Page 40 of Ladybirds

“Does that surprise you?”

“I mean, you’re kind of a know-it-all. So, yes?”

He huffs, gaze sliding back to the window. He must hate it, being nothing but honest all the time. Suddenly she has a newfound understanding of why ninety percent of the things that come out of his mouth are steeped in sarcasm.

Sara shifts, hands twisting in her lap. “It’s… kind of backwards, isn’t it? You having to tell the truth?”

He frowns, his hand lowering as he sends her a baffled look. “I beg your pardon?”

“Just, I mean,” she stumbles, face flushing the longer he pins her with that stare. “I just thought lying would be part of the whole demon thing.”

Seth’s laugh is sharp. “First, I’m a figment of your imagination and now I’m a demon.” He shakes his head, a sardonic smile twisting the corners of his mouth. “You certainly know how to give a man a complex.”

“But if you’re not…” A thought dawns, her stomach sinking like a weight. “Oh my—you’re not the devil, are you?!”

He slouches further into his chair, hands cradling his temples. “No.”

The idea is stuck now, though. Snared in a way that’s hard for her to untangle. She remembers the darkness surrounding him, the lure in his voice, when he offered to save David’s life. “But the deals and, and the souls!”

He groans, eyes disappearing behind an elegant hand. “I can assure you, I am not nearly old enough to be considered biblical.”

The knot in her chest loosens, unwinding the longer she measures the resigned slump of his shoulders. Of course he’s not. That would be insane.

Except this whole thing is insane. How else could she possibly describe living with a man only she can see? That blinks in and out of her life like a ghost, but has the power to pull David away from Death’s door? She swallows, mouth dry, because she knows now that so many of her answers are only a question away. “Then what are you?”

His hands slide away, and he casts a praying glance to the ceiling. “At the moment? A man sitting in a chair. Now, would you kindly turn the television back on? I’m looking forward to hearing how Juan plans to explain his illegitimate child.”

It’s not an answer or, at least, not the kind she was looking for. Maybe, if she wasn’t aware of the power her questions held over him, she would let it go—turn on the tv and let him deflect their conversation. But she does know, and this isn’t an answer she’s willing to give up. Not so easily. Not yet.

“Are you human?”

He stills, his words careful. “I was. Perhaps I still am.”

God, he makes her want to scream. “What does that even mean?!”

His expression hardens, a subtle warning written in the line of his jaw. “I was born human,” he hisses. “Whether I still qualify is up for debate.”

His anger is palpable—like smoke—filling the room and burning her lungs. A warning, maybe even a threat, darkening his gaze. Sara doesn’t care. The weight pressing on her chest is nothing compared to the questions clawing at her heart. Somewhere, David is living a life without her in it and she has to know why.

She swallows, wets her lips. Finds the right words in the lines of his scowl, pries them from him like a secret. “Why aren’t you human?”

Suddenly he’s in front of her, so close she could feel the heat of him if she wished it—a towering form of fury and resentment. Teeth bared, the words hiss past his sneering lips. “I was cursed.”

Sara’s lips part, eyes wide and chest heaving. He doesn’t wait for her to blink before disappearing.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sara stares at the screen, one hand rubbing her temple while the other continues to scroll down the webpage. There’s a headache brewing, a tension spanning over both her eyes, telling her to rest. She ignores it, instead.

The library is only open for another hour and she plans on using every minute. After that, she’ll go to the coffee shop across the street and continue searching there. Somewhere, in some dark corner of the web, there has to be the answers she’s looking for. There has to be. The thought of Google failing her now, when she really needs it, is nothing short of horrifying.

Finding nothing of use on the page, she closes the tab with a little more force than strictly necessary—frustration pulling at her chest. She huffs, her eyes leaving the bright screen to trace over the rows of books to her left. The library was blessed with large windows, and the evening light casts warmth over the little nook she’s chosen for herself. If her reason for being there hadn’t been so daunting, Sara suspects she would find it beautifully romantic. A perfect picture. She makes a mental note to bring her camera next time.

“A library, Princess? I never thought to see the day.”

She stills, lips parting around a curse. Of course, Seth would find her. Of course. Despite the fury in his eyes when he blinked away last night, he has been nothing but civil since reappearing this morning. Still, in every interaction there’s been a shift Sara can’t quite shake… a reserved hope, an anticipated dread, hiding behind his candid smile.

She hates it almost as much as the idea of being stuck with him for the rest of her life. So here she is—at the library with a stack of books at her elbow and a slew of webpages on screen. Incriminating her. Seth hovers over her shoulder, no doubt scanning the titles of the multiple tabs she has running. All of them centered on one thing:

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