My best friend had come through labor like a champ. I’d wanted to argue with her when she said she was going to give birth at home. My kids had been hospital born. Only, Victoria did as she said she would and sure enough her home birth went without incident and by the end of the week she’d been so adept at being Jack’s mom, it was like she’d done it for years instead of days.
I barely remembered the first weeks with my kids.
My whole body went on high alert, every nerve ending in my body coming alive. I didn’t even have to look to know who was in close vicinity with me, Malcolm.
He stood on the deck, overlooking Victoria’s garden which was always the first stop for any of Henry’s sculptures. He never sold anything until it had first sat in their lawn for one year. Levi had once told me it was a ridiculously stupid business practice. I’m sure he was right. Only, I thought it was romantic.
Victoria’s house had a view to die for, seeing both Lake Travis and the Hill Country. Right now, Malcolm enjoyed it full-on, with his arm around a brunette in a tight green dress. He laughed at something she said and she leaned over to put her head on his shoulder. His hand drifted down to caress her derriere.
I wanted to throw up.
I wanted to turn and run.
I wanted to break her nose. And then his. Twice.
Henry was too happy to notice what happened as he moved to the next crowd of people. Even with my best friend in the room, I’d never felt so alone in my life. Chase looked down at me the second he spotted them.
“That sucks.”
I laughed, despite my heart shattering into a million pieces. “It does. He’s not really doing anything wrong. I chose to forget him and then when I remembered I chose to tell him we were still a no-go. I married someone else and had three children with him. He can date, marry, fuck,” I winced at my own profanity. “Anyone he wants. We both know he never does anything without a purpose and I don’t think he came here to welcome the baby to the green earth.”
“Not with how he feels about kids.” Chase took a sip of his drink. He had alcohol? Where had he gotten it and why didn’t I have any? As if anticipating me, he pointed at the bar behind him. “It’s full.”
“Great.” I took a step and then stopped. “Did she have to be a brunette?”
I hated my hair. It would not take hair dye and it was a constant reminder of the night the demon possessing my son had been revealed. It was also the night the shadow creature I thought of as Top Hat thanks to the one he wore came out to threaten everyone I loved.
Chase shook his head. “He has a type and that type is you. That’s your hair color or at least it was before you used so much power you permanently died yours white. Yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked if the parade of women with him from now until his days are up are all exactly like that. I’m going to go say hello. If you don’t want to stay here all night, we don’t have to. Say hi, stay a respectable amount of minutes, and get the hell out of dodge. This is Victoria. They’re going to be singing and dancing.”
“Malcolm is not going to drive me out of Victoria’s home.” The singing and dancing might but that was neither here nor there. “We’re all in this together. We have to be able to be together. In my kindest heart, I only wish him happiness.”
“And in your not so kind you want him to long for you forever. I get it. I’ve been watching the great Malcolm Kendall love for quite some time. Frankly, the idea you’re not together, it makes me doubt the world a little bit more.”
I punched him in the arm. “More than being blown up when you were ten?”
“Even more so. What can I say? I’m a romantic. Going to go say hi to them.”
I meandered around the hoards of people to get to the bar. Victoria hired an actual bartender for a party at her house. No expense spared for her son’s first party. I grinned while I waited my turn.
My best friend appeared next to me. She kissed me on both cheeks before she spoke, very rapidly. “I almost threw them out. I had no idea he’d show up with some girl. Then I decided I wasn’t getting in the middle of whatever this was.”
I touched the baby’s soft head. “You did the right thing. He’s your family and Jack’s family. He belongs here and I wouldn’t expect you to make his date unwelcome.”
“You look so pretty.”
I touched my head. “Even with my striking white hair? Yeah, I think not.”
“You’re…”
Whatever she would have said I never heard. The room was engulfed in total darkness. Someone screamed and my powers turned on. Nausea rolled through me. Demon. My friends must have gotten the signal at exactly the same second I did. Victoria cried out and I shoved her behind me. Nothing from this world or any other was getting to my best friend or her baby.
“Kendall.” Malcolm called out in the darkness. He found in me in the complete blackness grabbing my arm. I didn’t let myself focus on how fast he’d gotten to me or how good it felt to have him next to me in the middle of a crisis.
Instead, I saw the demon. He was big and read with a face painted with white symbols I didn’t recognize. His gaze was cold. He swung his serpent tail back and forth behind him. I shuddered. With demons, size mattered. This one was powerful.
“Victoria.”
“Henry.”
In the pitch black, we found each other until we’d all assembled by the bar. I hadn’t even known Block was at the party and yet he now stood by my side. Our nearly albino friend could protect groups of people from demon infestation. We needed him now.
The other guests were screaming, crying, lost in the darkness. “How many of your friends are talented?”
Henry answered. “There are three witches here. Other than that, they’re all non.”
A house full of non-talents and a demon ping ponging off the wall.
This was a recipe for disaster.
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Rebecca Royce, Haunted Redemption
(Series: The Cascade # 1)
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