wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but whatever it was, it left her weak and tired nearly all the time. Her features were wan and thin, her skin pulled tight over her cheekbones, while it sagged everywhere else. She couldn’t weigh any more than eighty pounds.
She glanced up as we entered. She settled her tired eyes on me for only half a second before looking away.
“Levi will be in in a minute,” she said, voice soft as if it hurt to speak.
Sienna took her place at the table, keeping her head low. She was always shy around her parents. I’d only ever seen her open up when neither of them were around, and that wasn’t too often. One of them always seemed to be hovering around, though the young girl was worse when it was Levi who was in the room.
I studied Eilene for a few moments before sitting. The chair creaked as I sat down. It sounded loud in the hushed silence of the dining room.
Sienna glanced up at me and her mouth quirked in a small smile before she resumed looking at the top of the table. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face before dropping both her hands into her lap.
I felt bad for the girl. As much as I liked Levi, he did have a strong hand when it concerned his adopted daughter. She was never allowed to leave the house, had no friends I knew of. She spent most of her time in her room where I could only assume she read. There were no televisions in the house, no music ever drifted through the walls. It felt like we were living in a monastery sometimes.
Levi came in, drawing my attention away from the girl. His arms were laden with food. He always liked to feast after the full moon and tonight was no different.
“Dig in,” he said, a wide smile on his face. He unloaded the plates on the table. “Tonight we will celebrate the accomplishments of our guest. She did wonderfully last night.” He gave a little golf clap, though no one else at the table joined in.
He didn’t seem to mind. Without missing a beat, Levi swept up his plate and began loading it with the food he must have spent hours cooking.
“Where’s Ronnie?” I asked, picking up my own plate. The quiet man always ate dinner with us.
I picked at the food, choosing only small portions to be polite. I really wasn’t hungry, but I didn’t want to be rude either. Besides, I had to eat real food too. No sense starving myself over a rough night. I’d probably need my strength when I faced Beligral next.
A cold chill ran up my spine at the thought of the demon. I suppressed a shudder as I set my plate down in front of me.
“He’s got things to do.” Levi didn’t look my way as he spoke, but it was clear he didn’t want to discuss it.
I didn’t press him, though I did wonder where Ronnie was. He didn’t seem the type that could do much of anything on his own, and he almost never missed a meal.
Levi gave a brief nod at the table at large and we began to eat.
Sienna and Eilene didn’t say a word throughout the meal. Levi chatted amiably, not really talking to anyone in particular. I barely listened to him and I doubted the other women did either. About halfway through the meal he started talking about how I handled the night before, though he left out the bit about what he’d done to Ronnie. I was pretty sure he didn’t want them to know he was cutting up the poor man just to see if I would eat him.
The spot behind my ear began to throb, as if the memory of my bad night was going to bring back the pain. I was trying hard to forget about it, to just get through the meal so I could make a decision as to what to do about the demon. I didn’t want anyone else to know about it if I could help it.
I found myself rubbing absently behind my ear and I jerked my hand away, but I was too late.
“Is everything okay?” Levi asked, giving me a concerned look.
I nodded and pretended nothing had happened.
“You don’t look okay.”
“I’m fine.”
He frowned and crossed his thick, hairy arms in front of him. “I don’t think so.”
Sienna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Eilene