Page 28 of A Cursed Heart

Malacoda

Waking next to Ryan, usually with one of us holding the other, was coming to be my favorite time of day, especially when woken with kisses. Ryan’s silky tongue met mine as the kiss got deeper. He pushed his body against mine, his cock hard once more. He was insatiable!

Using my magic, I removed our clothing, then took our cocks in my hand. I held us while Ryan moved against me. His hand wound its way into my hair and tugged, adding a delicious bite of pain to my pleasure. The feel of his hardness against my own was so sensual.

We rocked together, kissing and murmuring sweet words until we both came. Once again, I cleaned us up, grateful for my magic. Then I clothed us again, aware that with the early morning hour, Freya could wake at any moment.

Ryan dozed in my arms. He smelled of me, not something a human would notice, but every demon or supernatural creature could scent my claim on him. After what we had shared since he had let me out of that gem, I was never letting him go.

I knew Ryan cared about me, maybe even loved me.

It was the best feeling in the world to be truly cared for.

I doubted he understood the depth of my feelings for him.

He was my savior, my heart, my future. Once we were out of this mess, I wished to be free just so I could devote my life to finding a way to keep him with me.

I wanted to devote my life to making him happy.

Some time later, I must have fallen asleep again, I was awoken by knocking on the door.

“Daddy? Mal? Can I come in?”

Such a polite little darling! “Come in,” I called to her.

She fumbled with the doorknob before finally managing to let herself in.

Seeing that her daddy was still asleep, she tiptoed to my side of the bed.

I automatically put my hand out to her. She came to me readily.

I hoisted her into the bed with ease. She was as light as a feather.

She giggled before snuggling down under the covers against her daddy’s back.

Ryan turned to cuddle her close. “Go back to sleep,” he muttered, still half asleep himself.

After kissing both their heads, I left them to rest a little longer and went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Thanks to numerous cooking shows, the internet, and help from Ryan, I knew how to cook a few dishes well.

My plan once this was over was to learn more recipes and perhaps take up a hobby, like art.

In my homeland, I had enjoyed drawing murals on the walls of my castle.

They were long gone now, sadly. All of my former kingdom was.

The people and the buildings were dust. Ryan’s home could do with brightening, and I wanted to do that for him.

Outside, it was raining, so we were unlikely to go out later. This was a fortuitous thing with Salvatore watching our every move, waiting for a moment to strike. He wanted the heart ruby back, and leaving the apartment put it at risk of being stolen.

Freya was a sweet child, and the day before had been busy. It was likely that she would appreciate a quiet day at home. All the blogs I had read on child development were contradictory in places, though they agreed over-stimulation was to be avoided.

Once we had a lazy breakfast, I would find quiet tasks for Freya to do so that Ryan could concentrate on his work. Once she was in bed, or properly settled at a task, I could drop Ryan’s virus. Only then could he send the files to the FBI.

We were so close to being done.

My loves appeared not even half an hour later, likely drawn by the scent of bacon and pancakes.

They ate well, Freya peppering us with questions about what we had done without her.

Ryan looked all too tempting walking about shirtless.

He had, thankfully, put on pants, which hung low on his hips.

I had to restrain myself from dropping Freya with Lydia and taking Ryan back to the bedroom.

The day passed much like I thought it would.

Freya, still tired from the day before’s excitement with Lydia, put up little fight about spending the day indoors with us.

She was particularly clingy with Ryan, something for us to address at her next therapy appointment.

We also had to discuss my changed role in the family dynamics.

Yes, I had been researching therapy resources to help my little charge.

Having observed a couple of her online sessions, I had become curious.

When Freya was settled after lunch with a movie, Ryan suggested I try to set his plan in motion. He sent the files from his computer earlier than planned. I felt as if both of us wanted it to be over with. We were sick of Scythe hanging over our heads.

Once the files were gone, it was my turn.

The office was eerily empty. Even on previous weekends, there had been people lingering. The magic around the doorway to Salvatore’s office was thicker than before, though old. I sensed there was no one inside and tore through the protections easily.

