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I breathe out a shaky sigh and clap. “That’s amazing! How much practice did that take?”
She beams, and the glow brightens, flooding the kitchen with a purple light that raises tingles on my skin. “The Librarian helped me while we stayed with her.”
Amazement fills me. They didn’t stay with her for that long, and the Librarian is a hag demon whose specialties lie in divination by casting runes and inspecting the entrails of dead rodents.
Just imagine what Star could learn with a dozen teachers at her fingertips.
“Does this mean you want to come study at the Conservatory?” I glance from Star to Lia, unsure if this is something they’ve already discussed.
Lia nods, a proud smile curving her lips. If she thinks Star’s ready for the next step, then I trust her assessment.
Star fidgets, the ball of light fading as she gazes around the brand-new kitchen. “Would I have to live there all the time?”
“No, of course not, sweetie.” I gesture at the house. “You can come home on the weekends, or you can stay here and commute in. Whatever you like.”
She lifts the Library card from the counter. “Can I still keep this?”
“There’s already a portal at the Conservatory.” I beckon for her to join me. “Why don’t you come with me to collect Reese? I can give you a tour of the school while Marc helps Lia with taking care of things here.”
“Gee, thanks.” Marc pushes up his sleeves and turns to Lia. “So, what’s on your honey-do list so far?”
“Curtains.” She points to the bare windows. “The cupboards don’t have enough food, so we’ll need to go grocery shopping, too. The washer and dryer also need to be hooked up…”
Her voice continues to add to the jobs as Star and I step back out into the garage, Orianna on our heels.
Star may be hesitant now, but in a few months, she’ll have made friends at the Conservatory and won’t come home as often.
In no time, she’ll fly the coop to live her own life.
This is always one of my happiest and saddest moments, knowing that one of the kids we saved has grown past their need for us.
rescued from hell
- Pen -
I park in front of Lia’s new house, and Marc jogs out like the hounds of hell are on his tail.
As he heads down the stairs, Lia waves from the door.
With a wave back, I turn to Marc when he slides into the passenger seat beside me. “Did someone call for a pickup?”
“Drive!” He puts on his seatbelt. “Before they realize I’m gone!”
Laughing, I pull through the other side of the crescent-shaped driveway and out onto the street. “I can’t believe Flint left you there alone.”
“I’ll be right back, he said.” Marc imitates Flint in a high-pitched voice. “I’ll just give Star a small tour, and then we’ll pick up Reese. Five hours later, and he decides they’re not coming back until morning!”
“Poor boy.” I reach out to pat his muscular thigh. “Having to spend time with all those kids.”
“For a while, everyone busied themselves setting up their bedrooms. But then they got bored, and I became the new entertainment for the house.” With a groan, Marc throws his head against the seat. “Flint owes me big time.”
“It’s a good thing I took the early shift today, or you would have been stranded for a while.” I smooth my hands over the butter-soft steering wheel. “It took some convincing to get Darius to hand over his keys, though.”
He turns his head to look at me. “Did he make you promise to bring it right back?”
I laugh at the memory of Darius’s pained expression. “No, but I’m sure he wanted to.”
Marc shifts to face me. “What do you say to you and me getting a room for ourselves tonight?”
