Page 22 of Bound By Blood
“If you’d like.” She pulled the brown packet of bacon out of the icebox.
His mouth pulled up a little as he rested his elbows against the wooden surface and peered in. Buttons barked at him, panting happily. "How was your day?"
"Nothing unusual. Yours?"
"There really can't be anything unusual for me." His hands clasped his elbows as he continued to survey the cottage with a curious gaze. "Night is when everything happens."
"Are all blood fae nocturnal? Your powers are influenced by the moon, I know, but I didn't think you were only able to go out at night."
"The moon's effects last no matter what the time of day or night. And we do whatever works best so far as being nocturnal or whatever the other is."
Conversation drifted to the moon and weather, somehow far more pleasant than her conversations with the travelers and regulars despite being little more than mild chitchat. There was something about his voice. Something that soothed her. Especially when he talked in this lower calmer manner. With the bacon now frying, the soup cottage had taken on an even cozier feeling.
"So are you alone here all the time then?" Ryul rested his chin on his palm.
"More or less. It's nice and quiet."
And lonely at times. She bit that statement back.
"No spouse or lover?"
She huffed a small laugh as she picked up the tongs to turn the bacon. She took hold of the handle to turn the skillet. "No—oh, son of a walnut!"
Fiery pain seared through her palm. She shoved the cast iron skillet aside. It tipped. Hot grease poured out onto the black burner. Flames shot up. Dark smoke curled up from the burners. Buttons let out a frightened whimper followed by a sharp bark.
Ryul stiffened, then leaned up to the edge of the windowsill. "Erryn?! Are you all right?"
Her eyes burned as she started coughing. Stooping down, she grabbed up the clay pot of sand, shoved her hand in, and grabbed up a fistful. She cast it onto the flames as more smoke billowed up. Her eyes watered.
Buttons barked louder.
"Erryn?" Ryul called out.
She opened the door to let the smoke out faster. Buttons bolted out.
"Buttons!" she shouted, starting forward, then dissolving into more coughs.
The little dog was already halfway out to the tree, his wings tucked firmly against his back and his tongue lolling. He circled the tree and barked more, his stub of a tail wagging a little as he looked back at her.
"Buttons, get back here!"
She glanced up into the night sky and then at Ryul. If he decided to break the deal, he could. He could snatch Buttons up and run. He could even claim it wasn't a violation because none of her soups had done more than be basic nourishment.
"Buttons!" Erryn clapped her hands together, then dashed back to the stove to toss more sand on the stove to finish off the fire. It wasn't going to do any good if the whole house caught on fire, would it?
She ran back in time to see Buttons sniffing at Ryul's fingers. She grabbed for one of the skillets on the wall, ready to lunge out and attack if it looked like he was going to take him.
But something held her back.
Ryul said something too quiet for her to hear. Buttons licked at his hand, yipping happily.
"I won't hurt him," Ryul said without looking at her. "I would never hurt a real dog. Would prefer to not hurt a fake one either. And he's been a real one for a good bit now."
If Buttons' judgment was to be trusted, Ryul wasn't a threat at all. Her heart warmed a little. There was no reason for Ryul to carry on an illusion of caring, was there?
"Is the fire out?" Ryul scratched under Buttons' chin. "The smoke isn't as dark."
"Yeah. It's probably going to smoke for a while longer." She wiped her hand across her eyes, ducking away as more rolled out. The wind picked up as if to help usher it out. The soup looked to be relatively unscathed as well.
