by Jessica Gunn
“Why don’t we sit down and hang out for a few minutes first. Enjoy this.” Before I have to tell you our son is a demon. And that he might always be.
She regarded me for a long moment with questioning eyes, and it was never clearer that nothing we did here would ever repair the relationship we’d had. There’d always be this thing between us. What had happened to Riley was something we’d never get past. And besides, after all of this, we were two very different people than the couple who’d brought Riley into this world.
Maybe that was okay. If there was one thing I’d learned in the last year, it was that sometimes people just change.
We sat in the living room, Riley choosing to stand in front of me, playing with the remote for the television.
“What’s this?” he asked.
He’s never seen a TV before. “It turns that on over there,” I said, pointing to the TV. I flipped the remote in his hands and aimed it at the unit. “See?” I depressed his thumb over the power button and turned the TV on.
“Whoa,” Riley said, his little kid voice making the whole experience awe-inspiring even for me, and I’d seen a TV who-knew-how-many times. But this was his first experience. Something told me there’d still be plenty of those to live through with him, even if we’d missed the first milestones.
Sandra laughed, then hiccupped as a sob came out. “What happened?”
“Exactly what we said. Only it took a bit longer than we expected.”
The last time I had seen Sandra was while Krystin and Shawn had been in Alzan for the first time. I hadn’t known then that Lady Azar would get away with her plan to use Riley as a magikal siphon. I’d thought we were going to be able to stop her way before that.
“It’s only been a week, maybe more,” Sandra said, watching Riley flip channels. He stopped at some station playing clips about space and stared, his jaw hanging open at an image of Saturn.
I nodded. “I know. Things got… messy. We didn’t save him right away and ended up taking the fight to Alzan. He’s seen a lot, I won’t lie to you about that. But Riley seems… not okay with it, but better than I dared hope.”
“Normal?” she asked.
“Yeah. Mostly.” I leaned back into the couch, the comfort of it more relaxing than I’d expected. Or deserved. “I think she had him under a spell, like the one Kinder used on Krystin. Or maybe Lady Azar had another demon with persuasion magik. There were a few times where, even under that control, he clearly remembered me and you.” I shook my head. “A few Alzanians checked him out while we were still there. Aside from his magik, he’s basically fine.”
She looked up at me. “Then what’s with his eyes?” She placed a hand on his head. “They’re red.”
“That.” I bit the inside of my cheek and searched for the words I wasn’t sure I could say. “He’s still a demon. Was turned into one some six months ago.”
“I know. You told me that was reversible.”
“Apparently… it’s not.” I closed my eyes and buried my face in my hands. Thank god Riley was so enveloped in the television that he didn’t pay any attention to what was going on behind him. “I’m sorry, Sandra. I shouldn’t have promised anything beyond bringing him back safely. Or at all, given my track record.”
“Ben, I don’t understand.”
“There’s no cure. No way to reverse it.” I dropped my hands and met her gaze again. “He’ll be a demon for the rest of his life.” My voice choked on the last word. I ought to have told Sandra that could mean he’d live for hundreds of years. I ought to have told Sandra the part about needing volunteers to let him feed on life energy. I ought to have told Sandra a hundred thousand things. But my mouth clamped shut and all I could do was wait for her response, whatever it was going to be.
“Demon?” Sandra asked, though it was more of a general statement. “That’s…”
“Different.”
“Much.”
I threw my hands up and leaned forward. “Believe me, I know. I don’t like it either. But he’s our son and I still love him.”
“Obviously,” she said, passion in her voice. “Nothing will take that love away from us. It’s just… a demon? Like the ones who kidnapped him multiple times?”
I had half a dozen responses to that question. Dammit. “I’ve recently learned that whether you are demon or human or something else entirely, magik or not, it doesn’t matter. They’re labels, you know? And… much as I hate to admit it, the same demon that kidnapped him as a baby recently saved his life. All of our lives. He was a bastard, a liar, and a kidnapper. But dammit if Giyano hadn’t risked everything for the bigger picture.”
Sandra’s face drained again. “The demon that burned me saved Riley?”
“He sacrificed himself to save Shawn and Krystin, and in doing so, they were able to save Riley at Alzan. It’s a really long story. But it ends well, which is why we’re here now.”
Sandra only stared at me for a few long seconds. Then she shook her head and sank into the couch. “You live one insane life, Ben Hallen.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“How the hell did we go from high school sweethearts to parents of a super-powered child in the middle of a war full of other people with super powers?”
And that. “It turns out I was always involved—I just didn’t know it yet. That’s a long story too.”
“Of course it is.”
I held her stare for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Sandra. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“I know. Even you couldn’t dream this shit up.”
“No. Never in a million years.” I hadn’t known about my magik until the accident. And I definitely could never have imagined when Sandra and I had started dating in high school that we’d end up parents at twenty-two-years-old.
“What happens next?” Sandra asked after the silence had stretched on for almost a minute.
“Well, Riley’s safe. No one else should be coming after him.”
“‘Should be?’”
