Primal Kill - Page 157

“I missed your kisses.” She leaned up to steal another.

“I missed yours. Oh! I have to tell yousomething. Remember how you said two supernatural genes can form a third?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I know what I am!”

“You do?”

“I’mkitsune—part fox-shifter, part witch, with a dash of vampire.”

“Immortal.”

She waved away her need to correct her terminology. “Lazarus is teaching me all about the different supernatural cultures. He has tons of books. Some are even written in languages that don’t exist anymore.”

“And he knows about this race—kitsune?”

“Your father knows about everything! He’s fascinating. They’re nothing like the immortals you lived with in The Order. They’re open-minded and curious, not at all afraid of people who are a little different. As soon as they knew who we were, they accepted us.”

“You and Dane?” She recalled the creature in the cave and what that meant for Gracie. “How is he?”

The light in Juniper’s eyes dimmed. “He’s…processing. That creature took her away before we even scattered Cerberus’s ashes into the sea. Dane left, but Lazarus said he’d meet us later. I think it was just too much for him. To think, all this time, he was told a half-breed could not get called only to watch her go with that wolf-creature… My heart breaks for him.”

Adriel rested her head on the pillow, trying totake it all in. There was so much to absorb. Life here would be very different from The Order, but knowing how Juniper suffered, she would never ask her to return to the farm.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she confessed, “I’ve never dreamed of such independence. To think, I can do anything I want, be whatever kind of female I wish to be.”

“Imagine that.” She raised a brow, her eyes teasing. “No bonnets or bossy men deciding what’s best for you. Every choice from here on out is yours.”

A sense of power rushed through her. “I choose you. You’re my future, June.”

She kissed her and whispered, “And I choose you. We’re going to build a life together, Ade, you and me.”

“And my family.”

“And your family.”

A cool breeze swept through the windows, carrying the scent of herbs and jasmine with it. Clothing had been set out for them.

“Your mother,” Juniper explained, following her gaze. “She insisted on taking care of everything.”

“No one’s taken care of my needs in centuries.”

“Well, that’s going to change now.” She pulled her fingers to her lips and kissed her knuckles. “What do you say we get dressed and I reintroduce you to your parents?”

“I’d say I must be dreaming.”

“You’re not. Come on.” She flung back the covers and tossed her a sweater. “You can put this over your nightgown.”

Adriel donned the cardigan and fussed with her hair. It had grown a great deal since leaving the farm, and she no longer knew what to do with it, but she no longer felt the rebellious need to cut it.

“Soon, you’ll be able to pull it into a ponytail—if you wanted.”

She considered her reflection. It had been a long time since she wore her hair long, and back then, she’d only styled it with braids, bonnets, and pins.

“A ponytail might be nice.” Turning to face Juniper, she glanced down at her bare feet. “Do I look all right?”

“You look beautiful.” She took her hand. “Let’s go meet your parents.”