House Of Legions (The Angel Descendants book 1) novel Chapter 21

Clare looked at him as if he was insane as she considered the possibility, he was too young to be her father and looked nothing like her, she already had an image of her father in her head, even if it was made up, and he wasn't it, “I don’t know what world you’re from dude, but in this world, you don’t just save someone and inherit a kid!” Shrugging she added, “You gotta do things the old fashion way, OR ADOPT, Carl or wait! - what’s your name again?.”

He gave her a small smile, jumping out of the car. She didn't expect him to answer, people tended to mistake her bluntness for rudeness, her mother always did, she flinched at the thought and buried it deep down where no one would know the truth.

Pulling open her door, she was relieved and surprised when he held out his hand, “Caidrian, though I would prefer father at best. You used to call me dad.” He paused, as she shook his offered hand, then added, “Supporting you for the first ten years of your life, and paying for that expensive fancy school you go to should count for something, besides there’s a resemblance, see.” he pointed to the small mirror on the outside of the car.

Pouting her lips, which was a force of habit, she frowned at the car's mirror, and her reflection, “Liar, we look nothing alike.”

He laughed, as she stared again at her reflection, swollen lips and puffy eyes, with smudged mascara. Bad was understating how she really looked and felt with all the dirt on her skin, and torn blouse now painted in dried blood stuck to her body.

Touching her tongue to her pellet the taste of iron from her blood still lingered in her mouth.

Thinking of how she could fix this, a small grin tugged on her lips when she looked at the car they’d arrived in. Not wasting a minute Clare went to the boot, which was filled with clothes her mom and her bought today. Unperturbed by Caidrians presence, whose name, she had remembered perfectly well the first time, but would never admit it, she stripped down to her bra and panties, taking some bottled water, and washed herself up.

Replacing her tattered bra with a black lacy one, she rummaged through the packet until she found a pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt.