Page 106 of Cold Curses

The door to Lulu’s room was open when we went back upstairs; Aunt Mallory was sitting on the edge of Lulu’s bed. Lulu was sitting up, looking better rested than she had since I’d returned to Chicago.

Relief flooded me and filled my eyes with tears.

I waited in the doorway while Uncle Catcher rushed in, gave them time to be together.

“You did good,” Dad said.

“I didn’t do that,” I clarified. “It must have been Dante’s death—that must’ve released his minions’ pending magic. And I didn’t kill him.”

“You gave them hope,” Mom said. “You kept Mallory calm, because she believed you when you said you’d fix it. You took the steps that got us here.”

I nodded, appreciating the gesture. “Team effort” was all I could manage to say.

Mom snickered, looked at Dad. “She is your daughter.”

“Talented and humble?” Dad asked with a grin as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

“Goal oriented,” Mom said, smoothing a hand over my hair. “And not entirely happy when she doesn’t meet those goals, even if the outcome is still good.”

I had no defense against that, because she was exactly right. There was a reason Connor had called me “brat” growing up.

“She’s all yours,” Aunt Mallory said, eyes red from joyful tears, as she and Uncle Catcher stepped into the doorway. Then she surprised me by embracing me, squeezing tight. “Thank you,” she said quietly, then wiped her cheeks when she pulled back. “Go talk to her.”

“Go ahead,” Mom said, and I walked in, sat down on the bed.

Lulu watched me with careful consideration—she was well rested—and seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

I felt monster edge out a toe, preparing to pounce, when I shut it ruthlessly down.Not tonight,I told it.It’s nearly dawn and she just woke up.I was reaching the limit on reasonable excuses, and I worried what monster might do if it wasn’t released. But even if I accepted the possibility that it would have to be released at some point, this wasn’t the time.

“You’re crap at charades,” Lulu said, breaking the silence.

“That was real? I wasn’t sure.”

“Of course it was. I couldn’t speak—something to do with the magic—but I could move, which I tried to do with you. You have a lot of stress dreams.”

The words came out quickly, like she’d been holding them in the entire time she’d been asleep.

“I do,” I agreed. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Fine,” she said. “I mean, I feel well rested, but also like I just had four double espressos and want to sleep for a week. I’m sure that’s just an adjustment.”

“We didn’t know how to wake you up, and I was freaked out. I was angry and scared”—I paused—“and the demon that spelled you was about to unleash another fireball.”

“You killed him?” she asked quietly, and squeezed my hand when I nodded.

“We managed to corner Dante, but he wouldn’t tell us anything. And then he was killed in the op.”

“Aristocrats and their minions have a weird relationship,” she said. “Some kind of magical symbiosis. Dante probably could’ve broken the spell if he’d wanted to.”

I nodded. “I think I might have been close at the end, but thena literal shot was fired. Did your parents tell you about the river monster?”

“Yeah. Did it really try to eat you?” She picked at her blanket, fingers nervously working the fabric with that excess of energy.

“Not exactly. But the spitting out was one hundred percent accurate.”

“Hate that I missed that.”

“Alexei was here a lot,” I said. “He and your parents took turns on Lulu duty.”