Page 63 of The Thief's Mark

seventeen

Griff

GriffregardedNathanielafterCal left, working to keep his face impassive. He had no idea what to expect from this discussion, but he braced himself for the worst. Usually when Nathaniel asked to talk, it meant an incoming lecture.

Which was why he was so surprised when Nathaniel gave a throaty chuckle. “I like him. Seems good for you. This is the happiest I’ve seen you in years: since Amelie left at least, and probably even before that.”

It took Griff a moment to parse what Nathaniel meant. When he did, he could scarcely believe it. “That’s not…I mean,we’renot…”

He wasn’t certain how to finish that thought. He trailed off at Nathaniel’s raised brow. It was the same look he used to give Griff as a child when he tried unsuccessfully to talk his way out of blame.

Fiddling with the hem of his coat, Griff glanced down at the worn floor. “I enjoy working with him. Even if he drives me insane more often than not.”

Another wave of shock rippled through him when Nathaniel actually laughed.Griff couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard the gruff sound.

Not since Mother was still alive…

His gaze shot up, and he found a fond smile on Nathaniel’s lips. His aura, usually a tight, dour thing, danced with yellow mirth.

“Your mother was the same. Such a stubborn woman, always so certain she was right. Of course, she almost always was. She’d have liked him too, you know, if only for bringing a spark of life back to your eyes.”

As it usually did, mention of his mother tugged on Griff’s heart. He stared back down at his feet. Maybe it was the surprising turn the conversation had taken or the stress of the night, but words he’d kept bottled up since his mother’s death came tumbling out.

“I really am sorry for not stopping by sooner to tell you I was all right. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you. Watching me walk this path after what happened to her. I never meant to hurt you or make you worry.”

Nathaniel was silent for a time, and Griff glanced up to find the old Sunkeeper frowning, deep in thought. His aura was a solemn, thrumming blue.

When he caught Griff looking at him, he grunted and moved over to his workstation in the corner. Though the spell with Cal hadn’t required any preparations, he set about tidying the space up anyway. When he spoke, his words sounded as strained as his aura.

“For the longest time, I thought you were making a terrible mistake. That you were using the change in career as a copingmechanism to avoid having to face what had happened. And maybe you were, at first. But over the years, it’s become clear that you truly love it.”

“I do,” Griff admitted. He thought of Cal’s smirking face and another confession hovered on his lips. But he didn’t speak it aloud. He wasn’t quite ready to admit such a thing. Not to himself…and certainly not to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel continued cleaning up his workstation a few heartbeats longer before his movements stilled. He rested his hands on its cleaned surface, his head bowed.

“It’s no secret that I wish you’d followed a different path. It’s not the life I would’ve chosen for you, and I can’t promise that I’ll ever approve…but that doesn’t mean I’m not proud.”

Nathaniel turned, meeting Griff’s eyes. A lump clogged Griff’s throat at the gruff emotion in that gaze. Nathaniel’s aura unfurled like a blooming flower.

“You help people, son…just like your old man. And that’s certainly worth celebrating.”

Griff didn’t know what to say. He was pretty sure he couldn’t have forced any words out if he’d tried. Nathaniel gave a decisive nod as if to emphasize what he’d said, his aura steadying. Then, he turned and started toward the door Griff knew led deeper into the house.

“I’ll let you get back to that important case of yours,” Nathaniel said, the characteristic gruffness returning to his voice. “If I don’t get back to sleep soon, I’ll be useless tomorrow, and I won’t have patients in need going untreated because of this late-night rendezvous.”

As Griff watched him retreat, he couldn’t help thinking about what Cal had said to him about showing grace. About how Nathaniel was likely only worried about him. Before he could second-guess himself, he strode forward and wrapped his father in an awkward embrace.

Nathaniel stiffened, and for a heartbeat, Griff thought he would pull away. Then, he relaxed into the embrace, patting Griff’s arm. Though Nathaniel didn’t say a word, his aura spoke volumes. Its usual restrained calm erupted in hues of pink and yellow joy laced with deeper shades of crimson love.

The sight of his father’s bright aura made him think of Cal, and something that had been bothering him ever since he’d first met the charming thief.

“Cal…doesn’t exactly have the best past,” he said hesitantly, choosing his words with care. “He’s done plenty of questionable things. Yet when I look at his aura, it appears purer and brighter than any I’ve ever seen. Why is that?”

Nathaniel chuckled, patting him on the back. “Magical gifts often work in mysterious ways unique to the individual caster. Especially when you’re a wildling born with them, andespeciallywhen that magic is something as ephemeral as soulflame. You know how your power works far better than I do. But if I had to hazard a guess? Maybe it’s not that his soul is special, but that it’s special toyou.”

Griff stiffened in Nathaniel’s arms, pondering that revelation. Did Cal’s soul really look different to him than it would to anyone else with his same ability? And if so, what in the Light didthatmean? Cal couldn’t possibly be something as ridiculous as his literal soulmate…could he?

“You know, son,” Nathaniel said softly, drawing him from his thoughts. “If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my time on Allaria, it’s that you should always pursue what really matters to you. The Goddess knows you’ve done that so far. And if this Cal is one of those things, don’t wait too long. Don’t let him walk out of your life the way Amelie did.”