Chapter 8 If She Falls #2
“And Rule Number Six-and-a-Half,” I added, “Seri will not investigate said disturbances herself because she’s not actually a character in a horror movie who splits off from the group.”
That earned me a wadded-up piece of paper to the face.
“I’m not stupid!”
“Nope, not stupid, baby doll. Just too curious for your own good.”
“Rule Number Seven,” Cas persisted, although I could tell by the muscle jumping in his jaw that his patience was fraying. “Seri will wear the protective gear provided, including but not limited to armor and a helmet.”
“Fine, but the helmet’s getting moon stickers.” Her gray eyes bore into Cas’. “Non-negotiable, Simmy.”
“Acceptable.” Cas pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “Rule Number Eight. Seri will carry emergency supplies at all times, including water, first aid kit, and iron filings.”
“In case of leprechauns.” She nodded sagely and added a sprinkle of tiny star stickers around this rule. “Although I still think we could reason with them instead of—”
“No,” we chorused again.
“You three are no fun,” she complained, but her smile never faltered as she continued decorating.
“What about rule fifteen?” I asked oh, so, innocently. “No puppy eyes to get your way when one of us says no.”
“I would never!” she gasped with scowl, then turned to Ko with exactly the look I was describing. “Would I, Koko?”
Koa, the giant softie, just smiled.
“Every day, baby. Multiple times.”
“Rule Number Nine,” Cas said as Seri doodled little caricatures of us in the margins, stick figures with distinct features. Mine had spiky hair and was always drawn mid-eye-roll. “Seri will follow all instructions immediately and without question during emergency situations.”
“Wait. What constitutes an emergency?”
“If we say it’s an emergency, it’s an emergency,” Ko answered before Cas could.
“So if Zane says it’s an emergency because he sees a spider—”
“Hey! That was one time, and it was the size of my fist!”
“It was a dust bunny, Z,” Koa deadpanned.
“A demonic dust bunny! It moved against the wind.”
Seri giggled, the sound like sunshine breaking through clouds.
It still caught me off guard sometimes, how easily she laughed now.
When we’d first found her, she’d been so quiet, so careful, as if expecting punishment for anything.
Now she decorated rulebooks with glitter and threw paper at me and teased us without flinching.
Something twisted in my chest, sharp and protective. No wonder we were all so paranoid about keeping her safe. We’d only just gotten the real Seri, the one Arabesque had tried to crush.
As Cas went on, the rules grew increasingly specific, clearly inspired by scenarios he’d been worrying about.
“Rule Number Eighteen. Seri will not attempt to commune with local wildlife.”
“But what if they have information?” she protested, adorning the page with a bunny sticker.
“Rule Number Nineteen. Seri will not wander off to, and I quote, ‘just check something real quick.’ ”
“That’s oddly specific,” she muttered, but her cheeks flushed.
“Rule Number Twenty. Seri will not use her magic unless given explicit permission or in life-threatening situations.”
At that one, she looked up, eyes narrowing.
“That seems excessive. What if I need to use moonlight to see?”
Cas hesitated, and I jumped in.
“Amendment to Rule Twenty: Minor magic for non-combat purposes is permitted, subject to approval.”
“Doesn’t sound much better,” she grumbled, but added a tiny crown sticker.
“Rule Number Twenty-One. Seri will not touch anything with her bare hands. Even if it looks harmless. Even if it’s pretty.”
“Even if it’s just a rock?” She tilted her head to one side.
“Especially if it’s just a rock,” Koa jumped in before I could. “Zane nearly lost three fingers on a cursed stone once.”
By Rule Number Thirty, the rulebook looked like a craft store vomited on it.
Cas had given up and was now simply reciting rules with resigned dignity.
Ko had settled into a nearby chair, watching Seri with that adoring gaze that meant he was memorizing every detail of her happiness.
And I was mentally calculating just how many rules Seri would break on our first outing together.
As Cas neared the end of his list, I could see the tension gathering in Seri’s shoulders despite her cheerful decorating.
Each rule represented another restriction, another reminder that we didn’t trust her to take care of herself.
I understood why. Hell, I agreed with most of the rules! But I also saw how it wore on her.
Thank the night, Casimir Cimmerian had moments of solid fucking gold. Not many, but this was one.
“Last one. Rule Number Thirty-Two. Seri will remember that these rules exist because she is valued, cherished, and irreplaceable. These guidelines will act like safety ropes on a climbing wall: There not to hold her back, but to catch her if she falls.”
Seri’s pen stilled, her eyes fixed on the page. Then, slowly, she reached for a gold heart sticker, bigger than any she’d used so far, and placed it beside the rule.
“That one I can follow,” she said, eyes glossing over.
Ko moved to her side, his hand finding hers in that careful way that belonged to her and her alone. Cas’ rigid posture loosened just a fraction. And me? I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat and did what I always do.
“Well, that got mushy real fast.” I stretched as I stood. “If we’re done with the arts and crafts portion of the evening, I vote we grab dinner. I’m starving.”
“Me, too!” Seri’s hand shot up.
“Just remember, beloved,” Cas had to add, “these guidelines may be amended as needed for safety and efficiency.”
“Translation: Cas reserves the right to make up new rules on the fly when Seri inevitably finds loopholes in the existing ones,” I stage-whispered.
Giggling, she added one last sticker on the cover, a wolf that looked like Brumous.
“There.” She sat back to admire her handiwork. “Now it’s perfect.”
“This is a serious safety document, Serafina, not a scrapbook.” Cas stared at it, his expression hovering somewhere between horror and affection.
“It can be both. Besides, this way I’ll actually want to read it.”
“She’s got you there,” Ko chuckled.
“And don’t worry,” she said, meeting each of our gazes in turn. “I’ll follow the rules. I promise.”
Something in her tone made me wonder if she was crossing her fingers behind her back, but I pushed the thought away. This was Seri. Honest to a fault, loyal to her core. If she promised, she meant it.
Probably.
Mostly.
Maybe.
Sometimes.
If it didn’t get in the way of her doing what she wanted.
I stared down at her as she clutched the decorated book to her chest, her eyes sparkling in a way that both thrilled and terrified me.
I met Ko’s gaze over her head.
We are so fucked, I thought at him.
His slight nod was all the confirmation I needed.