《Shatterpact》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    I spooned a dollop of sauce onto several slices of bread and used the back of my spoon to spread it out in the pattern indicated by my cookbook. The spicy sauce was offset by a creamy base and chock-full of fresh herbs. Keeping myself from sticking a finger in the bowl or licking the spoon was a form of torture. When done saucing up the bread, I turned and walked to the kitchen sink to place the spoon among the other waiting dishes.


    I ran the water hot, adding some dish soap to the mess, then stopped when I felt a presence behind me. There was a sound like dog claws against the floor, but I didn¡¯t have any pets.


    ¡°What trickery is this?¡± A low male voice rumbled.


    I whirled around to see an unfamiliar man, if he could be called that, standing between me and my precious sandwiches. He stood head and shoulders taller than me, with long black hair almost to his knees. Dark horns twisted out from an inch or so above his hairline. Lime green eyes with slit pupils soon settled on me.


    A demon. That¡¯s what horns indicated, right? Was my cooking really so bad that it summoned a demon?


    ¡°Why did you summon me?¡± The demon growled, flashing upper and lower fangs¡ªall eight of them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± I slowly set aside my hand towel, swallowing hard, while I attempted to process the strange being in front of me. ¡°¡­do you¡­do you want a sandwich?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± The demon gave me an incredulous stare, before reiterating, ¡°I asked you why you summoned me, woman.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to summon you!¡± I flinched and backed away when he took a step toward me. His expression softened ever-so-slightly, and he stopped moving, but he still looked wary. I pointed past him. ¡°I¡­I was just making sandwiches to take to a friend¡¯s baby shower. I got a new cookbook and wanted to try the new recipes in it.


    ¡°Um¡­ Can I send you back somehow? I really didn¡¯t mean to summon you, and you seem like you¡¯re dressed up, so I¡¯m guessing you were busy. Just tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The demon eyed me.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked at him.


    He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ¡°There must be something you want, if you¡¯re willing to release me so easily.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Yes? I want to right my mistake, whatever it was. Does that count?¡± I shook my head. ¡°The least I can do is offer you food and a way back to¡­wherever you came from.¡±


    ¡°You were going to say ¡®Hell.¡¯¡± He raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°I was¡­but you don¡¯t seem very fire and brimstone-y to me.¡± I wrung my hands together in front of me. ¡°I really don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°When must you leave?¡± He interjected.


    His question puzzled me, but I answered all the same, ¡°Half an hour?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Then I will have a sandwich, if it will not leave you with too few.¡± He strode toward the breakfast nook and took a seat gracefully on chair, weaving his, long scaled tail through the rungs behind him. ¡°Show me this book you were using.¡±


    Arguing with a demon didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. I obediently plated one of the sandwiches for him, grabbed the cookbook, and brought both over to him. Once close, I detected the faint scent of sandalwood around him.


    ¡°Um¡­ Do you want anything to drink?¡± I asked, causing the demon¡¯s eyes to flick toward me. ¡°Oh, and my name is Celia, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Do you have wine?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Red, white, or ros¨¦?¡±


    He shooed me off to fetch a bottle of dry white wine. I decided to grab my most expensive bottle, rather than have the demon catch me skimping. When I placed the bottle and a glass on the table for him, he didn¡¯t look up. His attention was fully on the cookbook.


    ¡°Hmph, they are bound as well¡­¡± he muttered to himself, sliding his finger down one of the recipes. ¡°How did you acquire this book?¡±


    ¡°I work at a local bookstore and have been trying to learn to cook,¡± I grumbled. ¡°No one wanted to buy it, so the shop owner sold it to me for cheap just to get rid of it.¡±


    He finally looked up, his expression one of doubt. ¡°You chanced upon it? A book where the Aloryi royalty are bound, and you just happened to pick it up? Preposterous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth!¡± I insisted. ¡°¡­what¡¯s an Aloryi?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know my kind¡¯s name?¡± He sighed and gave me a tired look. ¡°I believe humans still call denizens of the Underrealm ¡®demons.¡¯ My race is the Aloryi¡ªhumans once called us ¡®Moon Keepers.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Underrealm?¡± I gulped when he released another aggravated sigh. ¡°I¡­ Would that be literal, like hollow earth theory, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Hollow earth? Is that really what humans call it now?¡± he asked in disbelief. ¡°Furthermore¡­ Theory? It really has been a long time since I was last on the surface.¡±


    ¡°So, about sending you back¡­¡± I spoke awkwardly, watching him pour his glass full of wine. ¡°I can undo whatever I did somehow, right?¡±


    ¡°You still mean to free me?¡± The demon studied me in silence. ¡°Then, burn the book. Destroy it. With it gone, those of us bound to it will be freed.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Can I write down some of the recipes first?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why are you asking me for permission?¡± He growled, making me flinch. A sigh escaped him. ¡°I apologize. You needn¡¯t be frightened of me, if you truly mean to do as you say.¡±


    ¡°I-I just didn¡¯t know if the recipes are what bound you and the other Aloryi, or¡­¡± I trailed off, wringing my hands. He was beautiful, but terrifying. If he was a demon, and I¡¯d summoned him with magic, then magic was real. He could probably use magic too. That would be bad.


    ¡°The recipes themselves are harmless.¡± He started to hand me the book, then stopped. ¡°I will copy them down. You have some event to prepare for, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do, but¡­¡± I flinched again when he shot me a sharp glare. ¡°O-okay! I¡¯m going!¡±


    By the time I finished dressing and doing my makeup, I was feeling worse. He said royalty were bound to that book. So, I¡¯d summoned some powerful man away from important business most likely. A demon¡ªno, an Aloryi.


    Moon Keeper. I fidgeted with a bracelet. If they were known for being related to the moon somehow¡­why were they living underground?


    ¡°Um, you never told me your name¡­¡± I mumbled upon returning to the kitchen.


    ¡°Because if I tell you, it will finalize your summoning,¡± he stated without looking up. ¡°I finished transcribing the recipes for you. Go destroy the book.¡±


    I plucked the cookbook off the table and stared down at the unassuming cover for a moment, my pulse racing in my ears. Shaking my head, I strode into the living room, aware of the Aloryi following me. Once there, I ripped the pages out of the book and threw them into the fire one-by-one. After they seemed sufficiently crispy, I tossed the cover in and grabbed the poker.


    ¡°You were serious. Interesting.¡± The man¡¯s voice was a whisper. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    When I turned to inquire, he was gone, and my heart sunk. His name, or a thank you, would have been nice. I let my gaze fall to the floor. Who was I kidding? When was the last time anyone thanked me?


    I shoved my disappointment away and wandered back into the kitchen. True to his word, there was a stack of neatly-written recipes on the table¡ªa few more than I recalled being in the book.


    The alarm on my phone blared, signaling it was time to leave. I hurriedly packed up the remaining sandwiches before carefully stashing the recipes where nothing could get to them.


    Then, I left my house with one less sandwich than intended.

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    What a fragile human. I watched the woman named ¡°Celia¡± from the safety of the Underrealm. The crystal pane before me distorted her and her surroundings slightly, but it was better than the alternative of hiding myself with magic.


    I was stunned by Celia¡¯s behavior toward me. The fear was understandable but her hospitality, and insistence upon freeing me, was not. Yet, her thoughts rang true. The thought of binding me to her service hadn¡¯t even crossed her mind. Her strangely pure intentions made my heart clench with guilt.


    At the very least, I could have been kinder to her. Instead, I had likely reaffirmed that ¡°demons¡± were something for her to be terrified of.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a pretty one,¡± a feminine voice remarked. My sister rested her forearm on my shoulder and peered at the crystal. ¡°Huh. She¡¯s the one who summoned you? Where¡¯s her magic?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any from her while I was there, either.¡± I reached out to dismiss the image from the crystal but stopped when Celia¡¯s vehicle rolled to a stop and she pulled out her phone. A look of hurt crossed her face before she shoved it away, got out of the car, and carried her box of food toward a house.


    When the door to the house opened, the women who greeted Celia ushered her in as if they were ashamed for her to be seen. Although she was invited to the gathering, it was clear that she was an outcast. When she distributed her sandwiches, I frowned.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Each woman ate one¡­except for her. She insisted to them that she had already eaten, but I knew better. I clenched a fist. Celia had given me her share of the food?


    ¡°Have someone take food to her.¡± I turned to look at my sister.


    ¡°You must be joking.¡± She stared at me.


    ¡°I owe her a debt,¡± I stated, earning a groan from my sister. ¡°Just do it.¡±


    I returned my attention to the crystal. Celia¡¯s gaze was downcast as she headed for the door. The party was in full swing, yet she was sneaking out. A friend of hers caught her and they exchanged brief words, her pregnant friend apologizing profusely. Celia took her leave after but merely sat in her car for a while, staring blankly out the windshield.


    She sent a text message before driving off but didn¡¯t wait to see if she would get a response. I soon realized it was because she wouldn¡¯t get one.


    When she returned home, she sprawled out on the couch and stared at the ceiling, not bothering to fetch food first or to check her phone when it vibrated.


    When I maneuvered my magic to check her phone¡¯s messages I felt disappointment, followed by anger.


    From: Celia


    We still on for our date, Andrew? I have something cute to wear!


    From: Teddybear <3


    no time tonight. going out with the guys. go find smthing else to do.


    When Celia finally checked, she scoffed and tossed her phone aside. She seemed used to it. I felt pain for her. To be treated like that by someone you cared for¡­


    After hesitating for a moment, I stopped watching the strange human woman and rose to my feet. It wasn¡¯t much, but I knew a way to alleviate some of her loneliness.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    I stared blankly at the man outside my door. I definitely hadn¡¯t ordered food, let alone the massive dog-like creature standing behind the deliveryman.


    ¡°Um¡­ Are you sure you have the right house?¡± I asked weakly.


    ¡°My lord insists he must pay his debt.¡± The deliveryman flashed a smile, his eyes turning pale yellow for a split second. ¡°The food is for sharing yours with him. Mayar here¡­well, protection and companionship.¡±


    ¡°But what do I feed him? How is he going to get into the house?¡± I looked up at the giant, intimidating canine. The black, house-sized dog with bright yellow eyes peered back at me and wagged his tail. His features were like that of a German Shepherd. ¡°How has no one noticed him yet?¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that, miss.¡± The man grinned. ¡°Mayar here will fetch his own food. Specialized diet and all that. He can shape-shift, so if you¡¯ll let him inside your house, he¡¯ll take in a smaller form.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, I wouldn¡¯t want to leave him out in the rain but¡ª¡± I squeaked, startled, when Mayar was engulfed in a puff of smoke. Moments later, he barreled into my house at the size of a German Shepherd.


    ¡°Only folks with magic affinity, or who¡¯ve experienced the paranormal, can see him. Just act like he¡¯s not there.¡± The deliveryman shrugged before holding out the packages of food to me. ¡°Do you normally stay outside talking to delivery folk this long? No? Then take my master¡¯s gifts and enjoy, Miss. Wouldn¡¯t want your neighbors growing suspicious.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Right¡­ Thank you.¡± I took the packages and looked at them like they were foreign objects, then headed back inside. Mayar pranced by with his nose to the floor, intent on investigating my small house.


    Why was this my life now?


    I didn¡¯t know where to begin or what to do. Demons weren¡¯t supposed to be real, yet I had summoned one. Now he was sending me food and a¡­a hellhound? I glanced at Mayar. He was too cute to be called a hellhound.


    The smell of food wafted up from the containers, making my stomach grumble. There was no denying I was starving. Giving the demon¡­Aloryi man, my sandwich hadn¡¯t gone unpunished. His angry face flicked through my mind and I tightened my grip on the food. He was good-looking, but it was hard not to fear him. He was an unknown and something I thought didn¡¯t exist. Just what other inhuman species existed? Why were they underground?


    I shook the thoughts from my head and moved to the kitchen. I fetched a plate before opening the boxes of food. Inside, I found a steak dinner and simply blinked at the food in disbelief for a moment. I had expected something simple, like a sandwich or fast food. Not a fancy meal.


    My stomach gurgled. Right. I needed to eat it, not gawk at it.


    I sat down at the kitchen table and considered, briefly, fetching my phone. Alas, there was little point. If Andrew was going to hang out with friends, then he wouldn¡¯t be responsive anyway. The girls would all be busy with the baby shower all night.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I could tell any of them what had happened. none of them would have believed me. Some of my coworkers might have, but they strongly believed demons were evil. Ugh.


    I shoved a forkful of food in my mouth and practically melted on the spot. I wished I could cook like that.


    When I was done eating, I went looking for Mayar and found him sniffing one if the chairs in my living room. Given the growling, he didn¡¯t like the scent much.


    ¡°That¡¯s Andrew¡¯s chair,¡± I stated, watching Mayar turn to look at me and tilt his head. ¡°You can understand me?¡± Mayar promptly barked and wagged his tail. ¡°Andrew is my boyfriend.¡±


    Mayar sniffed the chair again, then snorted in what sounded like disapproval. He trotted past me, sniffing everything as he went. I didn¡¯t know what to make of the creature, so I plopped down on the sofa and sighed.


    Summoning a demon via sandwich¡­yeah. No one was going to believe that.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    Aside from summoning a hot inhuman man via sandwichmancy, my week proceeded as normal. Work at the bookstore every day, come home to my new pet demon dog¡­okay, maybe not entirely normal.


