Chapter 252 Chapter 71.3

That Saturday

Amara grumbled and fidgeted in her seat as she wrestled with her clothes. Today’s outfit—a simple pair of blue jeans, a flattering black button-down, and a long sienna sweater—was entirely real, which meant she wasn’t able to mentally adjust how it fit. In the months since she’d started wearing entirely illusory clothes, her body had apparently continued to develop. Her pants felt tighter than she remembered, as did the button-down and the bra underneath. Realistically, they still fit her well enough; most of her frustration was, in fact, unrestrained nervous energy about her upcoming hangout with Camilla.

Why had she suddenly invited Amara out? Had something changed since her last visit? Camilla had been giving her the cold shoulder from the very beginning, and Amara still had no idea why.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with?” Amara asked.

“Positive,” Vee said, reaching for Amara’s hand. “I saw the look on Camilla’s face. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in her head, but the fact that I’m an angel seemed to annoy her. I imagine my presence today would only make things worse. Besides, I found some really nice places in the area, and I’m happy to wander around for the day. It’ll give me a chance to practice my aura reading some more.”

“Are you sure you can’t, like, read minds or whatever?”

“I doubt Heaven would give us such an invasive ability, love. Besides, even if they did, I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it.”

“Ugh, I know, I know…” Amara turned her gaze towards the window and watched the houses rush by. They were only a few minutes away from Rosie’s house, and she couldn’t stop her leg from incessantly bouncing.

“You’re going to do great, Amara,” Vee insisted. “Camilla has only met you in family settings, and for all we know, that’s the problem. Maybe she just doesn’t like her family, and that’s accidentally rubbing off on how she treats you! Once you’re with her friends, I’m sure she’ll be much more amicable.”

“Sometimes I think you’re too optimistic for your own good.”

“And that’s why you love me!”

Amara chuckled. “That’s only one of a million, incredibly extensive reasons why I love you, Vee.”

At long last, Vee pulled to a stop in front of the Calderón household. She shared a few last-minute words of encouragement before kissing Amara goodbye, then the two parted ways. Amara nervously wrung the straps of her purse as she approached the house, eventually grabbing her phone to check her messages. On a whim, she decided to text Camilla in lieu of ringing the doorbell, just in case Vee was right about Camilla having mixed opinions about her family.

That can’t be right, can it? Everyone is amazing, and they’re all so nice! Although, I guess I’m coming in as a bit of an outsider, and they might be putting their best feet forward… Camilla grew up with all of them, she might know something I don’t.

Soon enough, the front door opened and Camilla joined Amara on the front porch. She wore high-waisted black jeans and a simple graphic tee underneath a slim, blue jean jacket. After closing the door behind her, she tucked her phone in her back pocket and turned to face Amara.

“Hey, Camilla!” Amara almost went for a hug, hesitated, then settled for an awkward wave. “Did you, um, have a good week?”

Camilla shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and walked past Amara, halfheartedly gesturing for the demon to follow her. “I mean, it was fine, I guess. Most of my classes are gearing up for Spring Break after next week, so there’s lots of cramming for tests and shit.”

“Oh, that’s when I’m on Spring Break, too!” Amara jogged to catch up to Camilla, excited to find something they had in common. “Do you have any plans?”

“I’m not going anywhere, if that’s what you mean.”

“Ah. Right, that, uh… makes sense, I guess,” Amara stammered, unsure what to say. Camilla wasn’t exactly being friendly, but she also wasn’t being rude. “You’re, um, in your last year of high school, right? Do you know where you want to go to college?”

“University of Chicago,” Camilla said. She turned a corner and continued leading Amara to… somewhere.

“That’s nice, I’ve always heard great things about them! I considered that for a bit, but my friend Nick really wanted to study architecture, and Aurelius has a fantastic program, so eventually he convinced me to attend with him. What made you pick UChicago over, like, Aurelius or Illinois State?”

“I never really considered other options. I want to stick with my family, and they’re here in Chicago.”

Shoot, that means Vee is wrong. I mean, I don’t blame her, Rosie’s family is incredible, but then what does that mean for me?

