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She shook her head slowly. “No. Was everyone at the wedding a paranormal?”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “Not everyone, no. The brides weren’t. The band was. Why do you ask?”

Looking up from the bowl she was mashing potatoes in, she frowned. “There’s a new kid at school who isn’t human. He seems okay, but a lot of parents got mad that he was there. Is there something wrong with him?”

I’d actually gotten a letter from the school about that. There were schools solely for paranormals, but our school system was progressive and allowed their first paranormals into the school system starting this year. I’d dismissed the letter because I didn’t have any problem with it, but maybe I should’ve talked to Sophie about it first.

Plucking her off her little stool, I sat her on the counter. “I think that every life deserves to be treated equally. Human, paranormal, neurodivergent, queer. All of us should be treated with kindness and support. There’s nothing wrong with being different. Life would be really boring if we were all the same. And I don’t want you treating people poorly just because they’re different. Treat people how you would want to be treated. If you were that boy in a new school all alone, what would you want to happen?”

She thought about it, which was one thing I loved about her. She thought things through before reacting.

“I think I’d want a friend. It’d be scary being all by myself.”

“I think so too. So why not say hello? If you get along, you can ask him to be your friend. Don’t force it, you deserve to be treated nicely too, but it’s a kind thing to ask.”

Her brow furrowed a little. “Mom said to stay away from him. She said I needed to focus on school.”

It took considerable effort not to roll my eyes. I had to have a lot of long conversations to get Val to even consider Sophie’s social development and allow her to make friends. All she cared about was Sophie studying. I was a little worried she’d make Sophie miss her childhood if she didn’t learn to give her some space.

“Well, your mom and I see differently on that point. But if you want, you could always ask if he wants a study buddy. You can do homework together. Maybe show him some of the games I taught you.”

Her face lit up, and she beamed at me. “That’s a good idea. I’m gonna try that.”

Pride swelled in my chest, and I brushed a kiss over her forehead. “You are a wonderful girl, Sofía Grace. I’m sure this boy will be happy to have you as his friend.”

She hopped off the counter and went back to her food prep, a bright smile on her face. I turned back to my own meal prep, my mind wandering to Hendrix. I brought Sophie to the wedding because I wanted to show her the band I loved so much. I never expected it to be a lesson for her. Unless parents were willing to bridge the gap, little kids wouldn’t be exposed to paranormals that often. If I wanted Sophie to be open-minded, I had to remember to show her the world was a lot bigger than just her immediate family. I made a vow to myself to expose her to the world as a whole, not just paranormals, but different cultures and beliefs, as often as I could. Val might not agree, but I wanted our daughter to be open-minded. I wanted her to see only possibility and to be okay with being different.

Maybe next weekend I could invite Hendrix over to play for a little while. They got along at the wedding, and if Sophie had questions about paranormals, Hendrix would be a safe bet to ask. I made a mental note to text him later, giving my focus back to Sophie and the dinner we were prepping together. Hopefully, he would be interested in spending more time with her, too. Because there was no future for me without Sophie in it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

HENDRIX

“You looklike you’re in a good mood.”

Blinking a few times, I looked up from the papers in front of me. I barely fell asleep after my night with Art when I woke up with a song in my head. I crept downstairs, grabbed my guitar and a few blank music sheets, and snuck out of the apartment. I flew up to the roof, resting my back against the short wall that wrapped around the edge, and started playing. It was still a little raw, but I hadn’t written a new song in a while and I was excited that some of my passion was coming back.

I hummed, smiling up at Laz. “I am. What are you doing up?”

It’d been a few hours, but the sun was just coming up and most of the others liked to sleep in, especially after a late show. I didn’t get home until well after midnight last night, and a few of them were still awake when I arrived.

Dropping to sit beside me, he sighed. “Can’t seem to stay asleep. Might be hungry.”

I frowned. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn’t mean regular food. As an incubus, Laz fed off sexual energy. Hewas old enough now that he could go awhile between feeds, but now that I was thinking about it, I hadn’t seen him hook up in weeks.

“How long has it been?”

He shrugged, but his non-answer was answer enough. I sighed heavily.

“Laz, I know you like her, but you can’t skip eating. You know her rule. Even if she did feel that way about you, she might not go for it.”

The dejected look on his face killed me. I wanted to make him feel better, but he’d been pining for a while. Nothing I could say was going to make it easier. And with him starving himself, I felt like I had to be blunt. I put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a little.

“She doesn’t skip feedings, Laz. And you know her and her feeder hook up after.” He winced, but I kept going. He needed some sense knocked into him. “You need to take care of yourself. She hasn’t even acknowledged your interest yet. You’ll kill yourself waiting for her.”

He nodded slowly, but the hurt on his face made me think he wasn’t going to do what I suggested.

“Laz…”