Page 13 of Maiming
My shoulders are small as I raise them.
“It doesn’t matter if she told you. You know now.” Helen bumps her son’s hip with hers. “Now shut up so she can openmygift.”
Chaos and I pass a smile between us before my fingers open the bag. Leather meets my fingertips. The two items are pulled out for the room to see.
Black leather covers the shoes. Perfect sapphire jewels rest at the tops of them. They’re small. No heel. They’re more of a princess style shoe.
Not a mage shoe at all.
Because mages don’t wear shoes.
“You got me shoes.” My lips part with a smile.
“They’re flats. Very comfortable. Very stylish.”
And they look expensive. She bought me nice shoes. That’s so sweet.
“They’re pretty.” My index finger runs over the shining jewel of one of the shoes. I wore shoes one time. Just once.
They were awful. Tight. Constricting. They were feet prisons basically.
“I just noticed you didn’t have any.” Her head tilts as she tries to look past my hair to see my full expression.
“They really are fantastic. I usually don’t wear shoes. The energy in nature gives me strength. My magic is more pure when I’m more connected.”
Her big blue eyes light up. They always light up when I talk about magic. Just like the girl I met today, the people here love to hear about my magic.
“That’s wonderful. You’re like an angel, Arlow.”
Not likely, Helen.
“No, I just have a gift. Just like your son.” My fingers slip into Chaos’ big hand and his attention drifts down to the way my hand looks in his. He looks so lost in thought today.
My fingers squeeze against his and his gaze lifts to mine. It takes him a moment to smile at me.
What is he thinking?
“Can I try them on?” I pull my attention back to Helen and ask what I know will make her happy. I try really hard. I try really hard to make me the person Helen is working me up to be in her head.
She thinks an angel is falling in love with her son. I’m not an angel, but I want to be better. I want to be everything Helen believes me to be.
“Yes, come on. Let’s see if they fit.”
I trail over to sit next to Rime near the little fire place. His palm pushes down my back as I lean forward to try the flats on. They’re soft inside, lined with some sort of fabric that feels nice against my skin. A half an inch of space makes the shoes loose against my foot.
“Small feet, just like I thought. Small feet but top heavy, just like me.” Helen beams another smile that makes me smirk and makes her son look like he wants to throw up.
“Mom,” Chaos whispers, but his little complaint is ignored by everyone.
“They’re so pretty.” My toes sink into the soft fabric once more as I shift my feet this way and that.
Helen sits on the table in front of me, coming eye level, studying me intently. “I’m so happy they found you.” Once more her hand squeezes mine. “Myla and I thought we’d never see them again. I thought this…” The way her voice cracks has me leaning closer to her, pushing my palm against her knuckles as she speaks. “I thought this community had run them off for good. And then they found you.”
The sweeping of Rime’s palm comes to a halt against my spine, feeling heavy and comforting against my skin. Chaos sits on the arm of the couch and pushes his big hand over my thigh. For a moment I just stare up at the sweet woman who raised her son so right. She raised him so fucking right that he walked through all my broken pieces just to find the jagged part of me that was left.
None of us would be here right now if Chaos wasn’t completely Chaos.
And I don’t know how to tell her that.