    I scratched the backs of Mayar¡¯s ears with one hand while flipping through the messages on my phone. It¡¯d been at least three weeks since I¡¯d last seen Andrew and I was starting to get worried. Whether it was insecurity on my part, I wasn¡¯t sure.


    When I finally got around to my messages from Andrew, I twitched. He wanted me to come over and be there before he got back. But¡­he didn¡¯t work, so, where was he?


    I sighed. Maybe I was becoming the crazy, paranoid girlfriend. Then again, the last two times he¡¯d wanted me over, it was because he wanted a quickie and some money.


    The face of the Aloryi man I¡¯d summoned crossed my thoughts, but I quickly shook it off. He was way out of my league, even if he¡¯d been human. Besides, I was dating Andrew¡­ I sighed.


    I¡¯d known for months that Andrew was a loser, or at least that we weren¡¯t right for each other. The only reason I hadn¡¯t broken up with him was effort¡­and fear. I glanced down at Mayar.


    ¡°Hey¡­ You¡¯re supposed to protect me, right?¡± I asked, watching Mayar perk up. ¡°But, what if you get hurt? Can human weapons hurt you?¡± Mayar shook himself from the tip of his nose to his tail. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was supposed to be a ¡°no.¡± ¡°What if someone tries to hurt me but you can¡¯t get close without hurting me yourself?¡±


    Mayar tilted his head before nosing my cell phone. Next, he pawed at the floor and looked down.


    ¡°Are you trying to say you can call for help?¡± I raised an eyebrow, wondering if I was going crazy. He wagged his tail in response. ¡°Okay¡­ Want to go for a ride, then? I don¡¯t want to go to Andrew¡¯s by myself.¡±


    Mayar promptly trotted to the front door, making low growling sounds. His hackles stood up along his back. I wasn¡¯t sure why Mayar disliked Andrew so much from scent alone, but I knew better than to question an animal¡¯s instincts about people.


    Hell, maybe that was part of what emboldened me to agree to meeting Andrew at his place.


    Half an hour later, I found myself outside Andrew¡¯s apartment building. Mayar trotted along beside me as I made my way to my boyfriend¡¯s door. He wasn¡¯t home yet, so I opened it with my key and crept inside. Mayar bristled and soon began pacing the apartment.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I made my way to the kitchen and poked around, finding nothing but bottles of alcohol and energy drinks. So much for taking care of himself. There wasn¡¯t even anything for me to cook with.


    Sighing, I went to the living room and grimaced at the mess. I knew I¡¯d get yelled at if I tried to tidy it up though, so instead I plopped down on the couch and turned on one of the gaming consoles, making sure to log in with my account.


    After a moment of consideration, I decided to wipe my data from his consoles entirely. My save games were backed up on the cloud anyway, and I had a nagging suspicion I wouldn¡¯t ever come back to Andrew¡¯s place.


    ¡®Am I really ready to go?¡¯ I glanced around at the pitiful apartment. It was a stupid question. I¡¯d been ready to leave him for a while. I wasn¡¯t a fixer. Hell, I was probably the one who needed fixing after being in a relationship for so long with this fucker.


    Mayar prowled over to me with one of my shirts hanging out of his mouth. I took it, steeling myself, then stood up. At the very least, I¡¯d gather up my clothes so I could do the laundry later.


    By the time I was done stuffing my clothes into a bag, Andrew still wasn¡¯t back. Irritated, I sat on the couch again and checked my phone. Oh. Traffic. That made me feel a little guilty about being tetchy. I could at least wait and see what he wanted me to come over for.


    When Andrew finally got home, the first words out of his mouth didn¡¯t give me much hope. ¡°You had all that time and you didn¡¯t cook anything?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything to cook with,¡± I pointed out, keeping my tone pleasant.


    ¡°You were supposed to bring your own stuff, obviously. I know you¡¯re rolling in it. Tch, stingy bitch.¡± Andrew continued muttering to himself as he threw his backpack to the floor. ¡°You taking me out, then? I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    The corner of my eye twitched. I was certainly not ¡°rolling in it,¡± nor did I want to take him anywhere other than a garbage dump. I took a steadying breath. ¡°No, actually. I¡¯m taking myself out of your life, permanently.¡±


    ¡°What?! You can¡¯t do that!¡± Andrew snapped, unaware of the hellhound moving between us. ¡°You¡¯ll never find someone if you leave me!¡±


    ¡°That is preferable to raising someone else¡¯s child,¡± I stated, my pent-up frustrations beginning to slip. I grabbed my bag of clothes and gave Andrew a firm look. ¡°I can barely support myself, let alone both of us, but money is all you want out of me. That isn¡¯t a relationship. I¡¯m done. Move.¡±


    Andrew spluttered and moved to strike me, but Mayar was faster


    The canine rammed into Andrew¡¯s stomach, knocking him off his feet and allowing me to flee.


    The moment Mayar and I were in my car, I threw my things in the back seat and pulled away from the curb. A loud noise, followed by one of the rear windows breaking, made me yelp. Four more shots followed as glimmering particles of crimson light spread from Mayar and coated my vehicle.


    ¡°Fucking hell... Call Emily!¡± I snapped at my on-board assistant.


    ¡°Celia? What¡¯s that sound?¡± Emily asked the moment she answered.


    ¡°I just broke up with Andrew and he¡¯s shooting at my goddamn car!¡± I hissed, turning onto the main road, my pulse pounding. ¡°I need to call the police, but can I come stay the night at your place? If your husband is against it I¡¯ll just find a hotel or something but¡ª¡±


    ¡°HE WHAT?!¡± Emily demanded. ¡°WHY ARE ALL YOUR EX¡¯S FUCKING INSANE? GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!


    ¡°HONEY! CELIA IS COMING OVER. CALL THE POLICE ON TWATFACE! YEAH, SHE FINALLY DITCHED HIM.¡±


    I twitched as Emily hung up. Okay, sure, I didn¡¯t have the best track record. It wasn¡¯t my fault the cute ones were unhinged and didn¡¯t show it until too late.

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    ¡°Celia, your car is seriously busted!¡± Emily exclaimed as I got out inside her garage. ¡°I kinda hoped you were kidding! but this¡­ He really went off the deep end. You poor thing!¡±


    ¡°The police are going to watch your house in case Andrew shows up there.¡± Richard, Emily¡¯s husband, nodded to me. ¡°They said they¡¯ll send someone here to get your statement and such, too. Til then, you look like you need to sit back down. Sofa?¡±


    ¡°I was gonna ask if I could use your washing¡ª¡± I started, but Emily promptly plucked the bag away from.me.


    ¡°Nuh uh, you¡¯re not doing any work after that!¡± Emily declared.


    I began to protest, ¡°But you¡¯re pregnant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pregnant, not crippled.¡± Emily shooshed me. ¡°Honey, make sure Celia gets to the sofa safe, ¡®kay?¡±


    Richard and I exchanged a look. We both knew better than to argue with Emily, especially since she¡¯d been pregnant. I didn''t have any better ideas, so I obediently followed Richard to the lounge. Once there, he left to fetch me a glass of water. I glanced down at Mayar as he curled up on top of my feet. It seemed like no one else could see him, just as the man who brought him to me claimed.


    Emily soon walked in and sat beside me. She let out a sigh before asking, ¡°So, what made you finally ditch the loser? You meet someone else?¡±


    ¡°What? No! When have you ever known me to be that type?¡± I exclaimed. However, the Aloryi¡¯s face came to mind again. I shook him from my mind. I had no chance, and it was doubtful I¡¯d ever see him again anyway. Besides, I knew literally nothing about him. It was just lust, if anything. ¡°Andrew called me over, took forever to show up, and was mad I didn''t cook him something while waiting. Then he demanded for me to take him out. I¡¯m over it.¡±


    ¡°You totally met someone.¡± Emily peered at me. ¡°Maybe not the kind of ¡®meet¡¯ I was hoping, but you¡¯ve been out of it all week.¡±


    ¡°Hey, the police are here,¡± Richard called, walking in and handing me a glass of water. ¡°I¡¯ll go let them in once they¡¯re done checking your car, okay? Hang tight.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I murmured, staring down at the glass of water.


    ¡°Soooo, what¡¯s his name?¡± Emily probed. I just stared blankly at her. ¡°Come on, if you met someone worth dumping Andrew for, you gotta know his name.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°You say that like Andrew is a lot better than he is,¡± I deflected. She seemed awfully pushy. ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t meet anyone else. Really. Enough was enough. I¡¯m not his fucking mother.¡±


    ¡°Language!¡± Emily giggled, clamping her hands over either side of her baby bump. I sighed at her.


    Thankfully, the police soon came inside to get my statement and file their report. Though sympathetic, they brought worrying news¡ªno one knew where Andrew was. His car and phone were just¡­missing. His laptop, too. They¡¯d been tracking his signature but, when he entered my neighborhood, everything vanished.


    I glanced down at Mayar while the officers talked. The canine looked up at me and wagged his tail cheerfully. I had a sneaking suspicion Mayar must have done something other than shield me. If he really had called for help¡­what had happened to Andrew, and should I care?


    ¡°Celia, was it?¡± One of the officers, a blonde with hazel eyes smiled at me and offered me a piece of paper. ¡°If you need anything, I¡¯m just a phone call away.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Thank you.¡± I blinked, watching as Richard showed the officers out. Once I heard a door shut, I leaned toward Emily. ¡°Was¡­was he hitting on me just then?¡±


    ¡°Yep, think so.¡± Emily grimaced. ¡°What poor taste in timing! Best avoid that one, girlie, even if he is kinda cute. No good man hits on a girl who almost got shot by her ex!¡±


    That was a good point.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to stay a few days? The girls are going to throw a tantrum if they find out, won¡¯t they?¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°They can eat it!¡± Emily snorted. ¡°If they can¡¯t understand, they don''t deserve to be friends with me. You were almost killed, Celia! I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight til its safe!¡±


    It was hard to argue with that, so I didn''t bother trying. Still. Was my ex missing because he had turned off anything that could track him? Or¡­ I pursed my lips. If the Aloryi had done something, I wasn''t sure if I wanted to know. I doubted their brand of justice was anything like ours.


    I sighed. It was a ridiculous assumption. There was no good reason for him to care, especially if food and Mayar were his way of settling out ¡°debt.¡± It was more likely my ex had done something stupid.


    After hanging out with Emily for a while, and eating dinner, I took a bath and then climbed into bed. Mayar promptly laid across the foot of the bed while I flipped through my phone. I really didn''t know how to process the day I¡¯d had.


    When I saw a text message from my grandmother, I tensed.


    From: Grandma


    Celia, dear, might you still have that cookbook I sold to your little store? I¡¯m beginning to have second thoughts. I want to buy it back.


    From: Celia


    Sorry, Grandma, but we sold it already. The customer paid cash, so I don¡¯t think we can track it down.


    I shivered. Something about my grandmother¡¯s message was off-putting. Did she know what the cookbook was capable of? I paused, staring at my phone. Second thoughts¡­shit. Had she bound several demons with the book, and I¡¯d freed them by destroying it?


    Pissing off my family or pissing off demons. Great choices. I hesitated, then nudged Mayar. He wiggled over and rolled on his back demanding belly rubs. I quickly obliged him, then attempted to explain to him what was going on. He looked like he understood, at least.


    ¡°And¡­tell your master I said thank you, too, okay?¡± I kept my voice as low as possible. When I was done, Mayar disappeared in a plume of smoke and I flopped back on the bed again.


    I had a feeling that pissing off the Aloryi was more dangerous than my grandma.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Two


    ¡°I didn''t think watching after the little morsel would provide me an opportunity to play with a human.¡± I trailed the tip of a ritual dagger down Andrew¡¯s torso, a smile on my face. ¡°You know, I would have been content to let you live your pitiful life if you hadn¡¯t attempted to murder her.¡±


    The disgusting human whimpered and shied away from my blade. With his tongue gone, there was little else for him to do.


    ¡°My lord, Mayar has brought news, and a message, from the surface,¡± a voice interrupted my leisure time. I glanced over my shoulder at the servant. They knew that the only acceptable interruptions were related to the strange woman, or family matters.


    ¡°A message from?¡± I prompted.


    ¡°Miss Celia, my lord.¡± The servant bowed lower. ¡°Mayar stated that she had a realization, and it is best you know immediately.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I glanced at Andrew, shooting him a pleasant smile. ¡°I will finish dealing with you later.¡±


    A second servant offered me a bowl of water to cleanse my hands with. Once that was done, I followed the other one to where Mayar waited for me.


    ¡°That human smells terrible.¡± Mayar wrinkled his snout the moment I entered the room.


    ¡°And what of Celia?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Her grandmother is the last one to possess the book you were bound to,¡± Mayar began to explain. I listened in silence as he recounted Celia¡¯s conversation with her grandmother and reported on his stay with the human girl. ¡°Ah, and she instructed me to relay her thanks to you.¡±


    I stared up at Mayar, taken aback. A human, thanking me? Now that was a strange development. I sighed when the realization hit me. Her manners were better than mine, it seemed.


    But¡­could I risk venturing to the surface?


    ¡°We can only be bound once, right?¡± My sister giggled, appearing beside me. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to go after her, I will. She¡¯s so cute!¡±


    ¡°My concern is that our presence on the surface will cause¡­problems.¡± I shook my head slowly. Disguising ourselves as humans would be simple. It was tricking the magically-inclined and the skydwellers that worried me.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s going to have more problems if you don''t go.¡± Lylar raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°I will consider it.¡± I shook my head again, then looked up at Mayar. ¡°Continue guarding Celia, even if it means accompanying her to work.¡±

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven


    I poked through a stack of books with my lips pursed and my brow furrowed. No one ever put things back in the correct place! Sometimes I wondered if they intentionally misplaced them. I let out a small sigh, gathered the books in a pile in my arms, then strode through the store to put them where they belonged. Mayar trotted alongside me while I tidied up the different sections of the store. Eventually, I made it back to my usual post and began rearranging the tins of handmade tea.


