Page 119 of Burn of Obsidian

Thea forced a smile. “So, how is he?” She stood, moving to hover at the foot of her dad’s bed, and out of the nurse’s way. He was asleep, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave his side. She’d managed to speak to him a little earlier, but even that had been exhausting for him.

“As expected,” Lisa replied with a soft smile. “He’s a fighter, your father.”

Thea wanted to laugh, but found nothing more than a puff of air escaped. Lisa adjusted something on the IV tube, and knowing she’d want to check him over, Thea left the room.

She’d visited every day, even if it was to just sit by his side. They’d made sure he was never alone, even in his sleep. He’d relented in not letting them stay with him, and they all knew it was coming to an end.

“The nurse still there?” her mum asked when Thea entered the kitchen, finding three separate pots on the stove bubbling away. If she wasn’t with her dad, her mum was cooking. It was what she did when she was stressed, and Thea was sure both the fridge and freezer had to be full by now.

“Yeah.” Thea peeked into the largest pot, not sure what the dark green mixture was. “Are you feeding the whole road, mum?”

She added chopped onions to the green stuff. “It’s called meal prep, you’d know that if you actually ever cooked for yourself.”

Molly, who was sitting on the counter beside the sink, sniggered, laughing harder when Thea flipped her the finger.

“What? I cook!”

“Reheating takeout boxes doesn’t count, Thea baby.” Mum turned, wagging the wooden spoon at her. “You can’t live off of hot chocolate, either.”

“I eat marshmallows too.” Despite what her mother believed, she could cook. She just preferred not to. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the counter beside her middle sister.

“Speaking of your lack of cooking, I made this…” Placing the wooden spoon down, mum opened the fridge and pulled out a Tupperware box. “This is for your Jax.”

Thea eyed the creamy brown liquid inside, and if she went by Molly’s amused expression, she was clearly not wearing her poker face. “What is it?” she asked, trying harder to hide her disgust.

“Chicken soup. It’s good for when you’re sick.”

Ah, Thea thought, searching for that thread of warmth that connected her to Jax. It was subtle, a tether that she’d accepted out of sheer panic. She’d always hated the idea of being tied to someone so permanently, especially with her ability to accidentally absorb people’s life force. And in all honesty, it still worried her. But not as much as she’d expected. When she thought of him, she didn’t feel the need to run. At least, not in the opposite direction.

“Yeah, Thea. How is he?” Molly asked, eyes narrowed. Her sister always saw too much. Thea blamed it on her being the middle child.

“He’s getting better.” Sort of, anyway. It wasn’t like she could ask Thunder.

“Good, you should bring him over.” Mum shot her a look, the same one she’d received all throughout her childhood. Even now it made her stand a little straighter. “A boy that big needs to be well fed.”

Her phone pinged. Lucifer, again.

Devil-Man:

When are you back?

Devil-Man:

I think he’s eaten my boots. Should I take him to a vet?

“You do realise I’m a fully-fledged adult, right?” Thea shook her head, deciding to let him handle it for a little while longer. “I have my own flat and everything.”

Devil-Man:

Never mind, I found them chewed. {skull emoji}

Devil-Man:

He may have eaten Ruhne, though…

“You can bring him to dinner on Sunday,” Mum continued, undeterred. “I’ll make beef. He enjoyed that last time, and it’s your father’s fav…” She paused, the words caught on the end of her tongue.

Thea shared a look with Molly. The waiting was one of the hardest parts. Yet it was also a gift, because it meant they could prepare. That they could spend as much time as they could with him until the very end.

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