The conversation paused for roughly half a block, the silence hanging uncomfortably in the air between the two of them. Eager to find some point of connection with Camilla, Amara eventually decided to be more open and direct. “Hey, um, I’m really happy you reached out. I feel like we haven’t gotten a lot of time together, and I’m really excited to hang out with you and your friends.”

For a brief moment, her comment seemed to stir something in Camilla, but what? Annoyance? Excitement? Surprise? Amara couldn’t make heads or tails of her relatively flat expression.

“That’s… I just figured you should meet my friends, is all,” Camilla muttered.

“To be honest, I was really worried I accidentally did or said something rude.” Amara swallowed nervously, trying to watch Camilla for any clues. “For what it’s worth, if I did, I want to apologize.”

Camilla said nothing. Apart from briefly looking away to check for traffic, she seemed to have no reaction at all. Awkward silence returned, and as much as Amara desperately wanted to say something else, no ideas came to her. The two of them walked another full block before Camilla decided to speak up.

“So. A demon. What’s that like?”

“In what sense? Like, what does it feel like? What can I do?” Amara quickly looked around to make sure they weren’t near any eavesdropping strangers.

“You tell me, I don’t know what I don’t know,” Camilla said with a shrug.

“Well, I guess it’s a lot like being human, but in addition to all my normal needs, I also have an inner fire that fuels my… other talents. Since I’m a succubus, I feed on lust. Just like eating, if I go too long, my body starts to turn on me.”

Camilla chuckled unexpectedly. “So, what, if you go too long without getting laid you die?”

“I’m not entirely sure, actually. At the bare minimum, if too much time passes, some of my more aggressive instincts kick in. It gets harder to control my darker impulses and stuff.”

“So that’s happened before? You hurt anyone?”

“What? No!” Memories briefly flashed through Amara’s head of her time in Purgatory, then of her run-in with Tessa’s coven. “I mean, yes, I once went a bit too long without sex, but no one got hurt.”

“Must be nice, having a convenient excuse whenever you get angry.” Hints of Camilla’s previous aggression danced around the edges of her words, and Amara shrank into herself. She didn’t want to fight, and decided it was better to stop talking altogether.

This final awkward silence continued for a few more blocks, at which point they arrived at a truly incredible house. Unlike all the other buildings around them—Chicago-style bungalows with raised porches and elegant brick faces—this home had recently been torn down and rebuilt altogether. Polished beige stonework framed the exterior of the two-and-a-half story house, and the corner closest to Amara was a large, circular turret. A grand, sweeping staircase led up to the front porch, and the main entrance was framed with towering, vaulted windows that hinted at an equally elaborate entry foyer.

Amara whistled quietly as they started up the front steps. “Wow, this place is huge!”

“Just don’t make a big deal about it, okay? They’re not as well off as they look.” Camilla rang the front doorbell then leaned against the nearby wall while she waited.

Picking a spot opposite Camilla, Amara settled in to wait. “Your friends, they don’t… y’know, have you—?”

“Don’t worry, your precious secret is safe. Evelyn only stressed how important it was, like, a billion times. I just told them you’re a distant cousin, if that’s cool with you.”

“Thanks, Camilla. I really appreciate it!” Amara said, trying to ignore Camilla’s attitude.

The person who finally answered the door seemed nothing like the type of person that would live in such a nice house. Amara had expected someone poised, well-dressed, and charming, perhaps the kind of person with an ever-present smug grin. The man that greeted her, however, was anything but. He had incredibly poor posture and stood with a prominent slouch, yet still managed to be several inches taller than Amara. He had shaggy, unkempt brown hair and a rather long face that seemed permanently frozen with a look of dire resignation. Even smiling as he welcomed Camilla, he somehow looked defeated and worn down.

“Hey, come on in!” he said quietly, his voice as dim as his expression. He gave Camilla a quick hug, then looked over at Amara. “You must be the cousin, yeah? I’m David. Malhoune.”

“Uh, distant cousin, but yes. I’m Amara Lamour, it’s great to meet you, David!” Amara shook David’s hand, then followed him inside. Just as Camilla requested, she did her best to avoid gawking at the incredible house around her.

Of course, it pales in comparison to Mom’s penthouse. Our penthouse? Man, that feels weird to think about.

“Hold the door! Wait up!”

