Demon Discord by M.J. Haag

Chapter Six

Ignoring allthe hate-filled glares sent his way, Azio waited for me near the wall. He watched my approach with keen attention that I didn’t immediately notice. I was too busy silently fuming.

“Good morning, Terri. May I carry you?” he asked.

“You may.”

It wasn’t until we were over the wall that I realized leaving with him hadn’t been necessary. I knew the contents of his cupboards and could have negotiated a trade without leaving Tenacity. But staying would have felt like I’d let Wayne win. And he’d already had far too many wins in our marriage.

Rather than asking Azio to turn around, I tucked my face against his chest. His arms tightened around me slightly just as they had the day before. And darn if I didn’t like it. I pretended it was the hug I was craving at the moment—comfort from someone who cared.

That thought made my eyes water, and I sniffled.

“You are safe, Terri,” Azio said a moment before he jumped, and my stomach flipped.

He didn’t put me down as soon as he landed, though. I was smart enough not to look up this time.

“May I carry you to my house? I don’t want you to faint again.”

“That’s very considerate. Thank you.”

He didn’t move.

“Is that consent to carry you?” The hesitance and confusion in his tone had me smiling.

“It is. Thank you for double-checking.”

This time he started walking, and I kept my forehead pressed against his tee-shirt-covered pectoral until he reached his front door. He let me down without me having to ask.

Inside, the same fey from the day before watched a movie, which he paused when I entered.

He didn’t look up at me, though.

“Good morning, Terri,” he greeted.

“Good morning. It’s Groth, right?”

“Yes.”

Not sure what more to say, I plucked open the bag to show them the clothes. As soon as the dress lay on the back of the couch, Groth stood and came closer. Their expressions ranged from confusion to awe the longer they studied it.

“Babies wear this?” Azio asked.

“Yes. Well, female babies do. Although, I don’t think anyone would say anything if you put it on a boy except maybe, ‘cute girl.’ It’s not something a baby would wear every day. It’s a special occasion kind of thing. A fancy dress fit for a princess.”

“Special,” Azio said, petting a ruffle. “I will trade much food for this.”

I cringed and felt a stab of guilt.

“If you’re looking for clothes, it’s better to trade for practical items. Durable outfits.” Which I’d brought with and quickly produced. Azio considered the little jeans. Without looking at me, he grunted and went to the kitchen.

I glanced at Groth, who quickly looked away from me.

“Do you have another one like this? I would like one too.”

“There are other dresses, but none like this. I can check with other houses, though.”

“Thank you.”

Something heavy thumped down on the counter in the kitchen, startling me. When I looked over, Azio’s gaze locked with mine, and I quickly looked down at what he’d moved. The white paper package confused me for only a moment.

“Is that meat?”

“Yes. Steak, I think. I will give you four more in exchange for all of the clothes.”

I wanted to say yes so badly, but I couldn’t cheat him like that.

“Honestly, Azio, one steak is more than these clothes are worth.”

“To you, maybe. To me, they mean everything.”

I risked a peek and quickly averted my gaze at the intensity in his eyes. It made my heart race in fear and in pity.

“You’ll need more than clothes to make a baby,” I said.

He grunted.

“Why do females fear us?” Groth asked. “We hide our teeth. We look away.” He exhaled heavily. “Will you teach us how to be better?”

“Better?”

“Better males to attract females.”

He won my attention and quickly looked away, which made me feel all kinds of guilty even as I was relieved.

“The problem isn’t with the fey. We just need more time to get used to you. We’ve all had our lives turned upside down since those earthquakes. The infected. The hellhounds. Winter. Food shortages. It’s been one bad thing after another. It’s hard to focus on relationships with all of that going on.” As I said it, I thought of Wayne. There was so much pressure on him. On us both. Was it any wonder we were both snapping at each other?

“Will you tell us more about what’s changed?”

“The clothes and conversation in exchange for the steaks?”

“Yes.”

My stomach twisted at the idea of spending hours alone with two of them, but that white-wrapped package wrapped sang its siren song loud enough it drowned out enough of my fear that I was actually considering it. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, and there was a couch nearby if I ended up fainting again.

“It’s a deal,” I said, taking off my jacket.

I talked about life before the quakes and the hardships we’d faced since then. Azio got up after a while and brought me a glass of water. I smiled my thanks and continued explaining. When he directed me to sit at the table, I did and watched him start to make something as I kept talking.

He and Groth both asked questions. During the entire conversation, they were polite and listened attentively. We paused to eat the stew Azio had prepared for us then they sat at the table while I did the dishes.

“So only two of the men in your house leave for supplies?” Azio asked. “And only once every three days?”

“Yeah. It makes meals like this one even more special. Thank you for feeding me.”

“Thank you for talking to us.”

“Of course. If it’s all right with you, I should go home now.”

