Chapter 16 Puck
Suggested Listening: Over My Head (Cable Car) by A Day To Remember
By the time noon rolls around, everyone has been up and passed through the kitchen at least once. The demon was awake before I was. He was hard at work making some sort of stuffed pastry with sausage and cheese.
I bit my tongue and said nothing, knowing that any feedback I give right now isn’t exactly coming from a good place.
That didn’t stop me from obsessing about how that was not the meal Gracie needed to get her off to a good start.
The nitrates in sausage and tyramine in aged cheese have had a marked impact on how bad Gracie’s migraines can be.
When I cook for her, I specifically avoid those things.
I’ve put together an entire library of recipes to give her the best shot at a good day.
The goal has always been to create a diet that supports her from the inside out.
When Gracie finally came downstairs with Briella and Poppy, she bypassed the pastries and went for some peanut butter slathered across a banana. While I might have felt justified, it also concerned me. Peanut butter and banana is a clear indicator that she’s hurting more than she’s letting on.
My ability to assess her pain is good, but not perfect. Not everything passes through the blood or alters the way blood flows through the body.
I hate that I was right about Gracie’s pain rebounding.
She’s been asleep on the sofa for the last few hours while Briella and Poppy are off holding down the shop.
They mentioned teaming up to start hunting down this Logan person reselling their product to their clients.
If they can establish some sort of link proving the coven is interfering in things, they’ll have grounds for taking the coven to the tribunal courts.
I’m not holding my breath. The coven has covered their asses incredibly well until now.
Not for the first time do I wish I were more connected.
I might be able to help if I’d cultivated power and connections in this world.
But I haven’t. Mostly because I haven’t been able to trust anyone.
It’s something I’m only now coming to terms with and trying to change.
I pull out my phone and check the time. This close to noon, Gracie will need to eat something substantial and take medication.
She prefers to take mostly potions and things she makes herself over mass-produced pills, but when things are bad, there’s no getting away from the prescribed stuff.
But for that, she’ll need a full stomach or it’ll give her a serious case of acid reflux.
I pad barefoot into the kitchen, which is a real risk. The floorboards have pinched my toes three times today alone.
Darius and I made a quick trip out for supplies this morning, and I’ve already got a dish in mind that will be easy on the stomach, fill her up, and do the most any food can, given the circumstances.
I take the cutting board off the hook on the wall gently and spend a moment staring at the knife before I dare try to I pick it up.
I wrap my hand around the handle firmly, and only when there’s no resistance or wobbling do I pull my arm back.
I wouldn’t put it past Hausé to try something else.
She’s been rather annoying all morning. But not in harmful ways.
It feels... Childish. Playful in some way.
As I’m chopping the mushrooms, the demon ambles in from the tent outside. He and the vampire have been out there most of the morning working on something, leaving Gracie in peace.
He grins at me like we’re friends. “You read my mind. I was just thinking lunch was in order.”
I grunt and begin cutting the mushrooms up into smaller pieces. Gracie has never been fond of large chunks of fungus, but if they’re chopped small, she doesn’t complain.
“There’s some lunch meat in the fridge that needs eating,” he says.
Ezra pops out of fucking nowhere and slides onto a stool across from me. “Actually, that’s not a good idea.”
Vyslan blinks at him. “Oh?”
Luciu comes in from the hall carrying a laptop and glances at Gracie. “I was actually doing some reading on that after we talked. It’s the nitrates, yeah?”
Vyslan chuckles. “You know, usually I enjoy a gang bang a little bit more than this, guys. Lunch meat—bad idea. Got it.” He stretches over the counter to eye the mushrooms. “What’s the plan?”
I don’t want to answer. I peer between them at where Darius is lying on the floor next to Gracie. His lips are moving softly, and I see her pile of blankets shift, which tells me she’s finally awake under there. If I’m going to prove myself to her, I have to make nice with the rest of them.
“Mushroom risotto with a cucumber side salad she won’t touch,” I finally answer.
“Brown rice,” Luciu mutters and taps at the keyboard. “Magnesium and niacin, right?”
It irks me that he’s correct. I’m also annoyed he’s been studying.
He might actually be worth a damn. “Yes. Though Gracie’s pain isn’t a typical migraine.
Not all of the migraine knowledge will apply to her.
Her pain is a result of her body being pumped with too many hormones and the endometriosis spreading. ”
“Then the mushrooms—those are good for inflammation, right?” Luciu asks, glancing up at me. “Would that help?”
I shrug. “It can’t hurt. This migraine is different from most because it’s a direct result of taking the pain potion yesterday. Rebound migraines are a risk of taking certain medications.”
Should I be telling them this? I’ve taken my job caring for Gracie seriously. I don’t want to share it with the others. Then again, her well-being is my ultimate goal. I can be a selfish asshole and leave her dependent on me alone. Or share that responsibility with everyone else.
