…and he took in the male before him with new eyes. There was nothing to like here. Even if he believed those two loved each other – and dammit, he did, he really did – that didn’t change the fact this was a bad match. Larissa was in danger by being with Terak, and as much as Larissa pushed to the side any objections to Terak being a gargoyle, that was no small difference.
But before him Jack saw the same look he was sure was on his face when he confronted Bill Campbell about marrying Laura – flinty determination and the willingness to set the world afire if that was what it took to accomplish his objective.
Bill Campbell was probably chortling in heaven even now, looking at his son-in-law being put through the same hell he’d given as a young man.
After long moments, Jack spoke. “I can’t give you my blessing. There’s too much wrong here for me to do that. But I can’t change your mind and I can’t change hers, and I can’t lose my daughter. So I will say I’ll try to understand and keep my fears to myself.” And here Jack put the full force of his will in his gaze, on this one point he would not back down on. “But in return you agree to keep me in the loop. You agree I’m going to know if anything is a threat to her, and you’ll let me and my boys protect her when we can. Do we understand one another?”
Terak nodded. “We understand one another.”
“Good.” Something inside Jack relaxed then, something that had been twisted tight since the day Larissa had gone missing from school. With that release it was time to lay some ground rules for his son-in-law. Bill Campbell would approve. “But here’s one last thing to understand. You may be some fearsome creature, but I’m her daddy. You hurt her, there aren’t enough stone walls to keep me away from you and prevent me from mounting your head on a pike. You think you’re a mean sonovabitch? Next to a father who’s listening to his little girl cry, you’re nothing more than pottery.”
Chapter Three
‡
A peculiar energy emanated from Terak, a vibration that had Larissa on edge, had done so ever since he emerged with her father from the study.
The night hadn’t lasted long after that, a perfunctory finishing of the meal and giving the expected thanks and parting words. But even as they left her childhood home and arrived back to their Clan and their bedchamber, the weird mood Terak was in didn’t abate.
It wasn’t safe – he wasn’t safe – but even as her mind acknowledged, her body remained calm. If there was one truth to her world, it was she never had anything to fear from Terak.
However, it did prevent her from asking what she wanted most to know, about what their talk covered, about where all their relationships stood right now.
The tense lines of his now gargoyle form were as bad as when they were fighting for their lives. As wound up as he was, she doubted he’d be going to bed for a long while. “Are you going to go out on patrol?”
His eyes met hers in the mirror. “No. I would not be effective.”
That was obvious, not that she’d tell him that. “Do you wish to talk about it?”
“Did he convince you?”
And this promised to not be good. Silly her, thinking maybe the actual dinner itself would be the worst part of the night. “What do you mean?”
“Your father,” and the word father in that tone was a blasphemy. “Did he change your mind about your place here?”
“My father didn’t change my mind about anything. I am where I want to be.”
“Are you sure?” No physical change took place, but somehow she could swear Terak wound tighter and tighter, drawing himself in as he unleashed what he had held back earlier. “He did not tell you how you were in danger here? About how you did not belong amongst the Clan? About how gargoyles will betray you the moment first possible?”
“He doesn’t understand, and you yourself told me to be patient with him. He’ll get to know you and he won’t have such prejudiced views.”
Terak went on as if she hadn’t interrupted. “And did he not tell you about how you being here was to invite my death and put me in danger.”
Here she paused, the echo of her father’s warning rampant in her head no matter how hard she pushed down. The momentary silence was a mistake, as Terak honed in on the stutter. He turned away, the muscles so tight she could almost believe a hard poke would shatter them. “Terak, whatever Dad said tonight, no matter what he brought up-”
“So you believe his words?”
“It doesn’t matter-”
“Do you?”
“I’m not saying I believe them, but he might have brought up a good point.”