Slip Song (Devany Miller Series) Read Free

Which, of course, is impossible.” She shifted, her hand resting on the overloaded utility belt around her waist. “You wouldn’t happen to have any insight about how they made it look like they disappeared?”
    I shook my head. I had every idea. I just couldn’t tell her.
    She knew. Her lips thinned.
    I slid into my car before she could say anything else or ask more questions I couldn’t answer.
    “Mom? Are they going to catch them?”
    I glanced in the rear view at Bethy, her cheeks bright red from cold and her eyes from crying. “They are going to try really hard.”
    “But you don’t think they’ll catch them, do you?”
    I must have looked startled. Bethy leaned in, hooking her arm on the front of Liam’s seat. I knew he was upset; he didn’t even yell at her like he normally would, just sat staring stony-eyed out the window. “I hope they do.”
    “There’s something you aren’t telling us. A big thing. Cuz you’re different and it’s not just Daddy moving out.” Her voice gave a watery hitch. “He can’t be dead.”
    I held her as best I could, awkward though it was. Liam sagged into us too. In my head the image of Tom lying in the snow with his halo of red came back to me. An icy anger gripped me. I murmured comforting words, trying to get thoughts of revenge out of my head.
    When Bethy shivered, I leaned away. “Let’s go home and get warm.”
    Liam turned back to the window. Bethy did the same. I fastened my belt and started the car, looking up to see Officer Perrit still hadn’t left. Making sure we got home safe, I supposed. Or the bad guys wouldn’t come back. I didn’t think they would. Not to bother me.
    But they would come back to take more humans, of that I was certain. They wanted power and using humans to fuel their magic gave them what they wanted. I didn’t quite understand all the politics of Midia but knew a couple of people who did. Of course, the last time I was talked into helping out, those people ended up hurt. They might not even want to talk to me.
    I waved at the cop as I drove by, my tires slipping on the packed snow turned ice. The drive home didn’t take long and when we pulled into the driveway, I saw my cousin Ann’s car sitting at the curb.
    How had she known?
    “ Don’t be stupid, Dev,” I muttered.
    “ What?”
    “ Is that Ann’s car?” Liam sat up, slipping his seat belt off. “Why’s she here?”
    “ She said a couple weeks ago she was going to drop by for a visit. I guess today’s the day.” I pulled the car into the garage and we piled out as the door rumbled down. When I got to the front door, she was on the stoop, her red, orange, and blue bags gathered around her like brightly colored birds.
    Her smile faded when she saw me. “What happened?”
    I started to tell her then clutched my hand over my mouth. She didn’t ask anything else, just enveloped me in a hug that smelled like patchouli and sage. I heard a door slam behind me so I pulled away and grabbed one of her bags. “Come on, I’ll tell you in the kitchen.”
    We left her bags in the hall and I put on some water for tea. I still had mint and green from the last time she visited, so I got the bags out and put two in each cup. As we waited for the water to boil, I told her about Tom, stopping whenever tears threatened to choke me, and to pour the steaming water into our cups.
    Two mugs full later, we sat in silence, watching the snow fall outside. Two yards to the left sat Tom’s mower. He’d moved into an apartment after I’d caught him cheating so he didn’t have a use for it. It had been the object of one of our many arguments. He thought I should have to buy it from him if I wanted to keep it. I told him to drive it up his ass.
    My sore eyes managed to produce more tears. Ann’s hand slipped over mine, cupped around my mug. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t beat yourself up over his death. I truly believe he is beyond pain, beyond recrimination and whatever it was you two