Page 113 of Demon Found

The tired look she’s worn for far too long has been replaced by determination.

The evening descends into back-and-forth questions over dinner, and even my stroppy little sister joins in.

“So how did it happen? Your paralysis?” Lorelei asks, apparently unafraid of the terrifying wrath that is mi mami.

“I was the matriarch, the Maveriks were stable, well established. I started to indulge in my passion for environmental causes. Weird chemical leaks were being reported, animals were dying, and then local residents started to be affected. Good people. Our people. I investigated and . . . I was distracted.”

“So, it was an accident? Chemicals caused this?”

“I don’t know. It happened gradually. By the time I could no longer walk, the tios staged a coup. Framed it aslooking afterthe Maveriks until Chano was of age, or I got better,” Mi mami says, her upper lip curling back.

“I will find who did this to you, mi mami,” Lottie chokes out. “I will make them pay.”

“Shush,nina. We don’t know for sure it was poison. It could have been the tios, but it could be genetic.”

Every muscle in my body stiffens. Genetic.Hell no. I could never be as gracious as she is in her paralysis. My rage, my pride, I wouldn’t cope. Lorelei shifts beside me, sensing my disquiet, running her hand over my leg under the table, calming me with a simple touch.

Mi mami nods at Lorelei. “You’re good for him. You’ll make a powerful pair. You’ll take the Maveriks back.”

Rolling my eyes, I give Lorelei a tight smile. We haven’t talked about this. About the future.

“You know I’m not much of a leader,” I say, “I think with my fists.”

“That’s why you’re in school,” Mi mami says with her no-nonsense tone. “To learn control and ascend. If you’re more powerful, they’ll capitulate. They have to.”

“Lottie would make the better leader,” I joke, kicking her under the table.

Lottie flashes me a rare smile and puffs out her little chest, giving a regal nod. She’s some kid.

Humming, I help mi mami clear up after dinner. A lightness bubbles in my chest, like the weight of the world has shifted somehow. For the first time in ages, there’s hope in this house, and it’s all because of my Lorelei.

We can give her something back too. Mi mami has a book she wants to lend Lorelei,The Chronicles of Hiraeth.It should help her combine aether magic with her demon.

I have so much faith in my chica, but battling someone years ahead of her, someone with Collectivo training? It’s a big ask.Anythingto give Lorelei the advantage against Seth is worth it. She needs to stay at the academy, at my side. If her aether is exposed, then fuck it. No one needs to learn its her first element. The allegiance will protect her; I’ll protect her. At all costs.

Having slipped the little book into my pocket I’m descending the stairs from the library mi mami never visits anymore, when I hear them—Lorelei and Lottie hissing at each other.

“If you hurt Chano, I will kill you a thousand times and torture your ghost.”

Lorelei sighs and goes to move past Lottie, who grabs her sleeve, spinning her around.

“You think I’m a kid, but I’ve made my bones for the Maveriks. They are my life. I saw you judging us. But this is Chano’s life too.”

“You’ve made what?” Lorelei doesn’t sound scared, just curious.

“Made my bones. You knownothing.Such a little princess. I’ve killed, for the Maveriks. The only thing more precious to me than the Maveriks is my brother. You stay loyal, or you will pay.”

Lottie bares her teeth in Lorelei’s face before blinking out. That’s new. I didn’t know the brat had learned even basic transportation. I step out of the shadows and hook and arm around Lorelei’s waist, inhaling her scent deeply.

“Had enough of my family yet, chica? We’re quite intense.”

“For tonight at least. Bed?” She bites her lower lip, trailing a finger down my chest.

Fuck, I am lost for this woman.

Chapter Fifty-seven: Lorelei

“Pillorsignature?”thenurse asks again and the student in front of me grumbles before selecting the tablet. Professor Allegra has been busy. They’re rolling out the SupeZ neutralizer. And it’s compulsory, unless you sign a waiver saying if caught on it you’ll detox or be expelled.

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