Page 55 of Seared Fates
“You’ve been working really hard to get this done.” I drop her brushes in the warm water and add a healthy dollop of liquid soap.
“Wanted to get it done for Apollo,” Summer says between a yawn.
“I know you said you needed money for make-up, but if you need it for anything else…” I drop my hands into the warm water to grab one of her brushes.
Summer chuckles softly. “Thanks, but I’m good. Honestly, I took this job because I needed something to keep my mind busy. It's…” She takes a moment to find the words she’s searching for. “I’ve never shared this with you guys because it’s difficult to explain, but now you know about the supernatural crap...”
I let her gather her thoughts while she stares at the wall, her palm rising to lay over her chest and rubbing at it like she’s got an itch that won’t go away.
“I wanna say what you’ve seen of the supernatural world isn’t always this dark and bloody, but that’d be a lie.”
Warm water runs across my skin as I rub the coarse bristles between my fingers to get the paint out. “Does seem like one big shit show.”
“You have no idea.” Summer drops her hands into her lap. “Thirty years ago, my family home was raided by demons, and nearly everyone inside was murdered. Only two of my cousins survived. Barely.”
I whip around to look at her. “Holy shit, Summer, that’s awful. I can’t even imagine…”
She smiles weakly. “It’s the anniversary today.”
Immediately, I move to hug her, but halt when I notice my dripping hands. Summer laughs and grabs hold of the front ofmy hoodie, tugging me forward and wrapping me into a warm hug.
“It’s been a while since I’ve talked about it,” she says into my braids.
I hold her tight, wanting to take some of the pain away that I’m so familiar with. “I…I understand, your family, I mean…”
Gently, Summer pulls back. “I know about your parents, Kai. I’m sorry what happened to them.”
I want to tell her that I’m what happened to them, but I decide that isn’t what she needs to hear right now.
“Thanks. My ears are open, by the way, if you wanna chat. Any time or day.”
In my line of work, I find that people open up when no eyes are on them, a kind of confessional with ink and pain. So when I turn back to the sink and pick up a brush, watching as clumps of thick paint turn the water opaque, and a moment later, Summer starts speaking, I know I made the right call.
“Mages are organised into Mage Towers. But these aren’t actually big, stupid buildings, more like a vampire family, but way bigger, with branching off families, and we stay in one place. Some of the families will have power, some don’t. Mine had a bit, but the only thing my parents ruled over was my five siblings and me.”
Summer smiles at some memory, her eyes becoming wet. I keep my mouth shut to give her whatever space she needs.
“The one thing my parents were really vocal about was the land they wanted returned.”
“Your land?” I put the clean brush aside to dry, then grab another.
Her chest rises with a deep inhale. “Mages, we always gotta hold onto a fucking grudge…”
A blast of wind rattles the windows, and while the water manages to keep some of the chill away, Summer doesn’t even seem to notice it.
“A few hundred years ago, the shadow mages and the demons got into a fight,” she explains, like she’s complaining about mice getting into her flat. “Mostly it was a dick swinging contest between two sons who thought they were more powerful than the other. Turns out my shadow mage ancestor was nowhere near as powerful, and it resulted in us losing the land. My Mother always talked about it like it was some great tragedy because of the magic there. But we had other land, and I didn’t care.”
Summer trails off, more hair falling from her bun as her gaze burns holes into the wall.
While she’s distracted, my own mind trails off. Before all this, my life could’ve been reduced to a little corner in the city with a handful of friends, family, and a bit of magic I was too scared to touch.
Now vampires, mages, demons—I don’t know how to keep it all straight in my head. But then what’s the point of freaking out again? Been there, done that and got the fucking spellbook to prove it.
I used to be able to delude myself into thinking I could keep everyone protected and happy if I just slapped on a brave face. But every day I learn that’s less and less likely.
“Mum and Dad wanted it back so badly they became obsessed.” Her fists clench, and gone is her flippant tone; now her words are coated in pain. “They talked a big game on how they were going to get our land back. But it was only talk. But demons? Demons don’t talk, Kai.” She turns to stare at me, glare intense, mouth open to continue speaking—but she blinks, attention locked somewhere over my shoulder and brow creased.
“Summer?” I ask. I turn to look, half expecting to find Emma behind me. But it’s just my jacket hanging on the hook. When I glance back, Summer’s still frowning.