“He still has the Power and he will until it settles in his twenties. The most we can do until then is keep it under wraps and then try to bind his powers so he can’t use them on people until he has control. Other than that, he’ll have to feed on life energy because he’s a demon. It’s sort of like a vampire, but without the fangs and blood and stuff.”
Her brow furrowed. “So not like a vampire at all.”
“Er, no. Maybe not. Life energy is half-magik, half-liquid… or it can be liquified, I think? It really depends on the demon and magik involved.” I looked away. “Maybe we can talk about that another time.”
“Yeah. Definitely,” she said, turning back to Riley. “I just want to enjoy the fact that he’s here for now.”
“Me too.” Especially in case this was one of the last times I got to spend with them.
I couldn’t decide if Sandra would try to take full custody of him, but I knew if she did, I wouldn’t try to fight it. She was his mother. And although he was probably safer—marginally—near the Fire Circle and people who understood his situation, ultimately Sandra was the only person who had true claim to him. Even though I was his father. I just wanted what was best for him, whatever made him happiest.
“Hey, Sandra?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“How are we going to… uh, work this out between us?”
She looked to me. “What do you mean?”
“Us,” I said, my lips suddenly dry. Maybe this wasn’t the right time for this conversation, but I couldn’t wait any longer to find out. It would impact what happened next with Riley regarding his magik and any sort of volunteers for keeping him alive, if we could find any. Hell, I’d let him zap my energy for the rest of my life if it helped him. “I know you probably don’t want anything to do with the Hunter Circles after all that’s happened.”
“You’re right; I don’t.”
Right. “But I can’t exactly leave.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Why not?
There isn’t some clause in your contract that lets you leave?”
“No. I sort of unintentionally got myself signed on for a potential promotion. A big one. One that will allow me to make Boston a safe city for not just Riley, but for all the kids who grow up in this war, aware of it or not.”
“How does one accidentally sign up for a promotion?” she asked.
“I was nominated to be a candidate for Leader of the Fire Circle. It sort of just happened. I thought it was a cover at first for something else, but when Jaffrin was kicked out, Dacher, the interim Leader, kept the nomination going.” I ran my hand through my hair vigorously a few times. “It means I can’t leave until after this process is over, possibly even not after that. And being honest, Sandra, I don’t want to. Not yet. There are a hell of a lot of names on that missing persons board. We took Riley’s off of it. But other kids are still there. They need to be found and returned home.”
“But your son is here, Ben,” she said. “He’s safe again.”
I nodded. “I know. It’s just… I have a city to help defend and a team to fight alongside.”
“And a Circle to lead?” she asked.
“Yeah. And a Circle to lead.”
“Then I guess we’re at an impasse.”
“I figured we might be.”
She stared at me for a moment before saying, “I’m not going to be that person, Ben. We share custody of him. I know you and I might be over. That chapter of our lives shut a long time ago. But if it means Riley lives a happier, more normal life because we’re both in it, then I want to stay your friend. We can raise him together.”
“But separate.”
She nodded. “We share custody and everything else. And when the time comes for him to learn about magik and demons and all of that, we’ll teach him together. I… accept, not easily mind you, that there may be no way to avoid that. But for when that day comes, I’ll learn.”
Something akin to joy, though I didn’t trust it for a second, jumped into my throat. My breath quickened as I looked at her. “Are you serious?”
She smiled. “Yes, Ben. Maybe I wouldn’t have been a year ago. I didn’t understand back then. But in the grand scheme of things, I think working together is such an easy thing to do. If you’ll agree to it.”
I scooted to the edge of the couch cushion. “Yes. Absolutely. And I’ll pull whatever strings I can to make sure you’re both taken care of when I’m not there. Anything you need, I’ll get you.”
“Sounds like a plan, then.”
She reached out for me and I hugged her back, holding her there for a moment. At one time, I’d thought Sandra was the love of my life. Now I knew there was more to it than that, and that Riley was a huge part of it.
“Thank you, Sandra,” I said, my eyes stinging with tears. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do, actually,” she said. “I was worried you weren’t going to handle things well. And besides, you know what?”
“What?”
She grinned from ear to ear and said, “I think Krystin’s going to help him a lot anyway. He needs that figure in his life, someone who sort of struggles with the same things as him—or did, anyway. I think she’s a good fit. For both of you.”
My breath hitched, my jaw falling open. Did Sandra just give me her… blessing? “Excuse me?”
She laughed at me and looked away, back toward the TV. “God, you were always so dense.”
Chapter 24
KRYSTIN
Dacher was not kidding when he said our place was an upgrade from the townhome we’d had in South Boston. It was a two-floor home with three bedrooms on the second level and two on the bottom. It had a huge, open floor plan that made the living room and kitchen feel like one giant space. And, thank all the gods above, we had three bathrooms. Three.
But my favorite part about this house wasn’t inside, it was in the backyard. Attached to the kitchen was a walk-out porch big enough to grill and play beer pong on, if we wanted to do that sort of thing.
Right now, I just wanted to sit in this lawn chair and watch the sun set over the wooded horizon with this glass of whiskey in my hand.
