Page 104 of Demon Touched

He stares at me for a moment, then understanding crosses his face, and his lips twitch.

“Leah, do you actually think you need to warn me that your sister doesn’t live in a palace?”

I blow air out through my teeth. “I mean, yeah. You were a king, you live in a castle. Even in Aradis you were staying at the Seraph Seat. I’m just trying to manage expectations.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I think we should be worrying more about managing your sister’s expectations. What does she know?”

He makes a good point. “I sent her a letter explaining about being nephilim and living in Aradis, so at least she won’t be completely blindsided.” I bite my lip. “Obviously, I didn’t say anything about you. It’s not exactly the kind of thing I could safely write in a message.”

He gives me an appraising look. “And do you want her to know anything about me?”

“I think that chicken is about to fly the coop, Syrus.”

He shrugs one shoulder, trying to avoid jostling Viz too much.

“I could be human. Keep my wings hidden. Stay out of bright lights so she doesn’t notice my eyes. We have enough Morphos water for Viz and me to keep our disguises for at least a few more days. Maybe we could just be some scavenger friends of yours.”

I look over Syrus’s clothes. Like mine, they’re grimy and dusty from the fight at the Seraph Seat, but I can see the quality of his shirt and doublet, even if they’re a little old-fashioned. Plus, all three of us are sporting pretty impressive swords.

“Let’s just see how many questions they ask,” I say. “We’ll take it from there.”

The glow from the windows of Evie and Jeremy’s house feels comforting as we approach, soothing my nerves a little, giving me room to feel excited about seeing my sister again after all these months. I practically sprint to the door and maybe rap on it a little too enthusiastically, because when it opens, Jeremy peers cautiously out, crowding the frame like a sentinel determined to protect this house.

“Hello, Jeremy,” I say. His eyes widen when they fall on me. “Sorry about turning up uninvited, but I’m afraid I need help.”

I glance over my shoulder, and he follows my gaze. In the dim lamplight, my friends look human enough, but that doesn’t actually stop Syrus from looking dangerous. Though Jeremy is tall and broad-shouldered himself, I see him sizing Syrus up, acknowledging the strength clearly written in his muscles and the sword at his side. Then his eyes fall on Viz, still blinking dazedly around, and the bandage wrapped around his head. The sight of it shifts something in Jeremy, and he nods, opening the door.

“Please, come in,” he says.

He turns and calls up the stairs as we follow him in. “Evie, you have a visitor.” He glances at Syrus and Viz again. “Visitors,” he corrects uncertainly.

When Evie sees me, it’s obvious she wants to run to me, but her progress is hampered by the sizable bump she’s now carrying around, and she’s forced to shuffle awkwardly down the stairs, gripping the banister tightly.

“Leah!” she calls, her joy overwhelming her confusion.

“There’s a lot to explain, I know,” I say as she comes in to hug me. “But right now we need a medicine woman for my friend Viz. There’s a specific woman I know we can trust⁠—”

“I’ll go get her,” Jeremy says, moving over to grab a coat off a hook by the door. I blink, impressed by how quickly he springs into action—not asking questions, just doing what needs to be done.

“Right. Thank you,” I say and give him instructions for how to find Martha. He stops beside me before walking out the door, glancing at Evie.

“You’ll watch out for her while I’m gone?” he asks me, so sincerely it would make me smile if I didn’t feel the same protective urge.

“Yes, of course,” I say. Jeremy darts back to kiss Evie on the temple, and then he’s heading out into the night.

“Why don’t you lay him on the couch,” Evie says to Syrus, who’s still holding Viz in his arms. “Let me get him some water, and then maybe you can give me some of that explanation you promised me.”

I follow her to the kitchen, where she pours water from a jug into a glass. She has to bend a little awkwardly to get close enough to the counter.

“Eves, you’re so big!” I say, both delighted and astonished. Has it really been so long since she stood in the kitchen at my father’s house and told me about the pregnancy?

“I was further along than I thought. The medicine woman reckons I’m due in just over a month,” she says, pausing with the glass in hand. “Whereas you don’t look different at all. Except maybe you have a bit more muscle,” she says, squeezing up and down my arm curiously. “Your letter made it sound like…well, like you’d changed so much that coming back to Strata might be difficult for you now.”

I grimace. This is complicated. I glance over at Syrus, who’s crouched down by Viz, offering low, reassuring words to his chamberlain who’s mumbling a little incoherently.

“Yeah, well, I’m more different than it seems at first glance,” I say. Concentrating, I pull my wings out of the pocket of invisibility I vanished them to, letting them unfurl slightly from my back.

Evie gasps, and out the corner of my eye, I see Syrus look up sharply.