Inside shocked me to my core.

Gone was the ornate rug. The pentagram was full on display.

Black candles had melted puddles of wax onto the marble floor.

All around Salvatore’s desk were magical paraphernalia.

Spell books, charms, crystals, a silver athame, and more.

All out to be seen by anyone entering the office.

The magic would not have kept out a human, it was designed for people like me, the ones with magic who could use the materials strewn over this plush office.

The lack of concern of discovery unnerved me. If anyone were to see this, Salvatore’s reputation would be ruined. This told me one thing clearly: our enemy was on the brink.

I needed to get the plan done immediately. Salvatore could be on his way to confront Ryan at any moment. The thought was a blaring alarm in my mind.

It took only a few minutes to do what was necessary to protect Ryan from prosecution. Each second felt like an hour while apart from my loves. As soon as the computer made a noise alerting me it was done, I removed the device and vanished home.

When I found Ryan on the phone, Freya still in place on the sofa, my heart finally calmed from its thundering rhythm. I hadn’t realized just how panicked I was at the thought of my family being left vulnerable without me.

“You okay?” Ryan mouthed.

Seeing both of them unharmed, feeling my magic intact, I nodded.

Ryan frowned. “Hold on a sec, Con. I need to speak to Mal.” There was a pause.

“Mal’s my boyfriend. He lives with me.” He laughed, his brown eyes sparkling.

“No, we aren’t just roommates. He’s my boyfriend.

” More chatter from the other side. “Yeah, I’m bi.

” Another pause. He looked at me, affection in every line of his face, especially that fond smile.

“Thanks. He’s great. I’ve never been happier. ”

He muted his phone and came closer to talk to me properly. “Can you do that thing where we connect again? I want you to listen in on what they ask me while they take my statement, but I don’t want them to hear you advising me.”

“That makes sense. Yes, I’ll connect us.”

The trust Ryan was showing me was heartening.

To allow me access into his mind outside of a necessary situation like it had been in Salvatore’s office, was…

it had a profound effect on me. I also did not want to dismiss his coming out.

From what I’d read, this was termed a “big deal,” and should be treated properly.

“Thank you for telling your friend about us. You didn’t have to if you aren’t ready yet.”

“Scythe thought we were boyfriends long before we actually were, and it didn’t bother me then.

In fact, I liked it then, and now that it’s real, it’s even better.

I want to tell everyone. I’m glad when people know we belong to each other.

Anyways, Con is the least judgmental guy I know.

His boyfriend is transgender. Both are really cool guys, actually. ”

His words were too sweet. I rewarded them with a tender kiss, then formed the link.

I’ll be with you while you do your statement and will keep Freya busy for you.

They said it might take a while.

Alright. We have plenty to keep us occupied.

Ryan took his phone to his bedroom to do the statement.

Usually they would record him in person, but they wanted to avoid tipping off Salvatore’s people and knew we were being watched.

Instead, they used a video call and recorded that as evidence.

He would sign the transcript of their conversation later.

The first hour passed with Ryan stating who he was, why he had been called to see Mr. Salvatore.

Then, he was asked to give his version of events.

Ryan explained being blackmailed with Jasmine’s debt and how he saw the opportunity to take down the man running the underbelly of the city.

The same man who had caused the death of his ex-wife and her boyfriend.

In the second hour of testimony, Ryan detailed the hacks he had done, Salvatore’s paranoia about a mole in his organisation. This time, an agent spoke about the deal they had struck for Ryan to gain immunity for this illegal action, particularly because Ryan was under duress to perform it.

Honestly, it got rather boring to listen to. I made Freya lunch and even gave Ryan a drink once. I was asked to email my version of events, but I was not deemed important enough for a full statement like Ryan. If only they knew.

By the time Ryan left his bedroom, I was wondering what to prepare for dinner.

It was getting dark outside, and Freya was restless.

Keeping her out of the bedroom had been a challenge the longer Ryan was in there.

Explaining things to a five-year-old wasn’t easy.

She didn’t understand that interrupting them meant it would take longer.