Page 48 of Hooked on a Demon
As Everest, sitting to his left, passes him a dish of mashed potatoes, Eliana clears her throat. His eyes glance her way, taking in the tautness in her shoulders and the way she swallows nervously before she speaks.
“So…uh… Did I hear you guys talking about some car engine or something before dinner?”
“Yeah,” Everest says, stuffing a carrot in his mouth. “Why?”
She spoons some vegetables onto her plate. “Well. I. I was curious. What kind of car was it?”
Everest’s eyebrow quirks up. “Since when are you interested in cars?”
Moving her fork around the plate, seemingly poking at everything and nothing at the same time, she answers, “I thought it was time I took an interest. It might help me someday, way down the line, when I need to get a new one.”
Her brother and father eye her skeptically, but don’t push. Declan, though, can see and feel the tension rolling off of her. Watching her be this uncomfortable creates an ache in his chest, knowing that there’s not much he can do to help.
“So, was it a big car or a little car?” she asks, evidently trying to keep the conversation going.
Everest snorts amusement beside him, while Declan’s left hand moves to rest on his knee under the table and lets a nearly invisible wisp of smoke flow from his fingertips. He pushes it forward, edging ever so carefully toward Eliana, careful not to let it touch anyone else along the way. It softly wraps around her ankle and slides up her leg to rest on her thigh. Her eyes flick to his while he takes a bite of potatoes, and he does his best to give her a reassuring smile.
As realization blankets her features, the thrum of her nerves settles under his faint touch. The conversation at the table quickly turns away from whatever it was she was trying to do, and he feels her relax further. The tendril of smoke stays resting on her thigh throughout the meal, which appears to help her feel more at ease, while also still allowing him to feel her. To touch her.
The smoke can be surprisingly sensitive, and it has helped him pick up on people’s moods, which is great when working with the public. But with her, it seems to be extra sensitive. Sometimes, he feels his power drawn to her. Eager to seek her out. To connect. It’s something he’s never felt before and is both intriguing and unsettling. Lachlan spoke of feeling like there was a thread that bound him and Petra together, and as Declan soothes Eliana under the table, he wonders if this pull toward her is that thread his brother referred to.
His watchful gaze lands on her again and he can’t help but think about all that she’s been through. Not only did she move away to pursue her lifelong dream, but when that dream ended, she had to heal from a massive injury and deal with a shitty partner. And as far as he knows, she went through it all on her own. Remarkable.
She’s remarkable,his demon counters.
“Earth to Declan!” Everest says, tossing a dinner roll at him, breaking him from his thoughts. A second tendril shoots out and catches it before it hits the floor.
He clears his throat as the roll is placed on the table beside him. “Sorry, I missed what was said.”
“Clearly,” Ev jests.
“It’s alright, dear. I was asking about the shop. Business doing okay?” Cora asks.
“Oh, yes. We’re doing great. Since word seems to be getting around that we’re helping out with the showcase for Eliana’s studio, we seem to have a bit of an influx. But we’re happy to be kept busy.” The tendril still resting on Eliana’s thigh gives it a gentle squeeze before edging up a little higher on her leg and turning ever-so-slightly inward. He lets his eyes flick to her, catching a soft, rosy hue as it dusts her cheeks.
“That’s wonderful.” Cora turns her head to look at her daughter. “Why didn’t you tell us that Declan was helping?” She turns back to Declan, “What are you all helping with?”
“Because I don’t tell you everything,” Eliana says under her breath at the same time that Declan says, “We are helping to build the sets. We are about done, though. Maybe another day or two, and it should be ready for the big night.”
“That’s so exciting, dear, and I’m so happy that you were clearly able to get such fine helpers,” Cora says, glancing between him and Eliana.
There’s no way she knows.
She can’t know.
Can she?
Eliana leans back, and her head dips, her eyes lingering on the space between the table and her body as his tendril continues to move toward her center. “Yeah, my littles are particularly excited about dancing in front of everyone. The teen groups tell me they dread it, but I’m doing my best to hype it up for them.”
His smoky limb stops before it makes contact with her core, but he still catches the soft breath of anticipation she lets out. Declan has no intention of playing with her at the table while her family sits around her, but if his touch helps to distract her from whatever she’s worked up about, that’s good enough for him.
“When is it again?” Cora asks.
Placing her utensils on her plate, Eliana replies, “Two weeks tomorrow. We will use next week as an opportunity to practice with the stage pieces, and the week after for full dress rehearsals. It’s a tighter schedule than we would like, but assuming there’s no big hiccups, we should be okay, timing-wise.”
“Wonderful. I’ll put it on the calendar.”
Elliana’s head lifts, and her expression changes to confusion. “Why?”
