“Stop, Cousin,” Lanna said in a soft voice, but Quinn felt power roll through the request. He’d never experienced a push of power over a phone connection. Like everyone else in his family, he had no idea from whom Lanna inherited her powers. She had far more than anything her mother would have passed down.
No one knew who Lanna’s father was, not even her mother, who had been missing for most of a year and returned with no memory of her time away, or how she became pregnant.
“I will call Reese,” Lanna offered. “I will explain danger. Evalle told me about Imortiks just today. If I had thought Reese would not know by now, I would have called her. I am sorry.”
“This is not your fault, Lanna. It’s mine.” Maybe he should have left a more specific message, but he hadn’t wanted to panic his daughter. “I’ve been out of step with everyone since Phoedra showed up, but I plan to fix that, too. Right now, I have to help Daegan. To accomplish that, I wish to ask a favor of you.” He forced a calm to push off his irritation. No one needed that from him right now.
“What can I do?”
“I’m going to ask Phoedra to go to Treoir realm so that Reese can go with me to help Daegan.” He paused. “Do you know any reason I shouldn’t ask Reese if she would be willing to use her remote viewing for Daegan?”
Lanna hesitated again. “No. If Reese does not want to do this, she will say so.”
He deliberated a moment, then continued, “I’d like you to also go to Treoir realm so Phoedra will feel comfortable. Would you please do that?”
“Of course, Cousin. Garwyli told me to return soon. He teaches me when I am there.”
“Excellent. Thank you. Where are you right now?”
“At Evalle and Storm’s building, in my apartment. I must pack and tell them where I am going, and let Feenix know. I am ready in five minutes.”
One task done. “Terrific. When you want to teleport, have Evalle contact Trey McCree. He’ll ask Brina to teleport you to Treoir.”
“I will, Cousin, but I have request.”
“What is it?”
“You must make peace with Reese on this trip. It will be important for ... everyone.”
Hair tingled on Quinn’s neck.
Lanna never said anything without reason and could be the most cryptic person when she wanted to be. His gut lurched with worry, but he couldn’t put a finger on why. His voice came out harsher than intended. “You know what’s going on with Reese, don’t you?”
Lanna sighed noisily. “Her business not mine to tell.”
Could he get that in writing? When had Lanna ever thought anyone’s business was not hers to interfere with when she deemed it necessary?
She picked now to avoid butting in?
Quinn cupped his head, trying to keep the mounting tension from blowing the top of his head off. The women in his life drove him crazy.
“Thank you for helping me, Lanna. I mean that. I don’t often take the time to let you know how much you do for everyone, but I should. You are one of the best people in my life.”
He heard a sniffle from Lanna. “You too, Cousin. Go to Reese and Phoedra’s apartment. I will make sure they are home in ten minutes, if they are not now.”
Quinn sat back and rubbed the tight muscles in his neck.
Where could Reese be if she was not at home? Probably in Piedmont Park walking that bloody mutt.
Lanna had been correct.
The time had come to make peace.
The time had also come for him to let go of his anger. Lanna had called it right. He’d been angry since finding out he had a daughter, then learning that some mysterious and powerful guardian who had watched over his child since birth had handed Reese responsibility for Phoedra’s wellbeing.
Not him.
Quinn had managed to move them from an apartment the guardian had given them into a high-rise protected by Beladors. Quinn could not sleep at night unless his daughter had equal, or better, accommodations and security.
In retrospect, he might have been heavy-handed.
Another side effect of feeling punched in the gut.
He’d met Phoedra’s mother, Kizira, a Medb priestess and enemy of the Belador, when they were both young. She’d kept her true identity hidden from him back then. He learned of his child only recently and that had been as Kizira died in his arms during a battle between the Medb and Beladors.
He’d been a tangle of barbed emotions for too long.
Then Reese showed up and smacked his heart around until it came back to life.
He could sit here and convince himself he was angry about not having his daughter with him, but in truth he wanted both of them. His relationship with Phoedra’s mother had been long ago with the exception of a few dysfunctional meetings right before Kizira died.
When Reese came into his world, she challenged and comforted him at the same time. She’d also been the one to gently show him that he owed it to Phoedra to become whole again.
She’d kickstarted that metamorphosis.
Then he bogged down in his own head again.
More like his head had been stuck somewhere he couldn’t see daylight.
He would find out what was going on with Reese.
If she didn’t tell him by the end of this trip, then he’d break his personal rule not to put his child between them and ask Phoedra. They were going to have a real relationship.
No more secrets.
The car pulled up at the entrance to a tall apartment building on the north side of downtown. He instructed the driver he wouldn’t need him for the rest of the day.
Quinn strode across the canopy-covered walkway to the entrance where a Belador, working secretly as a doorman, nodded at him and pulled the door open.
He paused and softly asked,
