Page 7 of Baneful Magick

Demir went to Ma first, hugging her and saying hello before giving attention to every younger sibling. My older brother stood out among our hodge-podge family. He was really tall, I think around six foot four. Brown eyes and an easy sense of humor hid a very serious and intense personality. Demir was older than me by a few years, and while we had our moments, we usually got along fairly well.

As we got older, our friendship started to solidify. One of the first times I knew we were actually friends happened after I had gotten into a fight at the academy. I had gotten sent home for stabbing the asshole that had sneakily cut my hair in Familiar Care class. Mom and Ma had been on my side, and the boyhad also been suspended… although my “sentence” was worse considering the whole stabbing thing.

Demir had come home to surprise our moms one of the days I was home and immediately froze when he saw that my usually long hair was cut in a pixie style. He didn’t tease me like I had expected, and there had been a hard glint in his dark eyes as he listened to my explanation. With a grunt, he’d grabbed me, dragging me to the backyard.

I thought he was going to lecture me about keeping my temper in check like Mom had done, but Demir made me practice self-defense for hours, wanting to know I could protect myself with my fists instead of scissors the next time something happened. Ma had come home from her shift as a nurse and watched us, calling out tips from the porch. Mom might be the person you thought to watch out for, but Ma, a Fury, was the one that would cut you down before you knew what was happening.

It was a long afternoon of sparring, pointers, and firm instruction that helped me create a foundation for my self-defense. I had collapsed onto the ground, sweat covering every inch of my body, and Demir looked down at me, a fierce light in his gaze. That quiet pride was louder than every word of critique and praise. That time stood out in my mind as the moment I thought of him as more than just my annoying, bossy older brother.

He was my friend.

At least most of the time.

Sometimes I had an inkling that he saw me as more than that. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but a few times the look in his eyes was definitely not brotherly.

We weren’t blood related, something that was very obvious given we were two different supernaturals and didn’t look anything alike, but I had known him most of my life. I knew I’d never be able to see him as anything other than my brother,so I just focused on other things when it happened, hoping that ignoring it would mean I wouldn’t have to address it.

“Earth to Isla!” one of my little brothers yelled beside me, making my jolt. “Ma wants to know if you knew what you needed for school yet. What were you thinking of? You had a funny look on your face.”

“Just lost in thought.” I picked Kearin up by the waist and smiled at his giggles. “No list that I’m aware of, but I can check the paper again. Maybe it was there, but I didn’t realize it.”

“Dinner first!” Mom clapped her hands. “Everyone put on shoes and jackets then outside. We are campfire cooking tonight.”

The little ones shrieked with happiness, and I put down my brother, who was wiggling in my arms. They all scattered, running and yelling in excitement at the prospect of cooking over an open flame. Ma and Mom shook their heads at their antics and headed outside.

“Make sure they have everything on before they come out?” Ma asked, and I nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked out, with Ma saying she’d get the fire started if Mom would grab the chairs for everyone out of the storage shed out back. It was all sonormal. A pang of sadness hit me alongside the knowledge that I would be leaving this again so soon. Granted, I had planned on leaving anyway, but this was different.

“What’s that face for?” Demir poked my forehead, startling me.

I swatted at him in annoyance and glared at him. “Just something Mom said.”

“What was that?”

I chewed on my bottom lip and answered, not looking at him. “An old lover of Mom’s got into Greywood and disappeared. Shetold me about some of it tonight, so my guess is it’s going to be fresh for a while.”

Silence.

The quiet grew heavier with every passing second until he squeezed my left shoulder.

“You better not follow suit, Isla, or I’ll rip the place apart with my bare hands to find you. I don’t have centuries of restraint to control my anger.” I could feel my heart racing, and blood thundered in my ears at his violent promise.

That was exactly what it was—not a threat, but a promise.

Chapter 4

Isla

SATURDAY

‘Wake up, beastie.’

What the fuck?!

‘Cassius! Let me?—’

‘Now! Someone is here.’

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