    "Oh good, I was about to call you." David looked over at me and set down his pendulum. "Got a customer here asking about¡ª"


    "I''m lookin'' for a cookbook, Dave here says you bought it." A woman with sharp features and a pixie cut crossed her arms at me. I did my best to focus on her and not the massive, glowing man standing behind her. The woman''s glowing companion was bound by chains and had a bloodied blindfold across his eyes. A ring of light floated behind his back, sending sparkling rays skittering across the shop. He looked like he''d been beaten recently, judging by the bruising, and his shackles had dried blood around them.


    I swallowed hard and looked the woman in the eye. "Not anymore. The recipes seriously sucked, so I got rid of it already."


    "She''s telling the truth¡­" The golden man leaned down to whisper by the woman''s ear. Her gaze flicked to the side momentarily before looking back to me. "No¡­no she can''t see me."


    "Nothing¡­weird happened when you tried the recipes?" The woman narrowed her eyes at me.


    "I''m hopeless in the kitchen." I shrugged. "Even if I was a decent cook, I don''t think it''d have helped. Who puts chocolate, sriracha, and marshmallow on salmon anyway?"


    "Ugh." The woman crossed her arms and huffed. I remained still as her glowing companion tiptoed over to me. With his back to the woman, he mouthed instructions to keep pretending. Once in range, he prodded my cheek a few times and chuckled, the corners of his mouth pulling into a small smile. "Hard to believe you''re her grandkid. Must be so pissed to finally have had a dud show up in the family line!"


    "A¡­dud?" I arched an eyebrow at her. That wasn''t quite the words they''d used when they threw me out.


    "You sure you''re not a sorceress? I mean, working in a shop like this¡­" The woman frowned and peered around. "Why''d old Quinn sell a cookbook to an occult shop anyway?"


    "I''m more curious why she wants it back. I''ve never known my grandmother to cook¡­anything. She always said that''s what the servants are for." I shrugged, and the woman grimaced.


    "Sounds like her alright." The woman raised her hands. "Whatever. Guess I''ll try tracking the book down elsewhere. You said it had nasty recipes in it? Maybe someone lifted the real one then¡­"


    The woman walked out of the shop and whipped out her cell phone, but her companion stayed inside. I had a feeling she''d instructed him to keep an eye on me.


    "Celia, you mind checking the back for me? Customer gave me a list of books he wants to pick up." David offered me a piece of paper with a long list of books on it.


    "Sure thing." I nodded and walked deeper into the shop, aware that the prismatic glints nearby indicated that the golden man was following me.


    I glanced down at the list again and double-checked the titles. A glance down at my feet helped reaffirm that Mayar was sticking close¡ªand he didn''t seem bothered by our golden companion.


    When I stopped by the backroom, an arm shot past my head and rested palm-first against the door, preventing me from opening it. I glanced over my shoulder to find he was staring directly at me again.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    His lips parted to speak, his voice barely a whisper, "Tell¡­ Tell the Moon that the Sun has fallen."


    Mayar stiffened against my leg. When I went to respond, the strange being shook his head hurriedly and spoke again, "Be careful. Do not stay far from your nighthound."


    With that, the man turned and left. Rather than walking, he floated a few inches above the ground, his chains clinking faintly. When he disappeared around the corner of a bookshelf, I finally looked down at Mayar. His entire body seemed to have bristled.


    I opened the door to the back room and strode in, feeling a little numb. That man, whatever he was¡ªan Angel?¡ªwas a slave to the woman he accompanied. Was that the sort of treatment the demon I''d summoned expected?


    Did my grandmother, maybe even my entire family, have such beings as their slaves? The thought made me nauseous. Not only because it was wrong, but also because there had been several hundred recipes in that cookbook. My family could have had hundreds of slaves I didn''t know about¡ªand that was just the demons.


    If destroying the book had released them¡­ I shivered.


    Once I had all the books on David''s list, I returned to the front of the shop only to find he had already put up the closed sign.


    "You''re a terrible liar, and that woman is even worse at detecting them." David crossed his arms and gave me a pointed look. "You did good pretending you couldn''t see her angel, but if you have to face your grandma you ain''t going to be so lucky."


    "Uh¡­" I faltered, staring at David.


    "Why your grandmother wanted to sell that book is beyond me! Maybe she¡¯s going senile? Maybe she''s looking to lure in new blood?" David scoffed and sat back in his chair. "So, who did you summon? One of the peasants, or just the nighthound here? I always knew you had potential, even if your thrice-damned family couldn''t see it."


    "Well¡­" I slowly began.


    "Bah! I''m a sorceress'' slave that broke free," David interrupted, making a motion with one hand. His eyes flickered a glowing gold briefly. "Out with it."


    Mayar nudged me and nodded his head once. I sighed.


    "Mayar is¡­protection, not who I summoned." I took a seat across from David. "I''m not sure who I summoned, just that he said he''s an Aloryi, not a demon."


    David frowned and looked at Mayar, "That''s no ordinary nighthound. You say he¡¯s protection¡­a gift?"


    "Something like that. I''ve had one hell of a week." I sighed again.


    "So, where you keeping the book and your Aloryi?" David prompted. I blinked at him.


    "Uh¡­ I tore out the pages and burned the book, since the Aloryi said that''s how I could undo the summoning."


    David choked on his coffee and hit his chest a few times before looking at me with a stunned expression, "You destroyed a summoning book? Oh hell, girl, I knew you had potential, but this?" He let out a hearty laugh. "You''re going to need more than a nighthound to protect you from your grandmother when she finds out.


    "Hah! All that fine-tuning and selective breeding, and they still produce someone like you. You''re lucky she was too stupid to see your potential. If she''d found out, you''d be buried six feet under like all the rest."


    "I-I''m not sure I follow¡­" I mumbled.


    "Your family only got where it is by using demons, angels, and who knows what other creatures. You thought they treated their human servants bad? Their lives are cake by comparison." David shook his head. "Proud, powerful family of sorcerers and sorceresses. Long, long lineage. Gal like you? You''re one too, just a different head on your shoulders. What I don''t understand is how you don''t know who you summoned. Didn''t you read the spell?"


    "Spell? I just made one of the sandwich recipes." I stared at him.


    "¡­read this." David handed me a book.


    "It¡¯s blank." I pouted.


    "You¡­can''t see magic script?" David exclaimed before pulling his sleeve up. "I got any tattoos?"


    I looked down at his arm and then back to his face. "No, you don''t."


    "Let me guess¡ªyour grandma started treating you as inferior when she told, you to read something and you couldn¡¯t?" David asked dryly.


    "After she asked me to read some kids story." I shrugged.


    "Saved by a lack of magical sight!" David shook his head in disbelief, then looked at Mayar. "If you''ve got contact with your master still, you''d best tell him all this. Celia''s gonna need more protection, and even then, her family will still probably kill her."


    Mayar bristled and grew a little in size, baring his fangs. "His Majesty and I will not let that happen."


    "¡­you summoned the Aloryi king?" David stared at me. "He could have killed you!"


    "I was so surprised I offered him food and wine," I grumbled. "Then started pestering him about how I could release him."


    "Either the seals are weakening or you''ve more to you than I gave you credit for." David pressed his fingers to his temples. "Work from home for now. Mayar can better protect you there. Here you won¡¯t be safe, and I can¡¯t get involved without risking some uppity witch coming along to rebind me." David paused to make a shooing motion. "Go home. Lock your doors and windows. Let Mayar create a barrier."


    Mayar bit my skirt and tugged briefly. It looked like I didn''t have much choice in the matter.

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight


    I padded around my kitchen without any idea what to do. Work from home? What was that? I gnawed on my lower lip while pacing. How infuriating. I worked at a book store for Christ¡¯s sake. I couldn¡¯t exactly manage the cafe or bakery portion of the business from home, nor could I handle inventory or organization here either. Sighing, I texted David and asked what, exactly, he expected me to do.


    I¡¯d been so stunned by his involvement in the supernatural that I hadn¡¯t even thought to question him while I was still there.


    ¡°Mayar, shouldn¡¯t you be relaying a message to¡­whatever his name is?¡± I glanced over at the large black hound. He tilted his head, a glimmer of confusion on his fluffy face. ¡°Your master. He didn¡¯t tell me what his name is.¡±


    ¡°He¡­oh.¡± Mayar tilted his head further. ¡°Does it bother you that I can talk?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I think I¡¯m beyond worrying about that, of all things. It explains why you were able to understand everything I¡¯ve been saying, too.¡±


    ¡°Names are a fickle thing. My master has many, and many of them could bind him to you.¡± Mayar wandered over and then sat against my legs. ¡°I should report to him, but¡­I don¡¯t trust that woman and her skydweller won¡¯t come looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Skydweller?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, he wasn¡¯t an ¡®angel?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Not in the sense surface dwellers think of, no.¡± Mayar shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re lucky the woman is too weak to bind him to her fully. He would have given you away, otherwise. This David person you work for¡­¡±


    Mayar and I both fell silent when there was a knock at my door. I glanced down at him, then strode to the front of the house with him close behind me. I peeked through the hole in the door and let out a small sigh when I saw Emily and Richard standing there.


    ¡°Celia!¡± Emily grinned at me and thrust a huge basket at me when I opened the door. ¡°We brought you lunch! Can we come in?¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I stared at the covered basket in my arms before moving out of their way. ¡°How¡¯d you guys know I was home?¡±


    ¡°We were driving through and saw your car in the driveway.¡± Emily poked my nose. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at work? You feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°David sent me home early. We had some weirdos poking around the store and he didn¡¯t want to deal with them.¡± I followed them in the direction of my kitchen and set the basket on the island. ¡°Driving through, you said?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re house hunting!¡± Emily grinned. ¡°There¡¯s some nice houses around here for a new family, and it¡¯s closer to schools than our current house. We were on our way to get lunch when I saw your car here, so I decided we¡¯re bringing you lunch too.¡±


    ¡°The usual.¡± Richard shrugged at me. ¡°There¡¯s no changing her mind. I told her you probably weren¡¯t feeling well or something and didn¡¯t want to be bothered, but that just convinced her more.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± I remarked dryly.


    ¡°Oh, look! The shop next door had super cute cupcakes too!¡± Emily ignored her husband and pulled a box of cupcakes out of the basket. ¡°Barbecue and cupcakes are fine for lunch, right?¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not going to put pickles and peanut butter on yours again.¡± I raised an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s good! I swear.¡± Emily pouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I believe you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but grin. At least she hadn¡¯t brought canned cat food or something. Pregnant women were scary.


    ¡°So, what are your plans for the day?¡± Emily probed. ¡°If you¡¯re not working, wanna come tour some houses with us?¡±


    ¡°David wants me to work from home.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for him to message me back with what he wants me to work on.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Emily grimaced. ¡°How¡¯s business, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Decent. People come for the food, drink, and floral portion¡ªthey stay because the occult stuff catches their interest.¡± I pulled some plates down for us and set them on the island. ¡°The crystals are a hit as usual, as are the candles and incense. We¡¯ve started selling more books lately, too, though I think some of the teens have been rearranging the books on me. I keep finding things out of place.¡±


    ¡°Ghosts!¡± Emily declared.


    ¡°Ems, please.¡± Richard groaned.


    Emily grinned. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s a super old building! It¡¯s gotta have ghosts! We should ask David to let us do a paranormal investigation sometime.¡±


    ¡®¡­now that I know he¡¯s an odd one, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he constantly trolled her if he did let her investigate.¡¯ I sighed, shaking my head. ¡°You and what equipment? That¡¯s a lot of money that could be going toward baby clothes, your house, nursery, and whatever. Weren¡¯t you already saving for baby¡¯s school costs too?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Emily¡¯s already chosen a private school for K-12.¡± Richard threw his hands in the air. ¡°With how my job¡¯s going, we¡¯ll probably be able to cover whatever university the kiddo wants, too.¡±


    ¡°So, work¡¯s good, then?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Boss promoted me.¡± Richard grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a good promotion, too. Less work, more pay, and more focus on the side of business I actually like. Got a few competitors trying to steal me away, but none of them are willing to pay me as much as he does.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Awww, I¡¯m sho pwoud of youuu!¡± Emily pinched her husband¡¯s cheeks and giggled.


    ¡®Barf.¡¯ I kept the thought to myself and poked through the options of food, deciding on a pulled pork sandwich.


    ¡°You hear back from the police yet?¡± Emily finally turned serious, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Really. If you don¡¯t feel safe here, we don¡¯t mind if you crash at our place until they hunt down Andrew.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I shook my head. ¡°If he steps foot in my house, I¡¯ll shoot him. That¡¯s the point of having a gun for protection, right? As far as the police go, they can¡¯t¡¯ find him. Everything they could track him by is just¡­gone. They said they saw a few signal blips a few hundred feet below ground, but then nothing¡ªprobably a glitch. Oh, and they confirmed that he did indeed shoot at my car. The apartment complex has security cameras.¡±


    ¡°Useless.¡± Richard shook his head. ¡°You call us if you need anything, got it?¡±


    ¡°I will, I will,¡± I reassured them before taking a huge bite out of my pulled pork sandwich. It was true, sort of. With Mayar around, I hoped I wouldn¡¯t need to call on either of them for help. Plus, if more weird stuff happened¡­yeah. I didn¡¯t want to involve them in that, if I could help it. Especially not with Emily being pregnant. She was due in just a few months, and I really didn¡¯t want to stress her out with any of the weird stuff happening in my life¡ªif she¡¯d even believe me.


