Free Seduced by Magic by Stephanie Julian Page B

cannot.”
    So Justin told the little half-furry creature what he’d told Scarlata earlier, adding more detail as he remembered it.
    When he’d finished, Sal stubbed out his cigarette and hopped off the chair to head to the fridge.
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    “Either of you want something to drink? I got beer, vodka, a decent bottle of Cabernet, some homemade lemonade. Squeezed the lemons myself.”
    Justin frowned. “Wait. That’s it? No answers, no comments, nothing?”
    Sal’s stubby tail twitched back and forth before he turned from the fridge, two bottles of beer and the wine in his hands. He didn’t answer until he’d set the bottles on the table and hopped back onto his chair.
    “Nice guy, your dad.” Sal popped the cap on one of the beers and took a swig.
    “Stupidest damn God I ever met but he plays a mean game of pool.”
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    Seduced by Magic

Chapter Seven
    Justin was pretty sure he’d just heard the half-goat half-man with horns refer to his father as a god.
    He opened his mouth to speak but the only sound that came out was a kind of garbled squawk.
    At least Scarlata was more articulate. “What did you just say?”
    Sal took another swig of beer, all the while watching Justin from beneath lowered eyelids. “What? You didn’t know?”
    “Know,” Justin took a deep breath, not really sure he wanted an answer, “what?”
    Sal sighed and finished the beer in one long swallow. “Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
    “Sal.” Scarlata’s hushed voice scared the shit out of him but he couldn’t take his eyes off Sal. “Are you telling me he’s…”
    “Yep. Bitch of a way to find out, isn’t it?” Sal said.
    “Find out what?” Justin finally forced a coherent string of words from his mouth.
    “What the hell’s going on?”
    Scarlata shook her head and turned a speculative gaze on him. “That’s why my magic didn’t work on you. And why I detected no trace of magic in you. It’s been hidden by a master. What did you say your father’s name was?”
    “Michael. Michael Johannson.”
    “Son, your father’s name is Selvans, lo spirito dei boschi ,” Sal said. “Otherwise known as the God of the Woods.”
    Justin speared his glance back and forth between Sal and Scarlata. “Are you really trying to tell me my father was a Roman god?”
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    “Roman.” Sal snorted. “Son, you insult your sire. Your father is part of the Etruscan pantheon, older than those pansy-ass Romans.”
    Justin heard ringing in his ears and saw spots swimming in his vision. He might be ready to pass out but it made so much sense. Really scary, crazy sense, but sense all the same.
    His father’s love of nature, his extended absences, his insistence on the existence of magical races. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘is’?”
    “Come on, kid.” Sal shrugged. “He’s a deity. Immortality comes with the gig.”
    Okay, not only was his dad a god but he was still alive.
    He wondered… “My mom—”
    “Probably doesn’t know a thing,” Sal finished his thought. “Your pop, he’s known for this kind of thing. Typically the women don’t realize what he really is.”
    Well, hell. That sounded…really cold. Not at all like the man he remembered.
    “Do I have other siblings, apart from my sister?”
    Sal shrugged. “Perhaps, but none that I know of. Gods don’t have a lot of kids. Too many problems crop up. How long were your parents together?”
    “Eighteen years. He died…” Justin closed his eyes, shutting out the sudden expression of pity on Sal’s face. “Wow, how stupid can I get? He didn’t die, did he? He left us.”
    Sal nodded. “Usually he leaves after fifteen years. It’s hard for an immortal to hold the illusion of age, mostly because they’re vain. Looks like he truly loved your mom, kid.”
    Anger flared bright and hot. “That bastard. Why the hell didn’t he tell us the truth?” But even as he spoke, Justin realized the answer. “Because I wouldn’t have