Page 10 of A Cursed Heart

Ryan

Alright, somewhere in the last few days I’d obviously had a break with reality. Clearly my mind was cracked, splintered. I’d lost touch with reality because no way was I walking along the street with a demon at my side. It was the only way I could even rationalize what had happened to me.

My brain was so broken I’d imagined escaping from Salvatore’s building.

In all likelihood I was still there being beaten to a pulp.

Or, even better, I hadn’t broken into the place at all.

That had to be it, right? The stress of my confrontation with him just shattered everything.

I’d wake up at some point and be in the hospital or something.

I just hoped Lydia was okay with looking after Freya for a bit longer.

Just until I could pull myself together to go home to her.

It had to be something like that because there was no way this was all real. No way on this earth had a fucking demon appeared from who knew where and whisked me out of the building before I could get caught. It was too easy.

Then, when I tried to leave his ass behind, he’d somehow changed his appearance so he looked like a model instead of something from a nightmare. Okay, nightmare was too strong. Maybe from a fantasy book.

He wasn’t exactly ugly in that form. There were books about chicks hooking up with demons for a reason.

The tail had been cool if not a little scary.

The way it had moved was impressive. At first I thought I was being pranked, and it was some sort of robotic arm thing made to look like this wicked tail, but then in the blink of an eye he looked like a normal, if not attractive, normal guy.

So if this wasn’t a prank, and this was actually happening to me, then everything he said was true. He was a demon who had used magic to get us out of there, and somehow we were also bound together. Yeah, I’d caught that part.

Which was just fantastic, really. Yet another complication.

What was I supposed to do with a pet demon?

I could hardly ask him to go back to the ruby.

It would be cruel. I didn’t understand how he could live inside a gem like that and didn’t want to pry in case I stirred up bad memories.

So, I guess I owned a demon. Somehow, I’d have to figure out what to do with him.

Mal said we were bound because of my blood, so we were stuck together.

Unless… maybe that magic was useful for more than parlor tricks and zipping us around the city.

Maybe he could be useful. What else could he do?

Magic me up a solution to my Salvatore problem?

Nah, I couldn’t use him like that. Besides, everyone knew, magic came at a price, probably one I didn’t want to pay. It was better if I did it myself.

“Would you like me to change my form more?” the man at my side asked. He said his name was Mal, right? My imagination wasn’t that good to concoct someone like him and also give him a name.

I startled at the unexpected question. “What? No, stay like you are. It’s fine.” I reached into my bag and fished out the hat I’d worn to the bar. “Cover your hair, though. The color is attracting a lot of attention.”

His chest puffed up with pride. “My hair has always been my best feature.”

Remembering how he looked with his muscled torso bare aside from what looked like markings or tattoos running up both biceps, with his pants hanging criminally low on slender hips, I doubted that only his hair attracted attention.

I shook off that thought. I wasn’t into men.

Never had been, but I could appreciate a good-looking man, and that’s what Mal was. That’s all.

“Whatever. Just put on the hat, okay? We’re nearly at the main street, if we’re going to be seen, it’ll be then. Walk as if you own the place.”

“That’s no problem. When should I tell you about the gem?”

With a glance at the ruby still in my hand, I muttered, “Wait until we’re in the car.” I also finally let go of it, placing it in my pocket for safe-keeping.

It felt wrong to not be touching it. My hand felt empty. What had I done by touching it?

Mal followed behind me to where I’d stashed my car. He waited for me to open the door for him, observing every movement I made. “Get in,” I urged. With awkward movements, he squeezed himself into the front passenger seat and sat there, an expectant look on his face with his hands folded in his lap.

The picture was so weird, I couldn’t help my chuckle as I rounded the car and got in. Mal turned his gaze on me. It made my skin prickle to be observed so closely. I started the engine and backed out of the space slowly.

I was nearly on the main street when Mal jumped and clung to me, vanishing us from the car as a sound blared in the car.

“What the fuck?” I gasped. My stomach tried to rebel at the sudden change while my car stalled on the street. I rounded on him. “Mal, what’d you do?”

“It’s my job to protect you. The noise meant danger, so I got us out of there?” He sounded so uncertain, he ended his explanation with a question. “Was that wrong?”

