Chapter 14
Emmy ordered the lamb and said she wanted the same wine Zander ordered, her mind numb.
Her mother accepted it.
She wasn’t at all certain her father had, but she figured her mother had telepathed something to him to make him not kill Zander just yet.
Emmy knew the story of how her parents got together. Her mom had told her a sanitized version, but Emmy had gotten the story from her Aunt Kirsten, and then later, from both Mab and Titania, so she figured she had the gist of it.
Though she’d just as soon not have heard the details of them having to fuck in front of an audience to legally cement the marriage ties in Faerie. One must be careful when asking Mab to gossip unless you truly wish to hear all the scandalous details.
But her mother made an excellent point. She’d been young and na?ve, while Emmy’s father had been ancient, and had apparently fucked most every royal in Faerie over his long life.
People say you choose a mate like your father, and the idea she’d done so was more than a little creepy.
The wine arrived, and Emmy took a healthy swallow. Zander always chose well — layered and structured, with a deep purple grape richness wrapped in darker, more thoughtful notes that stayed with her long after she swallowed.
“So,” her father said, his voice carefully neutral, “it appears you’ve been staying out of trouble.”
Emmy carefully set her wine glass down. “Define trouble.”
Sophia smiled. “You haven’t been kicked out of college or arrested.”
“That’s a low bar,” Emmy said, then shrugged. “I had a DP threesome with two star hockey players before I left Anchorage, right after a really big game, but I did make sure we were behind a locked door. So yeah, no reason to arrest me or kick me out of school.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Spence cleared his throat. “Emmy’s been doing really well in her classes,” he said smoothly, redirecting. “All A’s so far, and her professors are impressed with her work ethic.”
“Thank you, Spencer,” Zander said from beside her. “Yes, she is indeed doing well, and often works eight to ten hours per day on her thesis. We have to bring her food or I believe she might forget to eat, when she’s fully engrossed.”
Emmy’s mother’s smile was frozen on. Her father’s expression hadn’t changed, but there was something in his eyes that might have been amusement. Or horror. Possibly both. He’d fucked his way through Faerie, though, so he couldn’t very well say anything about Emmy fucking whoever she wanted.
“Tell us about your thesis,” Sophia said firmly. “You mentioned it earlier.”
Emmy took another sip of wine and decided her mother was trying to get along, so she should, too. They likely knew all the details already, but whatever.
“Right. So I’m focusing on hybrids and chimeras, and I’m starting with domesticated rabbits and eastern cottontails.
They’re close species, but different enough …
it’s kind of like mules. If you can get viable offspring from a donkey and horse, it’ll be sterile.
People have tried to cross the two rabbit species for centuries without luck, and I want to take luck out of the equation and figure it out genetically. ”
Her father leaned back slightly, his attention sharpening.
“I’m mapping where the DNA can successfully merge and where it breaks down,” Emmy continued.
“If I can show a reliable pattern in rabbits, it builds a foundation for broader hybrid studies. Eventually, I want to work with chimeric animals — dogs that are, say, lab on one side and Great Pyrenees on the other.”
“That kind of chimera occurs naturally,” Aaron said. “Two embryos fusing in utero.”
“Exactly. And studying what the genetics look like when that happens can tell us a lot about how different genetic codes interact when forced into the same organism.”
Emmy felt herself relaxing into the topic. This was safe ground. “The university accepted my proposal, and I’m working with cell samples and DNA sequencing right now. Once I’m back in Anchorage after the winter session, I’ll start breeding actual rabbits to verify my findings.”
“And after that?” Sophia asked.
She looked at Zander, and the sounds in the room faded. She knew he wasn’t reading her mind, and yet, he’d understood what she wanted — for the rest of the patrons to not hear what she said.
She looked back to her mother, “Eventually, I want to understand…” She took a breath. “I want to know how much your ability to be both swan and dragon is biological versus magical. And if I can isolate the biological components…” She trailed off, seeing the implications dawn in her father’s eyes.
“You’ve found a loophole in the Concilio and Senatus rules against playing with magic at the genetic levels unless you work for them,” Aaron said quietly.
Emmy nodded, unsurprised her father had seen it so quickly. “Their rules are against looking at how much is human and how much is animal, but I won’t be looking at the human-animal aspects, only the double-animal aspect.”
Her dad glanced at Zander and then back to her. “You’ll need to be careful. Before you start, we’ll consult with a supernatural attorney and get advice on whether to pull Marco in or not.”
Emmy nodded. She’s considered that already. “I’m still years away from it. I need to learn more about how the genetics work with non-magical beings first, but someday…” Emmy took a breath. “Someday, I’m going to want DNA samples from both of you. If you’d be willing.”
The waitress appeared with their meals, and the sounds in the room returned. The four daywalkers had all ordered the special, so it was simple enough to deposit the plates and leave.
The table was silent while everyone took their first bites, and then Sophia said, “This is real work. Important work.”