    After lunch and some pleasant chitchat, Richard and Emily left to go look at more houses, and I turned to look down at Mayar. ¡°Want the last sandwich?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Mayar looked up as I unwrapped it. While he ate, I checked my phone again.


    A small sigh escaped me when I found an e-mail from David. He wanted me to shop around for more things we could sell at his shop and find a new crystal supplier. Apparently, our current one was days late with their shipment. I made a face at my phone before standing up and searching my house for a laptop to use. Once I found it, I plunked down on the couch and began browsing the Internet in search of usable stuff. Buying crystals in bulk was pretty cheap, but we¡¯d already gone through several suppliers because they¡¯d turned out to be unreliable.


    My phone dinged with another message from David. He wanted me to find a new supplier for incense, handmade soaps, and wax seal supplies too. I groaned and opened several more browser tabs. I¡¯d have preferred to be stuck rearranging bookshelves. That, at least, I could turn into a fun puzzle for myself. We occasionally had eye candy come into the store looking for books too¡ªor maybe they wanted pagan booty. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure. Especially with some of the goth guys.


    ¡°Not helping, brain,¡± I muttered to myself when the Aloryi man¡¯s face flashed through my mind. It drove me a little insane that my brain wanted to focus on him so much. Maybe it was because he was hot, maybe it was because confirmation of other races existing¡ªand magic¡ªfascinated me. Either way, I could have done without the constant imagery teases and dreams. I shivered. The dreams definitely needed to stop.


    ¡°Do you know anywhere we could go to meet with a messenger?¡± Mayar padded into the room and sat off to the side so I could see him around my laptop. ¡°I would rather not leave you on your own.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­somewhere secluded?¡± I frowned, watching him nod. ¡°Not really. My family owns a lot of the forest and countryside around here.¡±


    ¡°Having the messenger come here wouldn¡¯t be safe.¡± Mayar sighed.


    ¡°You put a barrier around my house, right? If it won¡¯t take you long, I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be fine if you told him yourself.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve got my gun on me, so if that woman does show up and tries to start something, I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t equipped to handle her servant¡ªor anyone¡¯s servant.¡± Mayar snorted.


    ¡°What if I turn out all the lights and pretend I¡¯m taking a nap?¡± I suggested, earning an incredulous stare in reply. ¡°What? You¡¯ve got a short message to relay, and you¡¯ve never been gone for a few minutes at a time.¡±


    ¡°That message isn¡¯t a short one,¡± Mayar informed me. ¡°This is serious! I must inform my master of David, the woman and her skydweller, and many other things that happen around you. It isn¡¯t simply about the message the skydweller asked be relayed¡ªand furthermore, he asked you to relay it.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter if I¡¯m the one to deliver the message?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mayar let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°It¡¯s important, but I can¡¯t bring you to the Underrealm. The races there would attempt to eat you alive or corrupt you. Perhaps both. Humans are not welcome, especially not humans with ties to a family renowned for enslaving their kind. You are lucky my master is fond of you.¡±


    ¡®Fond of¡­¡¯ I shook my head when I felt my heart flutter. This wasn¡¯t the time for rebound attachments. Nope. ¡°And having him come here would be dangerous, right?¡±


    Mayer tilted his head and was silent for a moment. ¡°It¡­might be possible. If he were to appear inside your house, rather than approach via the door.¡±


    I frowned at him. ¡°You keep implying my house is being watched.¡±


    ¡°Because it is.¡± Mayar snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s your family or someone else, but they have eyes all over your neighborhood. That¡¯s why a messenger wouldn¡¯t work. They would grow suspicious if an Aloryi came and knocked on your door.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to invite your master to appear in my house,¡± I pointed out. ¡°He¡¯s welcome to, if you think that¡¯s the best way to handle this mess, and if that message is really so important. But, didn¡¯t the ¡®skydweller¡¯ say to tell the Moon¡ª¡±


    ¡°My master is ¡®the Moon.¡¯¡± Mayar laughed. I just stared at him in confusion. ¡°You are better off not knowing. I will see if I can call him here.¡±


    With that, Mayar turned and trotted out of the living room. I stared after him for a moment, before turning my attention to my laptop. Though curious, I¡¯d already tried researching ¡°Aloryi¡± and ¡°Moon Keepers¡± online. Nothing came up, and I didn¡¯t want to try poking through the dark web for information. That would just be inviting more trouble I didn¡¯t want. I shook my head and returned to work. That, at least, was something to distract me.


    The next few hours were spent trying to find a crystal supplier. By the time my hours were over, I¡¯d found a few options and sent them David¡¯s way. I stood up, stretched, then let out a sigh. It was one of those days. My heart and my mind both felt empty, numb. I vaguely hoped tomorrow would be a better day, but anything more than a passing thought felt like too much effort.


    When I walked out of the living room, I frowned and glanced around for Mayar. He didn¡¯t respond, leaving me to wonder if he¡¯d gone looking for food or if, perhaps, he¡¯d gone to his master after all. I decided to take a bath in the meantime. There wasn''t much else to do besides that, or sleep.


    Aloryi. Moon Keeper. A ¡°demon¡± with long, silky black hair, striking eyes, and ethereal-yet-masculine features. Horns, a scaled tail, and vicious fangs. He was nowhere near as bestial as folklore portrayed demons to be, yet he didn¡¯t look very human.


    Still, he was a man¡ªand for some reason his kind could be summoned. Like they were sub-human. A frown drifted across my face. The more I thought about it, the less I understood. David was right that the Aloryi could have killed me. Why didn¡¯t he?


    I sighed and started at my bathroom ceiling. Maybe my minor obsession was because he was a mystery. A puzzle for me to solve. I hadn¡¯t thought I¡¯d see him or anyone like him once I unsummoned him¡­and yet my life seemed intent on getting more crazy.


    When finished with my bath, I dressed for bed and went looking for some wine. I figured I may as well enjoy the rest of my evening by watching TV or reading a book. My mind was too distracted to focus on something like games, and browsing social media was never my cup of tea. However, the moment I entered the kitchen, any thoughts of TV or books soon left my mind. A shimmering archway appeared between me and the fridge. At almost the same time, Mayar and his Aloryi master stepped through and into my kitchen.


    I really should have put on a robe.


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 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you would be entertaining me as well.¡± The Aloryi¡¯s lips curved into a sultry smile, his piercing eyes sliding downward from my face. His tail swayed in a slow rhythm as he rubbed his chin.


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t know Mayar had left to bring you here.¡± I crossed my arms over my stomach. The way my ¡°guest¡± examined me sent a small thrill through me and made my skin prickle into goosebumps.


    ¡°Mayar tells me you were given a message to relay to me.¡± The Aloryi tilted his head and finally raised his gaze from my bare legs to my face, then out the window behind me. ¡°You have a garden?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s converse there once you¡¯ve changed. Will you share your wine with me?¡± He motioned toward my left hand, which gripped an unopened bottle of sweet red wine.


    ¡°¡­sure.¡± I set the bottle on the kitchen island before pivoting to go back to my room. ¡°I won¡¯t take long.¡±


    Once in my room, I stared at my closet before shaking my head and opting for a robe instead. It was my house and he was the intruder. I would dress however I pleased, but it was too cold outside to forgo the robe. I slipped on a pair of slippers as well, then returned to the main living area. There, I discovered my guest examining a bookcase.


    ¡°You collect crystals and trinkets?¡± The Aloryi asked without turning around. He ran a clawed finger down the spine of one book, his tail swaying lazily behind him. ¡°Books on the metaphysical, tarot cards¡­ You do realize most of these don¡¯t work, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I strode over and joined him in front if the bookcase. ¡°I have them because they¡¯re interesting, not because I was trying to learn. Well, that¡¯s not entirely true. The folklore books are something I tried to learn from.¡±


    ¡°Interesting in what way?¡± The Aloryi finally looked down at me, a baffled expression on his chiseled face.


    ¡°Psychologically. Humans have turned to religion and other belief systems for thousands of years. It¡¯s interesting to learn about those different systems, their rise and fall, the effect they had on people of the time¡­¡± I paused to reach up and pull down a book I¡¯d purchased years ago from David¡¯s store. ¡°Take this one, for example. It covers ancient Celtic practices. These aren¡¯t the kinds of things we learn about in school. Even ancient Egypt is barely touched on.¡±


    ¡°And learning about the past pleases you?¡± The Aloryi archer an eyebrow at me. ¡°Furthermore, you read such subjects and found nothing on the Underrealm or my people?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to check yourself, if you want to.¡± I motioned at the bookshelf. ¡°Oh. Though, you wanted to go to the garden, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Aloryi pivoted and strode away from the bookshelf, a contemplative frown on his lips. ¡°You¡¯re a strange human.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± I fetched the wine and two glasses before following him out the French doors that led to my small garden.


    The Aloryi ducked under a flowering arch and headed toward the seating area as he spoke, ¡°You have ties to an infamous family of sorcerers, yet your first instinct was to free me. Despite lacking magic, you were capable of summoning one of the most powerful individuals bound to that book. You seem uninterested in gaining power. How did you grow up in such a household and not discover your family¡¯s secrets?¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I now know why I¡¯m an outcast.¡± I sat across from him and placed our glasses on the table. ¡°Grandmother runs the family, and she deemed me worthless early on. Most of the family resources were dumped on my cousins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard your family is ruthless when it comes to their¡­servants. Maybe it shouldn¡¯t surprise me that they are the same with family.¡± He shook his head slowly before settling back in his seat and staring up at the sky. Disappointment flickered across his face. ¡°The Moon isn¡¯t out.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I promptly pulled my phone out of my robe¡¯s pockets and did a quick search. ¡°Moonrise isn¡¯t for another twenty minutes or so.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he murmured, his gaze dropping to the table between us as I poured our wine.


    ¡°You can stay for it if you want,¡± I offered, setting the wine bottle aside. ¡°I doubt I¡¯m good company, though.¡±


    Coldness glinted in his eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯m a ¡®demon¡¯ and you are not?¡±


    ¡°No. Because I¡¯m not interesting,¡± I stated. ¡°You can help yourself to a book if you¡¯d prefer to read.¡±


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t think you¡¯re interesting?¡±


    ¡°Nope! It¡¯s always my family or their money that interests people. Not me.¡±


    The Aloryi frowned at me. ¡°Speaking of¡­you work at an occult shop and can afford a house like this? How?¡±


    ¡°Oh. My parents help me out some. When Grandmother threw me out, my dad made sure I would have a nice place to stay.¡± I took a sip of my wine, noting the Aloryi¡¯s gaze wandering to my throat. ¡°My grandmother is in charge of everything still, including finances. Dad pointed out that throwing me out and making me homeless would result in unwanted press. She ¡®let¡¯ him make sure I was comfortable and¡­placated.¡±


    ¡°She sounds like a piece of work,¡± he scoffed. He gracefully slid his fingers around the stem of the glass and lifted it off the table, studying the wine within. ¡°Do you know why your grandmother is looking for the book?¡±


    ¡°Not for certain, but I can guess,¡± I replied, sitting back in my chair with one leg crossed over the other. ¡°If the book is related to summoning Aloryi, I have to assume that my family has been using it to bind your kind. Given that there¡¯s hundreds of recipes in there, I¡¯m assuming just as many Aloryi were bound. Since I destroyed the book, that must have freed them all at once.¡±


    ¡°That wretch has been trying to summon the remainder of the noble and royal families.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me, his tail twitching. ¡°She, her predecessors, and her progeny have all failed to summon us¡ªuntil you. If she discovers you¡¯re capable of summoning us and that you destroyed the only book we were bound to¡­¡±


    ¡°When she finds out,¡± I corrected him. ¡°She¡¯s the sort who always knows everything that¡¯s going on with everyone. I¡¯d rather not get anyone else involved in family problems. If she wants to have me killed, so be it. I¡¯ll at least try to take out my attacker before their slave can kill me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t fear death?¡± The Aloryi shot me a doubting look.


    ¡°Of course I do. But it¡¯s unavoidable, human lives are short, and if my grandmother decides to shorten mine further there¡¯s no stopping her. She gets what she wants.¡± I sighed heavily. No one depended on me, anyway. There wasn¡¯t much going on in my life that made me desperate to live or happy to be alive. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you and Mayar didn¡¯t put yourselves in danger because of me. You should probably both return to the Underrealm when you go.¡±


    I could cope with the loneliness if it meant neither of them would be hurt or enslaved by my crazy grandmother.


    The Aloryi snorted and made a dismissive, sweeping motion before speaking ¡°We will do no such thing. If Mayar decides you are truly in harm¡¯s way, he¡¯ll bring you to the Underrealm. I won¡¯t hear any arguments.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I stared at him in disbelief. Why did he want to go so far to protect me? It didn¡¯t make any sense. Though I doubted telling him that to his face was a good idea. I decided sipping my wine in silence was safer.


