Chapter 29: What’s up with Ron?

I knocked on the door of apartment 1310. Ron hadn’t given me his phone number when we met a few days ago, so I couldn’t confirm beforehand if he was home. After a few seconds the door opened.

Ron’s handsome face flashed me a smile as he opened the door. “Tom! Good to see you, squire.” He moved back to let me in.

Again, I had trouble placing Ron’s muddled accent. I entered to find a nicely furnished apartment, similar to Demie’s, but less retro. Various potted plants hung from the ceiling and adorned the corners, giving the room a natural feel.

I looked to the space in front of his couch. There was no TV, though there was a cabinet holding the Playstation 4 Ron had mentioned. Then I looked up above the couch ... he had a projector!

Ron headed to the kitchen and I heard the clink of dishes. I remembered he had talked about tea the first time we had met, which was a British thing. “Oh, Ron, you don’t have to...”

“Nonsense!” he said as he came back into the living room, a tray in his hands. “I always keep m’self ready for a cuppa in case friends drop by.”

As he put the tray down I considered Ron. He seemed like a nice guy, certainly friendly, and other than Monday, who lived a few miles away, I didn’t have any guy friends. With the new baby, I really needed to get out of the apartment now and again, so I figured I’d see how well Ron and I got along.

After some tea that I choked down (I really don’t like tea) and playing some Rocket League that I absolutely destroyed Ron in (the guy had no skills), I headed home.

“Was wondering when you’d be home,” Kate said, handing me the sleeping baby as I walked in. I looked out the window at the morning sunlight. I’d been at Ron’s all night?

As I took baby Amy in hand, she woke up and started to cry. I rocked her back and forth, which usually calmed her, but she just got louder. Finally, Kate took her back, at which point the baby quietened.

“Weird,” Kate said, and as she went to hand Amy back to me the baby started crying again. Kate kept a hold of her and stepped back again. Again, the baby calmed.

The former witch considered me. “Are you wearing some new aftershave, or something else she could be reacting to?”

I shook my head. “I’ve just been over at Ron’s. Unless the baby doesn’t like the smell of tea.” I smacked my lips distastefully, thinking of the warm leaf water. Bleah!

“Ron ... the handsome guy you mentioned? Well, I’ll put her in her playpen. I really need sleep.” After Amy settled down, Kate gave me a kiss and headed back to her room.

The baby flopped about in her playpen for a while and then started to fuss. When I picked her up she started to cry again.

Demie came home right at that moment, her face screwing up in distaste as she heard Amy crying. “Ugh. Just give her to me.”

I held Amy back. “Demie, you will NOT use your ‘whammy’ on my daughter!”

She looked at me, shocked. “Of course not. Babies don’t understand language yet so it wouldn’t work. Gimme.” She held out her hands.

I tentatively held my daughter out to the demon, who took the child into her arms with unexpected gentleness. Immediately, Amy calmed down.

“There we go ... you know Auntie Demie, don’t you?” the demon cooed at her.

I shook my head, bemused. “Amy cries when I go to hold her, but only since this morning, and she’s just fine with you?”

Demie shrugged. “Is she hungry? There’s something I’ve been wanting to try.” She headed over to the fridge and took out a bottle of Kate’s breast milk. Sitting on the couch, her half-top disappeared and then the demon gulped down the entire bottle.

“Demie--!”

She brought Amy to one of her breasts and the baby quickly latched on and started to suckle.

I stared. “What... ?” Normally the only liquid Demie produced from her body tasted like spiced rum, but then I realized what she was doing: she had manipulated the interior of her body with her shape-changing power so that the breast milk she drank went straight to that nipple! And with the heat of her infernal physicality, the breast milk had gone from fridge cold to body temperature warm as it made its way down.