Read Online Fade by A.K. Morgen - Free Book Online

not mentioned knowing my dad, and how well my dad knew him. And that look. What had that been about?

    Dad said very little as we got the food on the table. His brows were furrowed, a telltale sign that he was deep in thought. I didn’t have to look far to figure out what held his attention. Dace.
    I kept my eyes on my plate, giving him time to work out whatever he wanted to say on the subject. I hoped he had more luck making sense of his thoughts than I’d been having since meeting Dace. Mine circled the same track, never deviating too far from the same questions and lack of answers.
    Halfway through the meal, Dad looked up from his plate and cleared his throat.
    “So, how’d you and Dace meet?”
    Dad starting a sentence with “so” was never a good sign.
    I took a sip of water before answering. “Um, in the woods. One of the girls I met on Thursday suggested I go through the park to the Inn. I ran into him out there.”
    Now that I thought about it, there was something off about the entire situation. Chelle had gone all cryptic over Dace, sent me off on a shortcut, and there he’d mysteriously appeared. Coincidence? Given the weird vibe I’d gotten from her, I rather doubted it.
    “Oh.” Dad ate quietly for another few minutes.
    “Was he a student of yours?” I asked, trying my best to sound only mildly curious. I think I succeeded.
    He could probably hear my heart racing though.
    “Sort of.” Dad sat down his fork before picking up his glass. “He was in my Mythology 101 class four years ago. I think he taught me more than I taught him.”
    “Really?” That sounded interesting.
    “Mmhmm.” He took a long drink of his tea, his brow furrowing again. “He’s like a walking encyclopedia of myths, legends, and the supernatural. There is nothing he doesn’t know about each of the three, so far as I can tell. It’s quite fascinating.”
    Fascinating, indeed. Although not very surprising. At this point, I didn’t think I could learn anything about Dace that would truly surprise me. He felt way too familiar. And secrets? The boy had those in droves.
    Where was my sense of self-preservation?
    “So, how well do you know him?”
    “Me?” I blinked at the question. “Not well. We talked for a while Thursday, and he helped me get home tonight. He seems like a nice enough guy.” Okay, so I was going to Hell for stretching the truth as far as it would go, but telling my dad that Dace had kissed me senseless in the middle of the woods, and I wanted to do it again sooner rather than later? Probably not a good idea.
    I doubted telling him Dace could talk to me in my head would go over any better. I’d end up in a straightjacket, swallowing little cups of pills, and sleeping all the live-long day, and I found that possibility less appealing every time I considered it.
    We ate in silence for another few minutes and then Dad cleared his throat.
    I looked over at him.
    “You didn’t … notice anything unusual about him?” he asked.
    Was he kidding me? Everything about Dace was unusual, and gorgeous, and … . “Unusual?” I asked innocently. “What do you mean?”
    “It’s … nothing.” He picked up his glass. The look on his face gave away the lie, but he might as well have been Fort Knox. I wouldn’t be getting anything out of him until he decided to spill on his own.
    I considered asking outright if he’d ever heard Dace speaking when he hadn’t said anything, but I couldn’t do it. I kept envisioning awkward conversations about the effects of grief on mental health, and I wasn’t crazy.
    Dad took another drink and then said, “Did he mention he’s been helping me with a book?”
    He most certainly had not. “No.” I frowned. Was Dace intentionally infuriating or did it come naturally? “What kind of book?”
    “Oh, the darker myths and superstitions. Shapeshifters and werewolves. Demons.” Dad waved his hand like the entire thing was no big deal. “I think he should be the one writing