    That seemed to suit the Aloryi just fine. I fidgeted with my glass of wine while the elegant man kept his gaze aimed toward the sky. The light pollution from the city blotted out most of the stars, yet my guest seemed fascinated by them. I felt my heart clench, and I quickly returned my gaze to my wine. Of course he was fascinated. He had been living a subterranean lifestyle of some kind for who-knew-how-long.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s rising.¡± His voice was so low I almost missed his comment. I took a tentative peek at him again, and my breath caught. As the crescent rose over the horizon, my guest underwent a startling transformation. His hair flowed from black to solid, luminescent white. Likewise glowing markings spread across his skin, including a crescent moon on the center of his forehead. His green eyes became silver, and his sclera inky black. Even his skin took on a more unearthly silvery grey-white tone.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say, and he didn¡¯t seem to hear me. A contented, intimate sigh left him as he nestled back in his seat, a hazy smile on his face.


    ¡°A shame the moon isn¡¯t full.¡± The low purr of his voice sent a shiver through me.


    I swallowed hard and set my wine aside. Clearly I¡¯d had enough of that. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come back when it¡¯s full, if you want. Should I look up the lunar calendar?¡±


    ¡°So you can conspire against me?¡± The Aloryi turned his sharp gaze to me, causing me to flinch.


    ¡°N-no! I said what I meant!¡± I shied back, inexplicably hurt. Of course he would think poorly of me, with what family I came from. I bit back my tears and reined my emotions in. ¡°You just seemed disappointed¡­so I thought¡­¡±


    I trailed off and stared down at my lap. It was silly of me to offer. Once I relayed the message he¡¯d come for, he¡¯d return to the Underrealm and I probably wouldn¡¯t see him again.


    The Aloryi released another sigh, this one of reluctance. ¡°I apologize. Trusting a human is¡­difficult, at best. Even when you sound so sincere.¡±


    I remained silent. That was how I had avoided trouble with my family. Perhaps it would work with the Aloryi too. His distrust and his accusatory tone were almost too much. I wasn¡¯t confident that I could speak up without breaking down, anyway.


    ¡°I upset you,¡± he commented, his voice soft. When I said nothing, he started to reach for me but stopped short. ¡°You truly don¡¯t mean to conspire to bind me, do you?¡±


    I clenched my fists on my lap. ¡°Why would I? Even if it would make me less useless, it¡¯s still wrong.¡±


    ¡°You are not useless.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me.


    ¡®¡­is a demon really trying to pep talk me?¡¯ I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm myself. He wasn¡¯t even who I was beginning to get mad at. I was mad at myself for having such an emotional reaction to begin with. ¡°Maybe, who knows. If I¡¯m good at or useful for something, I haven¡¯t discovered it yet.¡±


    ¡°You freed me and many others from being enslaved,¡± the Aloryi pointed out. ¡°Not many people could do that, nor would they want to. I did want to discuss that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then do.¡± I picked up my wine again. If nothing else, that little exchange had reminded me that he wasn¡¯t human, he was out of my league, and that I should stop admiring him. My attentions were better spent on wine. Lots of wine.


    ¡°There are still Aloryi unaccounted for,¡± he began slowly, seeming to take his time choosing words, ¡°I was wondering if you knew of any similar books in your family¡¯s possession, or perhaps you noticed other oddities.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I stated.


    ¡°¡®No?¡¯ That¡¯s it?¡± He knit his brows. ¡°That is all you will say on the matter?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother asked me to read a lot of things, but I don¡¯t have magical sight, apparently,¡± I elaborated with a small sigh. ¡°The family estate has a massive library and all sorts of display cases with texts, antiques, and so on. Some of the cases always looked empty to me but were always kept locked.¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± The Aloryi asked, motioning toward my eyes. When I frowned at him he continued, ¡°I want to see if there¡¯s anything wrong with your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time.¡± I shook my head, watching his hand flinch ever-so-slightly before recoiling and returning to his armrest. ¡°I should deliver the message for you before I turn in for the night.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping¡­¡± The Aloryi trailed off and gazed longingly in the direction of the Moon.


    ¡°You can return when you want. I¡¯m not forcing you to go back early.¡± I crossed my arms, nearly tilting my wine too far. Crankiness had set in. I hated being emotional. I hated when pretty things that were out of reach. Furthermore¡­ ¡°I still don¡¯t have a name to call you, either. I can¡¯t keep calling you ¡®the Aloryi man¡¯ in my head forever, and I doubt ¡®hey you¡¯ is appropriate. And I refuse to call you ¡®Your Majesty.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Call me what you want.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Names hold power for my kind. Giving away my birth name would be the end of my free will. If not because of you, then because of someone else who hears it.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s like asking me to name you.¡± I stared at him in disbelief. ¡°You don¡¯t have a nickname or something for common use?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Most of my names could bind me to you. I won¡¯t risk it. Just choose something you like or is easy to say. I¡¯m too old to be particular.¡±


    The Aloryi returned his focus to the Moon, and I sunk into deep thought. An elegant, ethereal man whose hair was pitch black during the day but turned into glowing white in the moonlight. What sort of name would fit a man like that? I wracked my brain, considering the names of celestial bodies, names from folklore, and even some mundane ones.


    ¡°Oh! I know!¡± I exclaimed when it hit me, a smile coming to my face. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Tsukiyo!¡±


    He stiffened as if expecting something terrible to happen. When nothing did, he slowly turned to look at me with an unreadable expression. ¡°Why¡­Tsukiyo?¡±


    ¡°After Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto, the moon deity from Japanese folklore!¡± I grinned, leaning forward in my seat. ¡°Though, you didn¡¯t kill me for my disgusting cooking, so at least you aren¡¯t totally in line with the folklore.¡±


    ¡°Are you truly powerless?¡± Tsukiyo murmured, glancing down at his wrists and the glowing markings on them. When he looked back to me, he seemed to notice my confusion. ¡°That is one of my names. Yet,¡± he pulled back one sleeve, ¡°speaking my name did¡­nothing. You didn¡¯t bind me. If you had, I would have been forced back to my other form.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Huh. You don¡¯t look very Japanese, so I thought that would be safe. Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What do I look like?¡± Tsukiyo raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I examined him for a moment. ¡°Ambiguous, if I¡¯m going to compare you to human ethnicities.¡±


    Tsukiyo looked past me and toward the house. ¡°Mayar, what do you think? Is Celia powerless?¡±


    ¡°David made it sound as if she has power. Perhaps her power is to break chains?¡± Mayar suggested.


    ¡°What if I pick something more mundane. Would that be better?¡± I asked, causing Tsukiyo to glance toward me again. ¡°If calling you that is a risk¡­¡±


    ¡°I do enjoy the way you say it, and it was always one of my favorites,¡± he remarked rubbing his chin. ¡°The onmy¨­ji of ancient Japan were quite pleasant.¡±


    ¡°¡­just how old are you?¡± I squinted at him.


    ¡°A few thousand, give or take, little one,¡± Tsukiyo teased me as he crossed one leg over the other. ¡°You may call me Tsukiyo in private. Further usage is to be decided. I need to determine just how far your breaking of bonds went.¡±


    ¡°The message, Celia,¡± Mayar reminded me, causing us both to look at him. He met his master¡¯s eyes. ¡°She needs sleep before work in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t keep you, then.¡± Tsukiyo sighed in reluctance, his eyes drifting down to the gap of my robe briefly. ¡°What was this message?¡±


    ¡°¡®Tell the Moon that the Sun has fallen,¡¯¡± I recited, watching Tsukiyo grow still. ¡°The¡­skydweller? That came to the store with one of my grandmother¡¯s acquaintances said that to me.¡±


    ¡°The Sun has¡­¡± Tsukiyo shot to his feet and looked to Mayar. ¡°Remain by Celia¡¯s side at all times. Her grandmother has likely already heard too much from that woman.¡±


    Tsukiyo moved to stall past me and into the house, but he stopped when I rose to my feet. I opened my mouth to question what was going on, but he slid his fingertips across my cheek and into my hairline, pressing his thumb over my lips. I just stared at him, dumbfounded by the foreign, gentle touch.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me, but you¡¯re dangerously involved. Mayar and I will do what we can. Just¡­do not trust anyone, and certainly not any of your family.¡± Tsukiyo hesitated before releasing my face.


    Before I could think of something to say he was gone.


    My heart raced in my throat. I¡¯d gone from enamored, to upset, to enamored again faster than I could process. No one had ever touched me or looked at me as tenderly as he just had. I told myself he meant nothing by it. It was probably just some cultural quirk. There was no way he saw me as a potential¡­anything.


    After successfully beating some sense back into myself, I strode into my house and locked the door behind me. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, but it appeared that Tsukiyo was long gone. I double-checked all the doors and windows before retreating to my room with Mayar close behind.


    ¡°Remember to neither say or type his name to anyone else,¡± Mayar commented when I reached my phone, making me recoil. ¡°If he can still be bound¡­¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± I nodded. ¡°What I don¡¯t get¡­is a lot of things. Mainly, how could I have the power to render a¡­¡±


    ¡°Pact,¡± Mayar offered.


    ¡°Yeah, that. How could i have the power to render a single pact useless, let alone many or all?¡± I strode into the bathroom to brush my teeth. ¡°I mean, for his sake I hope I can, but that seems like a lot of power for one measly human to have.¡±


    ¡°You are from a powerful lineage, and every power must have a counterbalance.¡± Mayar hopped up on my bed and stretched out. ¡°Worrying won¡¯t help you. Rest.¡±


    ¡®Rest? How am i supposed to do that?¡¯ I hurriedly finished getting ready for bed, then turned out the lights. ¡°Okay. Good night, Mayar.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Celia.¡±


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 Chapter Ten

    Chapter Ten


    I awoke gasping for air, my lungs burning and tears streaming down my face. Residual pain from my nightmare assaulted my body while I attempted to force myself to refocus on reality. A monstrous golden face flashed through my mind, followed by agony rocketing down my spine.


    I threw my covers off and stumbled into the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet. My pulse was racing so quickly that I felt lightheaded and dizzy. My entire body shook. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the bathroom, the cold stone tiles pressing into my skin. I couldn¡¯t seem to focus my eyes.


    Demons were real.


    My heart stuttered, the full weight of the realization hitting me at once. I had summoned a demon into my home. My family enslaved them and others. The demon I¡¯d summoned had sent a demon dog to protect me. Nothing about my life would be normal again¡ªand likely wouldn¡¯t last much longer once my grandmother found out.


    I covered my face with my hands and attempted to take deep, calming breaths between my sobs. My grandmother terrified me even more than Tsukiyo did. She could erase me from existence with ease, and I might not even know she was responsible. She had too many connections.


    A cold nose nudged my hands. I stiffened, splaying the fingers of one hand to peek at Mayar. He whined and nudged me again.


    ¡°Are you alright? Did you fall?¡± Mayar licked the back of my hand.


    ¡°No¡­ Nightmares,¡± I croaked the reply, then flinched when the same face from before filled my vision. Mayar released a low growl, his fur standing on end.


    ¡°Stay still.¡± Mayar grew, purple energy coating his black fur. When his power engulfed me, my mind and all my senses went¡­blank.


    ?????


    I stared blankly at my cup of tea and breakfast. Mayar had left to report to Tsukiyo once I¡¯d woken up again. Upon reflection, I thought my breakdown was due stress and reality catching up to me after having spent a week in a daze.


    Mayar claimed otherwise. Something had preyed on and brought forth my growing stress, anxiety, and fear. It had caused my nightmares and the reason I kept seeing its face was because it was trying to pull me back in. I shivered, hugging myself. I hadn¡¯t had a nightmare in years.


    My phone vibrated against the counter, startling a yelp out of me. I hurriedly picked it up and looked at the display. Emily wanted me to come over for dinner once my shift was over. I hesitated, then declined. If I talked to her while I was such a mess, I¡¯d just end up dragging her into my strange new reality. My gaze dropped to the counter top as loneliness took its grip.


    I tossed my untouched breakfast in Mayar¡¯s bowl before grabbing my keys, a carry pistol, and headed for my car. Work. Work would help distract me. If David sent me home again, I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d do.


    On the way to the shop, I had to force myself to focus on the road and nothing else. There were demons and angels everywhere. And they were watching me. I swallowed hard, a shiver running through me. Deep down, I knew I needed to think of them all as potential threats to my safety. Threats I didn¡¯t have the ability to stop.


    When I got to the store, I was relieved to see the sign said ¡°open¡± and there were only a few unfamiliar cars. I nudged my way into the shop, finding David behind the counter conversing with a man with long black hair. I did my best to keep my face passive, but I could already smell sandalwood.


    ¡°Now then, Mr. Yamashita¡ª Celia?! I thought I told you to work from home!¡± David exclaimed, looking past his guest. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to work from home?¡±


    ¡°I needed to get out of the house,¡± I grumbled, flushing when ¡°Mr. Yamashita¡± turned to give me a stern look. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m interrupting. I¡¯ll get to work organizing some of the displays in the back.¡±


    David sighed heavily and crossed his arms. ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now. This is as good a time as any to introduce you to our new potential business partner.¡±


    ¡°Business partner?¡± I glanced between them, noting the way our guest¡¯s mouth quirked when I looked at him. Tsukiyo really needed a better disguise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met Celia before, though I failed to introduce myself properly,¡± Tsukiyo commented, glancing at David briefly and then back to me. ¡°I am Yamashita Tsukiyo, and I¡¯m here to, hopefully, solve some of David¡¯s business troubles.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yamashita¡¯s family has its hands in several businesses,¡± David offered. ¡°The main one of use to us would be crystals, but we¡¯ve been discussing other possibilities too. Since you¡¯re here, could I bug you for some tea, Celia?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sure.¡± I nodded, before turning to look at Tsukiyo. His lips pulled into an amused smile as his gaze drifted down my body. ¡°How about for you, Yamashita-san?¡±


    His smile broadened into a grin and he met my sarcastic tone with a seductive one, ¡°Surprise me.¡±


    ¡®Who do I beg to make my life go back to normal?¡¯ I whined internally as I stalked into the kitchen portion of the store. At least Tsukiyo looked incredible in a suit. I bit my lower lip and shook my head. Those thoughts weren¡¯t helpful.


