Page 40 of My Saintly Demon

His fingertips dust the side of my swollen face.

“Am I still pretty?” I try to force a laugh, but my gut hurts too much.

Without another word, Dave effortlessly scoops me into his arms to carry me away and I wrap my arms around his neck, never wanting to let go.

* * *

“If you sit still,this will go faster.”

X fidgets around my head and I flinch away. “You said you were bad with magic. What if you do something and mess me up worse?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Okay, true. But come on, Charles. I won’t hurt your face. I like it too much.”

Dave elbows him out of the way and takes the bag from his hand. “You better not have fucked it up, X. I swear if trusting you is a mistake…”

Dave’s blue eyes soften as he holds the homemade and apparently magical poultice against my skin. He refused to let me walk into the house when we got here and carried me to our suite. He stripped me of my clothes and found fresh ones in my bag before finally letting me move myself and walk to the kitchen where X said he had a spell to heal the bruises faster.

Dave hovered while X did his thing, and I didn’t dare speak. He watched X so closely I would have thought he was the witch and not X. He asked questions and once the concoction was made and wrapped in a towel; I was nervous.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s not black magic. I watched.”

“I trust you.”

One hand holds the pack to my face while he curls the other hand behind my neck. His thumb strokes my jaw and I screw my eyes shut.

“I prayed for help,” I whisper, afraid to open my eyes. “Then you showed up. You’ve saved me twice now.”

“I guess I have.”

“You know you showed mercy both times, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Will you be in trouble?”

Daring to open my eyes, Dave still has his soft gaze on me.

“I’ll find out tomorrow. Dad’s coming.”

“Whoa! What? Sir Satan is coming here?” X stumbles against the kitchen chairs and hastily makes a cross over his lips.

“Why did you cross your lips?” I ask.

“Well, I’m hoping it keeps me from saying anything stupid. Lord, just stop my mouth from saying something dumb to the devil, you know?”

“He’s notthedevil!” Dave snaps, and X wisely backs away. “His name is Faustus, and he works for Satan. Very outer circle kind of thing. He’s a big deal, but it’s not like he goes to Satan’s birthday parties or anything.”

“Satan has birthday parties?”

Dave glares at X again, who wisely mimes to zip his mouth shut.

“I asked him to come here and not wait the seven days. I think… no, Ineedto know about my mother.”

“You sure you’re ready?”

Bringing my hand up, I wrap it around his arm that holds the pack to my cheek.

“I’m sure.”

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