The two seemed to be friends with Michael and May, and both were very interested in Brian, though Laura declined to discuss him much. She trusted May, and by extension Michael, but she didn’t know these two, and felt protective of the man who had become vital to her life. When they left, Laura thought she read approval in their eyes, but she couldn’t be sure of it.
The second difference was Owen. Her little boy had been happy and friendly for his whole life, but now he was quiet and watchful, and clung to her wherever they were, even at home. She could see the fear flash across his face when anyone came to their door. He never went more than a step or two away from her side, even to play, and refused to go to sleep if she left the room.
Unless Brian was there. Brian being nearby made Owen feel safe, and when she was being honest, he made her feel safe, too. Brian was the other major difference from that morning not so long ago. That day she had felt alone, except for her parents. She had good friends that she knew she could rely on, but there had been nobody to stand with her, to help her carry the weight of everyday life that could grind a person down so efficiently. But Brian had somehow fit into the flow of her life with barely a bump. He had helped take care of Owen, cooked, cleaned, just generally picked up a life from the first moment he’d come crashing into their lives in one heroic rush.
Laura swallowed against the sudden clench of her nerves. What would they do now, when there was nothing to keep Brian here in Riverton, let alone with them? Would he leave town, go back to his nomadic life?
“How’re you doing, baby? Do you want to play trucks over there?” She peered down at the top of Owen’s sandy blonde head as he shook it.
“I’m okay here, Mommy,” he said, snuggling a little closer as he drove his truck over the wooden slats. “Is Unca Brian coming?”
“He went this morning to the hospital to visit Mister Gilbert, but he texted and said he’d meet us here before we all go to the farmer’s market.” Her heart stuttered slightly. After all, he’d only promised to stay until the situation with Kevin had been dealt with. Laura couldn’t even imagine Brian leaving, but she had to admit it was a possibility. How could she ever tell Owen if Brian decided to leave? “He should be here soon, sweetheart.”
“I could be here now, in fact,” Brian said, stepping out of the stream of pedestrians to crouch by the bench in front of Owen. “And I’ve got something for you, kiddo.”
“A present?” Owen reached out his hands, his precious truck now completely abandoned to roll off the front of the bench. Brian nodded and reached into his jacket pocket.
“Yep. Now when I was a kid, just a little older than you are, my mom was worried about me,” he said. “Do you remember? I told you some of it.”
“I don’t think she was really worried,” Owen’s eyes got wide as dinner plates. “You’re a superhero!” Laura hid a smile as Brian’s ears started to turn pink.
“Well, I don’t know about superhero, but back then I was just a kid. So Mom got me my charm from a Temple Priestess to help me stay safe, and I wore it all the time until I was a grown up. And it really helped me out, I stayed safe and got to grow up and meet you and your mom and everyone else here. So, I asked Miss Fletcher— you remember, she was the Priestess who helped me get better when I was in the hospital? I asked her to make a charm for you.” He pulled a small silver plaque on a waxed black cord and held it up. “She put in all the protection she knew, and Mister Gilbert showed me how to put some on too, to be extra sure. That way you’ll always have a little bit of me around if you need it, just in case. And if you ever need me I’ll know and I’ll come help you.”
Laura felt everything in her still, and she got almost as quiet as Owen, who was sitting stone still on the bench beside her.
“Want to put it on and see if it works?” Brian asked. Owen nodded and let the loop of cord drop over his head. Brian tucked the charm under the collar of the Owen’s shirt so he could feel it against his skin, a small reminder that he wasn’t alone. Owen sat there, silent for a moment, then with a huge grin, he flung his arms around Brian’s neck, knocking him back onto the path to narrowly miss a dog walker and her four charges.
A few minutes later, Owen was cheerfully using his toy truck to put potholes in the dirt under the tree several yards off.
“That was really sweet, Brian,” Laura said.
“Yeah, well. He went through a lot, poor kid. I know it’s been a few days and he’s healing up fine, but every time I see those bruises I get pissed off. He deserves to be a kid while he still can, not a frightened mouse.”
Laura nodded. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and laced her fingers through his and was unreasonably relieved when he closed his own fingers over them.