Fuck, I couldn’t find that funny. How would he take my laughing in his face? Those claws had looked deadly. “It was–look, it’s fine. Just get in.”

I tried to open the door. Locked.

“Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?” Mal looked pale and maybe a little frightened. Was he okay?

I kept the panic out of my voice, instead, it came out hard and slightly bitter. “We’re locked out of the car… unless… Can you vanish us back in?”

Mal grabbed my arm once more and in a blink we were inside the car. Both of us. In the driver’s seat. The horn blared when Mal wriggled.

“Shit!” I gasped. Mal had me squeezed into the seat, his slightly muscular frame on my lap. “Hold on.” Reaching blindly, I grabbed the keys from the ignition. “Get us out!”

The feeling of vanishing and reappearing didn’t bother me as much that time. It really was just getting used to the feeling of stretching and snapping back.

“Great, thanks.” I brandished the keys in my hand. With the press of the fob, the doors were unlocked. I opened my door and gestured for Mal to do the same.

This time, Mal opened the door himself and was far more graceful getting inside.

“Okay, let’s try this again.” I retook my seat then reached over to buckle him in.

Up close, he smelled of fire and something spicy.

I tried not to be too aware of how close we were.

“This,” I told him, pulling away from him, “is the seatbelt. It’s a safety feature for driving a car.

The car made a noise because it’s against the law not to have one on when the car is moving. ”

Mal watched me buckle it and then myself. “Thank you, Ryan, for teaching me.”

“No worries.”

“I am sorry about… vanishing. I was… concerned for your safety.”

Well, that was kinda cool. My own demon protector. “It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

“There is much to learn.”

“Yeah, but you’ll pick it up quickly. I’ll help you.”

We sat in silence, me feeling bad about hurting his feelings, until I pulled up to my apartment block and switched off the engine. Then I turned in my seat to look him in the eyes. “Explain it all. From the beginning.”

Mal fixed me with a piercing stare. Okay, so he had a backbone and wasn’t just a mindless servant. That made things a lot better. “From my conception, or just the history of the gem?”

“Ha,” I deadpanned. “Tell me what I need to know for whatever this,” I waved between us, “is to work.”

“First of all, do you truly believe I am a demon and that I can do magic?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Answer me truthfully.”

“After earlier? I’ve got no choice but to believe you. I’ve seen the proof of it with my own eyes.”

“Good.” Mal didn’t say anything for what felt like the longest time. “There are things in my past I’m not proud of…”

“You don’t have to tell me all that now. Maybe later, but only if I need to know.” Unless he’d been harming children, I didn’t really care what he’d done in the past.

Freya. I was bringing him home to a house with my child.

“Hold on.” I had to be sure. “Have you ever harmed a child?”

“What? No!” Mal looked disgusted, then resigned. “I have harmed the innocent with my misdeeds, however, I would never hurt a child.” He sighed. “I know you have a daughter, and I vow, here and now, never to make her cry. She will be protected with my life if necessary.”

Wow, that was… a lot. He was so earnest, I couldn’t help but believe him. Whatever bond we had told me he was telling the truth.

“Alright. That’s all I needed to know.”

“As you say. Well, everything wicked I had done led me to this. This punishment… my actions caught up to me, and I was trapped in the heart ruby, the gemstone you picked up from Salvatore’s office.”

“You really lived inside it?” Horror filled me once more at the thought of him being in there.

It was so small compared to him! I mean, he’d said it before, and I’d sorta believed him, still it was only truly registering to me just how awful that had to have been.

Like, was he always in there? Did Salvatore know about him?

My mind buzzed with all the questions, but I had to pay attention to what Mal was telling me. It was too important.

“Yes.”

“Like a genie and a lamp?”

Mal scoffed. “I believe you are referencing djinn. You would not like to meet one.”

“Don’t they grant wishes?”

“Some do. However, there is always a price and a twist.” The way he said it told me enough.

“So you aren’t like a genie. Sorry, djinn?”

“No. First of all, I cannot use my magic to harm or influence you.” That was a relief. It gave me a feeling of safety I really needed. “Second of all, my task is to protect you. To give you what I can with my magic. We are tied together now.”

“You said that before. What d’you mean?”

“Well, you are my owner, my master, until you choose to break our bond…”