Like when I’d arrived, he carried me as soon as we left the house so I wouldn’t freak out. Then he ran all the way to Tenacity before slowing and asking me the same question as the previous day.

“Will you trade with me again tomorrow?”

I thought of all the clothes still in the basement and the steaks weighing down the backpack he’d provided me. It would be foolish to pass up a chance to trade for more food. Yet, I hesitated. I was growing more comfortable around Azio and Groth, and that terrified me because of the promise I’d made to myself. Once I was comfortable, I’d pull my own weight and go on supply runs.

Azio exhaled heavily and set his head on top of mine. Oh, how I liked that simple, comforting move.

“I’m sorry I scare you.”

“And I’m sorry I’m not better at hiding it. You shouldn’t feel guilty about my shortcomings. I’ll trade with you tomorrow and every day afterward for as long as I can find clothes. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“And for the record, I don’t think I’ll always be afraid of fey. Spending time with you is helping.”

This time, his hug wasn’t nearly as subtle, and I grinned into his chest, only feeling a smidge of guilt for the contact. Yes, I was married. But I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I wasn’t having improper thoughts. And considering the questions they’d asked me today, neither Azio nor Groth were having improper thoughts. They were simply curious about humans in general.

Azio jumped over the wall and deposited me inside before leaving. I hurried home, anticipating the stunned reactions of my housemates and husband when I showed them what I’d obtained. However, when I arrived home, I didn’t receive the greeting I expected.

The meager pile of my possessions waited on the table along with Wayne’s wedding band. He’d smashed it flat, so it wasn’t wearable anymore.

Setting the backpack aside, I picked up his ring, too dazed to know what to think. In all our years together and all our fights, even the one about the vasectomy, he’d never taken it off.

A slight sound from the doorway leading into the kitchen let me know I wasn’t alone.

“I’m sorry, honey,” Grandma said softly.

“Where is he?”

She shook her head slightly, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Wayne, don’t you dare hide from this.”

Grandma stepped back, and Wayne strode in.

“I’m not hiding. I was giving you a chance to leave quietly.”

“I’m not leaving.” I grabbed the backpack and opened it to dump the three packages of steak on the table. “Real meat, Wayne. That’s what I brought to the table. What did you bring, other than a smashed ring and a temper tantrum?”

His face flushed red, and his hand snaked out to grab mine. I was so shocked by the aggressive move that I didn’t understand what he was going after until he started tugging on my rings. They hit my knuckle before I thought to fist my hand.

Wayne pried at my fingers, and I hit at his shoulder as he bent over my hand.

“What is wrong with you?” I demanded.

“Nothing. It’s what’s wrong with you.”

He won the rings free and immediately backed away.

“You’re not the woman I married anymore, and this is as close to a divorce as we can get.”

“Those aren’t your rings. Those are mine from my grandmother because you were too broke to buy me anything, remember?”

His eyes narrowed, and he tossed them at me. They pinged off my chest and fell to the floor.

“At least I didn’t throw them in your face like you seem to enjoy doing,” he said.

My lips trembled as I bent to pick up the rings, but I refused to give in to my tears. Divorced. My insides felt like they were bleeding. After everything I’d done and given up for him, he wanted to divorce me at the end of the world? Where had I gone wrong? What was wrong with me?

“I’ll move my things in with Sam,” I said, scooping up my pile of clothes.

“Unbelievable. Sticking around isn’t going to change my mind,” Wayne said.

“The housing is assigned. Where else do you think I can go? I’m just as much stuck with you as you are with me.”

“Why don’t you run off with one of your fey? Brooke found somewhere else to live easily enough.”

My mouth dropped open, and before I could figure out how to reply to that, he stormed out the door.

Grandma sighed heavily and wrapped me in a hug as my tears finally let loose.

“I know that it doesn’t feel like it now,” she said, “but this moment might be the start of a better future.”

I snorted messily and pulled back to wipe at my face.

“How?”

“Wayne is an ass and getting worse by the day.”

“It’s the pressure.”

“No, it’s the people he’s associating with. A group that hates the fey so blindly that they’d cut their own mothers from their lives to prove they want nothing to do with those grey demons. Not my words. Something Nat’s been whispering in some ears.”

“And Wayne’s mixed up with them? Then he needs help.”

Grandma shook her head slowly, her face conveying her disappointment.

“He’s not an addict needing intervention. He’s a grown man who’s choosing hate over love. Don’t give any more of yourself to him than you already have, honey.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Exactly what he said. Look at who brought you home these last two days. Why stay here when you can live better over there?”

I swallowed hard and looked down at my hands. The left one now bare of rings.

“The rest of you need food too. What about—”

“We’ll be fine. The food will stretch further without an extra mouth.”

That hurt. But I understood what she meant.

“Make sure Greyly gets bigger portions.”

“I will.”