Page 18 of A Cursed Heart

Malacoda

Ryan being so far from me felt wrong. Did he not wonder why our bond could stretch that far?

Had he figured out my lie? Would he stop me from sleeping in his bed at night?

I hoped with everything I was that he would not.

The closeness of sleeping next to another being was special to me. Made more so by it being Ryan.

Our talk the night before had brought down walls between us. Though I had not detailed all my misdeeds, I had told Ryan enough for him to gain a sense of my character. Whatever he saw there he must have liked, because once again, we awoke wrapped around each other.

I spent my day being useful to him instead of a burden.

With the internet at my fingertips, I had learned much about the world to fill the gaps in my knowledge.

Humans were a wonder with their ability and desire to share information, to teach others’ useful skills.

I watched many videos on how to perform basic tasks, thus removing many of the burdens from Ryan’s shoulders.

There was peace in my role supporting Ryan.

Though I had power to harm, I had never created anything.

I found that I liked making his home better, more comfortable.

Maybe the novelty would wear off once this was all over and I would get bored, but I believed I could find something else to occupy my time and Ryan would help me do that.

He seemed to appreciate my efforts in his home.

I think much of his comfort came from how happy Freya was in my presence.

I had always been popular with children.

When Dadga had his own young, I had grieved my chance to be an uncle to them.

If I had not fallen for the lies about my oldest brother, then would things have been different?

It was foolish to wonder how life would have been. My path had been chosen for me long ago, and I would not have met Ryan if I had been a better brother.

Once Ryan left, it was almost impossible for me not to chase after him. If it weren’t for Freya, I would have. Ryan had left his most precious treasure in my care, so I had to take my mission seriously.

Keeping my ears open for what was happening in the car, I read Freya her story, then she curled up in her bed to go to sleep with her chosen sounds for the night.

She really was a sweet child. Very easy to like and spend time with.

She was quickly becoming my second favorite human.

Given time, Lydia would be the third. She had done an outstanding job bandaging up my hand, after all.

When I had healed it after her ministrations, she had not complained, only quirked her lips in good humor.

Choosing Ryan had been the greatest decision of my life.

His meeting with Salvatore was tense. Ryan did an admirable job of lying through his teeth and working to get the proof he required to earn his freedom. He was remarkable. Soon the tension eased in the office while Ryan worked on his plan. Other things at home demanded my attention.

My senses were better than a human’s. From the living room, I could hear Freya tossing and turning in her bed even over the noise machine.

Of course, I had not been in their apartment long, but I suspected this was unusual behavior for her.

Perhaps I was being more alert to her because I was being trusted by Ryan. I did not want to let him down.

Inside her room, I noticed she had finally settled down.

On closer inspection, I realized she was sweating.

My instincts told me this was strange because the room was on the cooler side.

Ryan had provided me with a tablet to use the internet.

I used the search function and immediately became alarmed.

Freya could have a fever. She could be sick!

It took me some time to locate the thermometer.

While it would have been simpler to tell Ryan about Freya’s potential fever, I did not want to alarm him unnecessarily and cause him to lose focus.

In the bathroom, where the first aid kit lay, there were all sorts of medicines and also the device to read Freya’s temperature.

On my return to her room, I noticed she had kicked off the blankets.

A worrying sign. I used the device. It flashed yellow and gave me a numerical reading.

A low fever, though still troubling. I returned to the bathroom to check out the medicines.

The names and doses were too confusing for me to understand. Were all humans trainee healers?

Torn because I wanted to reserve magic for Ryan, I went back and forth over whether I should heal the child and risk needing more magic later, or if I should call Lydia and ask her advice for which medicines I should give Freya.

Eventually, it really felt like hours had passed, though it was merely half an hour, I chose to heal Freya and risk running low on my magic.

I rationalized the decision by reminding myself how quickly I replenished my magic around Ryan.

Hopefully, he would not feel tricked and allow me to sleep next to him.

It really was safest for us all. Calling Lydia would have been a poor choice.

She would be critical of Ryan’s leaving Freya in my care.

Besides, healing was easy, and it would demonstrate how carefully I looked after her.

I returned to her room, done with my pacing in the hall, and crouched at the side of her bed. I laid my hand on her forehead, feeling the heat of her skin.

“Daddy?” she rasped. Once the healing was done, I would get her some water.

“No, dear Freya. It’s Mal.”

“Mal?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t feel good.”

It was a wonder she did not ask for her father. Though we had closely bonded, Ryan was always first in her heart. “No. You’re a sick little princess. I can help. Do you remember when you called me a demon?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I would like to use my demon magic to heal you.”

“Okay. My head hurts.”

“Mal is going to make it better. I just have to let my tail and horns out. Would you like to see them?”

“Yeah.”

“Promise you won’t be scared?”

“I won’t.” She cracked her eyes open just in time to see my tail and horns appear. Though I could have done the healing without them, it would allow me to replenish some of my magic before Ryan’s return and in case he needed me by taking from the air.

“Can you see my tail?”

“Wow! You’re pretty! Your eyes are glowing!”

I had forgotten I had also returned to my natural green eye color. “Yes, that’s my magic. Want me to make you feel better now?”

“Can I touch your tail?” She truly was a wonder. No fear whatsoever.

“Of course!” I moved my tail so that it was over her chest. With my magic, I could sense the virus within her. “Are you alright?”

“I like it.” She petted my tail, careful of the sharper scales.

“Perfect. Now let me heal you up. Sing your pretty song for me.” The singing was a distraction for what she was feeling. Healing could tingle, or even sting at times. I did not want her to feel any discomfort.

Freya started the words to her favorite song while I pushed a tendril of healing magic into her.

With her small size, I had to use far less power than I expected.

The virus inside her gave little fight against me.

Soon her voice was stronger, her skin back to its usual light golden color, and she wore a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Mal. My head doesn’t hurt now.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“Yes, please.”

“Back in a moment.” I rushed to the kitchen, found her a cup and filled it with water from the jug in the fridge. Ryan had told me the water quality where they lived was not the best, so he preferred to filter their water. Fascinating.

Using my tail wrapped around the cup to make her smile, I passed it to her, happy when she accepted it readily. This child was not afraid of what I was. I loved her for it.

Freya drank the water greedily, then settled down to go back to sleep. I stayed in the doorway of her room for a long time, just watching her sleep while still paying attention to Ryan.

The relief I felt when he returned unharmed was immense. When he came straight into my arms, everything felt right with the world once more.

The link dissolved the moment we touched. I was grateful my magic had held, and that it hadn’t been necessary to go to him, but I was ready not to be in his head. It felt slightly invasive, though Ryan’s control over his thoughts was impeccable.

We broke apart after our brief hug with awkward smiles and, from me, a desperate longing to hold him again.

Ryan was impressed when I told him about Freya’s short-lived illness and how she reacted to my demon form. I had returned to my human guise before he came in.

“That’s really cool that you could heal her,” he whispered while he checked on her. He fussed with the blankets, then nodded. “Whatever it was, is gone. Thanks Mal. I knew you’d be great at looking after her.” His praise and pride in me sank deep into my soul.

“I’m not even surprised she liked your tail. She takes everything in her stride,” he said with an affectionate smile.

“It might have been the fever.”

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “We can try again if she doesn’t say anything. I think it’s best she knows.”

On this, we agreed. Ryan took my hand and led me to his bedroom. I broke free of the hold just inside his doorway, guilt suddenly eating at me. “Ryan, I feel like I owe you an apology.”

“For?” He reached for me once more, but I moved my arm away.

“I lied to you.”