Page 5 of Maiming
“You’ll do fine,” he whispers for only me to hear.
There’s something about the way he kissed me. Something sweet and earnest.
I almost believe him.
I’m still standing and watching the door close after him when the sound of chairs dragging across the floor pulls at my attention. Slowly I lower myself into the chair closest to the entrance. The room, much like the rest of the house, is petite. The kitchen spans the far wall and leads right into the warm living room where a few chairs and a couch face a small fire place. On a table in front of the furniture, a little fish bowl with my favorite Tumid fish inside sits at the center there. A dark hall leads down to two bed rooms and a small bathroom.
It's … quaint.
And I haven’t really been able to linger here that much over the last few days. Myla was quiet at first. Watchful and observing of my relationship with her son and his friends as well as my own friend. Sinister fit right in with her from the very start. But I never did.
Not yet.
“Where did you say your parents are from, Arlow?” She passes Sinister the pan of scrambled eggs and he passes it right on over to me. Letting his plate remain clean.
It’s sweet of him to go through the motions of mortal life. I asked him to eat for me once when we first met. Just once. He shrugged like it was an odd request. The mint leaf he placed on his tongue singed and burnt to a crisp on impact.
For a long time, I wondered if that would happen to me if we kissed. I remember the tingling sting of his tongue sliding against mine. But it never hurt.
Sometimes that’s all I can think about.
“Warf. Just a few day’s hike from here.” I take a small spoon full of the eggs and a little bowl of cheese is passed to me as well.
“Is it nice there?”
My brows raise as I realize she’s never been there. Kain and the other two shifters like to travel but Myla hasn’t been to the neighboring city?
“Yeah, it’s really pretty. It’s a nice and calming place, I guess.” If you’re not a mage in hiding. It’s great.
“Do you miss it?” Her questions come easily but continuously as she takes small bites of her food in between each one.
“I miss the ocean.” I pause as memories of my childhood, of my mother and father swirl through my mind. “I miss my parents.”
I don’t miss that mob of questioning villagers that always shadowed over my existence.
The smallest amount of silence passes before she slices through it with another question.
A pointed question.
“Will you go back?”
Will I go back? Am I just a phase? Is my attraction to Kain just a fleeting moment before I leave?
“Eventually. In a few weeks maybe. I want to see everything first. I want to see where Kain grew up.” I blink at her with honesty tinging my tone. Seconds pass while we stare at one another, trying to understand each other.
“The eggs smell really good. They taste good, yeah?” Sinister’s question, which I know he cares nothing about, breaks the testing quiet. He buried his brother three days ago but you’d never guess it. Maybe he’s good at masking his sadness. Or maybe he doesn’t feel any at all for Kreedence.
His sweet words put a smile right on Myla’s face.
“They are good. Thank you, Sinister.”
The easy compliment is just enough to soften the tension. The rapid questions turn into small talk about the cold weather, the neighborhood, and theAutumn Fire Festival.
“When I was a girl, it was just the Autumn Festival: a formal occasion with food and drinks and dancing.” The smile on her face lines her cheeks with happiness that puts me at ease. “But then the more male shifters that outnumbered the females turned it into a man’s event. Goddess knows you can’t have a nice party withoutfire.”
The way she rolls her eyes at the end has us both laughing until my stomach hurts. Sinister’s gaze trails my features and his lips tilt just slightly at the corner. To be honest, I don’t think he’s listening at all any more.
But the way he’s smiling at me makes me wonder what he’s thinking.
