Page 28 of A Cursed Heart
Sensing this was about to break into a full-blown argument between the siblings, I opened my mouth to speak.
“No,” Ryan cut in. “We’re not doing this in here. Meet me in the kitchen, Liddy. Put some coffee on, and we’ll be right out.”
His sister left the room with nothing further said. She didn’t look all that happy about it, though. When the door closed, Ryan turned my way. “Mal, I need you to put all that…” he gestured at my horns and tail, “away for now. I know you don’t want to, and I’m sorry if it hurts, but Freya could wake up at any moment, and I don’t want to scare her.”
Well, if it was between scaring the child and my comfort, it was a simple thing to whisk my horns and tail away. “I’m sorry, I did not think of the child.”
“Look, you’re going to have to be really careful around Freya.” He shook his head regretfully. “She—her mom’s boyfriend hurt her, okay? It’s why—nevermind. Just keep your voice soft when talking to her. Don’t move too fast or get visibly angry around her. It’ll take her a while to get used to having you around. I know she can do it, though. She just needs time.”
Ryan sighed, then scrubbed a hand over his face.
“I swear I will do anything to ensure Freya is comfortable with me. “Would you prefer if I used some magic to soothe her? It takes very little magic—“
“No! Fuck—” He clenched his jaw, the muscle ticked. “Don’t use anything on her. Just be calm around her.” He shook off whatever he was thinking. “It’s fine. Let’s just go speak to Lydia. Get this over with.”
Barely half an hour later, I was sitting with my second cup of coffee in front of me, my hands wrapped around the mug, enjoying its warmth. I found I enjoyed the beverage, and it hid my need to reach out and touch Ryan to soothe him. He was growing increasingly agitated with Lydia’s refusal to believe either of us about what I was.
“Shall I just show her some magic?”
“Weren’t you low?” His concern was touching.
“A good night’s sleep cures all, apparently.” I didn’t want to say anything further, though we would discuss it when we were alone. It was a good thing my magic had returned. We had noidea what Salvatore would do if he found out Ryan had stolen from him.
“Yeah, show her. I think it’s the only way she’s going to believe it.”
In a blink, I vanished from my seat and appeared beside her. I tapped her shoulder, eliciting a screech, before I vanished, returning to my seat once more.
“Holy shit!” Lydia gasped.
Not done with my display, I took Ryan with me and reappeared in another room. I waited for Lydia to splutter something before I returned us to our seats. It was gratifying to see Ryan grin and not look green. He had adapted to vanishing quickly.
“Fine, I believe you,” Lydia said into the silence. I sipped my cooling coffee. With a tendril of magic, I heated mine until it was steaming once more. Ryan tipped his cup my way for me to do the same to his. “So, Mal is a demon who was trapped in a gem—”
“The heart ruby,” I added.
“And Ryan picked it up because you influenced him to? What’s stopping you from making him do stuff now?”
“Now that Ryan has created a blood bond with the ruby, I am unable to influence him. We need each other. He is the reason I am out here enjoying this fine beverage instead of watching the world from inside the gem.”
“Right. And we are supposed to trust you? We don’t know you.” Lydia’s voice was bitter. “This could all be a trap to make Ryan work for that scumbag forever.”
The very thought that I would harm Ryan had anger flooding my system. I stood, my tail and horns escaping in my agitation. “I would never harm Ryan! He is keeping me out of that maniac’s hands. When I saw your brother, I saw his pure soul and chose him. I would not risk his safety!”
Lydia had cringed back. Ryan though, he was not cowed by my behavior. He laid a hand on my arm. “Mal, you’re hurt!”
It was true. In a fit of rage, I had pulverized the mug in my hand. The shards had cut into my flesh, and blood dripped onto the surface of the table.
Lydia grimaced, then reached out with careful hands and pulled the shards out. She wrapped it in a towel. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” She led me into the bathroom, closing the lid on the toilet, she pushed me to sit down. Lydia reached into a cabinet and pulled out a rectangular box. “I made sure Ryan had a first aid kit when he moved in here. Kids are always getting hurt.”
“Is he okay?” Ryan hovered in the doorway, observing us. His concern, while touching, was a sign that the bond between us wasn’t just a one way thing. Ryan had feelings for me too. They might not be the same as the ones I was developing for him, yet it was something.
“He’ll be fine once I clean it and get the rest of the pieces out.”
“Daddy!” a small voice called.
“Go,” Lydia urged him. “See to Freya. I’ll look after Mal.”
After sparing us a glance, Ryan nodded and turned away. Lydia took some tweezers to my palm, pulling out the broken crockery. “You care about my brother, right?”
