that, but about what Irving had said the night I’d met him. My skin flushed with heat as it dawned on me. Irving liked the way I looked. He had tried to relay that to me, but hadn’t really known how so he had bailed on the compliment all together.
I resented the giddy feeling that flooded my gut. This changed nothing. Irving still treated me like a pimple he was itching to pop, and the fact that he may have been attracted to me didn’t justify that. This wasn’t fucking elementary school where the boy picked on the girl he liked. We were adults and either Irving was going to act like it or get used to being cursed out on a daily basis.
“Out of your head, St. Pierre.” Ash snapped her fingers in front of my face. I grinned and swatted at her hand.
“I’m here. Now go get your sketchpad. I have an idea for a new tattoo.”
“About fucking time. I haven’t tatted you in months.” Ash grabbed a pencil and her pad from her room and eagerly flipped it open to a fresh page. “Okay, now where are we putting this tat?”
I lifted my shirt and bared the space on my hip.
Ash nodded her approval. “Nice. And what’s the idea for the ink?”
I smiled, knowing she would love it. “A mechanical bat.”
Two weeks passed and I didn’t summon Irving. After the night of foolery with Ash, I felt empowered and pissed off all over again. Girl’s Night was notorious for doing that. I now seriously contemplated forfeiting my wishes and banishing Irving from my life forever, and every day that passed without me being able to take my anger out on him, I just became more resolved.
I didn’t know what had happened to Irving in his past to make him despise the human race like he did, but whatever it was didn’t give him the right to treat me like crap and insult me every chance he got. And the way he kept calling me human ? I swore that if I ever saw him again, I would make an oath to slap him every time he said the word.
Dammit . This entire situation sucked. I wanted my damn wishes, but I also wanted Irving not to be a complete asshole. It seemed that I might end up disappointed on both fronts.
“Well, well, well, look who decided to finally join us for dinner.”
I smiled as I entered my parents’ kitchen where they were preparing dinner on the second Friday I’d gone without summoning Irving. His Chronolier was still on the shelf in my closet and the key was hanging around my neck, but it was getting pretty easy to pretend I’d never met Irving and had no clue that Djinn existed, which kind of worked for me.
I greeted my dad first and bit his brown-bearded cheek for his comment. “Sorry, Father dear. I’m taking summer classes and have been pretty wrapped up in my school work.” I smoothed down a piece of his dark brown hair that was sticking up.
“Or wrapped around a man,” Elena muttered in my ear before kissing me on the cheek. My aunt was single and childless and often joined my parents for dinner, so I was not at all surprised to see her there.
“You must always make time for family, no matter what,” my dad scolded me. He winked a brown eye and jerked a thumb toward my mother, who was stirring something on the stove. I giggled and stepped around him so I could wrap my arms around her.
“ Bonjour, Maman. ” She pretended to ignore me until I pulled a strand of ash blonde hair from her perfect little bun with a nice, hard tug.
“Damn you, fille! ”
I laughed and jumped out of the way when she tried to swat me, but I could see her smile and knew she was happy to see me.
“So tell me, how is your school work really coming along,” my dad said once we’d all sat down around the dining table.
I grinned. “I wasn’t lying, Dad. I really have been taking my classes more seriously. Summer classes are shorter and more difficult. Can’t afford to fool around.”
“That’s my Daffodil.” He winked at me over his wine glass.
I groaned. “Dad, seriously. You know I hate being called that,
Learning to Kill: Stories