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I hung my head. “Fuck. This sucks.”

“It does, for her. I don’t care what it means for your sex life.”

I frowned. “I don’t care about that. I care about her.” I could care less about the stupid no Pterons being with Pterons bullshit.

“Good. I’ll be in contact.” He spun and walked back toward the coffee shop. I watched his retreating figure for a moment, still thinking about the paternity test and what it meant for Casey. Being a child of the former Pteron king wasn’t something you could brush under a rug.

Although the conversation wasn’t particularly helpful, it got rid of any lingering doubt about the authenticity of the claims. The paper had seemed legit, but it was Casey’s eyes and Eric’s expression that sold me on it.

Chapter Two

Casey

Being pushed off the Empire State Building may have been the best thing that had ever happened to me. I was still angry at Murphy, and I’d probably spend the rest of my life with recurring nightmares of the evening, but the end result was amazing. The rush from flying was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I felt invincible, like no one could ever keep me down. The problem was the rush only lasted as long as the flight. When I finally landed and realized I was completely lost in the middle of nowhere, the reality set in. I wasn’t human, and my family had been keeping the truth from me.

I needed to believe they’d kept me in the dark for a good reason, or maybe they didn’t even know the truth. But a nagging feeling told me they knew everything, and if that was the case, nothing excused leaving me on my own to discover that kind of secret. Questions swirled around my head constantly. Was Robert Laurent my real father? And what about Vera? How did she fit into everything?

I brewed another pot of decaf. I didn’t get why people drank it. I mean, wasn’t caffeine the point of drinking coffee? It’s like getting only a salad at a steak house. There are far better places to get your greens.

Meeting with Toby didn’t seem like the best idea, but I didn’t know where else to turn. Talking to my parents was out of the question until I found out more information. If they’d kept the truth from me for nineteen years, why would they suddenly start being truthful? I needed to have my own cards to put on the table.

Toby didn’t owe me anything, but if anyone was going to help me, it would be him. I already knew Jared was going to flip out. He may have been a bad boy, but the Pteron dating rule was one I knew he wouldn’t want to break. From the bits and pieces I picked up, Jared blamed Bryant’s relationship with a Pteron for his incarceration. His reasoning didn’t quite make sense to me, but we believe what we want to. Still, I had to talk to Jared eventually. Too much had happened for us to pretend otherwise.

I wiped down the counters again while trying to avoid Eric’s stare. He’d been watching me for the last hour and a half of work. It wasn’t his usual pervy stare—it was something else. It’s like he sensed a change in me. I turned my back to him. Was that possible? Did he know the truth too? I’d debated calling in sick, but I needed the job, and I was too scared to fly again. At least not yet. Were there rules? What if someone saw me, or I got shot down for being in the wrong airspace? Okay, maybe that last fear was a little bit out there, but I needed to talk to someone. I really hoped Toby could help.

Finally, I couldn’t take Eric’s staring anymore. “Is there something I can help you with?”

He took a few steps closer to the counter. “Probably not.”

I tossed aside the towel and crossed my arms. “Then quit staring at me.”

“Any big plans tonight?”

“None that concern you.” I leaned back against the counter.

“Seeing Jared again?”

I startled. How did he know I’d seen Jared? “No.” We hadn’t even talked. I was avoiding calling him, but why hadn’t he called me? Maybe what happened hadn’t meant as much to him as I thought. In theory, that would make things easier, for him at least.

“Toby?”

“Why do you think I’m seeing someone?”

“When’s the last time you went out with your girlfriends?”

He was right. I needed to call Remy. She was down to working only one or two shifts a week, so I felt like I never saw her anymore. “Life’s been pretty crazy.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t need girlfriends.” His voice got all serious like he was my dad lecturing me.

“Okay…”

The bell above the door chimed.

I glanced over, unable to stop the smile that spread across my face. Toby was dressed down in khakis and a Lacoste shirt. Usually, he wore a suit. He looked nice dressed up, but he was the kind of guy who looked most comfortable when casual. Despite everything that happened with Jared, my feelings for Toby hadn’t changed. There was a part of me that wished I’d never heard Nelly’s gossip. It didn’t matter anyway. I was a Pteron, so Toby and I were fated to never move beyond friends. That reality upset me more than it should have.

“Hey. Am I too early?” He looked down at his watch before meeting my gaze.

Eric shook his head. “No. Casey’s free to go.”

“I am?” According to the clock it was still ten minutes to eight. Eric never let me out early. I was getting even more suspicious.

“Sure. It’s dead tonight. I’ll take care of things until closing.”

“Okay…” Suspicious or not, I wanted to get out of there. The knot in the pit of my stomach wasn’t going anywhere until I got this conversation over with. As much I was going to miss the way Toby looked at me with longing, he needed to hear the truth.

I went into the back to clock out and grab my bag. I gazed around. I hadn’t bothered with the lights, but I could see perfectly well in the darkened room. I’d always had decent night vision, but this was something altogether different. Had my first transformation given me the super senses Toby mentioned he had? I was just getting used to the wings idea—could I handle more?

“Bates? You okay back there?” Eric called me by my last name yet again. Some things never change.

“Yeah. I’m coming.” I closed my eyes then opened them again. Flying didn’t freak me out but having night vision did? I had problems.

Eric hovered in the doorway when I turned around. He had one of his large hands anchored on the door frame and his eyes fixed on my face.

“Quit creeping me out.”