We spent the day much like the day before, except Mal ushered me to my desk and took Freya to school for me, then tried to clean my apartment using a mixture of magic and cleaning tools. He was learning how to use everything more quickly than I could have dreamed, but he still needed me to help him. Not that I minded. It was kind of cute when he would shyly come to me with a question.

  He also picked her up at the end of the day so I could continue with my work. Then helped me cook after clocking off time. It was easy to be in the kitchen with him moving around me. Cooking was much faster when he used magic to do things for us.

  It was getting late, and we were in the middle of the bedtime routine when the buzzer went off. I went to answer it.

  “Mr. Mallory, it’s Anders. Mr. Salvatore requests your presence.”

  Fuck! I’d completely forgotten he wanted me to go to his building. Most of the time I avoided thinking about the fucked up situation he had me in. What the hell was I going to do? If I was going to get the information I needed to take him down, then I had to go there. Except I had no clue if he knew I’d been in his office and stolen from him.

  Mal appeared at my side. “Do you want me to come with you? I can hide myself with magic.”

  “What about Freya? Someone needs to stay here with her,” I said into the intercom.

  “You have a young man staying with you. He can look after your daughter. Surely you trust him enough for that if you let him take her to and from school.”

  I felt the color leech from my face. They’d been watching me. Scythe had put a tail on me!

  “What the fuck?” I mouthed at Mal.

  He took my finger off the intercom. “If you need me to stay here, I can go with you in your mind. Forge a connection between us so I can see if you are in any danger. Then, if necessary, I can vanish to your side in an instant.”

  Holy fuck, magic was useful. “Alright. Do that. Just let me tell him I’ll be down in five.” I pressed the intercom once more and told Anders I was getting ready to leave.

  “This magic is slightly… invasive. I cannot read all your thoughts, just those you think at the front of your mind. Do you understand? Think towards me and I will hear.”

  “Will I hear you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Do it.”

  Mal put his hands on my head, sending shivers down my spine. They heated, and soon there was a sense of pressure until it sort of popped.

  Can you hear me?

  Yeah, this is weird.

  Don’t keep Scythe waiting.

  What if he knows—

  If he knew, he would be here, not his servant. He might suspect, but if you lie, and I know you can lie well, then everything will be alright. I’ll protect Freya and come for you if you need me.

  Going on instinct, I hugged Mal quickly, stepped into my shoes, grabbed a few things, and left the apartment. Staying longer would only draw out my worry.

  Anders was in the car waiting for me when I got downstairs. I got into the car without saying a word.

  Relax, Ryan. You are being suspicious. You need to act like nothing is wrong aside from being irritated that Mr. Salvatore is demanding your time.

  Trying to do what Mal said, I made small talk with Anders. Aside from a couple of one word answers, it was like talking to a wall.

  Better, Mal praised. You sound much more like yourself.

  My anxiety grew as we rode the elevator to Scythe’s office. There was no knowing which side of his personality I was about to meet. I fiddled with my phone, getting it ready to receive any data from the program I’d put on his computer already.

  “Ah! Mr. Mallory.”

  “Ryan, please. Since I’m being blackmailed into being here, the least you could do is use my first name.”

  Salvatore laughed. “Quite. You may call me Sloane if you like. This is about business, so there is no need to use my other moniker.”

  “Alright, Sloane. What is it you want me to do?”

  He gestured to the comfortable seat on the other side of the desk from him. “If you remember our last conversation, you’ll remember that I did some digging into you.”

  Yeah, he had searched me and found it, giving him a reason to use me. Otherwise, I’d be paying him off in other ways. I dreaded to think how I’d find a million.

  “There’s a file with the FBI from when you were seventeen…”

  “So? You know I wasn’t charged with anything. I’ve got a clean record.”

  “And you know that hacking is a pretty serious crime. You were lucky to get away like you did. I imagine they thought you’d be more useful out here, where they can use you.” His smirk grated on my nerves. He was acting as if what I’d done was anything as serious as the many crimes he had committed.

  “Like you want to do. You want me to hack again.”

  “Perceptive.”

  “Look, I messed around with it when I was a kid. Got caught. Took a warning. Haven’t done anything since. I think you’ve got the wrong impression of me, Mr. Salvatore. I’m a software developer, not a hacker. All that’s in my past. Now I just want to do my job and look after my kid.”

  Nice work. Mal’s voice in my head was soothing to the edges of my anger. I couldn’t afford to lash out and make a mistake.

  “Unfortunately for you, there is proof of much more serious crimes you have committed. Now, you wouldn’t necessarily get charged with murder because you didn’t force them to take the drugs—”

  “Alright, what do you want me to do?”

  “There is a mole in my organization. I require your help in figuring out who. This means you will gain access to some of my company’s files. They are working with my competitors, so I also need you to break into their databases and extract some insider information they have about my companies. If you happen to find other privileged information, that would speed up the timeline for repaying your debt.”

  By competitors, I bet he meant the private investigator firm masquerading as a business to get close enough to take him down and all the other similar companies circling his business like sharks with blood in the water.