    ¡°How about taking them some lunch? They¡¯ve been there for a while,¡± Garrett, one of our bakers, suggested. ¡°I¡¯ve got some pastries fresh out of the oven, and Clarissa just finished assembling a new round of sandwiches. They just need to be popped into the panini press.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ Fix two plates while I figure out what tea to take them.¡± I nodded to Garrett before busting myself in the pantry. After taking a peek at the day¡¯s sandwiches, I picked out one of our in-house black tea blends and brewed it.


    I assembled everything on a tray before carrying it out into the main store and over to David¡¯s usual perch¡ªa small sitting area in the corner by the front desk. I set the tray down on the coffee table as the two men strode over.


    ¡°Garrett and Clarissa suggested you two should have lunch,¡± I stated, moving away from them. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I see some books that need restocking.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You should join us,¡± Tsukiyo stated, a smile on his lips. He sat across from David. Every motion he made seemed elegant, refined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s been skittish ever since her ex tried to kill her.¡± David shook his head, then looked over at me. I just stared at him for a moment. Could he be any more blunt? ¡°They catch the bastard yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ No. They haven¡¯t.¡± I shook my head and wrung my hands together. ¡°The police are still worried he may show up where I live or here, so¡­¡± I opened my blazer briefly to show my holstered pistol. ¡°If he swings by, I¡¯m prepared at least.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve brought that with you when you went to his place!¡± David sighed at me.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong, but I didn¡¯t exactly go there to break up with him.¡±


    ¡°I doubt you need to worry about him,¡± Tsukiyo remarked, shooting me a brief sideways glance. His lips pulled into an unnerving smile before he took a sip of his tea.


    ¡°Uh¡­right. I¡¯m going now. Enjoy your food!¡± I turned on my heel and strode to the back of the bookstore, my heart fluttering. All it took was one look and my mind would go wild. He must¡¯ve been playing with me. I doubted someone who was ¡°a few thousand years old, give or take¡± didn¡¯t know the effect he could have on women.


    Once at the very back of the store, I sighed and pressed my fingers to my temples. I¡¯d come into work for a distraction from everything going on, yet Tsukiyo himself was there. Since he was going by Tsukiyo, I had to assume he¡¯d finished looking into the safety of using the name. That he could take on a human form didn¡¯t surprise me, lots of folklore and legends about inhuman creatures said that they were shapeshifters. It was his sudden involvement with David¡¯s store that had me at a loss. Why did he want to help our store?


    I frowned. Given that David wasn¡¯t normal himself, maybe he had connections I hadn¡¯t considered before. Maybe their business arrangement for the store was to cover something else. It seemed unlikely to me that David didn¡¯t know Tsukiyo wasn¡¯t human, given his recent observations. I shook the thoughts from my head when I felt my stomach clenching. It was too soon for another breakdown. Work. Distractions. ¡®Just don¡¯t think about it. Any of it.¡¯


    With that, I set myself to work on checking the shelves for misplaced books and any that needed restocking. Organizing the store helped me calm down most of the time, and today was no exception. It took me just shy of two hours to finish with the bookshelves, and after that I moved on to other wares in the shop. We were almost completely out of divination goods, from scrying mirrors, to pendulums, tarot cards, and even some Far Eastern tools. Even most of our incense, candles, and their respective kinds of burners or holders were almost all gone.


    After jotting down a list of things we needed to restock, I steeled myself and made my way back to the sitting area I¡¯d left David and Tsukiyo. I¡¯d fully expected the latter to be gone by now...but he was still there and was the first to notice me approaching. I squared my shoulders, convinced myself to ignore him, and focused on my boss instead. ¡°David, did you forget to order things again or are our other supplies running behind too?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± David blinked at me a few times before taking the list. ¡°Huh... I¡¯ll have to check. We¡¯re really running low on this much?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I sighed and crossed my arms. ¡°Should I check with the cafe and the florist too?¡±


    ¡°The florist is part of this establishment as well?¡± Tsukiyo chimed in, an eyebrow arched. ¡°Quite the eclectic store you¡¯re running, David.¡±


    ¡°I took my three loves and combined them!¡± David grinned broadly.


    I decided against pointing out that the occult shop section alone comprised of more than three subjects.


    ¡°Celia!¡± A voice exclaimed from behind me. I turned to see Emily prancing toward me¡ªas best a pregnant woman could¡ªwith a bright smile on her face. Oh no. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here. This is perfect! I¡¯m dropping by to¡ª¡± Emily¡¯s gaze landed on Tsukiyo. She stopped and stared for a moment, before grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me in the direction of the bookshelves. ¡°Excuse us just one moment!¡±


    ¡°Emily? What are you doing? I was in the middle of a conversation!¡± I protested as my friend guided me toward the back of the shop.


    The moment she released me, she jabbed her finger into my shoulder with almost every syllable she spoke. ¡°Celia. Seriously. Who is that? He¡¯s hot. Insanely hot. He the one you broke up with Andrew for?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± I exclaimed, feeling heat rush to my face. ¡°He and David are talking about becoming business partners.¡±


    ¡°You should ask him out on a date,¡± Emily stated flatly.


    ¡°No,¡± I groaned. ¡°Seriously. I¡¯m not looking for someone so soon after breaking up with Andrew, especially not when that psycho is still on the loose.¡±


    ¡°These chances come once in a blue moon!¡± Emily argued. I grimaced, forcing myself not to inform her of the terrible joke she¡¯d unwittingly made. ¡°He¡¯s handsome, probably around our age, I didn¡¯t see a ring¡ª¡±


    I interrupted her, flabbergasted, ¡°You had time to look for a ring?¡±


    ¡°Girl, how do you think I snatched up Richard so quick?¡± Emily puffed out her chest.


    ¡°...right.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯ve you got to lose?¡± Emily suggested, then a look of recognition crossed her face. ¡°Oh, or are Asian guys not your type?¡±


    ¡°When has that ever mattered?¡± I gave her a blank look, then shook my head hard. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to rush into anything, you know? There¡¯s a lot of other things on my mind right now. Besides, no ring doesn¡¯t mean anything. And he¡¯s here on business. Do I really need to explain how inappropriate that would be? I¡¯m not asking him out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come onnnn!¡± Emily pouted at me. ¡°Some of my friends will be here any minute, and you know damn well what they¡¯re gonna do when they see them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± I huffed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back up front. You were going to pester David about ghost hunting, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Emily beamed, grabbing hold of my arm. ¡°Should I ask him out for you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± I growled at her.


    When we returned to the front of the shop, Emily waddle-skipped over to David with a huge grin plastered on her face, ¡°So, Celia tells me that things keep getting moved around in the store! Can I do a ghost investigation?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± David raised an eyebrow at her, before laughing. ¡°Oh, Emily dear, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just the teens that come in during lunch. They find so much amusement in making our work more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh, it¡¯s totally ghosts!¡± Emily declared, crossing her arms. ¡°Celia¡¯s too sweet to them, they wouldn¡¯t screw with her.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, is she?¡± Tsukiyo drawled, causing a massive grin to spread across Emily¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve introduced myself. My name is Yamashita Tsukiyo.¡±


    ¡°Tsukiyo being his given name,¡± David informed Emily upon noticing her puzzled expression.


    ¡°Oh, nice to meet you, Tsukiyo! I¡¯m Emily Ellsworth, I¡¯ve been friends with Celia here since middle school.¡± Emily cheerfully introduced herself, shaking hands with Tsukiyo.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re staying for a while, would you like me to get you anything before I go home for the day, Emily?¡± I asked, motioning over my shoulder in the direction of the cafe.


    ¡°Oh wow, who is he?¡± The whispers of familiar women made me grimace. That was definitely my cue to leave. ¡°Emily, you must introduce us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, Celia!¡± Emily smiled at me.


    I wrestled with myself for a moment, before finally looking at Tsukiyo¡ªwho had already turned his attention to me for some reason. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be here for a while longer, would you like me to fetch anything for you, Tsukiyo?¡±


    A mischievous smile spread across his lips, his bright eyes flicking behind me briefly before returning to my face. ¡°Not at the given moment, no... Perhaps I can pick you up at your house later this evening?¡±


    Several shrieks of frustration made Tsukiyo¡¯s smile somehow grow even more devilish. He crossed his long legs before resting his elbow on the armrest and placing his cheek in one hand. He looked up at me, an expression of false innocence in his eyes. I felt like I was going to ignite...but hearing the frustration of Emily¡¯s ¡°friends¡± was music to my ears. It was obvious what he was playing at.


    ¡°Sure. We never finished our conversation from the other night, anyway,¡± I answered, eliciting more frustrated noises from the women, a perverted giggle from Emily, and an impish grin from Tsukiyo. ¡°See you then.¡±


    With that, I turned on my heel and strode past Emily¡¯s friends, a smirk on my face.


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 Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Eleven


    What was I even supposed to wear? I stared at my closet blankly. Agreeing to let Tsukiyo pick me up had seemed like a good idea earlier. Now I wasn¡¯t so sure. Hell, I didn¡¯t know if he was really going to drop by. It was totally possible our exchange has been purely to rile up those women.


    My chest clenched. Possible? More like, almost definitely. Demon or human, there was no reason for anyone to want me. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Self-worth was an issue I¡¯d struggled with for a long time. It didn¡¯t help that being down on myself made me hate myself more.


    It was like my brain wanted to finish the job my grandmother had started.


    ¡°Celia?¡± Mayar trotted into my room and tilted his head when he spotted me. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I hesitated, a knot forming in my throat. ¡°Do¡­you know if your master was sincere when he said he¡¯d pick me up tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of course he was. Did he not say where he¡¯s taking you?¡± Mayar¡¯s tail stopped wagging.


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t¡­¡± I murmured, turning my gaze away from the nighthound. That was a problem too. If I chose something too formal or too casual, I¡¯d look ridiculous. ¡®What am I even supposed to assume from this? What¡¯s his aim? Is he trying to learn more about or get closer to my family?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re upset.¡± A low whine escaped Mayar as he trotted over and sat at my feet. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing to worry about. The usual self-sabotage.¡± I sighed and shook my head slightly. ¡°You made a good point. I have no idea what to wear or even when he¡¯ll arrive.¡±


    ¡°An hour.¡± Mayar¡¯s tail started wagging again. He stood up and pranced over to my closet. ¡°Dinner somewhere nice. Not gown-nice, but still with a dress code. Maybe something you would wear if you wanted to make an impression on a business acquaintance or potential boss?¡±


    Business acquaintance¡­oh. My heart dropped as I wondered if Mayar¡¯s example was literal. I looked at the dresses in my closet in silence. There were options in almost every silhouette, but my favorites were too casual for a ¡°nice restaurant.¡±


    With some hesitation, I pulled down a form-fitting scarlet bodycon dress and eyed it for any wrinkles or tears. The sleeves were off the shoulder and were translucent. Its neckline was a subtle V over my bust where the folds of fabric crossed.


    I took a steadying breath before changing into the dress, then sat down at the vanity to do my hair and makeup. It had been a while since I needed or wanted to put effort into my appearance.


    By the time I was finished, my nerves had truly set in. Was it business? Were we going in a date? Did demons¡ªAloryi, sorry¡ªeven date? I twisted a ring around one finger while I paced my living room.


    I jumped when there was finally a knock on the door. When I pulled the door open, I peered around it timidly, my gaze landing on Tsukiyo. Judging by his tieless suit, my dress was a good choice.


    ¡°Skittish again?¡± Tsukiyo smiled at me, his eyes drifting down to examine my dress. ¡°Well¡­to an extent. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready as I can be without knowing where we¡¯re going,¡± I replied, before turning to go back inside. ¡°Oh. Let me grab my purse.¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d take you to dinner,¡± Tsukiyo offered, following me inside. ¡°You¡¯ve shared your food and drink with me a few times now. I want to return the favor by treating you.¡±


    He thinks he hasn¡¯t already returned the favor? I wondered while shoving my keys, phone and a few other things into my purse. ¡°Making Emily¡¯s friends mad was just a bonus?¡±


    ¡°¡®Friends,¡¯¡± Tsukiyo scoffed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t difficult to work out what kind of women they are. Yes, making them jealous is an added bonus.¡±


    ¡°I will guard the house.¡± Mayar walked over and sat down beside me. ¡°Call if you need me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really alright to be out and about?¡± I asked, turning to look at Tsukiyo. Addressing the problem now seemed better than waiting. ¡°And¡­it¡¯s okay for me to call you Tsukiyo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer bound to anything¡ªat least not with this name.¡± Tsukiyo offered me his arm. ¡°Any sorcerers who could recreate the pact seal are likely centuries gone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I sighed, allowing Tsukiyo to lead me to his silver sedan. ¡°So¡­this business with David¡­¡±


    ¡°David has¡­connections.¡± Tsukiyo shot me a mysterious smile and opened the door for me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I should be able to help with your stocking issues.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± I released a small sigh before getting in the car. Once he¡¯d joined me, I glanced at him. ¡°Is this really okay? Once the Moon is out¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡± Tsukiyo glanced at me then smiled. ¡°Oh, you mean that. It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll have you back home by moonrise¡ªif not, we can find somewhere to spend the night.¡±


    ¡°U-um¡­¡± Whatever I was going to say escaped me when Tsukiyo shot me a sideways glance and a playful smirk. The car rolled forward and soon carried us through my neighborhood.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    A while later, Tsukiyo parked in a more upscale part of the city. I glanced around but couldn¡¯t find any familiar landmarks. The disguised Aloryi placed his hand against the small of my back and gently nudged me forward.


