Page 21 of The Demon's Discovery
My breath flowed easier as I relaxed into the cushion and nibbled on some sweet fresh berries. The room was massive, and even the smallest sound resounded with an echo.
“The rest of the building is beautiful but so unassuming. I wouldn’t have expected this, even with being able to see the tower from anywhere in Revalia.”
He grinned. “The marble is truly spectacular. The quarry had an abundance at that time. I heard there were several sculptors who traveled here to perfect their work.”
“Oh? Perhaps that’s where the statue in the maze comes from.”
“The manor has a maze? I’m afraid I don’t see much of the property beyond the study.”
“Yes. I’ve always loved it.” I flushed under his rapt golden gaze. He held a dark-red grape between his fingers and thumb, and I found myself unable to look away as he placed it in his mouth. The crunching noise as he chewed made my whole body tingle. I had zero self-preservation, because I continued, “There’s a statue in the center, in a fountain. An angel.”
“Oh?”
I found myself describing it, in detail, my arms going out as I described the wings, my body taking up the pose he stood in upon the rocks. He smiled in response, relaxed as he did that thing where all his attention was focused entirely on me. Feeling important was quickly becoming my favorite new sensation.
“I’d like to see that. The next time I visit, you’ll have to give me a proper tour.” Mortification set in. There was nothing quite like showing your entire soul to someone by accident. I worried that it would only happen again and again if I spent any kind of time around this man. “What do you know about angels and demons, Greta?”
I shook my head. “Nothing much, I suppose. That they are enemies, I guess. Though from what little I know of faith, I don’t really understand why.”
“I suppose, as with most things, it’s kind of a long story. Shall I tell it?”
His voice was soothing as he told me about angels, how some had chosen to fall from the grace of Heaven because of a fundamental disagreement for which there was no compromise. How those angels had become high-ranking demons in Hell instead, each with their own unique talent and form. How stone kin had come to be as a defense against demons for humans. Then the origin of humans, including a story about Adam’s first wife, Lilith. How she was made from the same clay as him, and when he tried to treat her as his lesser instead of the equal she had been created as, she sprouted wings and flew out of thegarden. Lilith became the alleged mother of all demons, though the fallen angels could clearly not be included in that.
“There are many versions of those tales to choose from, of course, but that’s how I know them.”
I found myself blinking slowly against the quiet. I already missed the soft, warm cadence of his voice. “I’m afraid the day is already catching up to me,” I said, failing to stifle my yawn. I tried hiding it behind a hand instead but needn’t have bothered because my jaw gave a crack that echoed around the marble room.
“Are you in a rush to get back?” he asked, looking as relaxed as I felt, his lithe body reclined over several cushions, his back propped up on one that was folded in half so he wasn’t entirely supine, one foot flat on the floor and his knee bent.
Any sculptor worth his salt would have been thrilled to capture such a pose.
I wasn’t in any hurry to leave, but my employers were bound to be waiting for me when I got there. “No, I’m not.”
“Good. Then relax here. You’ve no reason to leave yet.”
I closed my eyes briefly, several disconnected thoughts swirling through my mind. “Libelle is a lovely name. I wonder if it means something in particular.”
I heard the smile in his voice and turned my head, blinking heavily as he said, “I believe it meansdragonfly. Are you a dragon, Greta? Have I just not provoked your fire well enough yet?”
“No.” I smiled back, never ungrateful for his praise. “Not a dragon, nor can I fly.” I frowned at the admission, remembering Magnus’s face when he had described stone kin babies as having wings.
“We can discuss all that another time. Rest, little dragonfly. You’re safe here.”
The truth of those three simple words echoed through me as my eyelids became too heavy to lift again. I was vaguely aware of some quiet shuffling, then felt the warmth of a blanket being laid over me. I was powerless to stop myself from becoming accustomed to his quiet kindness and might die of loss should I ever have to go without it again.
Chapter 10
Vassago
I’d planned to leave my brother and his wife be for as long as they needed, especially after he had to fly in to help with the demon horde. Unfortunately, it had become necessary to speak with him, and I didn’t want to waste time flying to his manor or energy trying to contact him telepathically.
Greta’s last visit had left me feeling urgent about ensuring that she could be at d’Arcan as much as she wanted to. It had taken everything in me to send her home after our relaxing afternoon in the observatory.
After the incident on the road, I needed her to feel safe, craved being able to provide that for her. I also had a bizarre compulsion to touch her, to be as near as possible to her at all times. It was maddening. I was no mage but couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps I’d accidentally invoked some kind of spell.
There were too many reactions on her part to ordinary things that left me convinced she wasn’t being treated well. I hoped I wasn’t responsible for any of her abrupt movements or tense stares, but knew the possibility was there after having seen what she had. There were dozens of ways to explain it away, and surely she’d rationalized however she could, but I’d seen the brief flashes of fear in her eyes.
Instead of the large mirror on the table in my classroom, I used the enchanted one in my apartment to try to contact my brother. I could only hope he’d finally unpacked the one I’d sent along with them.