Looking back at the entrance, Amara saw a girl with short, bright red hair and an eclectic fashion sense running up the driveway. She turned and waved goodbye to a car lingering on the street, then ran past David, who dutifully held the front door for her. “Hi, Mimi. Glad you could get out on time.”

“Hi David! Hi Cami!” Mimi ran to each other person in turn, giving them big hugs before eventually turning to Amara. “Heya, you’re Amara, right?”

“Y-yeah! It’s good to meet you, Mimi.” The red-headed girl jumped forward and hugged Amara. She happily returned the gesture, thrilled to meet someone genuinely cheerful. For a brief moment, she felt that something about this girl seemed familiar, but she failed to think of an answer by the time the hug broke off.

“Is your mom still ferrying you around? She’s seriously not letting you drive yourself anymore?” Camilla asked.

“Oh my God, it’s so stupid. She only let me come here because I promised that Kat would be busy at work.” Mimi marched in front of David, leading the group through the extravagant house. “Shoot, Amara, do you know about this? How much has Cami told you?”

Amara briefly glanced at Camilla and failed to fight back a smile. “Cami hasn’t told me anything, actually. What’s going on?”

After opening the basement door, Mimi started downstairs as she continued talking. “Ugh, it’s my mom and her stupid boyfriend. She’s always been a bit old-fashioned, which means that despite living in one of the most progressive areas in the entire country, she has weirdly outdated beliefs about queer people. She does that whole ‘I don’t have a problem with them as long as they stay over there’ thing. Anyway, I don’t know how it happened, but somehow she figured out that I have a girlfriend, and now she’s throwing a giant hissy fit. She cut off my allowance, I’m not allowed to drive anywhere, she’s treating me like I’m some spoiled kid!”

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Mimi,” Amara said, quietly thanking her lucky stars that her own mother was so supportive.

At this point, the group arrived in a massive, finished basement. Crisp, clean carpet covered the entire floor, and small windows near the ceiling allowed for plenty of natural light to illuminate the many fancy touches littered throughout the space. The far wall had a kitchenette complete with a small wet bar, and the middle of the room was dedicated to a massive sectional that looked incredibly plush. Across from the couch, a massive TV had been mounted to the wall, and underneath were a series of older game consoles that Amara recognized from Chloé’s dorm.

One last person sat curled in the corner seat of the couch. They looked up at the group with a quiet, hesitant smile, partially hiding behind a large tablet as she waited for them to approach. They had shoulder length, dirty blonde hair and a small spattering of freckles across their pale face. A large, greenish-blue sweater hung off one of their shoulders, and hints of a black, lace midi skirt gathered at the edges of their seat.

Mimi skipped across the basement and jumped onto the couch, pulling the rather androgynous blonde in for a hug. As everyone else filtered into their seats, Camilla spoke up. “Amara, this is Kari. They’re studying abroad and we tricked them into befriending us.”

Kari lifted their hand off their tablet and hesitantly waved at Amara. “U-um… Hi,” they whispered. Amara heard a slight accent in their voice, but given how little they said, it was hard to place.

“Hi Kari!” Amara said, trying to match their energy. “It’s good to meet everyone, I’m really excited to be here.”

“So, Cami says you’re some distant cousin she never knew about until a few weeks ago.” David’s back straightened somewhat as he sank into the couch, and Amara caught a glimpse of just how tall he really was. “How’d that happen? I always thought her family was really close.”

Don’t say demon magic, Amara, don’t say demon magic.

“Well, my grandma had a pretty complicated life, and ended up moving away from the area. My mom moved back shortly before I was born, and then recently I wanted to know if we had any family, so we started looking. Thankfully, we got lucky!”

“I’ll say, Cami’s family is so big and fun and cool!” Mimi partially released Kari from her hug and settled in next to them. “So what’s your deal? Cami didn’t tell us much other than that she was bringing you over.”

Amara briefly glanced at Camilla, but found her just as expressionless as ever.

Okay, maybe she’s just always like this. For all I know, she’s got the world’s worst case of resting bitch face and she’s actually pretty chill.

“I’m… not entirely sure what to say.” Amara forced a laugh.

Shit, what do I say? My entire life has been nothing but demon drama, witch politics, werewolf attacks, monster invasions… Who am I outside all that stuff?