    ¡°This way.¡± Tsukiyo smiled, leading me toward what looked like an officer building.


    Skeptical, I raised an eyebrow and followed him. His ass was amazing. I grimaced. Those were thoughts for either a few weeks from now, or at least after drinks.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I frowned when Tsukiyo pulled me between the buildings. ¡°An alleyway? What¡ª¡±


    ¡°Watch,¡± he whispered, placing his free hand against the nearby wall. His fingers slid into the brick until his hand was gone entirely. ¡°This is the entrance to the restaurant. You need to walk through it.¡±


    ¡°¡­you want me to walk through a wall.¡± I pressed my fingers to my temples.


    ¡°It¡¯s an open arch.¡± Tsukiyo laughed. He pulled my free hand over to the wall and eased my fingers through it. He was right, there was nothing there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I relented, squaring up with the wall. I strode toward it confidently, but my body betrayed me. The moment my brain thought I was going to collide with a solid surface, I flinched back.


    ¡°You really have no form of magical sight? Huh.¡± Tsukiyo trailed his fingers along my shoulder and countered my sour glare with a sweet smile. ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m going to guide you through.¡±


    I hesitated, feeling my pulse quicken, but I had no better ideas. Once I complied, Tsukiyo slid the fingers of one hand to my waist and grasped the hand closest to him with the other. He murmured instructions by my ear as he guided me forward, his breath tickling my neck and shoulder.


    ¡°Open your eyes,¡± he purred, his lips brushing the ridge of my ear.


    Vibrant textiles, paintings, and foreign architecture assault me the moment I obliged. The ultimate fusion of cultures was accompanied by the smell of food and incense, the sound of drunken joyous laughter, and not another single human.


    When Tsukiyo passed me to address the wait staff, it was in his Aloryi form and at his full height. I hurried after him, doing my best to keep from staring at the various inhuman people around me. There were people whose physical appearance echoed folklore from dozens of regions, and some I had no idea what they were at all.


    ¡°Ohhh, what a cute human!¡± A man with translucent blue-white skin and frost pouring off him strode over. He promptly took my hands in his, and his eyes widened. ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t freeze?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Tsukiyo stepped between me and the frosty man. ¡°She¡¯s my guest.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t share? She looks so delectable!¡± The other man bit his lower lip, his eyes drifting down my body. ¡°And if touching me doesn¡¯t freeze her, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir, please refrain from upsetting the Aloryi king.¡± A man with glowing tattoos and rose gold horns crossed his arms. Though he sounded formal and a little friendly, the frosty man stiffened before fleeing in the direction if his seat. ¡°¡®Tsukiyo,¡¯ of all the humans to bring¡­ She¡¯s the reason you¡¯re free, I take it?¡±


    I flinched and hid behind Tsukiyo¡¯s back when the other demon glared at me. Maybe letting Tsukiyo take me to dinner was a mistake after all. I could always call a taxi or something to take me back home.


    ¡°Celia isn¡¯t her family, but you already know that.¡± Tsukiyo¡¯s tone was one of warning, tinged with a growl.


    His comment surprised me into speaking up, ¡°They...do?¡±


    ¡°Lots of people keeping an eye on the Nightingale Family.¡± The tattooed man shrugged. ¡°Do as you like, so long as you aren¡¯t starting fights in my establishment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his way of saying you¡¯re welcome here,¡± Tsukiyo informed me with a bright smile. A waiter wandered over to lead us to our seats, a pleasant expression on his face.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to be here?¡± I asked once the waiter left to fetch water for us.


    ¡°They all know you¡¯ve essentially been disowned by your family.¡± Tsukiyo shifted in the booth and threaded his tail through the gap in the back. ¡°And now they know you¡¯re responsible for freeing the Aloryi. If anyone wants to hurt you after that, they¡¯re a fool or one of my enemies.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± I clasped my hands together in my lap since I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do. No one had ever taken me to such a nice restaurant before, date or otherwise. Even if he was suspicious of me at first, Tsukiyo treated me...like a person. I couldn¡¯t say that for most of my family.


    ¡°Order as much as you want.¡± Tsukiyo lifted a menu, his eyes focused on it.


    I stared at him for a moment and then looked at the menu I¡¯d been given. There were pictures alongside most of the food...but I had no idea what any if it was.


    ¡°What would you suggest?¡± I asked. Tsukiyo glanced around his menu at me. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize any if these foods.¡±


    Tsukiyo arched an eyebrow. ¡°Underrealm cuisine hasn¡¯t made its way into human culture?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll order for you,¡± Tsukiyo stated, returning his gaze to the menu with renewed intensity.


    I twiddled my thumbs and tried to calm myself. The atmosphere felt awkward to me, yet Tsukiyo seemed at ease. If that was the case, I was probably over-thinking things and worrying without reason. He said dinner was to pay me back for sharing food with him, but... I took a steadying breath. If I asked him about why he brought me to such a nice restaurant, I¡¯d just sound ungrateful.


    ¡°Would you like wine?¡± Tsukiyo asked.


    ¡°Oh... You can¡¯t have any because you¡¯re driving, right? I¡¯ll wait until we go home¡ª Ah. You¡¯ll probably have to leave when we get back, huh?¡± I felt my face growing hot when I realized I¡¯d started to ramble. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re inviting me back to your place already?¡± Tsukiyo¡¯s lips curved into a smile, his eyes twinkling. When I turned redder, he laughed, and I felt my heart drop. Was he making fun of me? ¡°I¡¯d love to join you for drinks after dinner, Celia. I was hoping the invitation to peruse your books was still open, too.¡±


    Oh. That was what he wanted? I clenched my hands tighter. Or was I misreading him? Hell, why did it hurt to think he might not be interested in me? Of course he wouldn¡¯t be. He would have said something about how I looked in my dress if there was any interest on his part.


    ¡°Yeah, I meant it when I said you could drop by for the books or the moon if you wanted.¡± I forced my voice to remain level, but his green eyes flicking up from the menu again made me wonder if I had failed. ¡°I just assumed you probably have a lot of work left to do since you were at David¡¯s for so long, and now you¡¯re wasting your time on¡ª¡±


    I promptly shut my mouth, but it was too late. Tsukiyo¡¯s full attention was on me now.


    ¡°Your family has more than slavery to pay for, I see,¡± Tsukiyo remarked when I glanced away from him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to join me if I thought you were a waste of time. I may have been...abrasive, at first, but I want to make amends for that behavior, and repay you for both your patience and generosity.¡±


    Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. I told myself, pushing back the unwanted tears. ¡°I¡¯m...not keeping your from your duties?¡±


    ¡°No, but I wouldn¡¯t mind if you were.¡± His statement made me falter, but his attention had returned to the menu.


    Did he mean that?


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 Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Twelve


    So much for staying for drinks. I sulked in the bath and nudged the bubbles around. Of course duty would take him away just when I''d finally started to become more comfortable around him. He''d spent most of the evening trying to ease me out if my shell and happily introducing me to his favorite foods from the Underrealm. His eyes lit up whenever I thought one was delicious. It was adorable.


    "Stop it, Celia¡­" I groaned, covering my face with both hands. "Just stop¡­ Ouch!"


    I quickly pawed at my eyes, attempting to get the bubble bath out if them. When they didn¡¯t work, I squinted and groped around for a washcloth, soaked it, and attempted to rinse out my eyes.


    Betrayed by my own bath. My relaxation ruined, I finished my bath and got dressed for bed. I wasn''t in the mood to drink alone, and it was doubtful that Tsukiyo would come back, so I crawled into bed after turning out the lights.


    ¡î ? ¡î ? ¡î ? ¡î


    Tsukiyo''s fingers trailed over my skin, tracing the underside of the web of silken ropes that bound me beneath him. His other hand was between my legs, attentively bringing me to the edge--always stopping just short. My breath came in short, heated gasps, my body trembling in its desire for release. He tugged on a rope, causing it to grow taut against my clitoris. His fingers slid inside me for what seemed like the thousandth time.


    I was too consumed by pleasure and desire to form words anymore. Begging for release was impossible.


    He let go of the rope, his hand coming up to cup my face instead. I felt his thumb press against my lips, then against my tongue. The sonorous laugh that left him sent a shudder through me.


    When our mouths met, and our tongues intertwined, his fingers pressed deeper inside of me and hooked upwards. I moaned into his mouth and writhed against my restraints. I needed so much more of him than that.


    ¡î ? ¡î ? ¡î ? ¡î


    Oh hell no. I threw off the covers and darted into the bathroom to splash frigid water on my face. Now I was having dreams like that?! Unacceptable. A shiver ran through me, bringing my attention to my perked nipples and the dampness between my legs. The enticing soft-yet-commanding way he touched me¡­


    Nope!


    I freshened up and yanked on a robe, deciding I wasn''t going back to bed for a while after that. I''d just slip right back into dreams of things that would never happen if I slept now.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Pity I couldn''t stay in that dream for eternity.


    Disappointment. I strode out of my room in search if something to do but soon heard faint rustling and low murmurs. Please don''t tell me¡­


    "Sorry, did I wake you up?" Tsukiyo glanced up from where he knelt on the floor, surrounded by dozens if books. I just stared at him and the mess in my living room for a moment. "Ah, I''m going to put them back where they belong when I''m done. Don''t worry. Since you weren''t awake when I returned...I thought I''d still read a few."


    Why...does he sound disappointed? I must be imagining it. What was at first excitement to see him instantly turned to a disappointment of my own instead. "I woke me up."


    "Nightmares?" Tsukiyo frowned with concern. "I know some remedies for those."


    "No, not a nightmare." I shook my head but that just fueled his confusion. "Don''t worry about it. I got a nap, at least. Want to have drinks after all?"


    "Sure." He smiled softly.


    Please don¡¯t look at me like that. I don''t think my heart can take it. I pivoted and walked to the kitchen, where I shut my eyes briefly. It was just lust on my part, I reminded myself, and his feelings were likely platonic at best.


    After composing myself, I fetched two bottles and returned to the living room. "Wine, beer, mead, something stronger... What would you like?"


    Tsukiyo glanced toward me again, but this time his gaze met my legs first and slowly traveled upward. It gave me the impression he hadn''t noticed what I was wearing mere minutes ago.


    "I..." He cleared his throat and looked away from me. "Surprise me.


    "Oh. Okay." I faltered, having no idea how to read his reaction. Maybe he found the human form repulsive. I should have opted for a longer robe.


    When I returned with a glass of wine for us each, I noticed he was still being rather careful about where he looked. It finally dawned on me that, sitting on the floor, he could probably see the lacy cheekies I''d worn to bed. Oops.


    "Are you trying to review all this in one night?" I asked, hoping maybe talking about the books would alleviate the tension in the room and keep me from thinking about him bending me over the coffee table.


    "I don''t want to impose." Tsukiyo shook his head. "I''m sure you''d like to return to some semblance of normalcy, and nightly visits from an Aloryi wouldn''t help with that."


    Tsukiyo shot me a sideways smirk that made me worry he knew exactly what had woken me up. I gripped my wine glass tighter and settled down on the couch.


    "You don''t have to rush," I informed him. "Take your time. I like your company, I just...I don''t get it, I guess. Shouldn''t you still hate me? I don''t understand why you''ve been so nice to me."


    "Have you considered that maybe I want to be...nice to you?" He sounded like he was going to say something else at first, but he recovered so quickly that I wasn''t sure. "If I don''t need to rush, hmmm..."


    I watched the Aloryi carefully select a book and begin reading in place. Frowning, I spoke up again, "You can sit on the couch if you want."


    "I''m afraid not." He flourished his tail without looking up from the book.


    Right. No closed-back seats for demons. I hesitated before pulling out my phone and flicking through a few furniture sites. I had a lot of books. There was no harm in getting a more comfortable chair for Tsukiyo, right?


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 Chapter Thirteen

    Chapter Thirteen


    When I awoke it was to a pillow in my arms and a few blankets draped over me. The scent if hyacinths filled my senses, reminding me where I was. Celia¡¯s house. I cautiously sat up and looked around but the woman in question was nowhere to be found. A disappointed sigh escaped me.


    I carefully stood, grimacing. Sleeping on the floor wasn¡¯t the best idea I¡¯d had in the past century or two. Looking around, I found a sheet of paper lying on the coffee table.


    Tsukiyo,


    You seemed exhausted, so I thought I¡¯d let you sleep. I hope you don¡¯t mind. I had to go to work, but I left some breakfast in the kitchen for you if you want it. I¡¯m not a very good cook though so I understand if you don¡¯t.


