Demon Discord by M.J. Haag

Chapter Four

His words,along with the regret in which he’d delivered them, humanized him in a way nothing else had. They also caused a wave of shame to wash over me. Could this fey honestly care what I thought of him?

“There’s nothing wrong with your eyes,” I managed. “And I’m very sorry I gave you that impression. It wasn’t intended.”

He grunted, stood, and offered his hand.

I glanced up at him in surprise. Intentional or not, his gesture felt like a test to see if I meant what I’d said. However, he quickly turned his head, averting his gaze from my wide-eyed focus. Another nudge of shame prompted me to accept his hand.

My fingers trembled as they slid against his warm palm, and his hold remained light while he helped me to my feet. As soon as I was steady, though, I tugged my hand free.

Brooke watched me with sad disappointment while all three fey did their best not to look at me at all.

“All of the food is in the kitchen,” Azio said. “Go look and tell me if any of it interests you.”

Likely, it would all interest me, but I didn’t say that. Instead, I removed my shoes and hurried across the room to go through his cupboards. He hadn’t been kidding about all the food being there. Where most houses had one or two cabinets dedicated to food and the rest chock-full of dishes to prepare them, Azio had done the opposite.

Everything was neatly organized—cans with cans, boxes with boxes, bags with bags, and so forth. My gaze wandered over the quantity in awe. I hadn’t seen so much food in one place since my last trip to the grocery store months ago.

I trailed my fingers over an unopened two-pound bag of rice and the dried beans underneath it. Together, they would feed everyone in the house for two or three days. One was hardly worth the clothes I had, never mind both.

A grey hand reached around me and pulled both bags from the cupboard.

“What else would you like?”

I shook my head but didn’t turn around. He was too close.

“I can’t take more. That’s already too much.” I opened the bag and started placing the clothes on the counter. Three onesies and three sleepers.

He picked up one item and smoothed it out.

“Caden seems so small already. It is hard to believe they come out even smaller.”

“It’s a good thing they do, considering where they come out of,” Brooke said from behind me with a laugh.

All three fey made odd sounds, and I glanced at Azio, who was staring at the clothes with a deeply troubled expression.

“Angel said there will be much pain and blood,” he said, without looking at me. “Shax is very afraid for her. Many of us are. We want children, but not at the risk of our females.”

“There are risks all around us. There could be another breach. We could get sick. Run out of food. Or wood. Or water. There are so many ways we could die. I’d rather die trying to have a baby than not try at all,” I said, staring at the clothes.

“You would like children?”

“More than anything. But sometimes, some things just aren’t meant to be.”

There was a long moment of silence, which I interrupted.

“Are you interested in trading?”

“Yes. I will take the tiny clothes in exchange for these bags.”

“Thank you. There are more clothes if you’re interested.”

“I am.”

“Hey, Azio. They typically don’t have a midday meal at her house. Would you care if we ate here?”

I turned, staring at Brooke in shock at her blatant self-imposition.

“Please. Eat whatever you’d like,” Azio said.

“I can’t. You’ve already given too much.”

“They don’t mind. I promise,” Brooke said, hurrying to join me in the kitchen. “Their idea of cooking is throwing stuff together in a pot. Having us make something for them will help even the trade. Plus, we get to eat well too. What do you want to make us?”

The fey next to Brooke laughed.

“My Brooke does not like to cook. She is trying to trick you into cooking for her.”

Brooke grinned at me.

“Every meal you’ve made has been good, and that was without a stocked pantry. Imagine what you could make here,” she said, gesturing to all the food in the cupboards.

A smart person never said no to food.

The fey moved into the living room, far enough out of sight to put to the back of my mind as Brooke and I worked together to make a meal. She mostly talked and fetched while I worked. I didn’t mind, though.

It was the most relaxed meal preparation I’d done in months. An honest to goodness chili with chunks of meat, beans, onions, and peppers. The slight wilt to the green pepper hadn’t bothered me in the least. And the selection of seasonings Azio had made the chili the best thing I’d tasted in ages.

Brooke was quick to grab a spoon of her own for testing.

“This smells amazing,” Brooke said, inhaling. She blew gently to cool her bite then ate it. She groaned as she chewed then swallowed. “Babe, I know you don’t like tomatoes, but I swear you have to try this. When all this stuff is mixed together, it’s not the regular red stuff.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “If I’d known he doesn’t like tomatoes, I could have made something different.”

Brooke laughed. “None of them like tomatoes. But they like meat. So this is a fifty-fifty shot.”

“Oh.” I looked down at the pot, a sick feeling settling in my stomach.

“Hey, it’s fine. You’ll see.”

She turned me and steered me to the table, which she had already set. As soon as I took a seat, the three fey joined us. I kept my eyes on my bowl as Brooke served us all. She filled our dishes to the top and put a small spoonful into each of the fey’s bowls.

