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I take the letters inside and place them on the table before returning to the stalls. As I walk over, I notice two teenage boys giggling at me from the road that passes by my house.
I’ve become a joke, a hilarious fairy tale … the girl who fell in love with a demon and expected him to take care of her. I’m the reason half this town is burned to the ground.
I shift my vision from the nuisances walking past my house to the entrance of our town. Two men are hard at work rebuilding Amanda and Raylan’s hut. I sigh and look at my wheelbarrow.
Half of the huts in the village are still in shambles. The ashes blow everywhere, and I dare not venture into the town center if I don’t have to. Every speck of destruction reminds everyone that I had betrayed them because I caught feelings for a demon.
A whinny breaks my moping. I smile slightly and walk over to Tiara, bouncing her head up and down.
“What’s up, girl?” I ask, petting her nose. Her breath is warm, and her skin feels like velvet beneath my fingertips. I really need to get her back to Mr. Massey.
I think of Verrin, Yeelus, and me riding her. While I hated that Yeelus creature, the adventure made me feel alive like I wasn’t trapped in a monotonous, lonely life.
I snap from my thoughts and reach into her bucket of treats, handing her one. She almost swallows it whole before I laugh and return to work. Second thoughts cloud my mind as I tend to the crops and ensure the equus’ stalls are clean. Had I made a mistake by running from him? What was he thinking when he unleashed his true powers? Would he ever harmmelike that?
“Of course he would,”my mind fights itself.“He’s a demon. It’s his nature.”I nod and exhale, focusing on the weeds I’m pulling from the front yard.
I worked until the sun began to set. My body aches, and thoughts of Verrin have infiltrated my mind all day.
Exhausted, I return to the stalls to feed the equus their dinner and refill their water. I stop at Tiara’s stall and pet her while she eats. Her smell had almost intermixed with Verrin’s when we were on our adventure. The memories make me sink onto the floor against the stall door.
My eyes water and tears spill over my cheeks as I hyperventilate. I try to calm myself by putting my hand over my mouth, but the wails keep coming. Had I let go of something extraordinary? Would I ever find that feeling with someone again?
Memories of the first night we made love run through my mind. Visions of our days and nights together, the feeling of his fingertips on my skin, and the vulnerability in his eyes when he told me of his home.
A bright blue light stops my sobbing. I raise my arm over my eyes to block it, but it continues to grow. The equus go crazy in their stalls, kicking the walls and whinnying.
Suddenly, the light snaps and fades away. I remove my arm, confused and dazed. The equus are still throwing a fit at the unwelcome distraction. I blink a few times to make sure I’m seeing straight. A creature walks toward me, flicking its tail in the air proudly.
“Yeelus?”
“Yes, Jenna,” he responds in a more serious tone than usual.
Usually, he would be mocking me and hurling insults by now. I stand, wiping the tears from my eyes and clearing my throat. I look at him, building walls around my heart again.
“What do you want?” I ask as I walk toward the exit of the stable.
“Jenna, please.” He chases after me.
“I don’t care, Yeelus.” I wave him away, and he persists.
“Jenna, you have to listen.”
I continue walking and shake my head before I hear a sigh behind me and find myself falling. I barely catch myself with my hands. I roll over and see Yeelus directly in front of my face.
“Listen,” he demands, graveness in his eyes.
I roll my eyes and perch myself on my elbows. “What?”
“Verrin is not well.”
My gut twinges. “What do you mean?”
“He won’t eat, he’s barely sleeping, and all he talks about is you.”
I click my teeth and stand again, walking away from Yeelus. “He’s fine.”
“No,” Yeelus calls out, running beside me. “No, really, he’s not.”
