Page 24 of Monsters and Mocha

Grumpy I can handle. It’s much better than the negative dismissal of the value of his own life he seems set on believing.

“My mother would be appalled. Well, more appalled than she already is, though I don’t know if that’s actually possible.”

“She didn’t want you to go into medicine?”

Darby swallowed past the painful lump that re-emerged whenever she thought of her parents. “She didn’t want me doing anything that might interfere with marrying a rich young man and increasing their standing in society, and Father went along with whatever she said. I think she only allowed me to enter the Academy because she was convinced I would give it up before the first term was over and come home with my tail between my legs.”

Fitz let out a huff of amusement. “You don’t seem like the giving up type.”

She rose, satisfied with her work, and pocketed her tools again. “I’m not. And once I knew for sure I was going to stay, I challenged myself to not only finish, but to finish so well that not even she could find any fault. I graduated at the top of my class, and I’m the youngest registered Mavorian mage in recent history.” She gently pulled Fitz forward, walking him with slow steps around the small room to help him grow accustomed to the movement.

“I’m sure she must be proud.”

Her humorless laugh echoed in the small room. “One might think. But in her eyes, I’ve not only humiliated her with my unladylike shape and build—I’m not very fashionable, in case you haven’t noticed—but I’ve brought shame and mortification by choosing to work for a living.”

But it doesn’t matter, she told herself for what must have been the millionth time. Because people like Merry and Fitz need me. If I had been content to just wither away on the sides of a ballroom, they might have fared much, much worse.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Not that I’m telling you all of this to make you feel sorry for me or to change your mind. I have Henry, and he’s proud enough of me for two parents.”

“Henry is your…?”

“Technically, he’s my landlord, but he practically adopted me after my second year at the Academy. I would spend nearly every night and weekend in the cafe studying; his coffee is the only reason I was able to graduate.”

“And your friends? Surely they are proud of your accomplishments.”

Darby looked up at him with raised eyebrows as she turned him around at the door to pace across the length of the room again. “You’re certainly full of questions. Know your enemy, I suppose,” she added with a chuckle before continuing. “But I don’t really have friends to speak of. I was too intense and focused during my time at the Academy, and it tended to drive most people away.”

They moved in silence for a few moments. Fitz’s gait was uneven, but he was growing steadier with every step. Darby squeezed the arm she held. “You’re doing wonderful, Fitz! Now it’s just the matter of the stairs, and we’ll have you ready for a moonlit stroll in no time.”

The captain visibly recoiled. “You want me to go outside?”

“Of course. You can’t stay in this room forever.”

Fitz shook his head vehemently. “I can’t go out there. They’ll see me as a monster.”

She let go of his arm in order to place herself squarely in front of him. She crossed her arms. “You’re not a monster.”

“You have to say that. You made me this way.”

“Fitzwilliam Monstrego.” She infused her voice with every bit of intimidation she could muster. “You are not a monster. You are a hero who has been given a second chance at life, and the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better. It’s a pity I don’t have mind control magic.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” The bite of his words was softened by the tears she could see gathering at the corners of his eyes. “You’re not the one who will be making the old ladies whisper and the babies cry.”

“If they do, they’ll have to answer to me,” she responded stoutly, meaning every word. When he didn’t answer right away, she reached out and laid her hand gently on his arm. “I mean it, Fitz. But there’s no rush; we can take all the time you need.”

He stared down at her hand as if transfixed. He swallowed once, twice, before bringing his dark eyes up to meet hers straight on. He whispered, “You were wrong earlier.”

“Oh?”

“I wasn’t asking questions to know my enemy better. I was asking because when you’re going into battle, it’s important to understand the person fighting alongside you.”

Darby’s lips stretched into a soft smile. “I’m with you, Fitz. You’re stuck with me, no matter what battles lie ahead.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

DARBY

“If you’re going for inconspicuous, I don’t think this is going to work.”