Lupi 04 - Night Season

good guesser, maybe. Uncomfortably good.
    â€œThis baby means more to me than the spell. More than anything.”
    It was the way he said it—matter-of-factly, no dramatics—that made her eyes water. Or maybe her hormones were already crazy. She took a second to answer so she could be sure her voice didn’t wobble. “That’s good. Every kid should have someone who puts him first.”
    â€œDid you?”
    â€œShut up, Cullen.”
    â€œFor me it was my mother. She wasn’t exactly June Cleaver, but she loved me all the way.”
    He’d started this, hadn’t he? That made it okay to ask one of the questions she’d wondered about. “What about your father? Lupi are supposed to be nuts for children.”
    â€œOh, sure, when I was a kid…but it turned out that he loved what he wanted me to be. Not what I was.”
    â€œA sorcerer.”
    â€œHe thought I could give it up. He didn’t…” The breath he drew was ragged. “He didn’t fight for me. When the Rhej said I couldn’t remain both Etorri and sorcerer, he didn’t argue with her or the others. He argued with me. He fought me, not them. When I couldn’t give up so much of what I am…after the seco , he didn’t speak to me again.”
    â€œJesus.” Etorri was his former clan. The seco must be some kind of kick-him-out ceremony. Never to speak to him again after he’d lost his clan…that was a bigger betrayal than her own father’s disappearance. Cullen had grown up believing the man loved him. “Never?”
    He swiped a hand through the air, brushing away the past and her question. “I don’t want any damned sympathy. I want you to know that it doesn’t matter to me what this baby is—boy or girl, stupid or clever, clumsy, Gifted, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m on his side.”
    â€œOr hers.”
    â€œOr hers. I don’t want to just see her for a month or two in the summer, either. I want to be part of my child’s life right from the start.” His voice hardened. “I will be part of its life.”
    Did he think that things would have been different if his father had been a bigger part of his life? “How much did you stay with your father?”
    â€œPoint for Cynna.” He licked his index finger and drew a 1 in the air. The numeral glowed faintly, then faded. “Summers, for a month. He lived in Canada. Mum and I lived in England.”
    â€œI thought I caught a bit of an accent. How long have you—”
    â€œCynna.” He stopped and looked at her. “You’re trying to steer the talk to me so you don’t have to talk about the baby.”
    â€œWell, yeah. Of course.”
    A smile tilted one side of his mouth and bled into his eyes. “Your turn. Did you…damn!” His phone was beeping. He pulled it from its holster on his belt and glanced at the screen. “It’s just Timms.”
    â€œYou still staying with him?”
    â€œYeah. He’s okay. Doesn’t bother me much.” He frowned at the phone in his hand. “Doesn’t call me much, either. Doesn’t call me at all.”
    â€œMaybe you should answer it.”
    For some reason, that seemed to be a major decision, but finally Cullen shrugged and held the phone to his ear. “You better not be calling to ask me to bring a loaf of bread home.” A long pause. “She said what ? Shit! No, you handled it right…Yeah, tell me about it…Well, you were there. Did she…no? Now that’s interesting…I will. With Rule, probably. Thanks.” He disconnected with a scowl.
    â€œWhat? What is it?”
    â€œA reporter from the Post has called him twice, asking to talk to his ‘stripper friend.’ Asking if I’m really a lupus. She’s camped out across the street from Timms’s place now.”

SEVEN
    C YNNA dug in her purse. “I’d better call Ruben and warn him. You call Lily and Rule.”
    â€œShe asked to talk to his stripper friend.”
    â€œI heard you.” She hit 3 on speed dial. It was after eight o’clock, but she was betting Ruben hadn’t gone home yet.
    â€œYou don’t get it. The reporter didn’t ask him about weird beings from another realm. They wanted to talk to the lupus who takes off his clothes for a living.” Cullen frowned into space for a moment. “Guess I should let