“Yeah, that was different,” I said. “What about you? You good? You gave it all to him? Nothing leftover?”
He looked at me, with wide eyes. He stepped closer so he could talk quietly. Before he spoke he tapped his temple, like he was asking if anyone else was listening in. “Just us,” I said.
“Boss, I don’t know how she’s been walking around with all of that. She gave nie everything from the attack on her and Misha, to the ball, to the first kidnapping attempt, and then everything from the second. Just the pain alone from when she was hurt was enough to break him, not to mention everything she felt on top of that. Much like your anger, I could’ve broken ten Armando’s and still had leftover. He’s never getting away from all of that for the rest of his days,” he said, somewhat satisfied,
I put my hand on his shoulder, pushing him toward the door. “You did good, kid. I’m proud of you.”
As he opened the door, he said, “you know, I’m proud of me too. I can finally use my hatred for people to do some good in this world.”
Sephie, who still had her face hidden in Ivan’s chest heard him and giggled. She didn’t turn around immediately and now that my anger had dissipated, I could feel her emotional turmoil. Ivan kept his arms around her, lightly rubbing her back with his thumbs/
“How did it go?” Andrei asked.
“Not as violently as I was expecting. His demon underestimated me, so there wasn’t as much fighting back as I was hoping for, which is slightly disappointing,” Stephen said.
Sephie sighed and went to turn around, which made Ivan loosen his grip on her. She still looked troubled, but she was curious. “It worked to use Adrik?” she asked..
“Yeah, he’s all the battery I would ever need. Dude’s got fire for days,” he said. As he answered her, I was hit with her warmth. Her smile stretched across her face and she walked quickly to me.
“It was harder to send it to him versus you at first, but it worked. It got easier the longer I did it,” I said, kissing her temple.
“He also turned it off immediately when we were done. Not gonna lie, I was worried about that in the moment. I’ve never seen him so angry and be able to turn it off like that,” Stephen said.
Sephie wrapped her arms around my waist. “You’re finally learning how useful of a tool it is,” she said as she hid her face in my shoulder.
I looked at Ivan, asking. “she didn’t hear anything?” He shook his head no at the same time that she did. “Come. Let us be gone from this place,” I said, pulling Sephie with me.
Adrik
Sephie stayed quiet the rest of the evening, but she felt happy. I caught Stepbe away from everyone else while Misha was distracting Sephie. “When you gave everything to your sisters, what did it do to you?” asked.
“I was crazy tired that next day, but otherwise felt much better. She’ll feel better soon. I’ve known that she feels things intensely for a long time, but knowing it and feeling just how intensely she feels things are two very different things. She’s probably going to need to sleep most of the day tomorrow,” he said.
“What about you? Are you extra tired after doing that again?”
He thought for a moment. “No, actually I feel really good. I think it’s leftover from your fuck you boost,” he said, laughing quietly.
“Good. That also means you’re getting better at handling the extra. It’s a good sign. Likely means you’re going to level up soon.”
He thought for a moment. “I have no idea how my gift would level up. Do I to choose? Can I literally rip the demon out of the person and crush it next time? I’d sign up for that.”
I looked at him, trying not to laugh at where his mind went. “This break from time with him. It’s really increased your creativity. I have contacts at customs lad has been good for you. I think you were spending a little too much might delay him a little longer.”
Stephen was normally very understated. He would laugh, but he was always gulet about it. It was a rare occasion when we could get him to laugh foudly, especially in a group setting. He laughed so loudly that everyone else stopped talking and looked at him, completely surprised that he’d done
50.
Sephie’s wide smile stretched across her face. I knew she’d fished in my head to find out what made him laugh. For a moment, she looked brighter. I was hopeful after some extra rest she could continue to look brighter.
That night, once we were alone, I asked her about her and Andrei’s method of talking to each other. “Me and Ivan aren’t the only ones you can talk to without actually speaking,” I said, grinning at her. She cut her eyes over at me. “How did you know?”
“I saw your signal to each other. You’re very discreet. I don’t think anyone else has caught on,” I said. “What did you need to tell him?”
“I asked him to keep an eye on Stephen. I was worried about his confidence. I wasn’t sure how strong Armando’s demon would be and I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to feel if he started to hesitate about his abilities. I was trying to cover all the bases,” she said, climbing into bed while she waited for me.
I turned off the light and grabbed the remote for the blinds, closing them part way before climbing in beside her. “I don’t know if it will always remain so, but his confidence was definitely not an issue this time. We saw the demon step forward. It grossly underestimated Stephen,” I said. I opened my arms for her to lie across my chest. She sighed and snuggled in as close to me as possible. I knew it wouldn’t take her long to fall asleep. “How are you, solnishko? You’ve been quieter than usual.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.