Read Online Infernal Father of Mine by John Corwin - Free Book Online
Authors: John Corwin
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forties. "You once told me you were really only about forty.
You lied to me."
He nodded. "Yep. I lied about a lot of
things."
What the hell? "You don't even sound
ashamed about it."
"Why should I be? I did what I had to do." He
reached the large wooden doors to the church and pushed them open
to reveal more fog.
"You lied to your own son, you ass." I almost
punched him again. Seeing as how the last time I'd done that hadn't
achieved the desired effect, I held back. "Why don't you just come
out and tell me the truth?"
"I'm an old dude," he said, navigating the
stairs in front of the church.
I waited in silence as he bent down and
examined the sidewalk, hoping he would elaborate. Impatience
overwhelmed me. "Are you going to tell me?"
"I just told you the truth," he said, forehead
wrinkling. "Wasn't that what you wanted?"
"You didn't say how old you
are."
"Really, really old."
I grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet.
"Keep it up and I'm going to beat the snot out of you, old
man."
"I thought I raised you better."
Heat flared in my face. It took everything I
had not to pounce on him and—what? Beat him into a bloody pulp? It
wouldn't help a thing. My anger cooled. "You know what? You're not
even worth my time." I stalked off in what I hoped was the general
direction of the Grotto.
"Why couldn't they wait until night?" someone
complained from somewhere in the fog.
I came to a stop and felt David bump into me.
Putting a finger to my lips, I listened.
"You think they care if we can see or not?"
another man replied to the first. "We're supposed to take them to
the fortress."
"A little heads up would've been nice," growled
the first man. "The worst part is I won't even get to see the look
in their eyes when they realize they don't have their supernatural
abilities." He chuckled. "I love that part."
"I think we should have a little fun," his
partner said. "Let's kick some demon spawn ass." He spat. "I hate
those inhuman things."
The voices were closing in on our position
fast. I motioned David back the other way. He nodded and we
carefully made our way down the street. I rammed my stomach into a
parking meter and grunted.
"You hear that?" one of the men
said.
They went silent. I listened hard, but without
my supernatural hearing, nothing gave away the men's position.
David waved me to follow. We followed the sidewalk, careful to
avoid benches and other pitfalls that might trip us up.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," one of
the men called. He sounded farther away, but I couldn't be
sure.
"Here, little chicky," his partner said in a
mocking tone. "Come out and play, little demon spawn."
The men kept calling after us, but it was
apparent they couldn't see through the fog any better than we
could.
"Thank god they're idiots," David said as the
men's voices faded into the distance.
"What do you think they meant by the fortress?"
I asked. "Who the hell puts a fortress in the Gloom?"
He snorted. "Sounds like something Daelissa
would do." He glanced over his shoulder. "Good news is, we just
escaped whatever she had in store for us."
I blew out a breath. "But the bad news is being
stuck in purgatory with a congenital liar and deadbeat dad is bad
enough."
"Just because I don't conform to your notions
of a perfect father, doesn't mean—"
I swatted the air with a hand. "If we ever get
out of this mess, I'm done with you for good." I felt disgusted to
think of this man as my father. He acted nothing like the father I
remembered. Or was he simply someone I'd never truly known? "I
guess everything I thought I knew about you was just an act, a show
to make me think we were a normal family."
"I wouldn't go that far," he said. "I really
enjoyed having a family experience."
"A family isn't an amusement park," I said.
"It's not an experience; it's a life you build for yourself and
those you love."
"Ah, the love thing," David said. "That was the
first thing your mother taught me."
I stopped in my tracks and
You lied to me."
He nodded. "Yep. I lied about a lot of
things."
What the hell? "You don't even sound
ashamed about it."
"Why should I be? I did what I had to do." He
reached the large wooden doors to the church and pushed them open
to reveal more fog.
"You lied to your own son, you ass." I almost
punched him again. Seeing as how the last time I'd done that hadn't
achieved the desired effect, I held back. "Why don't you just come
out and tell me the truth?"
"I'm an old dude," he said, navigating the
stairs in front of the church.
I waited in silence as he bent down and
examined the sidewalk, hoping he would elaborate. Impatience
overwhelmed me. "Are you going to tell me?"
"I just told you the truth," he said, forehead
wrinkling. "Wasn't that what you wanted?"
"You didn't say how old you
are."
"Really, really old."
I grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet.
"Keep it up and I'm going to beat the snot out of you, old
man."
"I thought I raised you better."
Heat flared in my face. It took everything I
had not to pounce on him and—what? Beat him into a bloody pulp? It
wouldn't help a thing. My anger cooled. "You know what? You're not
even worth my time." I stalked off in what I hoped was the general
direction of the Grotto.
"Why couldn't they wait until night?" someone
complained from somewhere in the fog.
I came to a stop and felt David bump into me.
Putting a finger to my lips, I listened.
"You think they care if we can see or not?"
another man replied to the first. "We're supposed to take them to
the fortress."
"A little heads up would've been nice," growled
the first man. "The worst part is I won't even get to see the look
in their eyes when they realize they don't have their supernatural
abilities." He chuckled. "I love that part."
"I think we should have a little fun," his
partner said. "Let's kick some demon spawn ass." He spat. "I hate
those inhuman things."
The voices were closing in on our position
fast. I motioned David back the other way. He nodded and we
carefully made our way down the street. I rammed my stomach into a
parking meter and grunted.
"You hear that?" one of the men
said.
They went silent. I listened hard, but without
my supernatural hearing, nothing gave away the men's position.
David waved me to follow. We followed the sidewalk, careful to
avoid benches and other pitfalls that might trip us up.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," one of
the men called. He sounded farther away, but I couldn't be
sure.
"Here, little chicky," his partner said in a
mocking tone. "Come out and play, little demon spawn."
The men kept calling after us, but it was
apparent they couldn't see through the fog any better than we
could.
"Thank god they're idiots," David said as the
men's voices faded into the distance.
"What do you think they meant by the fortress?"
I asked. "Who the hell puts a fortress in the Gloom?"
He snorted. "Sounds like something Daelissa
would do." He glanced over his shoulder. "Good news is, we just
escaped whatever she had in store for us."
I blew out a breath. "But the bad news is being
stuck in purgatory with a congenital liar and deadbeat dad is bad
enough."
"Just because I don't conform to your notions
of a perfect father, doesn't mean—"
I swatted the air with a hand. "If we ever get
out of this mess, I'm done with you for good." I felt disgusted to
think of this man as my father. He acted nothing like the father I
remembered. Or was he simply someone I'd never truly known? "I
guess everything I thought I knew about you was just an act, a show
to make me think we were a normal family."
"I wouldn't go that far," he said. "I really
enjoyed having a family experience."
"A family isn't an amusement park," I said.
"It's not an experience; it's a life you build for yourself and
those you love."
"Ah, the love thing," David said. "That was the
first thing your mother taught me."
I stopped in my tracks and
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