Page 67 of Shadow & Stars
“Fuck,” Roman said again.
I drew deep breaths, tempering my inner panic.
“We have to use the device.”
A sharp jolt of surprise forced me to my feet. “No.”
He stood too. “Why not?” He rubbed the area around his heart. “What else can we do? I mean, you shouldn’t be here. You should be in the other time. I don’t know anything about time travel, but I know enough to see it’s fucked up.”
“You really don’t want any banana bread for a while, do you?” June said, returning with a tray. On it sat a bottle of brandy and two tumbler glasses.
Roman’s cheeks flushed. “Curse my mouth.”
His grandmother chuckled. “I may forgive you under these circumstances.”
The witch clasped his hands together as if in prayer. “Pretty please.”
“Pending, my dear.”
He beamed a smile at her as he sat back down. “Cheers. You’re the best.”
“Brandy?” June asked.
“Let me help you with that.” I took the tray, placing it on the table between her and Roman. There were crossword puzzle books piled up under it, making me smile.
“That’s very kind,” she said. “How about one for our nerves?”
“Yes, please.”
She poured us both a drink. Roman didn’t even mention himself. He was underage, and his grandmother had probably instilled that into him. Also, he’d told me several times that he hated brandy.
June returned to her seat and took a sip. “Ah. Very much needed.”
I sipped mine, enjoying the momentary release the alcoholic burn granted me.
“That device has to be a last resort,” she said. “We are in a time with magic. From what I can gather, the rules are all over the place.” She sipped more brandy. “We have to do what we can. But not at the expense of my grandson.” That last sentence came with a steel edge.
“Of course,” I replied.
Shadows swam across her features, the warm seas hiding a forceful maternal power. “I’d like to pay this fairy a visit. Give her a piece of my mind. And then find the demon. Butterfly, is it? I hate him already. I hate her. I hate the surgeon who gave Roman this device, Dr. James. I know that might be wrong, seeing as she was coerced, but I love this boy.” She nodded at Roman. “Unconditionally, nothing else like it. If you hurt him, you get my wrath.” She finished her drink, her hands shaking.
Roman reached over, taking her hand. “Easy, Grandma.” His eyes were glistening.
She gave his hand a squeeze, facing me. “Promise me you take good care of him in the future. That you always will.”
“Fiercely.”
Roman winced. “Please stop.”
“Good. I’m glad. I might not remember this if we fix things, but at least…”
The penny dropped then, as humans liked to say. June was dead in my present, and Roman struggled with his grief. Her death brought him to a changing point, everything he’d come to be and understand as The Shadow unraveling. And I’d played a part in that.
“No…” Roman whispered. “No.” It hit him, too. “Don’t want to think about it. You can’t be gone. You can never be gone.”
“One day, I will be,” his grandmother responded softly. “And you won’t be alone.”
He looked at me, wiping at his eyes with a tissue. “You mentioned my best friend. Darcy, right?”
