This is a turning point, and I do not want to mess it up.
I reach out slowly, slotting my palm around hers and twining our fingers together. Lor inhales a soft gasp, but I was ready for the lightning between us.
11
DOOM AND GLOOM
October 10, 1983: I fear I am in danger of being discovered. Mother always warned me: never tell. No one must ever know of the curse in our blood, lest we be sent to the asylum as happened to Aunt Mona. She was declared insane, taken away in a straight jacket. We never saw or spoke to her again.
Lor
The spark from his skin against mine sets all the hairs on my arm standing and spreads goosebumps down my neck. My eyes fly to his, but I see only soft acceptance there, no surprise. He was expecting that. Does he know something I don’t?
Ro offers a tentative smile, and I think I give him one in reply. It feels foreign on my face, like I’m doing it wrong, and I quickly look away.
Silence falls between us, but it’s not awkward or uncomfortable. The wind swishes across the field, insects buzz and the sharp call of a falcon rings out high above. His hand is warm against mine. It feels good, right, and also radiateswarmth in a way that isn’t entirely human. I’ve been trying to ignore the truth he dropped on me, but there’s no more running from it.
Ro is a demon.
I’m not sure why that fact triggered me. It’s not like I’m human either, although I am the most human of all the non-human creatures. I guess I had assumed he was safe, a regular human who wouldn’t care about or even know the significance of stardust.
I’ve always heard demons were evil creatures. That they have no regard for the law, let alone morality, and they do whatever they please. Then I realize what this demon has been doing lately: stalking me, probably responsible for the random smoldering trashcans I’ve come across, and who knows what else. I have no doubt he’s broken the law in other ways.
Now that he’s told me, I can’t unsee it.Of course,he’s a demon.
But…
He’s basically a puppy—a chaotic, far too enthusiastic puppy with poor decision-making skills—but still. He’s been following me around and lapping up any scrap of attention I throw his way. It’s bizarrely endearing, and somehow the frustration and anger I constantly carry around evaporate in his gentle, eager presence. It’s like Ro fits the mold of a demon, and then reshapes it.
How is he possible?
I look over at him, seeing him already watching me, and stare into his hazel eyes. They’re flecked with gold, and now I wonder if that’s his inner demon magic that seems to make them glow. His eyes are captivating and far too expressive.
Dangerous.
Why is he interested in me? My instincts tell me I can trust him, but my history with those who are supposed to love andcare for me have turned my heart black and bitter, surrounded with a wall of barbed wire. I trust no one, because everyone always leaves.
Besides, even if I did trust him, what am I going to do? Give him a life of caring for someone who is destined to go mad?
I scoff, and Ro’s eyebrows shoot up. I shake my head, averting my gaze. I don’t even know when it’ll happen. It could be in two years or twenty, but at some point, my curse will ruin my lifeandthat of anyone I’m close to.
Even more than it already has.
“Is everything okay?” Ro’s voice interrupts my brooding.
I cringe, recognizing again that my lack of social skills have likely made things awkward, and wishing for the millionth time that I could be normal.
“Just… stuck in my head, I guess,” I reply, not sure what else to say.
“I get that. Do distractions help? That always helps me,” Ro says.
He looks eager and hopeful, with wide eyes and slightly raised eyebrows, body poised like he’s ready to jump into battle against my thoughts. I shrug.
“Probably, yeah,” I say. “But we’re kinda stuck in the middle of nowhere.”
“That’s okay, I can distract you! What should we do?”
Ro lets his knees drop from his chest and straightens, stroking the thumb and pointer finger of one hand along his chin like a wanna-be evil villain that can’t stop smiling. My lips twitch as I watch him look around at the sparse landscape.