  “I can do that. It might take a few nights of work for some of them, depending on their security. I’ve got my job and kid during the day, I can’t lose my income or have my daughter miss me this soon after losing her mom. Besides, these things take time. I’ve got to build the backdoor—”

  “Save me the technical jargon. You can have the time you need. I expect you to bring yourself here every evening at eight to work on this.”

  “Why eight?”

  “The rest of my employees will be gone then, and I won’t have to explain why you are here or listen to rumors of what you are doing.”

  “When do you want me to start?”

  “Now, if you would like.” He stood. “Oh, Ryan, there is another matter I would like you to look into. My technical team is stumped.”

  “Oh-kay? What?”

  “Someone broke into my office the other night and stole something precious to me. Could you try to fix the security feed? It was fried during the theft.”

  Act normally. He might suspect, yet he has no proof it was you, or he would not be testing you like this, Mal coached me. You’re doing well.

  “Um, security feeds aren’t usually what I do. I can try, but if your team can’t get it, I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

  Sloane studied me. “Very well. I would appreciate you making an attempt.”

  Over the next few hours, Sloane watched my every movement while I played with the broken feed. I could only assume that when my blood broke Mal out of the gem, it fried everything because it was totally dead. Everything since their last backup an hour before I entered the building.

  Still, I put on the performance of my life trying to fix it. I even added in some choice curse words until my pretend frustration got the better of me and Sloane’s nerves, and he set me on my other task.

  The first database had pathetic encryption. I could have broken it in my sleep. My acting skills came into play once more. I opened my program, making it look like it was a tool to get into the competitor while I siphoned off files to my phone. It was all written in code, so unless Salvatore was a hidden code genius, who wouldn’t have needed me in the first place, then I was safe.

  I was determined not to break into any of his competitors or the company trying to take him down. The less crimes I had to hide, the better. If I could pretend to be rusty or just incapable, all while copying pretty much everything Salvatore had onto my phone, then I’d be free and clear in about a week. Decrypting the files on my own computer would take the longest unless Mal could help me with magic.

  I can try. Mal’s voice was the only thing that got me through it all. You should be proud of yourself. Your acting was impressive.

  I didn’t take a full breath until I was in the elevator heading up to my apartment. My limbs felt heavy, my mind jittery from all the stress.

  When I opened the door, he was there, his arms waiting for me. I collapsed into him.

  “Not sure I can do this,” I whispered, exhausted.

  “You can, Ryan. And I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

  Caring For Tiny Humans

  Malacoda

  Ryan being so far from me felt wrong. Did he not wonder why our bond could stretch that far? Had he figured out my lie? Would he stop me from sleeping in his bed at night? I hoped with everything I was that he would not. The closeness of sleeping next to another being was special to me. Made more so by it being Ryan.

  Our talk the night before had brought down walls between us. Though I had not detailed all my misdeeds, I had told Ryan enough for him to gain a sense of my character. Whatever he saw there he must have liked, because once again, we awoke wrapped around each other.

  I spent my day being useful to him instead of a burden. With the internet at my fingertips, I had learned much about the world to fill the gaps in my knowledge. Humans were a wonder with their ability and desire to share information, to teach others’ useful skills. I watched many videos on how to perform basic tasks, thus removing many of the burdens from Ryan’s shoulders.

  There was peace in my role supporting Ryan. Though I had power to harm, I had never created anything. I found that I liked making his home better, more comfortable. Maybe the novelty would wear off once this was all over and I would get bored, but I believed I could find something else to occupy my time and Ryan would help me do that.

  He seemed to appreciate my efforts in his home. I think much of his comfort came from how happy Freya was in my presence. I had always been popular with children. When Dadga had his own young, I had grieved my chance to be an uncle to them. If I had not fallen for the lies about my oldest brother, then would things have been different?

  It was foolish to wonder how life would have been. My path had been chosen for me long ago, and I would not have met Ryan if I had been a better brother.

  Once Ryan left, it was almost impossible for me not to chase after him. If it weren’t for Freya, I would have. Ryan had left his most precious treasure in my care, so I had to take my mission seriously.

  Keeping my ears open for what was happening in the car, I read Freya her story, then she curled up in her bed to go to sleep with her chosen sounds for the night. She really was a sweet child. Very easy to like and spend time with. She was quickly becoming my second favorite human. Given time, Lydia would be the third. She had done an outstanding job bandaging up my hand, after all. When I had healed it after her ministrations, she had not complained, only quirked her lips in good humor.

  Choosing Ryan had been the greatest decision of my life.

  His meeting with Salvatore was tense. Ryan did an admirable job of lying through his teeth and working to get the proof he required to earn his freedom. He was remarkable. Soon the tension eased in the office while Ryan worked on his plan. Other things at home demanded my attention.

  My senses were better than a human’s. From the living room, I could hear Freya tossing and turning in her bed even over the noise machine. Of course, I had not been in their apartment long, but I suspected this was unusual behavior for her. Perhaps I was being more alert to her because I was being trusted by Ryan. I did not want to let him down.