The sliding door to the kitchen opened. Ben appeared next to me.
“May I?” he asked, gesturing toward a second lawn chair.
“Please do. These chairs are heaven.”
“So is this view. I think Dacher’s trying to make up for all the shit we’ve had to deal with,” Ben said. “Otherwise, I can’t explain why we got such a nice place.”
I waved him off with my whiskey hand. “Don’t explain. Just accept. I’m happy to be out of that city for a while.”
Ben frowned. “How’d it go at Headquarters after I left?”
It was my turn to frown. I will not cry more. I won’t. She wouldn’t want that. “They’ve taken care of most of it, like they said. The memorial Dacher wants to hold will be next week. We… don’t have much family left, so I’m going to follow the wishes in her will and scatter her ashes up in Maine.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked without hesitation.
I smiled sadly and sipped my whiskey. “I’d like that. If you don’t mind. And if you don’t have Riley.” I looked to him. “Do you have Riley?”
He nodded. “Sandra and I agreed to raise him together but not stay together. Too much standing in the way of a chapter long closed. That sort of thing.”
“And you’re good with that?”
“Yeah. Perfectly.” He pointed to my glass. “Can I have a sip?”
I handed it over. “Sure thing. Nate and Shawn bought me a brand-new bottle since they helped annihilate the last one.” That morning when they’d rescued me from prison only to drink with me in the kitchen of our townhome seemed so long ago. Much longer than six months.
He took a sip and handed it back. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“You sure you’re okay?” I asked, pointing to my whiskey.
He nodded. “It’s been a long four years.”
“Only four?” I asked, eyebrow cocked.
He looked at me deadpan. “Funny.”
I held up the glass. “I thought so.” I took another sip.
“I do have one question, though,” he said.
I already sort of had an idea what he was going to ask. “Sure, anything.”
He settled his cobalt gaze on me and I swear my entire body shivered. “Can you bind Riley’s magik? I know that was more of your mother’s thing. But I’m worried—not so much about what others will do, but what he will. At least until he has control.”
He’d still be able to take life energy, so that wouldn’t be a problem. And honestly, they’d probably figure out some sort of supplement or something for him anyway. But that didn’t at all settle the one thing that had me worried about this direction. Luckily, I’d already thought of a solution.
“Yes.”
“Thank you—”
“But on one condition,” I said, lifting a finger.
“What’s that?” he asked. “Anything you want.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about Riley.” I sat up and turned to face him so he wouldn’t misunderstand me. “I want him to take magik into himself one last time before I bind his magik. That way when I do, that magik is the one he’ll have when we unbind it. And if we wait until he’s in his late twenties, it’ll be the magik he’s stuck with for life. Like how Ashbel was stuck with his Ember witch ether after his Power settled.”
Ben’s brow knitted together. “Why again?”
“So he’ll have something to defend himself with, Ben. Especially if we have to unbind his magik before he’s ready. Or before we’re ready.”
He stared off into space for a moment, as if thinking something over. Then he nodded quickly. “Sure. Yeah. I’ll give him my magik. He’s already used it before anyway. It’ll be familiar to him.”
I smiled. I was hoping he’d say that. “Makes perfect sense to me. We can do the binding whenever you w
ant.”
His fingers reached out for mine. “Thank you, Krystin. You are amazing.”
I smirked. “I try.”
He pulled me closer to him. “Krystin—”
The sliding door swung open and out came Rachel, Nate, and Shawn.
“Ooh,” Nate said, a six-pack of beer in his hands. “Did we interrupt anything? Should we go back inside?”
“Give me one of those,” Ben said, swiping at the six-pack.
“Idiot,” I said, though I was grinning from ear to ear. Guess our secret was out, whatever it was. Ben and I had never actually had that conversation yet.
Nate passed out the beers. I downed the last of my whiskey and took one, too. They pulled over a couple of folding chairs and we sat around in a circle, watching the sunset together.
“So, still got a war going on?” Nate asked.
“Supposedly,” Ben said. “Are you guys still game for another fight?”
“Can it be after Thanksgiving?” Rachel asked. “I was hoping to have Max over for a normal Thanksgiving dinner with everyone.”
Shawn gave her a funny look. “You’re thinking that far ahead? I can’t even think past tomorrow with the way things are going.”
“Well, I can,” I said. “We’re getting vacation time and I’m using it at Acadia National Park in Maine. Goodbye, Boston.”
Ben’s eyes lit up. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”
Rachel nudged him in the side with her elbow. “I’m sure you have.”
“What?” I asked her. “You’re not using that vacation time with Max?”
Her face flushed red and she took a moment to recover by drinking some beer. “Not the point.”
I laughed, the first genuine laugh I’d had in months. “Uh-huh. Sure it’s not.”
“Think Riley and Sandra will come for Thanksgiving, too?” Rachel asked Ben.
He shrugged. “Probably. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Though we might have to invite Amanda and Michael. Well, if your brother will come anyway.”
Rachel frowned. “I’m not sure. Amanda would love that, though.”
“Is this house childproof?” Nate asked.
