Demon Discord by M.J. Haag

Chapter Three

Warmth pressed against my cheek,and I exhaled heavily, feeling weak and shaky. Rather than opening my eyes, I focused on my breathing, counting the steady in and out rhythm.

“She’s waking.” The strange masculine voice brought back the memory of exactly why I’d fainted.

“Good. We should still have Cassie look at her.”

There was a sharp, rapid knock that tempted me to open my eyes, but I resisted. Someone was carrying me, and when it came to the identity of who, ignorance was bliss. At least until I had a few minutes to recover from the last faint.

“Hey, Cassie,” Brooke said. “This is my friend Terri. She fainted.”

“Bring her in,” the woman replied. “Did she hit her head when she fell?”

Brooke snorted as we moved again.

“Not a chance. Azio caught her before her knees fully buckled.”

I could feel my pulse pick up again and forced myself to think of breakfast. The oatmeal had been so bland the day before. So this morning, I’d tried adding cinnamon and a dash of ginger and nutmeg. It had helped. Sugar would have been better.

“Lay her down here, Azio,” Cassie said.

A mattress pressed against my back, and the arms around me disappeared, making it easier to open my eyes.

I found Cassie’s worried face, one I remembered from our time in the Whiteman evacuation camp, and stayed focused on her.

“I’m a fainter. I always have been. Usually, I feel it coming and try to get as close to the ground as I can.”

“Okay. That’s good to know this isn’t something abnormal for you. Is there something I can do to help with it? My expertise leans more toward patching up physical injuries.”

“No. I should be fine in a few minutes. If I try to sit up too soon or too fast, there’s a chance I’ll go down again.”

“Wow,” Brooke said. “You’re making it sound like this is a common thing for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you faint before, though.”

I shook my head.

“It’s why I don’t go on supply runs or help gather wood. I’m too much of a liability when I get overwhelmed.”

Cassie patted my arm.

“You’re not a liability. Play on your strengths and hire out your weaknesses.”

“Yeah,” Cassie agreed. “That’s what the fey are for.”

My stomach dipped, and my gaze involuntarily moved to the two fey hovering in the door way. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes again.

“Hey, why don’t the two of you go help Kerr with the kids? He’s supposed to be giving them a bath, but I think he’s avoiding putting Caden in the water.”

“Babies are slippery when they are wet,” one of the fey said.

There was a long moment of silence, then the snick of a door closing.

“You should see Kerr’s face when it’s bath time. Pure panic. He’s terrified he’s going to lose Caden under the water even though he only puts three inches in the tub,” Cassie said softly before adding, “We’re alone. You can open your eyes now.”

I glanced at her and Brooke and felt my face flushing. They’d obviously caught on to why I’d fainted.

“How old is your baby?” I asked instead of addressing the elephant in the room.

“He should be around ten months. It’s hard to know exactly.”

“The days have a funny way of blending into one another now, don’t they?” I said.

“They do,” she agreed.

Cassie lent me her support as I carefully sat up. My vision stayed steady.

“I’m okay now. Would you know any women interested in newborn baby clothes?” I asked.

“Not really,” Cassie said. “Most of the fey with women have been going out for baby supplies on their own. Angel told me that Shax had a whole baby room set up and stocked before she met him. Your best bet is to talk to the single guys.”

I looked at Brooke. “Did yours have a room already stocked?”

“Not a room, no. The fey’ve figured out it makes some women nervous if they come over and see a nursery all set up. He has loads of stuff in the basement. Not food. If you had that, my man would be your guy for trading.”

If I had food, I wouldn’t have left Tenacity.

“Look, Terri,” Brooke said. “I know they freak you out, but they’re really nice and wouldn’t harm a hair on your head. Just talk to them. You’ll see.”

“This isn’t a social visit. I just want to trade for food and go back before I’m missed.”

“Grandma knows where you are,” Brooke said. “You won’t be missed. Come on. I’ll help you negotiate. You might even get a free lunch out of the deal.”

We skipped lunch most days in our house, so the possibility of a meal tempted me more than the trade, which would be split nine ways once I returned. Yet, the idea of facing so many of them again set my heart racing.

“I’m not sure I—”

“It won’t be a big crowd again,” Brooke said quickly. “I think we learned our lesson there. What if we went door to door? Would that be better?”

I flushed at the open acknowledgment of my fear of them.

“Maybe? I don’t know.” I sighed. “I just don’t want to offend anyone.” How many times could I rudely faint at the sight of them before they ripped my head off? I shuddered at the memory.

“I have an idea,” Cassie said. “Come with me.”

I followed her out of the room and up the stairs, where I heard a lot of childish giggling.

“More!” a little girl squealed.

Cassie held her finger to her lips and motioned for me to peek into a doorway. What I saw nearly stopped my heart.

