Page 13 of January Blues
“Well, he’s better at hiding it, but he looked at you almost as much as you watched him. It was kinda adorable, actually.”
“So you’re—“
“I’m fine, sweetness. I adore you, but we just aren’t right for each other. As long as you don’t ditch me for him all the time, it’s all good.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I laid my head on his shoulder. “I wish you’d been my brother.”
“I don’t,” he scoffed, “otherwise that blowjob would have been illegal.”
We both laughed, and he squeezed my thigh. “Truthfully, you are the best friend I could wish for, Cody. You never judge. From the moment you woke to me sitting on your bed, you never showed fear.”
“Because I know you’ll never willingly hurt me. I know it in my soul.”
Damon looked pained. “What I dug up might hurt, and I’m sorry about that.”
I shrugged, jostling him. “The truth does sometimes, but that isn’t your fault. What did you find?”
He seemed to steel himself. “Mostly just a bunch of rumors. You’re the oldest, right?”
“Yeah, my parents married just before I was born. They had another ceremony a couple of years later before my siblings came along because mom hated how pregnant she looked in the photographs.”
“That’s what I thought. Well, like I said, this is just a bunch of gossip, but it seems like maybe Heath isn’t your dad.”
I felt my smile drop. My dad wasn’t my dad? “What do you mean?”
“There are records of a significant dowry paid to Heath in the months before they married. The wedding itself was quickly thrown together because they wanted your parents wed before you were born. In fact, there are fragments of a contract stating it had to happen before you arrived or the money wouldn’t be paid.”
“Oh, shit!”
Damon wrapped an arm around me. “I’m sorry, sweetness.”
“You know what? It all makes sense. Heath was always kind to me, but he never seemed to love me. I just got the feeling that my lack of magic was a disappointment to him, so he just kept his distance from me.”
“That sucks. Almost worse than having no parent at all.”
“It was all I knew. It was only when my siblings came along that I saw the difference. I blamed myself. Thought my lack of magic was the problem. But it wasn’t that at all, was it? It’s because I’m not his.” Tears escaped, rolling down my cheeks.
Damon pulled me closer, letting me cry it out on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault he couldn’t raise you as his. He knew what he was getting into when he signed the contract, sweetness. You were an innocent child.”
“Thank you. Do you… do you know—?”
“Who your father is? No, I’m sorry.” He sighed as if disappointed in himself. “I’ve spent the last couple of days running down as many leads as I could. There’s something else.”
Goddess, he sounded so upset! My arms prickled with goosebumps. A knowing, this overwhelming sense that I wouldn’t like what he said swept over me. “Just get it out there. I’m grateful that you went through all this effort for me.”
“Always, sweetness. Look, this bit is rough.” His warning really didn’t help with my uneasiness. “On the day you were born, happy birthday for the solstice, by the way,” I loved my friend and his attempts at levity. “There was a large amount of money paid to covens in the surrounding area. The Northarbor coven tithes for that month were also significantly higher than any other month. I think—now this is just a theory—but I think they spelled your magic to make it look like you had next to none. I think they bound you and then blamed you all your life for having no magic.”
I sat up suddenly, my plate lurching from my lap. Damon caught it in time with his quick reflexes as I dashed for the bathroom. I made it to the toilet just in time to throw up the tiny amount I’d eaten.
“Cody? Are you okay?” He kneeled beside me and rubbed my back.
It took me a minute to gain control over my stomach. Sitting back on my feet, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before getting up to wash up a little. Damon returned with a glass of water. “Thanks,” I rasped, my throat sore. “You weren’t wrong.”
“I’m so sorry, Cody.”
“You’ve got no reason to be sorry, Damon. From the first minute I met you, you’ve done nothing but care for me. Unlike the family I was born into.” I bit off a bitter laugh. “So I was supposed to have magic, and it’s suddenly appearing now. The question is why? What happened?”
“Do you think it could—?” Damon shook his head.
