The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan Read Free Book Online Page B

sight of Mae made Nick feel unwell.
    â€œHi, Alan,” Jamie said in a small voice. “Are you feeling okay?”
    â€œYes, of course. There’s no need to worry about me, I’ll be right as rain in no time,” Alan assured him, smile fading as he looked at Jamie. This was just how Alan had looked at the sick kitten he’d taken home so it could grow up big and strong and able to bite Nick.
    Jamie offered him a little smile as if to call Alan’s back. “You’ll get it fixed at the—Goblin Market thing.”
    Mae and Jamie’s faces suddenly changed, as if a shadow had fallen over them. Nick turned to see that shadow was actually Mum’s dark form at Alan’s shoulder, moving slowly forward until the cold light touched her face.
    Mum walked past Alan, her hand lingering on his sleeve for an instant as she went by. Her black flag of hair streamed behind her as she went, as if it wanted to cling to the shadows. When she stopped in the middle of the yard, her hair fell with a weighted swish like heavy curtains around her face. Nick kept his eyes turned to her so he would not have to look at Mae and Jamie. It was always the same, the way people’s eyes moved from Mum’s face to Nick’s, while their expressions moved from recognition to silent horror.
    Nick’s mother had a face that kept all secrets but one. Her broad, slanted cheekbones made her look catlike, and her wide mouth was constantly moving and always formed a shape at odds with her expression. She was tall, and her black hairmade her look even paler than she was. She looked like Mae might have wanted to look, if Mum had not looked insane. The full mouth kept shifting with the spasms of a tic. Past the protection of hooded eyelids that seemed pulled down by heavy lashes, her eyes were icy blue and seemed always fixed on someone who was not there.
    Except for the color of his eyes, Nick looked exactly like her. He hated it when people saw her. They could never look at Nick again without associating him with madness.
    â€œWe’re leaving again,” she said flatly. “I don’t know why we bother. He’ll find us.”
    Nick wished he could look away from her. He wished that he could leave her. He wished that Alan would agree to leave her.
    Mum smiled dreamily, the rest of her face frozen and expressionless. She said, “He’s not the kind of man who fails.”
    Alan limped forward to stand beside her in the uncut grass of their front yard, and reached for her hand. Nick didn’t see how he could bear to touch her. “Olivia,” said Alan, voice low, “don’t. Let’s get in the car.”
    She turned and pressed her fingers against the curve of his cheek, gazing at him but not quite meeting his eyes.
    â€œYou’re a sweet boy,” she whispered. “You’re my sweet boy, but you’ve got it all wrong.”
    Mae cleared her throat, pulling absently at one of her necklaces. The movement almost drew Nick’s eyes to the tangle of talismans and chains around his mother’s neck, but he stopped his instinctive glance. These two knew enough about his family already. They didn’t need to see him looking at Mum’s charms.
    He looked at Alan instead, expecting to find steadiness there, expecting sanity and familiarity.
    He saw fear.
    He saw Alan draw his gun out in the open, out in their front garden where anyone could see. Nick didn’t hesitate. He drew his sword and held that sharp, glittering barrier between his brother and the rest of the world, and then he looked around to see what was threatening them.
    She was coming down the road toward them, her high heels clicking on the cement. She looked to be in her forties, with a sleek brown bob and large earrings that caught the sun, shining perfect circles with a knife in the center of each one.
    The knives danced jauntily in their circles as she turned and smiled at them.
    â€œHello,