Connor tilted his head back against the couch so he could see when he heard the click of the lock being undone. Ahisu was the one to walk out. Connor turned around so he could see the mage properly and right side up, noticing the way Ahisu glanced around the room. Connor nodded. “Don’t worry. I got Mother to leave. She doesn’t like me much, but she won’t cross me. She knows I have no problems going to the press.”
Ahisu met his eyes steadily for a moment before walking over to take the chair across from Connor. Rika’s brother watched him for a moment before asking, “How is she?”
“Asleep.”
Connor sighed, leaning forward, his hands clasped loosely in his lap. “How bad was it? And don’t both trying to hide anything. I know Rika ends up messed up and crying every time Mother shows up.”
“She cried for a time. Now she sleeps.”
“But she’s alright, right? She didn’t cry until she passed out, did she?”
Ahisu nodded slightly. “She stopped.”
Connor sighed again, leaning back against the couch. “Good. I don’t think it’s healthy for her to cry that much, but it’s not like there’s much I can do. I try and keep Mother from coming here, but since it’s her name on all the ownership papers, it’s not like I can really stop her. And she doesn’t care what kind of disruptions she causes us.”
“She is…not kind.”
The laughter that followed Ahisu’s words was bitter and without amusement. “Not kind. That’s the gentle way of putting it. She’s a bitch who shouldn’t have been allowed to children. Now, I probably don’t have any right to complain, because it’s the only way I or Rika’d exist, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world, but I sure as hell wish we’d been adopted or something. Or had actual parents who cared about us,” he said. Connor looked up and, realizing who he was talking to, frowned. “What about you? Your parents as bad as ours?”
“No. My father left. My mother died.”
Snickers from the corner drew both their attention to the white flash of teeth among scarlet skin. “Poor little master, left all alone in the tower,” Shay said, yellow eyes dancing. “Reading books he shouldn’t. Your mother should have taught you not to try and summon demons.”
“Shetton,” Ahisu snapped, dark eyes bright as they bored into his demon.
“Uh-oh, I’ve upset master. Too bad my bindings only force me to keep you from harm and stay with you, so I don’t have to obey you, master.”
“What the hell is wrong with him?” Connor asked, forehead wrinkled.
“Nothing is wrong with me, mortal. I’m a demon. But I’m an improperly summoned one. Master made several mistakes with my bindings, so I have far more freedom than my kind are usually allowed. And since I was the one to raise master since he summoned me at the ripe age of six, he has difficulty disciplining me, don’t you master?”
Connor turned to stare at the mage as a low hiss came from Ahisu. “You were raised by a demon? By him?” he asked, pointing at the still grinning Shetton.
Ahisu said nothing, only continued to glare at his demon. Chuckling a little, Shetton bowed. “Yes, yes, master. I’ll be quiet. For now. No need to get testy. I just thought, since it appeared to be some kind of mortal sharing time, that you’d want to participate. It could have been worse. I could have mentioned your father, the great Jaecan Malajit.”
“Shetton!” the mage snapped as he sat upright, voice well above a normal volume, a shout compared to his usual quiet voice.
Laughing, the demon strolled out, the front door shutting firmly behind him. For several seconds, neither of them spoke, Ahisu glaring at the closed door while Connor stared at the mage. It was Rika’s brother who broke the silence. “Your demon’s a dick.”
Ahisu turned slowly to look at Connor unblinkingly for several seconds. Finally, he snorted, his stiff posture relaxing slightly. “He is a demon.”
“I get that. But I think-”
Connor broke off at the sound of a door opening again. His and Ahisu’s eyes were immediately drawn to the white door of Rika’s room, watching as she came stumbling out, rubbing at her eyes with the back of one hand, her hair a mess. Both men stood.
“You alright, Riks?” Connor asked, reaching her first and putting hands on her shoulders.
She nodded, eyes still partially puffed. “I’m fine,” she croaked, throat still raw from her sobbing. “Is she gone?”
“Yeah. You know I won’t let her stay any longer than absolutely necessary. Especially when she’s in one of those moods.”
“I heard voices.”
Connor winced. “Sorry. We didn’t meant to wake you up. It was the demon’s fault.”
“Shay?” Rika asked, then looked past her brother, catching sight of Ahisu standing just a few feet behind him. Her face flared red as she remembered the last thing she’d said to him. She dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to take his eyes.
Her brother frowned but it was Ahisu who spoke, moving forward so he stood beside Connor. “Sleep, now.”
Rika looked up. “But-”
He cut her off with a nod towards the window, through which only the faint glow of the street lights could be seen. “It’s night. Back to sleep until morning.”
“But-”
While Connor made a strangled noise of protest, Ahisu cut her off with an arm around her waist, propelling her back to her room. “Sleep,” he ordered, tone and face leaving Rika with no room to argue.
YOU ARE READING
Reader Believes
FantasyRika has finally gotten home and is all set to put the events of the past months behind her. That is until Ahisu arrives with an offer she can't refuse. Now she's helping him recruit others and plan a rebellion. He plans to turn the country into a h...
