Page 102 of His Little Devil

Luke shakes his head, then mumbles a spell, easing me of some of the nausea.

“Where could he have gone?” I whimper, my eyes filling once again.

My cat is gone again, and I miss him desperately. Kane thinks Michel ate him, but I don't think that's true.

“I don't know, baby, but I have Merida and a seer searching for him.”

Luke climbs onto the bed next to me and rubs my stomach.

“We need to get you feeling better or your birthday is going to be miserable.”

“I don't want to celebrate. It's not like it matters. I used to have to share the day and now that it's just mine… It's not the same.”

“What would you do to celebrate?”

“Oh, nothing crazy. Luna used to pick a theme for the party, and then we would go shopping at the mall. We could buy two presents each, and one thing we had to share.”

“What was your favorite present?”

Luke continues to rub my stomach, and the effect is making my eyelids heavy. “A piano, and an easy bake oven,” I murmur before closing my eyes.

“Get some rest, Little Devil. I'll be here when you wake up.”

When I wake up I am feeling loads better. My stomach is settled and headache is gone.

Opening my eyes, I raise my arms into a stretch and smile. Luke is still here like he said he would be.

“Feeling better?” he asks, removing his reading glasses and turning to set them on the side table.

I nod, then lean over for him to give me a kiss.

“Yeah, must have been something I ate. Don't tell Merida that though.”

Luke laughs and shakes his head.

“Wouldn't dream of pissing her off. Kane once insulted her cream puffs, and she locked him out of her kitchen for a year.”

“Oh my God. That's awful, but hilarious.” Luke and I laugh together for a few moments as he tells me how Kane had to rely on his spells to eat.

“Some things taste fine when conjured, but dairy isn't one of them.”

“Yeah, well lately I can't even conjure a snack. Last time I tried Kane ended up covered in melted chocolate,” I grumble.

“You're still learning, Little Devil, but from what I've seen you are advancing faster than we expected. Your great-great-grandmother took six years to get to where you are in a year.”

Rolling onto my back, I stare up at the canopy hanging above us. Luke spelled some stars to shine after learning I missed them.

Luna and I had tons covering our walls and ceilings growing up.

My chest aches, thinking of her and I rub it. Today would have been her twenty-second birthday.

I wonder who she would have been today. If she would have liked the Academy. I was always the studious one, she was into the parties and boys.

I grin at the memory of her trying to switch places with me for a few hours. She had gotten grounded and was going to miss a huge party during our senior year.

She asked me to cover, and since I never planned to attend, I told her yes.

How was I to know that our mother was going to need us both to help her with something.

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