“So do I. I have to move out of that apartment. I jump about a foot into the air every time someone knocks now,” she paused, carefully looking anywhere but at him.
“Well,” Brian drew the word out slowly. “It seems like I’ll have some room at my new place. If you’d be interested. Be pretty convenient for me, anyway. I didn’t exactly load a lot of furniture on my bike when I hit the road and I’ve gotten kinda used to your sofa.”
“New place?” Her head snapped around to face him like it was spring loaded. “You’re staying?”
“Michael offered me a job,” Brian grinned. “And it turns out he owns like, half of Riverton. He said he’d let me stay in one of the apartments near the Walker Hotel, so I’d be close to work until we can make more permanent arrangements. Actually, it sounds like he’s moving too, and he thought maybe I’d like to live in his current place at the hotel once it’s free. That guy is very observant.”
“Observant?” Laura felt like an idiot, just repeating everything he said, but she felt so light that it was all she could do.
“I’ve been running for years now, Laura,” Brian sighed and looked over at Owen who had found a puppy on a leash that was more than happy to make a new friend, much to the nervous laughter of the human on the other end of the leash who kept glancing back to Laura and Brian for permission. “I was afraid of myself. I found out that I wasn’t who, or even what I thought I was and I was afraid that I’d suddenly turn into someone else because of that. That I was going to end up becoming an actual monster and hurt someone. Last week I realized how completely stupid that was, but I almost let that fear keep me running anyway.”
“Brian—”
“I know now that I don’t have to run, there’s nothing to run from. Yeah, I’ve got… some unique abilities, let’s say. But Michael is going to teach me how to use them to help people. It turns out that he’s actually my uncle. Sort of. And he’s definitely not a threat to the humans around him. If he can do it, then I have nothing to be afraid of,” Brian grinned and waved as the puppy’s owner tugged and said goodbye to Owen, who now sported mud all over his chin and down his shirt. “Well, maybe the laundry, Owen’s got some talent at creating stains. But we’d have our own laundry nook at the new place. If that’s something you’d want, I mean. I’m not sure I can sleep without little plastic toys underfoot in the dark anymore.” Brian was still avoiding her eyes, and his ears were turning pink.
Laura grinned. Definitely not full circle, but this spiral was a path that she felt she could stick to walking on for a while.
“Well, you know what my aunt always said. Semper Laundry.”
Author’s Notes
Brian took me a little by surprise, I must admit. He was supposed to be side characters in A Demon Saved, but they turned out to be very serious about getting his own story told. I can’t say I rebred separating him out (somewhat…) into his own book. He’s rather a charming sort of guy, and it seems that now he can put the soul-killing guilt and fear of himself away for the most part, he’s got rather a promising future!
Yeah, I may already know a few more things that you don’t, and not just about Brian. Insert maniacal laughter here.
Ahem.
I have to thank, as usual, my wonderful bet
a readers. Insightful, intelligent, and just snarky enough to keep me paying attention, I appreciate you more than a mere note in the back of a book could say. I wish we were all in the same area so I could take you all out for a drink!
My brother chimed in on a few points as well, and my amazing husband was supportive, encouraging, and probably glad there was a whole planet between us at a few points when I started to come unglued. And I must credit my aunt Libby for her catchphrase of ‘Semper Laundry.’ I didn’t really understand it until I had my own kids, but now I might need to get it tattooed somewhere.
And you, of course, who read this far. There’s no way I could do this without you. Thanks. If you liked this book, I hope that you’ll leave me a review! I read every review and it makes a huge difference to me and to my work.
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About the Author
Katherine Kim is a lifelong lover of fantasy. She started early, being read Tolkien as bedtime stories, which honestly explains a lot. More recently she’s been drawn to more urban fantasy stories through both books and television, and reading continues to be a passion. She lives and writes in Maryland for the moment, with her young family and her possibly demonic cat.
Books by Katherine Kim
The Demon Guardian Trilogy
A Demon’s Duty
A Demon’s Sanction
A Demon Saved
The Riverton Demons
Personal Demons
Personal Demons: A Riverton Demons Novel Page 13