Most of the time, Krystan wore dark eye liner and was put together in some kind of binding leather outfit. Today her face was naked both of makeup and of defenses. Anger, blame, and hurt were stamped in her eyes as we regarded each other.
We didn’t say anything for a long moment. She didn’t scream or carry on about how I had avoided all their calls, all their pleas for help. I wanted to disappear into the nights where Emma came to me, naked, willing, surrendering her flesh to me while I pretended she didn’t do terrible things. But the full brunt of my behavior hit me now that I was here in the light with my friends. I’d acted cowardly, drawing into myself, unable to design any solution. I swallowed hard. How could I possibly explain that I hadn’t been strong enough to claw my way out of a hell I wasn’t even sure I wanted to leave?
“You look like shit,” she finally said.
I tilted my head in her direction indicating the same about her.
She snorted. “Yeah, I’m a new mom. I’m supposed to look like shit.” Descending the rest of the stairs, she wrinkled her nose. “Whoa, no one should light a match around or near that spectacular beard you are rocking.”
Travis reappeared in the doorway to the dining room where Snarp’s cage was situated. Travis shook the glass of scotch at me in one hand and a package of Twinkies in the other. I walked over, taking the glass and snack cakes.
As if on cue, cries crackled through the baby monitor.
Travis grabbed Krystan’s arm, pulling her upstairs. “See what I mean? Thanks for the help, man.”
Krystan scowled even as she was dragged away. I let out a sigh once I was alone. Throwing back the scotch, I reveled in the burn as it hit my stomach. I’d sobered up too much in the car ride over. Grabbing the Twinkies, I flipped the blanket up that was over the cage. Snarp blinked. He'd been asleep. The moment he saw me, his head began to bob and he jumped across the cage toward the door as I opened it. Snarp flew out of the cage and landed on the table. Snarp stomped his feet excitedly.
Except this time instead of asking for snacks, he did something very uncharacteristic. He flew up onto my shoulder and nuzzled my neck. I stopped cold.
Snarp began clicking his beak. Without saying any real words, I understood he had missed me. Carefully, I pulled out a chair and sat down. Pinching off a piece of Twinkie, I fed him on my shoulder.
“I heard you’ve been a pain. Trying to kill yourself again?”
Snarp took a second to swallow his treat before saying. “I miss mistressss.”
“Me too,” I said.
We sat there together for a good ten minutes before Travis and Krsytan came back downstairs. This time Krystan was holding Tristan.
“So are you going to stick with this whole rugged, bearded mountain man look?” Krystan asked.
Ignoring her, Travis patted my back. “Thanks man. You’ve been a big help.”
I had been in too much of a fog earlier to realize how he was placating me. I should have minded but I didn’t.
There was a knock on the front door. It was soft, but audible.
Travis frowned. “Who would be here this late?”
With a glance at the clock, I saw it was almost two in the morning. My skin prickled as if there were some kind of magnetic field nearby.
“Who knows,” Krystan said, setting Tristan down in his basinet. “Any one person from the Orders could be knocking down our door looking for big and drunk over there. They’ve already been over here to set wards on our place three times. They painted those crappy-looking glyphs inside and out. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Regina and Phillip were obsessed with us.” She snorted and started for the door.
So my parents had been taking care of my friends. I didn’t want to let that penetrate, but it did. Still it wasn’t enough to offset the bitter taste of our last meeting. In the grand scheme, I was nothing to them.
“Krystan stop.” My harsh command cracked like a whip causing her to stop in her tracks.
It had taken a moment to sink in through my dullened senses, but the air had become charged, nearing electric. The energy coming from the front door had a distinct imprint. It could only be one person.
“It’s Emma,” I said, standing and flexing my jaw. I hated the ripple of fear that spread out through my body. I couldn’t fight her.
Because you can’t win or because you don’t want to?My thoughts mocked.
“Let me in, Krystan,” Emma voice came through the door. “You don’t want to keep the godmother of your son out in the cold, do you?”
Krystan’s dark eyes widened, and Travis stiffened next to me.
“She can’t get in, can she?” Travis asked in a hushed voice.
