Desire: #4 Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

whole purpose is to support Corvus who hunt and dispatch demons. “Maybe over time you’ll feel comfortable sharing with someone there.”
    He slowly shakes his head like that would never happen. “There was something else etched underneath the message.”
    My eyebrows shoot up. “What’d it say?”
    “E.W.”
    “Who’s that?”
    “The watch belonged to my Dad. Evan Wicklow.”
    I stare at him for a second. “Your dad was a member of the Order?”
    A muscle works on his clenched jaw. “Just another thing about him that I didn’t know.”
    “I’m sorry, Drystan.” His sarcasm tugs at my heart. “For what it’s worth, there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know about my dad until recently either.”
    “At least he gave you his name.”
    Resentment rolls off him in such strong waves, all I can do is try to distract him and give him something to focus on. “Maybe the words etched on the watch’s back don’t mean what you think they mean.”
    He frowns, skeptical. “There’s a reason it was hidden underneath. I can’t help but think his message was meant for me. In case I came to the Order.”
    I smile a little. “If that’s true, regardless of its meaning, the fact your father cared enough to leave you a message should make you feel good.”
    He grunts and glances away, mumbling, “I suppose.” Swinging his attention back to me, his eyes flash with renewed resentment. “It also means he kept even more secrets from me…and my mum. It’s bad enough he never married her, but neither of us had a clue about his past in England. We only just discovered he had a brother after my father died.”
    I push my hair over my shoulder and try to think what I would do if I found myself in the middle of the Order’s headquarters. “If you want my advice, I think you should take advantage of your time at the sanctuary. Try to find out about the Order’s past and your dad’s part in it. With your ability to sneak into places, I’ll bet you can uncover more. Maybe there’s some documentation or records that refer to your dad. I can’t believe it hasn’t come up that he was part of the Order.”
    He grimaces. “That’s the thing. No one has mentioned it at all. Then again, most of the people here are much younger than my uncle and might not remember my dad. My father had been in Wales almost thirty years. But no, my uncle hasn’t said anything about his younger brother ever being here.”
    “Why don’t you ask him?”
    His mouth slants stubbornly, then a thoughtful look replaces his distrustful one. “Some of the kitchen staff are older. Maybe if I get them talking, they’ll reveal something…”
    “See, there you go. You have a place to start. And don’t forget to look for records too.”
    He nods, offering a half smile. “I knew you’d have some ideas. Thanks, Nara. I miss you already.”
    I smile. “You’re missed here too.”
    Movement in my doorway draws my attention. Ethan’s leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed. I can’t read his shuttered expression. “I’ve got to go, Drystan. Keep in touch.”
    He nods and taps the keyboard, logging off.
    Once my screen goes dark, Ethan walks into the room. “Your mom sent me up.” His focus shifts to my laptop. “I thought he’d be on his way to England by now.”
    After he pulls a chair up next to mine and sits in it backward, straddling the seat, I answer, “He’s already there. That’s why he called.”
    Ethan grunts and folds his arms across the back of the chair.
    I ignore his obvious annoyance. “He told me something interesting. His father was a member of the Order at one time.”
    Ethan shrugs. “I guess that makes sense since his uncle’s their leader.”
    “That’s the thing…Drystan’s dad never told him about the Order. And his uncle didn’t tell him his father had been a member either. Drystan discovered it on his own when he examined the watch his uncle gave him with the Corvus symbol stamped on the back. Apparently the