The dragon pig seemed very excited when Delaney told it there was a demon by the name of Xtelle somewhere in Ordinary who needed to be found and brought to her. Dragon pig trotted around in a little circle, then sat at her feet, adorable head tipped up, flat piggy nose steaming.
While she explained exactly what she needed the dragon pig to do, I headed to the kitchen to draw a demon trap on the floor.
I heard the distinctivepopof disappearing dragon. Then Delaney strolled into the kitchen.
“So are you going to tell me what happened?” She poured herself a cup of coffee, then turned and handed me a mug of tea.
“When?”
“When you and Bathin left.”
I sipped tea and shrugged. “We fought, then argued. He tried to tell me he was just misunderstood. He said he’s on my side.”
“And?”
“And we kissed.”
“And?”
I didn’t have to tell her. Just because we were sisters didn’t mean everything we did had to be shared.
“You finally slept with him.” She didn’t ask. She told me. Like she already knew.
I had a sudden, horrible thought. “Tell me that was just a good guess and not because the connection from him holding your soul means you can feel…”
She snorted. “It was a good guess. Because now you’re doing twice as much to push him away as you were before.”
“You mean trying to save Ordinary and all the people inside of it?”
“I mean pushing him away just like you did to your last boyfriend.”
“That’s not fair.”
“But it’s not untrue.”
Her voice went soft, and she put the coffee down. “You do this when you’re scared.”
“Do what?”
“Take on responsibility for everything and everyone.”
“And you don’t?”
She exhaled. “I think I do, though I’ve been trying to share the burden more. Trying to talk to you and Jean and Ryder when I’m confronted with really big challenges instead of just running off to do something stupid.”
“Like giving your soul to a demon?”
“Like ignoring my feelings. Who I’m falling in love with. Those kinds of things.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But I did.
“Yes, you do.”
“He’s a demon,” I said over my tea.
“Is that enough of an excuse not to listen to your heart? Myra.” She hopped up on the counter, her boots swinging gently, and for a moment we were just young girls again, sisters trying to navigate the adult world full of gods and monsters and supernatural powers we didn’t understand.
