Page 42 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
Finally noticing, I bent space to get to them quicker. “Who did this to you?” I asked, my tone a dangerous snarl, but the scent of his dried blood made my own blood boil.
His friends took a retreating step back.
“It’s nothing,” Javier said, holding his hands up at us. “I got in a little fight with some kid.”
Rage built, and while I couldn’t hurt some foolish youngling, I wasn’t above attacking their father. “What kid?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Javier argued.
“Javi,” Teddy said softly.
With a quick nod at Teddy, Alastor ushered the girls and Hee-haw indoors. The older younglings followed, giving me a wary nod in greeting.
“Look,” Teddy began but hesitated. “I’m sure you have your own way of dealing with things. Elias and I want to be here for you, but we can’t if you don’t tell us what’s going on. If someone’s messing with you . . .” She shook her head, ignoring the way her magic sparked on the tips of her fingers.
Javier dipped his chin to focus on a small rock he shoved with the toe of his shoe. “No one’s messing with me.”
Teddy sighed, her shoulders drawing in a little. “Fine.” It came out small and a little sad. “Come inside so I can clean the cut on your lip.” She pointed her chin toward his hands. “And your knuckles.”
Javier clenched his hand and nodded at her. It didn’t feel right to leave it at that, though. Before either of them moved, I put a hand on Javier’s shoulder.
“I know you can take care of yourself,” I told him. “Thefact your knuckles look worse than your face tells me you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.”
A small, proud grin crossed Javier’s face before he turned his attention back to the ground.
“All Teddy’s saying is you can count on us too. Okay?” I squeezed his shoulder, letting my hand drop as I waited for him to reply.
“I know,” he said.
“If Teddy and I are going to be getting a visit from an upset parent, can you at least tell us why you and this kid fought?” I asked.
He shifted his weight before he drew in a deep breath. Chewing on his bottom lip, he bounced his attention from Teddy to me.
“I—we weren’t doing anything, I swear,” he said. “I was showing my friends how to use this skateboard we’d built and”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“we weren’t bothering anyone.” His eyes were wide and pleading.
“Okay,” Teddy said, her tone gentle. She touched his arm and squeezed. When he teetered closer to her, she put her arm across his back. “You were teaching your friends how to skateboard, and then what happened?”
“We didn’t see them at first, but there were three human kids from my class hiding behind some bushes, and they started throwing rocks at us,” he said. “They got Delaney right above her eye.” He rubbed a spot above his right eyebrow. “I went after them without thinking, and I . . . I don’t know. I lost it on one guy, but the other two ran off. I just...I remembered how people had attacked us at Teddy’s house, and other times kids had gone after me at school, and I don’t know.” His eyes still wide, he shook his head. “I got so angry. Delaney, Kieren, and Aidas are unlike any of the kids back home. They didn’tcare that I dressed different or spoke different from them. But people, human kids always have. And seeing them go after my friends, I had to do something.”
“Defending and protecting your own is among the most noble thing you can do,” I told him. “Did your friends retaliate?”
“No, they said they wouldn’t fight humans because we’re not as strong as them.”
Pride swelled in my chest at both Javier and the way he fought for his friends, and at his friends for knowing they could’ve easily destroyed those younglings but refrained from doing so.
“You did something good today,” I told him. “Something you should be proud of.”
He drew his brows together in confusion, his attention again swaying from me to Teddy. “You’re not angry I fought?”
“I’m angry those asshole kids threw rocks at y’all,” Teddy answered, her cheeks flushed. “I’m pissed you got hurt.”
Javier wiped a finger below the cut on his lips. “I’m barely hurt.”
With a laugh, I patted the back of his neck. “Spoken like a true warrior.”
He grinned. “I asked Alastor to heal me but he thought you should see me before he did.”
I winked at him, smiling at the way Teddy fretted over him. “What if you let Teddy tend to you, instead? It’ll make her feel better.”