“I mean, it isn’t transplanting organs and saving lives—”
“Don’t,” Spence said, his voice carrying the confident steadiness that always grounded her. “You are your own special being, using your genius brain for the things that interest you. Both tracts are important to humanity, and trying to judge which is more important is preposterous.”
“Agreed,” Zander said from her other side. “Everyone has their talents to offer, and yours are significant in their own right.”
Emmy looked at him, and found him watching her with that steady intensity that made her feel seen in a way she’d never experienced before.
“Thank you.” She turned to Spence. “Both of you. You were right, and that means…”
She looked at her mother. “It means I owe you an apology. You were trying to be nice, and I sniped at it. I’ll try to do better.”
“And thank you for that,” her father said.
“We’ve always tried to allow each of our children to be your own person.
My requirements for how I want you to live your adult lives have always been that you contribute to society and do what brings you joy.
It turns out, I should’ve put something in there about not following in some of my footsteps. ”
He took a sip of his wine. “Your mother does not need to hear about your sexual exploits, and I’d just as soon not hear about them either. Otherwise, we both very much want to hear about what is going on in your life.”
They ate in relative silence for a few minutes, the tension easing as the food and wine did their work. The lamb was tender, flavorful, and with just enough rosemary to complement without overwhelming. It was perfect.
“I have a friend at MIT,” Aaron said eventually. “She’s been working on disease-resistant cattle for years. Running into bottleneck issues with some heritage breeds. If you’re looking for grant opportunities after you finish your master’s, I could make an introduction.”
Emmy stared at him. “You’d do that?”
“You’re my daughter. And more importantly, you’re doing legitimate research that could help people.
” He cut another piece of lamb, his movements deliberate.
“I’m still not happy about…” He gestured vaguely at Zander and Spence.
“This situation. But I’m not going to punish you professionally for your personal choices. ”
“Thank you,” Emmy said softly.
Sophia reached across the table and squeezed Emmy’s hand. “We want you to be happy and safe. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”
No, they’d wanted her to be proper, polite, and asexual, but instead of pointing that out, she told her mother. “I’m both.”
The rest of the meal passed without stress or awkwardness.
They talked about Emmy’s other classes, about Sapphire’s latest breakthrough with neural interfaces, about Hunter’s dig in Peru.
Normal family conversation, as if they weren’t sitting in a tiny Alaskan town discussing genetic manipulation and unconventional relationships.
The check never came, because Zander had handled it ahead of time.
Emmy’s father didn’t like that at all.
“You arranged for my favorite dish, and you’ve handled our room at the B&B. You have to let me handle dinner.”
There was something in his tone — not quite forgiveness, but maybe acceptance. Or at least acknowledgment that Zander had been trying.
“Old friend, you are my guest, so of course I’m seeing to your comfort. I look forward to seeing you shortly, if you still wish to come observe the vampires making use of their captured quarry?”
When it was time to go, her mother hugged her first, and this time it felt less awkward. More like the hugs Emmy remembered from childhood, before everything got complicated.
“Call me,” her mother told her. “Once a week, at least. I want to know how you’re doing.”
“I will,” Emmy promised.
Her father’s hug was longer, tighter. “Be careful,” he said against her hair. “And if he hurts you—”
“He won’t,” Emmy said.
“If he does, tell me. I’ll handle it.”
Emmy pulled back to look at him. “I can handle myself, Dad. You made sure of that.”
He smiled. “I know you can. But you shouldn’t have to.”
Her mother hugged Spence next, warm and genuine. “Take care of her.”
“Of course,” Spence said.
She turned to Zander, and for a moment Emmy thought she might refuse to hug him. But then her mother stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “If you hurt my daughter, I will make you suffer in ways you can’t imagine.”
“Understood,” Zander said evenly.
Aaron’s handshake with Zander was perfunctory. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, and Emmy wondered if her father had just telepathed some horrid threat to Zander.
But with Spence, Aaron’s handshake was warmer. “You aren’t who I would’ve picked for her, and yet, I’m glad she has you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Spence said.
Emmy shrugged into her parka and made sure everything was fastened, but outside, the cold still hit like a wall.
“Look up,” her mother said.
She did, and the stars were brilliant overhead, undimmed by light pollution.
“Enjoy the world around you, Emmy. I love you, and I expect those phone calls. Even better if they’re video. Now, get in the vehicle before you freeze.”
They did, and the last look she had was her parents walking back toward their B&B, two figures disappearing into the Alaskan night.
“That went better than expected,” Spence said.
“Sophia didn’t attempt to end me,” Zander agreed. “I’m counting it as a win.”
Emmy laughed, surprising herself. “The bar is so low it’s underground.”
“And yet we cleared it,” Zander said, his hand resting on the top of her thigh. “And we’re on the way home without even a minor wound.”
Home. The word settled into Emmy’s chest, warm and right.
And it wasn’t that the silo was home, but her suite with Zander and Spence. Wherever they were would be home.
And so, once again sandwiched between her two men, their warmth surrounding her as the SUV made its way through the darkness, she settled in and relaxed.
She’d survived telling her parents, and her mother had even given a kind-of blessing.
All things considered, it really was a win.