Three of those huge fey were crowded into a modest bathroom. One knelt next to the tub, his hands wrapped around the waist of a little boy, who was grinning up at the foam tower on top of the fey’s head.

“More!” the little girl, no more than four, shouted.

One of the fey scooped a handful of suds from the tub and plopped it on the kneeling fey’s head. The baby clapped his hands and squealed, kicking the soapy water with his feet. The fey holding him grunted.

“His strength is endless. He will be a fierce fighter when he is grown.”

I tried to slowly retreat, but the one who had carried me here looked up just then. Our gazes locked and his pupils did that terrifying narrowing again.

A small sound escaped me.

“Okay, I think that’s enough fun time,” Cassie said, stepping around me. “Kerr, you have more soap on you than the kids. They need actual washing.”

“How can I wash him and hold him at the same time?”

“That’s why I sent these two up here. How can three fey not handle two children?” She didn’t say it meanly but with a hint of humor-filled exasperation.

“Move over, Papa. Let me show you how it’s done.”

The one watching me focused on Cassie as she knelt down and started wetting the baby’s hair.

“He doesn’t like water in his face,” the little girl said.

“Exactly,” Cassie agreed. “We have to be careful. We don’t want Caden to be afraid of bath time.”

All the fey watched raptly as she bathed the boy first then the little girl. It didn’t take long before the little boy was wrapped in a towel and handed off to the fey who’d carried me and the little girl was delegated to the man beside the tub.

“I want six braids this time,” she said, looking him in the eye.

“Is that how we ask, Lilly?” Cassie asked.

“Papa, may I please have six braids?”

She was adorable, and I ached as I watched him nod in agreement. My gaze shifted to the little boy. He and the fey holding him were staring just as raptly at one another. Then, the little boy reached out, took one of the fey’s braids, and stuck the leather-wrapped end of it into his mouth.

“He is hungry,” the fey said, looking at Cassie. “May I feed him?”

She pried the braid from the boy’s grasp. “He’s not hungry. He’s tired because he was up way too early this morning. Come on, you. Let’s get you dried off and put you down for a nap.”

With longing, I watched her and the baby leave.

“Feeling better about the situation?” Brooke asked softly beside me.

I understood what she was asking and what Cassie had been trying to do by letting me glimpse this little slice of domestic bliss. However, I’d already known the fey loved children. Who didn’t love kids? It was what the fey did with the adults that gave me nightmares.

“I just want to trade food for these baby clothes and go home,” I said carefully.

“I will trade with you,” the fey who’d carried me said.

“That’s great, Azio.”

Azio. I needed to remember that. Azio. Azio. Azi—

His gaze met mine, and my mind went blank.

“If you don’t mind, Solin and I will tag along to your house, okay?”

The fey grunted, not looking away from me. His pupils narrowed. My throat started to close, and my heart started to race.

Brooke turned me and nudged me down the hall.

“What kind of food are you hoping for?” she asked. “If Azio doesn’t have it, I’m sure some other fey will.”

Clinging to the change of subject, I took a steadying breath.

“Anything really. Neither Bram or Bobby went out on a supply run today.”

“Why didn’t Wayne go?”

“He’s cutting wood like he always does.”

“Right.”

Not liking her tone, I gave her a sharp look.

“That was rude of me. I’m sorry. Your husband. Your business.”

We left the house in silence, and I’d almost forgotten about the two fey trailing behind us until Brooke asked Azio which house was his.

“This way,” he said softly. Rather than leading, he merely pointed and continued to walk behind us along with Brooke’s fey.

Eventually, we found our way to a cute brick tri-level home with faded green shutters and a blue front door. Smoke curled up from the chimney, and my steps slowed as I took in the extensive array of solar panels on the attached garage.

“I bet they never run out of hot water,” I said under my breath.

“I don’t think anyone here runs out of anything or has to have designated shower or laundry days.”

Brooke led the way forward and opened the door for our party. A fey rose from the sofa and paused the movie he’d been watching.

I froze.

“Groth, she fears our eyes,” one of the fey behind me said in an angry tone.

The fey staring at me quickly averted his gaze, but it didn’t matter. I’d done exactly what I’d feared I would do. I’d offended one of them.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I quickly squatted down and set my forehead on my knees. A hand brushed over the back of my head, and I flinched, waiting for the second one to join it.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Terri, it’s okay,” Brooke said. “I promise.”

The hand continued to smooth over the top of my head.

“Let’s just get her some food and get her home, okay?” Brooke said.

There was a grunt close to my ear. I jerked my head up and found myself face to face with the fey bent down in front of me. Our gazes met for a second as he continued to pet my hair.

“I wish I had different eyes. I’m sorry they frighten you.”