Page 35 of A Cursed Heart
Mal squeezed the hand in his hair. “I do not think you are the same as me, Ryan. Your soul shines.”
“How about I decide that, huh? If I could see your soul, I bet it would shine just the same as mine.”
I was getting used to waking up with Mal in my bed, in my arms. It felt natural to have him there. Even the weight of his tail wrapped around my leg had begun to feel familiar. I hoped that once the drama with Salvatore was over, we could concentrate on getting him free. Maybe then we could figure out what this was without added pressure on us.
We spent the day much like the day before, except Mal ushered me to my desk and took Freya to school for me, then tried to clean my apartment using a mixture of magic and cleaning tools. He was learning how to use everything more quickly than I could have dreamed, but he still needed me to help him. Not that I minded. It was kind of cute when he would shyly come to me with a question.
He also picked her up at the end of the day so I could continue with my work. Then helped me cook after clocking off time. It was easy to be in the kitchen with him moving around me. Cooking was much faster when he used magic to do things for us.
It was getting late, and we were in the middle of the bedtime routine when the buzzer went off. I went to answer it.
“Mr. Mallory, it’s Anders. Mr. Salvatore requests your presence.”
Fuck! I’d completely forgotten he wanted me to go to his building. Most of the time I avoided thinking about the fucked up situation he had me in. What the hell was I going to do? If I was going to get the information I needed to take him down, then I had to go there. Except I had no clue if he knew I’d been in his office and stolen from him.
Mal appeared at my side. “Do you want me to come with you? I can hide myself with magic.”
“What about Freya? Someone needs to stay here with her,” I said into the intercom.
“You have a young man staying with you. He can look after your daughter. Surely you trust him enough for that if you let him take her to and from school.”
I felt the color leech from my face. They’d been watching me. Scythe had put a tail on me!
“What the fuck?” I mouthed at Mal.
He took my finger off the intercom. “If you need me to stay here, I can go with you in your mind. Forge a connection between us so I can see if you are in any danger. Then, if necessary, I can vanish to your side in an instant.”
Holy fuck, magic was useful. “Alright. Do that. Just let me tell him I’ll be down in five.” I pressed the intercom once more and told Anders I was getting ready to leave.
“This magic is slightly… invasive. I cannot read all your thoughts, just those you think at the front of your mind. Do you understand? Think towards me and I will hear.”
“Will I hear you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Do it.”
Mal put his hands on my head, sending shivers down my spine. They heated, and soon there was a sense of pressure until it sort of popped.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, this is weird.
Don’t keep Scythe waiting.
What if he knows—
If he knew, he would be here, not his servant. He might suspect, but if you lie, and I know you can lie well, theneverything will be alright. I’ll protect Freya and come for you if you need me.
Going on instinct, I hugged Mal quickly, stepped into my shoes, grabbed a few things, and left the apartment. Staying longer would only draw out my worry.
Anders was in the car waiting for me when I got downstairs. I got into the car without saying a word.
Relax, Ryan. You are being suspicious. You need to act like nothing is wrong aside from being irritated that Mr. Salvatore is demanding your time.
Trying to do what Mal said, I made small talk with Anders. Aside from a couple of one word answers, it was like talking to a wall.
Better,Mal praised.You sound much more like yourself.