  Inside her room, I noticed she had finally settled down. On closer inspection, I realized she was sweating. My instincts told me this was strange because the room was on the cooler side. Ryan had provided me with a tablet to use the internet. I used the search function and immediately became alarmed. Freya could have a fever. She could be sick!

  It took me some time to locate the thermometer. While it would have been simpler to tell Ryan about Freya’s potential fever, I did not want to alarm him unnecessarily and cause him to lose focus. In the bathroom, where the first aid kit lay, there were all sorts of medicines and also the device to read Freya’s temperature.

  On my return to her room, I noticed she had kicked off the blankets. A worrying sign. I used the device. It flashed yellow and gave me a numerical reading. A low fever, though still troubling. I returned to the bathroom to check out the medicines. The names and doses were too confusing for me to understand. Were all humans trainee healers?

  Torn because I wanted to reserve magic for Ryan, I went back and forth over whether I should heal the child and risk needing more magic later, or if I should call Lydia and ask her advice for which medicines I should give Freya.

  Eventually, it really felt like hours had passed, though it was merely half an hour, I chose to heal Freya and risk running low on my magic. I rationalized the decision by reminding myself how quickly I replenished my magic around Ryan. Hopefully, he would not feel tricked and allow me to sleep next to him. It really was safest for us all. Calling Lydia would have been a poor choice. She would be critical of Ryan’s leaving Freya in my care. Besides, healing was easy, and it would demonstrate how carefully I looked after her.

  I returned to her room, done with my pacing in the hall, and crouched at the side of her bed. I laid my hand on her forehead, feeling the heat of her skin.

  “Daddy?” she rasped. Once the healing was done, I would get her some water.

  “No, dear Freya. It’s Mal.”

  “Mal?”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t feel good.”

  It was a wonder she did not ask for her father. Though we had closely bonded, Ryan was always first in her heart. “No. You’re a sick little princess. I can help. Do you remember when you called me a demon?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, I would like to use my demon magic to heal you.”

  “Okay. My head hurts.”

  “Mal is going to make it better. I just have to let my tail and horns out. Would you like to see them?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Promise you won’t be scared?”

  “I won’t.” She cracked her eyes open just in time to see my tail and horns appear. Though I could have done the healing without them, it would allow me to replenish some of my magic before Ryan’s return and in case he needed me by taking from the air.

  “Can you see my tail?”

  “Wow! You’re pretty! Your eyes are glowing!”

  I had forgotten I had also returned to my natural green eye color. “Yes, that’s my magic. Want me to make you feel better now?”

  “Can I touch your tail?” She truly was a wonder. No fear whatsoever.

  “Of course!” I moved my tail so that it was over her chest. With my magic, I could sense the virus within her. “Are you alright?”

  “I like it.” She petted my tail, careful of the sharper scales.

  “Perfect. Now let me heal you up. Sing your pretty song for me.” The singing was a distraction for what she was feeling. Healing could tingle, or even sting at times. I did not want her to feel any discomfort.

  Freya started the words to her favorite song while I pushed a tendril of healing magic into her. With her small size, I had to use far less power than I expected. The virus inside her gave little fight against me. Soon her voice was stronger, her skin back to its usual light golden color, and she wore a smile on her face.

  “Thank you, Mal. My head doesn’t hurt now.”

  “Would you like a drink?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Back in a moment.” I rushed to the kitchen, found her a cup and filled it with water from the jug in the fridge. Ryan had told me the water quality where they lived was not the best, so he preferred to filter their water. Fascinating.

  Using my tail wrapped around the cup to make her smile, I passed it to her, happy when she accepted it readily. This child was not afraid of what I was. I loved her for it.

  Freya drank the water greedily, then settled down to go back to sleep. I stayed in the doorway of her room for a long time, just watching her sleep while still paying attention to Ryan.

  The relief I felt when he returned unharmed was immense. When he came straight into my arms, everything felt right with the world once more.

  The link dissolved the moment we touched. I was grateful my magic had held, and that it hadn’t been necessary to go to him, but I was ready not to be in his head. It felt slightly invasive, though Ryan’s control over his thoughts was impeccable.

  We broke apart after our brief hug with awkward smiles and, from me, a desperate longing to hold him again.

  Ryan was impressed when I told him about Freya’s short-lived illness and how she reacted to my demon form. I had returned to my human guise before he came in.

  “That’s really cool that you could heal her,” he whispered while he checked on her. He fussed with the blankets, then nodded. “Whatever it was, is gone. Thanks Mal. I knew you’d be great at looking after her.” His praise and pride in me sank deep into my soul.

  “I’m not even surprised she liked your tail. She takes everything in her stride,” he said with an affectionate smile.

  “It might have been the fever.”

  “Who knows?” He shrugged. “We can try again if she doesn’t say anything. I think it’s best she knows.”

  On this, we agreed. Ryan took my hand and led me to his bedroom. I broke free of the hold just inside his doorway, guilt suddenly eating at me. “Ryan, I feel like I owe you an apology.”

 

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