Page 59 of The Magic of Revenge
“Since I was bored and needed something to do. Is that a problem?” Sloane asked me, lifting a brow that had a smudge of mud above it.
I grabbed a paper towel and dampened it before pressing up on my tiptoes to wipe the mud from his face.
“No,” I told him. “It’s not a problem. Just surprised me. Thank you for doing it, I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to handle tasks like that recently. I appreciate it.” And I meant it. Sloane was looking down at me as I cleaned up his face. His body was rigid, like he wasn’t used to this type of attention and that made me a little bit sad for him. I glanced beside us to see Fischer’s legs had stopped swinging as he watched us curiously. They really needed some time to talk.
Sloane may have said he was doing my yard work because he was bored, but based on his promise yesterday to try and win me over… I’d say he was doing it because he knew how much my gardening meant to me.
“There, got all the dirt off your face,” I smiled and Sloane's scowl softened.
Cam and Bram began discussing something just out of earshot. Straining my hearing, I tried to eavesdrop but Kai was suddenly behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling my neck. I laughed as he tickled me with his teeth. Gods, being in his arms was perfect. Seeing my men hanging out, talking, eating, and joking together in my kitchen swelled my heart with love.
My big storm mage and sexy demon both walked over to the island and leaned down on their forearms, their gazes searing through me like lasers.
"What?" I squeaked out at the same moment Kai ran his tongue up the column of my neck.
Faris laughed, startling everyone with how he just appeared seemingly out of thin air. He was watching the interaction with interest and desire, if him sucking on his bottom lip was any indicator.Damn, he’s sexy.
"We need to talk about what we're doing with Laurie," Cam stated.
I hadn't seen her since beating the hell out of her yesterday. To be honest, I wasn't sure that I could see her without wanting to pick up right where I'd left off. And that... scared me. I wasn't someone who ever harmed others. It may have been cowardly, but I'd been pretending she wasn't here, on my property, in my shed. That was easier. Everything with her was overwhelming. She was toxic and I didn't want to get caught in her web.
"Sweetheart?" Fischer's raspy voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked over just as he slid from the counter and tugged me into his arms. "It's okay. It'll all be okay." His hand rubbed my back in soothing circles.
"Okay," I breathed. Denial wasn't going to get me anywhere. "What did you find out last night?" I asked Bram and Sloane.
"Unsurprisingly, not a lot," Bram admitted, annoyance prevalent in his tone.
"She's had training when it comes to questioning. It's going to be difficult to get her to crack. I think it might be a job for Fischer," Sloane said reluctantly.
Fischer sucked in a breath and then his thoughts were flooding into my mind.
I can't see that woman. She bested me once, what if she does it again? What if she takes them from me this time? I'd rather be dead than live without them... If I get inside her head, I'll reduce her brain to a pile of soup.
"Hey," I whispered and wrapped my arms around my Guppy. "She's not taking anyone from anyone again. I'll never let any of you go, even in death I will fucking find your souls and pull them back to me," I vowed. "You are mine."
Faris grabbed his chest over his heart and swooned dramatically. Though, I had no doubts that he was being dead ass serious. The crazier the shit was that came out of my mouth, the more he seemed to fall in love with me.
“I don’t think we should reveal that Fischer is alive. Or that Faris pulled a Pinocchio and is now a real boy,” Cam stated. “These people are smart. We need to be smarter.”
Everyone murmured their agreement. A sniffle pulled my attention and I spotted Gran standing in the shadows of the hallway, wiping her face. My throat tightened at the sight. I'd rarely ever seen her cry.
"I'll finish up the salsa, princess. Go talk to her," Bram urged, swatting my butt.
"Yeah, we got this, Sprout. I'm thinking about whipping up some grilled chicken tacos. Sound good?" Kai asked and I nodded enthusiastically. Tacos were life.
"Okay, I'll be back in a little bit," I shuffled out of the circle of men and headed for the woman who had given me everything she had to give. She'd taught me, raised me, loved me. This had to be so hard for her, her daughter turning out to be a villain. A criminal. A murderer. The complete opposite of everything Gran was and had taught me to be.
"Gran," I said softly, giving her a hug. She wasn't big on sharing when it came to dealing with deep, emotionally charged things. I suspected it was partly who she was and partly the generation she'd grown up in. You dealt with your problems privately, kept them inside, and didn't let anyone know you were struggling. I wanted her to know that wasn't something I was okay with. Now more than ever, we needed each other.
"I'm sorry, child. Just had a moment. I'll be fine." She patted my back like she was the one who needed to comfort me. That's what she did though, always putting me first.
I pulled back, my hands on her shoulders. "Take a walk with me?"
She replied with a curt nod, then led the way outside. The sun was shining and the air felt refreshing after being inside for so long. I took a deep breath and let the sun’s rays dance over my face and arms. Gran was doing the same beside me and we shared a soft smile as we let ourselves recharge the way our affinity required.
"Did Khol leave then?" I started walking toward the winding paths that led through the different gardens. Gran had gotten this all cleaned up after my first magical explosion, thankfully, and it looked amazing. Trellises were scattered throughout the walkways, covered in blooming clematis, trumpet vines, and climbing hydrangea. The blooms were beautiful, opening up and rising toward the sun they craved.
"Yes. He's been a great help around here. It seems I was a little prejudiced in my thoughts towards demons before. I feel incredibly ignorant about that now. Your Bram is wonderful, too. It would seem that demons were never really the problem with my daughter. It was just her," Gran told me, sounding tired.
