“I was?” Cara was bemused by this romantic side of Jericho.
He raised his head so Cara could see clearly into his eyes. A lone tear slid free, and he didn’t try to brush it away.
“How could I not fall in love with you? You took my nightmares away and gave me dreams. You took my heart, but gave me yours in return.” Jericho’s voice grew hoarser with each word. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?’
“What?” Cara whispered.
“My love.”
* * *
Fate stared at the star-filled sky, worry filling her heart for Zerina and Broni. Mixed with the worry for her daughters was the relief of having Cara home again.
She was planning her next move when she felt him in the shadows of the balcony. Pulling her shoulders back, she turned to face the consequences of her actions years ago.
“Don’t leave.”
Her firm voice had Jericho turning back to Cara’s mother.
He had gotten thirsty while waiting for Cara to wake and, not wanting to wake her, had searched for the kitchen. As he had passed the balcony, he had seen Fate staring pensively at the sky.
He walked forward onto the balcony until only a few inches separated them.
Fate was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her gown of white hugged her body, and Jericho could easily see that, while Cara had inherited her father’s fairer looks, she had her mother’s blue eyes.
“I’m glad we have this opportunity to speak without my daughter present.”
His cold eyes sent chills down Fate’s back.
“I don’t see why. I have nothing to say that can’t be said in front of Cara. I have already told Cara that I will be very happy to spend eternity with her, even though you took the choice out of our hands.” Jericho turned away. “Now, if you don’t mind, I was about to get a drink.”
Once again, her words stopped him. “Are you going to tell her?”
His eyes grew glacier, but Fate didn’t back down.
“You saw me that day, didn’t you? You saw me and remember me?
“Every morning that I woke in that bitch’s house, every time she touched me, I knew it was because you helped her choose me.”
“I was afraid of that. That was a disadvantage of you being a demigod; it gave you the power to see me in the room. I wasn’t very happy with that. I would much have preferred that you not know. It places quite a strain on the son-in-law relationship we have in our future.”
Jericho noticed it wasn’t a question. She knew that he intended to marry Cara as soon as possible.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure I’m not the only man who hates his mother-in-law. I just have more reason than most.” When Fate would have spoken, he held up his hand to stop her. “I really don’t care to hear your excuses. None of it would make the memories of her going down on me or the men in that prison shoving their dicks up my ass any more bearable.”
“I have no regrets about anything I have done.”
Jericho’s hands tightened into fists. Only the thought of how hurt Cara would be if she found him trying to kill her immortal mother stopped him.
“I am done with this conversation.” Jericho continued to walk away.
He was in the doorway when her words brought him to another halt.
“I wasn’t the one who approved her application. I was not the one who had her pick that particular adoption agency. Some things, I can influence; others, I can only interfere once the decisions have been made.”
Jericho tried to make his feet move forward, but her tormented voice held him in place.
“Should I have let her pick the little girl the old man had plans for? She only had a few years left of her short, sweet life. Her little body was already filled with an incurable disease.