sooner than intended."
"But I don't want to live here." I jumped to my feet, knocking over a few folders in the process. "Do you have any idea how dreadful this place is? It's like being stuck in the Stone Ages without the rare excitement of being hunted down by the odd dinosaur."
Dad smirked. "Well, thank you for slanting off my life's work."
I pointed a finger at him. "It's your achievement, not mine. I have my own dreams to follow. You can't keep me here."
"You won't have a choice," he muttered.
In spite of the usual spats, until now I always thought Dad and I had a fantastic father-daughter relationship. I just realised I was wrong. I narrowed my gaze, my blood boiling. "That's it. You can finish that campaign yourself because I'm not helping you out any more."
"Don't blame me, Cassie. It's a curse even someone like me can't undo." Dad seemed pained, his expression betrayed suffering. I was upset, but something told me he wasn't ecstatic to relay the news either.
"Does Mum know about this?"
He nodded. Great. Everyone knew but me. Pulling my nose, I plopped back down on his desk wailing, "Why me and no one else I know?"
"Because Patricia and you are part—"
"Fallen," I finished.
Dad nodded. "Yes. There's this little misunderstanding that our kind gets out of control once we turn a certain age."
In other words, people thought we were promiscuous. Talk about clichés and being biased. "It never happened to you, or Aunt Krista and Selena."
"It's a new rule," Dad said. New could mean anything from a few hours to centuries in Dad's world. There was a more important question.
"Who put it in place?"
Dad pointed at the ceiling. For a moment, I didn't get it. And then it dawned on me. The big boss where Mum lived. I might be able to haggle with Dad, but in Heaven my little schemes stood no chance.
"So, what does this curse involve and why didn't Patricia tell me about it?" I asked.
"I asked her not to tell you so you wouldn't get upset." Dad sighed. "I wanted you to enjoy the time you had left before being tied to this dreadful place."
I nodded, suddenly putting two and two together. "That's why you agreed to letting me rent a flat and getting a job." His easy-going attitude, which sparked many fights between him and Mum in the last few years, made sense now. "How do I get rid of this curse?"
His pained expression returned again. "You can't. Only one person can free you."
"The person I'm connected to." Dallas's image popped into my mind. Dad might not believe he was the one , but I knew it. I laughed, feeling lightheaded as though a weight had just lifted off my chest.
"I've found him already so it seems like I won't be here for long after all, Dad."
"Finding him isn't enough," Dad whispered. "You'll have to get married."
This was getting better by the minute. I knew all the hours spent planning my future wedding would come in handy one day.
"Don't worry. I'll sort that out soon. It's only a matter of time."
"Don't count on it." Dad scoffed, annoyance crossing his face. It must be tough seeing his little girl grow up so quickly, but he'd have to suck it up and deal with his separation anxiety because I wasn't going to spend eternity in this heat.
That reminded me he still hadn't agreed to letting Dallas's sister and her emotionally detached boyfriend stay over. "Can Amber sleep in one of the bedrooms in the west wing? You won't even know she's here."
Dad shook his head. "No more guests. Look, kiddo, I have work to do."
What was wrong with him? Why was he so stubborn? My schemes never failed. Amber had to stay over for the sake of my relationship.
"I'll stop pestering you if you let them stay here for a week."
"I'll think about it," Dad said, returning to his sheets. "Now, get back to that campaign. We haven't got all eternity."
Pouting, I headed for the kitchen to see whether lunch was ready, then carried a tray with food up to my room where Dallas was having a nap because a coyote's yowling had kept
"But I don't want to live here." I jumped to my feet, knocking over a few folders in the process. "Do you have any idea how dreadful this place is? It's like being stuck in the Stone Ages without the rare excitement of being hunted down by the odd dinosaur."
Dad smirked. "Well, thank you for slanting off my life's work."
I pointed a finger at him. "It's your achievement, not mine. I have my own dreams to follow. You can't keep me here."
"You won't have a choice," he muttered.
In spite of the usual spats, until now I always thought Dad and I had a fantastic father-daughter relationship. I just realised I was wrong. I narrowed my gaze, my blood boiling. "That's it. You can finish that campaign yourself because I'm not helping you out any more."
"Don't blame me, Cassie. It's a curse even someone like me can't undo." Dad seemed pained, his expression betrayed suffering. I was upset, but something told me he wasn't ecstatic to relay the news either.
"Does Mum know about this?"
He nodded. Great. Everyone knew but me. Pulling my nose, I plopped back down on his desk wailing, "Why me and no one else I know?"
"Because Patricia and you are part—"
"Fallen," I finished.
Dad nodded. "Yes. There's this little misunderstanding that our kind gets out of control once we turn a certain age."
In other words, people thought we were promiscuous. Talk about clichés and being biased. "It never happened to you, or Aunt Krista and Selena."
"It's a new rule," Dad said. New could mean anything from a few hours to centuries in Dad's world. There was a more important question.
"Who put it in place?"
Dad pointed at the ceiling. For a moment, I didn't get it. And then it dawned on me. The big boss where Mum lived. I might be able to haggle with Dad, but in Heaven my little schemes stood no chance.
"So, what does this curse involve and why didn't Patricia tell me about it?" I asked.
"I asked her not to tell you so you wouldn't get upset." Dad sighed. "I wanted you to enjoy the time you had left before being tied to this dreadful place."
I nodded, suddenly putting two and two together. "That's why you agreed to letting me rent a flat and getting a job." His easy-going attitude, which sparked many fights between him and Mum in the last few years, made sense now. "How do I get rid of this curse?"
His pained expression returned again. "You can't. Only one person can free you."
"The person I'm connected to." Dallas's image popped into my mind. Dad might not believe he was the one , but I knew it. I laughed, feeling lightheaded as though a weight had just lifted off my chest.
"I've found him already so it seems like I won't be here for long after all, Dad."
"Finding him isn't enough," Dad whispered. "You'll have to get married."
This was getting better by the minute. I knew all the hours spent planning my future wedding would come in handy one day.
"Don't worry. I'll sort that out soon. It's only a matter of time."
"Don't count on it." Dad scoffed, annoyance crossing his face. It must be tough seeing his little girl grow up so quickly, but he'd have to suck it up and deal with his separation anxiety because I wasn't going to spend eternity in this heat.
That reminded me he still hadn't agreed to letting Dallas's sister and her emotionally detached boyfriend stay over. "Can Amber sleep in one of the bedrooms in the west wing? You won't even know she's here."
Dad shook his head. "No more guests. Look, kiddo, I have work to do."
What was wrong with him? Why was he so stubborn? My schemes never failed. Amber had to stay over for the sake of my relationship.
"I'll stop pestering you if you let them stay here for a week."
"I'll think about it," Dad said, returning to his sheets. "Now, get back to that campaign. We haven't got all eternity."
Pouting, I headed for the kitchen to see whether lunch was ready, then carried a tray with food up to my room where Dallas was having a nap because a coyote's yowling had kept
Similar Books
