Shifters: Blood of Dragons (Editing,I promise!)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

i always watched movies and TV shows where someone falls asleep by a hospital bed. waiting,hoping,that they’ll wake up. i never imagined that it would be me. i was on the couch,resting my head on my palm and my elbow on the arm. when i woke up,i had a terrible pain in my wrist,but my dad was awake. “you look like a little girl when you sleep.”he said.

“that’s not a good thing in our job.”i replied.

“I’m glad you do. because,as a guardian and a,”he cleared his throat. “and as a boss,i saw you grow up. but i never could watch you sleep,or read you a story or see that admiring affection that other little girls give their fathers.”

“why didn’t you?”i asked,sitting up and rubbing my wrist.

“what?”he blinked.

“why didn’t you see it?” i laughed dryly and shook my head. “as a little girl,i wanted nothing more.” i met his eyes,fighting back the tears that would show my weakness. Ryder never approved of weakness. “i wanted you to tuck me in at night. i wanted you to read me a story. i wanted you--”i took a deep breath. “for years,i wanted you as a dad. and i gave you that admiration,that affection, you just didn’t see it.”

“Mary--”

“no. i longed to call you my dad. i wanted to have that relationship with you. but because you didn’t tell me,because i didn’t know,i couldn’t. and now that i know,i still can’t. because i wanted to all those years,and i never could,i gave up. i thought you would never want me as a daughter, even a fake one. every time i talk about you to anyone outside the House, you told me to call you my uncle. you couldn’t even put it out there as a cover. i always loved you like a father.”

“you’re my daughter,Mary. i never thought of you as anything else. i always--”

“that’s not true.”i snapped.

“yes it is.”

“if it was,you would have told me long ago. instead of letting me live as an orphan under the care of my real father who would rather have me as a ward than a daughter.”i stood and walked out. i heard him calling after me, but i didn’t stop. i turned a corner and jumped,yelping with surprise. Mark stood against the wall. i sighed,breathing deeply to calm myself. “look, i know you’re Maya’s friend,but you’re kind of starting to creep me out.”

“sorry.”he said with a slight smile. “look,i know you haven’t eaten since before you got here. you wanna go get something to eat? and i don’t mean in the landfill they call a cafeteria here. there’s a great place in town.”

“sure. whatever.”

“great. we’ll take my car.”

thankfully,his car was nothing like Mick’s. it was a fairly new Ford but with some dents and scratches from hunts. at the restaurant,Mark let me talk.  i told him basically all about my life,which was kind of stupid,since i didn’t know him. when i finished,he sighed. “so,all your life you wished that he was your father,and now you’re mad because,as it turns out,he is.”

“don’t say it like that. it makes it sound so stupid.”i shook my head. “I’m not mad because he is my dad. I’m mad because he never told me that he was.”

“ i get it.”he said. he took a drink of his hot tea and made a face“you know,”he said,putting his face close to the mug. “nobody told me who my parents were either. and it took me years to figure out who i was.”he blew on the contents of the mug and a small ball of fire zipped from his mouth to the liquid,making it hiss and steam. i gasped. “you--”