There is no separating her from Luciu. Even if he conveniently died, there would be a snap-back effect that could injure or kill her.
And then there’s the vampire-demon combo.
Given the lengths Gracie was willing to go for them, it’s safe to assume evicting them would be an uphill battle.
It’s clear to me from the way she’s recovered that she’s already deep into bonding with them. She might not even realize it.
Luciu nods and taps his keyboard a few times.
Vyslan reaches around Ezra to nudge the warlock. “Making flashcards?”
Luciu glances up, his face flushing with color. “Just adding to my notes.”
Vyslan watches me sauté the mushrooms without comment for several long moments. “You have it down to an art, don’t you?”
I frown at him. “What?”
“Taking care of her.”
I scrape the spatula across the bottom of the pan as we study each other.
What other answer is there than the truth?
“Yes,” I finally say.
Vyslan grins at me like that word means something else.
I shift the mushrooms out of the pan and begin on the shallots. Gracie prefers them over onions, so I’ve adapted the dish to her tastes.
The demon crosses his arms, elbows on the edge of the counter, and watches my hands. “Hm, then the sausage and cheese rolls this morning were a bad idea?”
“According to what I’ve read? Yeah,” Luciu says without looking up from his laptop.
“Don’t pull your punches or anything,” Vuslan mutters.
Ezra snorts, but otherwise says nothing.
We don’t look at each other or speak, and I like it this way. I know Gracie wants me to welcome Ezra home and wait for him to prove himself. I just don’t know that I have it in me to trust like that.
Perhaps there’s something broken in me? Something my parents violated that has changed me on a fundamental level.
But if that were the case, why would Darius see a happy future for the both of us?
If he can see that, then is there hope for me?
Can I learn to trust these men with the most precious thing in my life?
“What else should we avoid?” the demon asks.
“Caffeine, milk chocolate, and packaged meats are the three she struggles to stay away from. For the most part, she’s very good about eating well.”
“Except when she can’t afford it,” Ezra mutters and rubs at his jaw. There’s anger under that movement.
Can’t say I don’t share the feeling.
Darius and I were too wiped out to do much upon our arrival to this world.
I knew showing up at the shop wasn’t the best idea, but I had to.
The moment I was free, I had to go to her.
There was never any question about that for me.
And neither was I shocked she wouldn’t hear me out.
Surprised at the way she expressed herself?
Yes. And maybe a little turned on. Gracie has never spoken to me like that before.
I like this new side of her. She’s always been the girl to take charge, but it was out of necessity.
There was a begrudging tone underlying much of it.
But now? It’s like she’s stopped pretending to be in charge and now she’s actually thriving in that role.
I’m not sure what changed, but I’m sorry I missed it.
“Is it true what Gracie said about the last six months?” Ezra asks, and I know he’s speaking to me.
“I’m not sure what she told you…” I keep my attention on the pan, adding some olive oil, sea salt, garlic, thyme, and finally the rice. I swirl it around, mixing the ingredients for roughly a minute before adding the cooking wine.
“I’m assuming wine in the food isn’t the same as an alcohol trigger?” Luciu asks, still taking notes.
“The wine is reduced down to almost nothing, so no, it doesn’t negatively impact her.” I can’t ignore Ezra’s question even if I want to. “Yes, all of it happened. There was always going to be a price for Darius’ freedom. I’m happy to have paid it.”
“So, Puck?” Vyslan starts, his voice so gratingly chipper. “What are the odds we can make this work?”
I glance from one to the next, then past them at Gracie. She’s laying on her stomach now, the blanket pushed down to her waist. I can’t quite see Darius, but I do see her arm moving in steady motions, touching him. Slowly establishing their own bond.
I’m doing this for myself. For her. For Darius.
“I refuse to pretend that I’m fine with this,” I say. “I’d prefer to have Gracie to myself, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“Is that your way of saying you’re part of the team, then? Does this mean we get to be coven husbands?” the demon asks.
Luciu chuckles and shakes his head. “Coven husbands are witch husbands. We’d all fall under husband-in-coven.”
Vyslan elbows the warlock. “Except you. Coven husband.”
Luciu sputters and stars harder at his laptop while hunching his shoulders. “I’m just a warlock.”
“Yeah,” the demon drawls.
It’s fucking frustrating how hard it is to dislike the guy. He needs a backbone though, or Gracie will chew him up.
“Not to be high maintenance,” Gracie calls out. “But—is food done yet?”
“Just a few moments,” I say without looking away from the demon. “Why don’t you wash up? It’ll be ready by then.”
I haven’t given up the hope that I can have her all to myself. The chances are slim, but not impossible. I won’t give up that dream until Gracie tells me the door to that future is shut.