Page 38 of The Demon's Discovery
Greta fidgeted as she stood there, eyes closed and mouth pressed into a tight line. She made a pained noise and reached for her shoulder. “I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“Perhaps I could teach you a few tricks we have the younglings do.”
“I’d rather not.” She blushed fiercely, shame drawing her kind features into a frown as she rolled her shoulders back, distress pulling her eyes tight. “Not right now.”
“There’s plenty of time to learn,” I said, stepping to her side.
“Of course. I’m sorry, niece. I didn’t mean any harm. Just trying to help. If you can figure out how to shift, you can begin the process of learning to stone sleep. I’m just anxious for you to start.”
She nodded. “I know. And I appreciate it. I just need some time, I think, get my head around things. Do you really believe I can get them back?” she asked, eyes impossibly round, hopeful. My heart clenched. She had given so much more than should have been required of her.
“You’re in the right place, Greta.” I took the opportunity to grasp for her hand and gently passed my lips over her knuckles. It gained me a raised eyebrow from her uncle, but I cared little.She was my concern, and in that, at least, he and I were aligned. “We’ll help you figure things out. In your own time.”
She brightened a bit, rubbed at her shoulder again, then dropped her hand as though she’d suddenly realized she was doing so.
“Are you alright?” Her head bobbed, but she twitched her shoulders up one at a time as though trying to shrug off a pain. I leaned in close to her ear to whisper, “Would you like one of us to take a look? I don’t like that you’re having pain, Dragonfly.”
“No, thank you. I’m alright. It’s always like this.”
“But that’s not normal, Greta,” I argued.
“It is for me,” she said with a finality that brokered no disagreement. I straightened, realizing too late I’d overstepped without intending to.
“I don’t know what happened, but the demon is right. We’ll help you figure it all out, one way or the other.”
“I appreciate it. I do. I just… need some time. Excuse me.”
Magnus and I exchanged looks of concern as she headed back toward the building.
“I didn’t mean to…” Magnus pursed his lips, giving a rueful shake of his head.
Guilt sank into my flesh, burning as I watched her vanish inside. “It’s alright.”
“I don’t like that ring,” he grunted, arms crossed and a scowl on his normally jolly face.
“Me neither,” I said. “Though, admittedly, for different reasons.”
His mouth twitched. “Surely there’s a way to remove it?”
I nodded slowly. “None of the conventional means have worked, but yes, I’m sure there’s a way.”
“Good. Doesn’t belong there, and I don’t like that she can’t take it off. Who is this suitor?” I gave him as much informationas I had, but he hadn’t heard his name either. “I’ll see what I can find out. I already don’t like him.”
I agreed wholeheartedly, and we made our own way back inside.
Giving her some space was my intent for the evening, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something Greta wasn’t telling us. I was going to do everything I could to find out what.
Chapter 17
Greta
“What’s this?” I asked, tapping my finger on the open page of Lilith’s grimoire. Vassago had left it on my worktable, set to something he wanted me to see.
“Just an experiment that is outside my realm of expertise. I thought you’d excel at it, however,” he said, working his way over from the sofa. He began arranging pots of ingredients on my worktable, clearly on a mission if he knew exactly what he needed to grab.
He was distracting me from my melancholy, I could tell. To my mild amusement, it was working.
After learning that I’d once been a proper gargoyle with wings and a stone form, and being reminded that it wasn’t normal to feel the pains I did so often, I’d spent several hours pacing my new apartment. I’d tried soaking in the tub and lying on the bed, but sleep would not come as my mind spun. I was extra tired this morning because of it, but I appreciated his attempt at distracting me.
