“Because he’s a demon,” I said.
“No. Listen to me. Only his own hand could use those scissors to remove the soul he had possessed.Onlyhis hand.”
“But you said…” At her look, I nodded. “Lies. Got it.”
“I made the scissors to know one thing: If my son would ever value someone, something over his own wants. Whether he could be unselfish.”
There in the dream diner, the wind chimes turned to music, something soft and far away.
“That’s not the truth,” I whispered.
She reached across the table and placed her hand carefully on my wrist. It was warm, solid, real.
“It is the truth. I give you my word on that. A demon never gives up a soul without receiving something greater in return. Bathin could have given up Delaney’s soul at any time he wished. Except there was nothing valuable enough to exchange it with. He wanted to stay in Ordinary. He needed to stay in Ordinary. His life depended on it.
“But when the choice was allowing you to use the scissors, knowing it would harm you, change you, hurt you, he took them away. He used them instead.
“He freed Delaney’s soul by his own hand and bore the consequences, not knowing how brutal they might be.”
“He didn’t do it to protect me…”
“Yes. He did.” She waited a moment, then went on. “One might even assume he did it because he loves you. He willingly sacrificed his own needs, comfort, desires, and life to save yours.”
“He can’t love me. He’s a demon.”
“It is not hard for a demon to love. You might not understand that, but we love easily. It is, however, difficult for us to learn how to care for someone, how to give to someone before we satisfy our own wants.”
She drew her hand away. “Sharing and compromise and honesty are difficult concepts for a demon, but not impossible. Still, the only things that can teach us those concepts are sacrifice and community and love.”
“Family,” I said.
“That too. It is, I think, why he was so curious about Ordinary for so long. Why he and your father met and spoke for so many years. Bathin was looking for family. When he finally found a way to enter Ordinary, when he found you…well.
“He was totally out of his depth, so he acted like an asshole.” She straightened the cuff of her sleek blouse, which did not need straightening. “Typical demon. Assholery is the number one go-to.”
“You don’t say,” I said.
That earned me an eyebrow quirk. “So what are you going to do about this?”
“About what?”
“I just told you my son loves you.”
“I heard you.” Even though this was a dream, I believed her.
That didn’t mean I knew what to do about it.
“Now you know,” she said. “I thought that was important. Even now.”
She sipped out of her cup. I wasn’t sure what was in there, but it squirmed and squeaked.
I knew she was baiting me, but curiosity won out. “Even now?”
“I made those scissors as more than one kind of test. To see if he could learn sacrifice, selflessness, love.” She blew on her squeaky liquid, sipped again.
“And?”
“And if he could endure the price it demanded.”
