hair. “But I do like them. Maybe more than like. All three in fact.” I raised my eyes to his. “Is that wrong?”
He laughed like everything would be okay in the world, and twice in as few minutes he surprised me.