AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Was that her magic? Her origin?
Arthur sat back against the couch and slapped his knees, looking quite proud of himself. The color wheel rolled back into a loose cylinder, the paper soon reclaimed by a swipe of Cinder’s claws. “I expect a raise,” Arthur said to Darien.
A low, quiet laugh slipped through Darien’s lips. Loren clung to the sound, her heart having yearned to hear it again for days. Days that felt like years.
Tamika was staring at Tanner. “Why are you wearing glasses?”
Tanner, who was leaning against the wall near the media centre, shifted under her scrutiny. “I like them.”
Darien encouraged, “Do you think they look good on him?”
Tamika gave Darien a knowing look. “This is Tanner, isn’t it?”
Tanner looked very lost as he glanced between them, glasses sliding down his nose. He pushed them back up. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Darien said quickly.
But Tamika rolled her eyes. “Your friend tried to set us up on a date.”
“I certainly didn’t,” Darien said. Loren knew him well enough to tell he was lying.
Doctor Atlas laughed. “He could use one,” she said of her son.
Tanner stared at Darien with a poker face. “Did you really?”
“I liked how your names sounded together,” Darien said, smiling. “Tamika and Tanner. You also have very similar taste in eyeglasses.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Oh, for the gods’ sakes.”
Tamika faced Tanner again. Looked him over. The attention caused him to shift on his feet again. “Can’t you get a girl on your own?”
“I’m smart with computers, I’m not smart with girls.”
Tanner barely got the last word out before Bandit leapt out of Darien’s shadow with a series of sharp barks. The Familiar raced to the fridge, clawed feet tearing up the carpet. People shouted as Bandit bumped into legs and jostled the coffee table. He stepped on Cinder’s tail, causing her to mew in pain, followed by his rubber chicken, the toy sucking in a noisy gasp as its belly was flattened.
The dog slammed into the fridge. The appliance rocked back.
Mortifer scrambled behind the cereal boxes, eyes wide with fear.
Loren moved aside as Darien shot to his feet. “Hey!” he snapped. He stalked across the room, feet pounding. “What the hell is going on, Bandit?”
Bandit was still barking. This time, when he spoke, he made his words audible for everyone in the room. He’s been stealing your coins!
The Devils glanced at each other.
Travis said, “Is that where they’ve been going?”
Mortifer ducked behind a box of puffed rice.
Darien stepped up to the fridge and pushed that box aside, exposing the Hob to the many eyes in the room. Mortifer’s knees were tucked under his chin, his hands flattened over his eyes. He spread his tiny fingers, peering through a space between two of them as the leader of the Seven Devils studied him.
“Morty,” Darien reproached. “Is it true?”
I’m not lying, Bandit hissed. The demon-monkey is a thief—
“Bandit, that’s enough,” Darien said. “He has a name and it’s not demon-monkey.” He crossed his arms and looked up at Mortifer, who still peered between his fingers. “Where are they?” Darien asked.
Jack cut in. “Check the ice bin.” Heads turned to look at him, Darien’s included. Jack explained, “I put some ice in my drink the other night and found a coin in there.”
