Demon's Daughter: A Cursed Book by Amy Braun Read Free Book Online Page B

onto his lap. She twisted and wrapped her arms around him, clinging tightly. He patted the snow-white hair on her back.
    “It’s okay, Andromeda. You must have heard a rumor or had a dream or something. Your sister is right. Nothing’s wrong with you.”
    But as Dad looked at me, I could see the hesitation in his dark eyes, mirrors of my own. He didn’t believe what he’d said anymore than I did…
    “Con?”
    I snapped out of the memory, having forgotten that I was standing in the doorway of a stranger’s kitchen, staring into space. My sister looked at me warily.
    “Are you coming?” she asked.
    “Yeah. Sorry. Got lost in thought.”
    Dro understood when I didn’t elaborate. I didn’t have warm and cuddly thoughts.
    We sat down at the kitchen island. The kid’s back was to us as he worked on our drinks, so he didn’t see me looking at the dark stove, the stainless steel fridge covered in notes and reminders, the trinkets and the spice rack on the counter next to the microwave. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon, further reminding me of the home I used to know.
    I fought against memories when he turned and placed our drinks in front of us. I glanced in the mug, breathing in the steam and smell of coffee. It didn’t smell tainted, so I took a sip. The coffee was rich, black, and deliciously warm. I could feel the caffeine waking me up at almost the same second it hit my tongue. Dro’s hot chocolate smelled creamy and sweet, and was overloaded with marshmallows peppered with cinnamon, just the way she liked it. She took the mug in her hands to warm them up, looking at her smiling admirer.
    “Thank you, Mister…” her voice trailed off, waiting for him to give his name.
    “Whoa, don’t call me Mister. That makes me feel like I need business cards.” He grinned. “My name’s Max.”
    She smiled. “Thank you, Max.”
    Dro reached out and touched his hand, squeezing it gently.
    Max looked at her hand and suddenly pulled back. My hand went to my hip. Dro looked confused. Max looked at his hand and then at Dro, like he didn’t know what he was seeing.
    “What are you?” he asked her.
    “I… I don’t understand,” she said quietly.
    “You aren’t human,” Max said, speaking the dreaded words.
    Dro looked at me. I had set my coffee mug down and was ready to move if he reacted in a way that I didn’t like.
    “How would you know?” I asked.
    “Because I’ve got some psychic talents,” he told me matter-of-factly.
    I sniggered. “Right.”
    “Believe it, Constance.”
    I cut the sarcasm. He had my full attention, but his focus was entirely on Dro.
    “I got a quick flash when you touched me,” he explained. “You have demons after you. You have for years. That’s why you really came here. To find answers.”
    “Demons?” Dro could barely hide the shake in her voice. “Are you sure?”
    “I do the occasional palm reading and my dad’s a demonologist. The supernatural is kind of our thing.” An idea must have popped into his head, because he started rifling through the pockets of his jeans. “I’ve got to call my dad.”
    “I don’t think so,” I warned. “You still have some explaining to do.”
    Max glared up at me. “What do you want me to say? I told you the truth, and you can’t say you don’t believe me. It’d make you a hypocrite, given what Andromeda can do.”
    “Max, please,” Dro said. “If you know something about me, about these demons, you have to tell us. They’ve been after me since I was a child. I have a right to know why.”
    This was the reason Dro negotiated with regular (well, mostly regular) people. She knew how to ask for what she wanted without pulling out a knife and threatening to cut off a body part. I tended to skip pretense and get down to business.
    Max hesitated, then dropped his phone on the counter, wrapping his fingers around it.
    “Okay, listen. I can sense certain things about people and things without touching them. That’s how I guessed