I turn that insult into a boon. “You want so, so much and are never satisfied. Is that all you are? A big, needy child who has to keep pushing to get enough attention or you’ll wither away?” I push my pointer finger into his sternum. “You say you can do all these things for me, but I haven’t seen any proof. You’re all talk. And I’m sick of the sound of your voice. Go play across the hall with Kas! Go play with yourself! I don’t care, just getout!”
I can’t tell if he’s impressed or hurt, his face not portraying any real emotion. But he has to feelsomething. He can deny mortal emotions all he wants, but I’ve seen his jealousy, seen his indulgence. He feels rage and pain as I do.
He heads to the door, and I follow him, watching him cross the hall to knock on Kas’ door. Finally I slam the door, locking it, the act itself more comforting than any actual security.
Leaf is at my feet now, rubbing his cheek against my calf. “You, you can stay.” I pick him up, and he starts purring. “In fact, you’re not allowed to leave. Ever.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
ROSIER
As I knock at Kas’door, I hear Amber and Lance talking in the stairwell, failing to be very quiet.
“It’s my fault…” Lance practically whimpers.
“Hey, none of that, Minnie wouldn’t accept you blaming yourself for her choices.”
Kas opens the door. “Did Minnie kick you–hey, where are you going?” I walk to the stairwell, finding Amber and Lance on the landing below.
“She’s gotta be having an existential crisis,” Amber remarks. “Which, fair. She’s had a lot to reckon with.”
I stand in the very entrance of the stairwell, unable to see Amber or Lance. Perfect.
Lance still sounds miserable. “Like finding out she has a half-sibling and a terrible dad kind of reckoning?”
“I should have told her about the curse sooner,” Amber laments. “Even if her Mom wanted different…” There’s a pause, and I assume Lance makes a face that compels her to continue. “Minnie, and all the women in her bloodline before her, are cursed to die young. Pretty shitty deaths, too.”
“Minnie’s Mom…”
“Cancer. The kind that starts in the lungs and claws its way up to the brain. Makena… she was stubborn like Minnie, kept fighting despite the diagnosis, despite the curse. But it got bad.”
I purse my lips. Makena, Minnie’s Mother, sounds tragic. The sort of tale mortals lose their minds over. Write poetry and songs about. I don’t really care; I’m incapable of feeling pity, especially for a woman I’ve never met. But Minnie bears the same curse. Someday the curse will take hold and ruin her as it has for generations.
Amber hisses to Lance, “But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Poor Minnie… I thought my Mom’s co-dependency was bad…”
“I don’t know if I would say they were co-dependent, but toward the end, Minnie took everything very personally. Like when her Mom didn’t recognize her and threw a book at her. Makena was confused obviously, but the few times Minnie has talked about it, it’s like she forgets the woman had brain cancer.”
“Grief is complicated.”
“I know…”
I speak up finally. “You humans and your platitudes.” I step into the stairwell proper and look down, finding Amber and Lance have made it to the very bottom.
Amber crosses her arms. “Oh, so now the devil is going to lecture us?”
“You two should be so lucky to hear me speak.”
Kas joins me in the stairwell. “Rosier! If you're going to stay over, can you let me know? I was going to have some friends over tonight–though I guess you could always join in.” He rests his arms on the railing, looking right at Amber and giving her a crooked smile. “Forgot my manners. You can join, too.”
“Wow…” Amber draws out the word with a dry tone. She puts a hand on her hip and looks up at Kas, matching his smile. “I don’t think your friends could handle me.”
“You’re probably right,” he purrs. “Hey, Lance!” He waves.
Lance, his face flush, manages a little wave. “H-hey, Kas.”
“That invitation extends to you, too.” He winks.