“Dig in,” she said, sitting.

I tentatively took a bite and waited for their reactions.

“You are right, my Brooke. It does not taste like the red sauce in the cans.”

“It heats my mouth,” the other fey said.

“It does,” Azio said. “I like it.”

I flushed and smiled down at my bowl, relieved that they’d liked it. Breathing a little easier as they helped themselves to bigger portions, I slowly consumed mine. When I finally scraped the bottom of the bowl, my stomach felt tight and full. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten like that, and I thought of little Greyly with guilt.

“You’re frowning. Here.” Azio slid his partially eaten bowl toward me. “Eat this.”

“I swear, I couldn’t eat more if I wanted to. Thank you, though.”

“Then why do you frown?”

I glanced at Brooke instead of focusing on the fey.

“This is the most I’ve eaten at one time in forever. I should have thought of Greyly.”

“Every time I spent the day here, I should have too,” Brooke said. “But I didn’t. I don’t think that makes either of us shitty people. We weren’t purposely withholding anything from anyone. We just didn’t think about it.”

“But now I have.”

“You have,” she agreed. “But don’t hate yourself for it. Regret is wasted energy. Figure out how to make it right instead.” She flashed a smile at me. “Like how I saw the baby clothes and brought you here, knowing you’d find a better trade.”

I returned her smile, truly grateful for her help but still wishing for what couldn’t be.

“I miss the days of grocery stores. I’d simply run out and buy her a treat. Then again, she wouldn’t need a treat from me if we still had stores.”

“I have treats,” Azio said. “Who is little Greyly?”

“She’s a female child from Tenacity. Close to the same age as Cassie’s little girl,” Brooke said.

Azio grunted and left the table to retrieve a box of chocolate snack rolls from the cupboard.

“These are treats.”

I shook my head, and his gaze locked on me. The chili churned in my full belly, and my pulse jumped. But thankfully, my vision didn’t tunnel when his pupils narrowed on me. Not taking any chances, I looked down at the table.

“I can’t take those.” Trading was fine, but if anyone in Tenacity found out that I was taking handouts from the fey, it would cause trouble in so many ways. I didn’t want that kind of target painted on our house.

“Then, trade,” Brooke said. “Terri will clean up lunch in exchange for one of the packages inside that box.”

I quickly agreed and started collecting bowls at Azio’s grunt.

“Thanks for the meal, Azio, and for helping us out. And since it looks like you have everything under control here, Terri, I’m going to take Solin home. We have some drawing to do.”

She’d barely gotten out the last word when Solin tossed her over his shoulder and strode for the door. Brooke laughed the whole way, waving to me just before the door closed behind them.

Shocked at how quickly she’d left me, I blinked at the door then slowly turned toward the two strange fey lingering by the table.

They both watched me closely.

Azio tilted his head as he studied me.

I started to wheeze in air and spots danced in my peripheral.

Focusing on the stack of bowls in my hands, I hurriedly placed them in the sink then gripped the counter.

I tried to think calming thoughts but could feel the panic taking over and slowly slid to the floor. A hand touched the top of my head.

“You are safe, Terri. I won’t let you hurt yourself.”

I nodded just before I went under.

When I came to, strong arms held me close to a hard chest. I turned my head into the warmth and did my best not to think. Water was running nearby, and I could smell soap. Both were comfortingly normal.

Something rubbed against the top of my head—a nose?—and the chest of my barer expanded slowly.

“She smells good.”

“She does.”

My eyes popped open, and my gaze locked onto the fey standing by the sink. He glanced at me and quickly looked away.

“She’s awake.” He reached into the water and started to wash a bowl.

“I’m supposed to do that,” I said.

He nodded, rinsed the bowl, and stepped aside.

“Are you feeling well enough?” Azio asked, his chest rumbling against me as he spoke.

“I think so.”

He set me down slowly and waited for me to regain my footing before letting go. Neither spoke as I quickly cleaned up lunch without making any more eye contact. Azio packed my food, including a pack of the snack rolls, in a bag when I finished.

“Will you take me home now?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I practically fled the house after putting on my coat and shoes and immediately regretted my hurry. The fey were still everywhere, and the walk back to the wall tested my ability to stay on my feet. By the time we reached it, I was breathing fast.

“May I carry you?” Azio asked.

I didn’t hesitate to agree. He picked me up and had me over the wall before I could squeal. I tucked my face against his chest to stay warm. His arms slightly tightened around me and I couldn’t say I minded the feeling of being hugged just then. It’d been a long and very stressful morning.

He slowed without jumping, and I lifted my head to see Tenacity’s wall in the distance.

Confused and a little worried, I looked up at Azio.

“Will you trade with me again tomorrow?”

Despite my fear, there was only one answer to give.

“Yes.”