The Last Theiro

25

Eden
•••

Ivan's face fell faster than a corpse in cement boots. In that instant, his skin became greyed, his mouth hung with lips slightly parted and his eyes were as wide as they could stretch.

The lady, Azura, glimpsed my confused expression and her eyes flickered back to Ivan. A cold laugh left her lips. "Oh, Ivan." Her hand rested on his shoulder. "He doesn't know, does he?"

Ivan's body stilled and he clenched his jaw, his gaze fixed on Azura.

"Ivan, what is she talking about?"

He flared his nostrils and ignored my question. "What are you doing here, Azura?"

Azura's eyes lit up and she tilted her head to me. "I'm so sorry, honey. But your dad doesn't seem to want to tell you the truth. Maybe he is ashamed of you, like the first time. Maybe you being Primus isn't enough to satisfy his big ego. Maybe he's -"

She was cut off when Ivan gripped the back of her head and slammed her into the bar. Azura lifted her head and blood ran down her nose. "What the hell, Ivan?" He leaned in closer to her and jabbed his finger into her chest. "You should leave, Azura. You are bleeding in a bar full of vampires. That's not good." Azura glared at him before storming off. She stopped in front of me. "I'm sorry your father is such an arse," she muttered and exited the bar.

Ivan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in and glanced nervously at me. "I apologize on behalf of Azura for her behaviour, Primus. I don't know what she was talking about but-"

"Stop! Just stop!"

He gave me a puzzled look and I crinkled my nose. From the moment I met that man, I knew he looked familiar but I ignored it and pushed it away. I didn't need Azura telling me Ivan was my father. I could already see it when he banged her head into the bar. He was still the same man he was all those years ago. My father was still the same abusive man who walked out on us.

"Why?" I managed to ask.

Look, Eden..." He touched my arm but I flinched away from him.

"Don't touch me," I said softly and then much louder, "YOU COWARD!"

I could feel every vampire's eyes on me but I didn't care. I still couldn't grasp onto the fact that the man who stood in front of me was my father. Was. He no longer is. Not after what he did to us.

Ivan's eyes darkened. "Watch your tone."

I gave him one last look of disgust and stormed out of the bar.

"Eden!" Ivan called from behind me but I refused to look at him.

A body smashed into mine and I was sent hurtling across the street. My head hit onto the edge of a concrete bench and I lifted my hands to the throbbing spot on my head. My fingers came away bloody and I glared angrily at Ivan.

"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled at Ivan from across the street.

Onlookers halted their daily activities and watched us with cautioned stares.

"Let me just explain myself!"

"NO! I don't want to hear it!"