    Um¡­ Thanks for taking me out last night. I enjoyed dinner, and I¡¯m sorry I made it awkward.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake now?¡± Mayar trotted in.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with Celia?¡± I gave him sharp look. ¡°She¡¯s to be protected at all times, understand?¡±


    ¡°Your sister is watching her.¡± Mayar glanced toward the kitchen. ¡°If you won¡¯t eat your breakfast, I will.¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s MINE,¡± I growled, stalking toward the kitchen. Sure enough, Celia had plated breakfast and left it in the refrigerator for me. She had even put a little note on it with my name. ¡°I want to destroy the Nightingale Family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing new.¡± Mayar tilted his head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t forgive them for their treatment of my people and the other Underrealm races.¡± I shook my head and placed the plate in the microwave. ¡°But¡­breaking even their offspring? I will never understand why powerful humans fail to cherish their families.¡±


    ¡°And before you know it, Celia will be gone like all the rest,¡± Mayar pointed out, sending a spike of pain through my heart. ¡°Even if her family doesn¡¯t kill her, humans don¡¯t live long. Or do you intend to do something about that when you hardly know her?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I fell silent as Celia¡¯s delicate features, deep rose gold hair, and pale blue eyes flashed through my mind. What would it take to make her smile? The moment even a small one began to form in her lips, she always chased it away.


    ¡°You are hopeless.¡± Mayar sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to take myself out for a walk.¡±


    I shook my head and settled in for breakfast, choosing to make myself some tea to accompany it. Though she claimed to be an awful cook, the sandwich she had shared with me before, and now the breakfast she had left me, were both fantastic. The depth of flavors, the complementary undertones, even the plating were all wonderful. I had to wonder if her family was to blame for her lack of confidence, or if perhaps it was Emily¡¯s ¡®friends¡¯ who were at fault. Celia¡¯s insistence that she was an atrocious cook had to stem from something.


    Once finished, I cleaned my dishes and put them away before striding through the human¡¯s house. There was a glimmer of magic somewhere inside, pulling at me. Though it didn¡¯t seem malicious, I found it strange that the ¡®powerless¡¯ woman had something truly magical lurking in her house. I hesitated outside her bedroom door for a split second before opening it and striding in. Plain at first glance, the room¡¯s walls were a deep blue as was the velvet upholstery. I saw no artwork, and there were only a few important pieces of furniture in her room¡ªa bed, a nightstand, and a dresser. There wasn¡¯t room for much else.


    Everything smelled of her.


    I shook my head and strode toward the bathroom in search of the magic. It was accompanied by a dull hum by now. Through the stark white bathroom, I found a closet. Inside, under a few stacks of towels, I found an old box covered in black velvet. That was it. Frowning, I pulled the box out and took it back to the bedroom, setting it on the bed. The velvet had worn off in places, but the construction itself was sturdy. When I lifted the lid, I thought my heart stopped.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°The Mirror of Osrana?¡± I exclaimed, staring at the pale gold hand mirror. The back and handle were covered in intricate patterns and rare, flawless gems. Beside the Mirror was a folded piece of parchment that had been read many times. ¡°Her family loathes her, so who would entrust¡­¡±


    I fell silent when I unfolded the letter and found feminine handwriting.


    Celia,


    I¡¯m sorry that this is all I can do for you as your mother. By the time your father gives you this for me, you will be grown, and I will be long gone. I regret nothing. Bringing you into this world was my purpose in life, the purpose I was willing to die to achieve. I couldn¡¯t let the doctors take you from me and your father before you had been born.


    Inside the box is my last gift to you. One day, you will be able to see it. I know you will. You will meet someone who will help you open your eyes and See our wonderful, twisted world for what it truly is.


    Do not let your grandmother break your spirit.


    Find my family. They will love you, embrace you, and cherish you the way I won¡¯t live to do.


    I love you.


    Your mother, Aisla


    She wasn¡¯t human. I stared at the letter, astounded. Beside the name, Aisla, written in calligraphy only those with magical sight could see was the name: Arianrhod. Something compelled me to turn over the parchment, where I found more magic-infused calligraphy.


    Tsukiyo,


    I knew long before I became pregnant with Celia that the two of you would find each other, and that she would free you from that accursed book her grandmother created. That woman is a monster. I implore you to protect my child from her at all costs. Please. Look into the Nightingale matriarch, she has lived far longer than any human could. I believe she has done terrible, terrible things to maintain her youth. She will not leave Celia alone for long now that she¡¯s destroyed her grandmother¡¯s most prized possession.


    Together, the two of you hold the power to save the races of the Underrealm or doom them entirely. If you wish to free the remainder of your people, please understand that this can¡¯t be about just the Aloryi anymore. Take care of my daughter, and know you have my blessing.


    Do not blame her father or her stepmother. They have done their best to protect Celia, but it will no longer be enough.


    Lastly, do not tell Celia about this half of the letter or that you discovered the Mirror in her possession. I have Seen what will happen if you¡¯re overheard.


    Let her discover the truth on her own.


    Arianrhod, Grand Oracle of the Aloryi


    Stunned, I stood stock still and stared at the parchment in disbelief. The Grand Oracle had been missing for decades, but I had never imagined it was because she had run off with a human. We had assumed that she had been enslaved by one. Not¡­that she had married one. That she had entrusted the Mirror of Osrana to her daughter who couldn¡¯t see it¡­she had incredible faith in Celia¡¯s loyalty. My heart ached. I couldn¡¯t imagine how Celia felt.


    I quickly returned the box to the state I had found it in, then headed out of Celia¡¯s room. The daughter of an Aloryi oracle and a sorcerer, yet she lacked magical sight. Her family believed her truly powerless. A frown spread across my face. Someone who was truly powerless wouldn¡¯t have been able to summon me. No, her power was hidden or sealed. I was leaning toward the latter assumption at this point. Arianrhod¡¯s warning wouldn¡¯t have been necessary if Celia was going to remain powerless.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± Mayar looked up when I strode into the living room and sprawled across the couch stomach-first. ¡°Are you still sulking about her reaction to that dream of hers?¡±


    ¡°Dream? Ah. No.¡± I shook my head, though the mention made my heart sink. ¡°That dream wasn¡¯t my doing, anyway. It was all her.


    ¡°Yet you were so worried that she thought it was a nightmare!¡± Mayar chortled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an incubus. I don¡¯t make a habit of walking into people¡¯s dreams.¡± I shot the nighthound a foul look. ¡°Her contrasting reactions were confusing. That is all.¡±


    ¡°Something is troubling you.¡± Mayar narrowed his eyes at me.


    I considered how best to respond. ¡°Have someone begin investigating Celia¡¯s grandmother more closely. When was she born? How does she have so much power? What has she done with her influence? I don¡¯t recall hearing of any prominent Nightingale sorcerers before her.¡±


    Mayar slunk through a portal, and I let out a sigh. I should have returned to the Underrealm myself, but something was stopping me. Something other than Celia¡¯s alluring scent and comfortable couch, anyway. After a moment of hesitation, I reached for the remote and turned on her TV. I flipped through the channels until I found a news channel.


    Any lingering sense of contentment I felt left me. Dozens of Skydwellers and Underdwellers fell one-by-one to a small group of sorcerers wearing the Nightingale family coat of arms. Glowing streaks of energy rushed from the fallen and to the books held by the Nightingale sorcerers. The energy absorbed into the pages, creating dozens of sigils on the pages of several books. Nausea welled up within me as the panicked newscaster attempted to cover the story.


    ¡°Demons and Angels are real,¡± they said, ¡°and the Nightingale Family and their trained specialists will save us from their wrath.¡±


    Celia.


    I rushed for the door with my car keys in hand.


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 Chapter Fourteen

    Chapter Fourteen


    When the bell on the front door jingled, I turned to find a distressed Tsukiyo moving toward me with long strides. I started to ask him what was wrong but the moment he was close enough, his hands both came up to cup my face. Heat rushed to my face as my father cleared his throat behind Tsukiyo. Oh dear.


    ¡°Are you alright, Celia?¡± Tsukiyo asked in a low, intimate whisper.


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m fine, what¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, the news is covering Mother¡¯s stunt?¡± Father asked with a heavy sigh. Tsukiyo stiffened before turning to glance over his shoulder. ¡°Well, I can relax knowing Celia isn¡¯t dating a loser again. I thought I¡¯d come see if she¡¯d found another ¡®Andrew,¡¯ and instead she¡¯s caught herself a king? I couldn¡¯t be prouder.¡±


    ¡°Tha-that isn¡¯t, at least I-I don¡¯t think he¡­¡± I stuttered before hiding my face in my hands. ¡°Dad, just stop!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to finally meet you, Tsukiyo,¡± Father continued cheerfully. ¡°I heard all about you from my late wife.¡±


    That snippet startled me. I looked between the two men, no idea what to do. They were on conflicting sides¡­right?


    ¡°What is the Nightingale matriarch planning?¡± Tsukiyo growled before glancing at the glowing golden servant behind my father. ¡°The Nightingale Family still enslaves Skydwellers?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Mother never did figure out how to crack open the book of Aloryi.¡± Father tilted his head and glanced toward me. ¡°I¡¯m so very thankful she never realized your talent, Celia¡­¡±


    ¡°You two aren¡¯t going to hurt each other, are you?¡± I looked frantically between Father and Tsukiyo. Regardless of my father¡¯s misinterpretation of my relationship with the Aloryi, I didn¡¯t want to see either of them get hurt.


    ¡°Awww, she¡¯s as cute as ever!¡± The glowing Skydweller behind my father giggled and floated over to pinch my cheeks. ¡°How precious! Of course they won¡¯t, silly goose. You¡¯re all on the same side. Not everyone in the family agrees with the matriarch¡¯s methods, you know.¡±


    ¡°Your stepmother is worried about you. I¡¯ll tell her you¡¯re in good hands.¡± Father smiled at me before glancing to Tsukiyo and offering him one hand. ¡°Take care of my daughter. If you can do that, then I can focus on rescuing her siblings from their grandmother¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡± I protested when the pair shook hands firmly. ¡°What the hell is going on? Just¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait until you¡¯re home for that.¡± David strode over, dragging a woman with dark blue-black hair over. He shot Tsukiyo a foul look before shoving the woman toward him. ¡°And make your sister stop hitting on my customers and employees. I don¡¯t need anyone thinking I¡¯m running another service out of here.¡±


    I shrunk back a little when the woman turned to blow me a kiss. Her facial features had seemed familiar when she arrived in the store a few hours prior, but it hadn¡¯t occurred to me why. With them beside each other though¡­yes. The nympho was definitely Tsukiyo¡¯s sibling.


    ¡°Lylar, you were supposed to be a protector.¡± Tsukiyo sighed at the flirtatious woman.


    ¡°But she¡¯s so scrumptious!¡± Lylar grinned. ¡°I could show her a whole new¡ª Ow!¡±


    ¡°Try to have some tact when around her father, at least!¡± Tsukiyo grabbed her by the ear. ¡°Celia, gather your things. I am driving you home.¡±


    ¡°Stay close to Tsukiyo, sweetheart.¡± Father kissed my forehead before heading toward the door. ¡°I¡¯ll let your stepmother know you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ Slow down!¡± I stomped one foot in frustration.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Just listen.¡± David shoved my coat, purse, and a bag of food into my arms. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted on if it¡¯s safe to come into work. We can¡¯t let that tyrant sink her dentures into you.¡±


    Tsukiyo grabbed me by the arm and dragged me and his sister to his car. He nudged his sister into the back seat before ushering me into the front passenger seat. I obliged him and clutched my belongings in my lap as my brain attempted to catch up to the present.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get home,¡± Tsukiyo interrupted the moment I opened my mouth. ¡°I know I can¡¯t ask you to trust me¡ªso trust your father and David instead.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, but¡­¡± I sighed heavily and crossed my arms. ¡°Fine. You¡¯ll explain when we get back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tsukiyo glanced in the rear-view mirror. ¡°Lylar, keep an eye out for sorcerers. I¡¯m not convinced they won¡¯t move into this part of the city next.¡±


    ¡°Sorcerers? Got it.¡± Lylar cracked her knuckles.


    I chewed on my lower lip as Tsukiyo drove through the city and toward my neighborhood. Whatever was going on, the whole city seemed to be in chaos. The various inhumans I¡¯d noticed around the city were being confronted by normal pedestrians. Some of the people fled from them instead, screaming, but most took an oddly aggressive approach.


    None of us spoke on the way to my house. I could have cut the tension with a knife. When we arrived, Tsukiyo ushered me into the house and left Lylar to follow at her own pace.


    ¡°Sit. Watch. I¡¯ll get you some tea.¡± Tsukiyo shooed me toward the couch before disappearing into the kitchen.


    I plopped down on the sofa with a huff and begrudgingly turned on the TV. Being ordered around in my own home after being dragged away from work wasn¡¯t exactly a welcome experience. If it weren¡¯t for how worried Tsukiyo had seemed, I would have refused to oblige.


    The news flickered on and I stared at the screen, stunned. Dozens of cornered ¡°demons¡± were being converted into multicolored energy and sealed into books, talismans, and other trinkets. People wearing uniforms emblazoned with the Nightingale Crest had corralled the demons into a tight, gloomy space they couldn¡¯t flee from. It looked like one of the dirtier areas by the city¡¯s warehouse district or port.


    It was like watching a firing squad, except they were being bound to an eternity of slavery instead of dying.


    Death would have been a mercy.


    My stomach twisted, and tears stung my eyes. How could anyone do that to other living beings? Why did it have to be my family that was involved?


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± I darted past Tsukiyo and his sister, fleeing for the main floor bathroom. There, I dropped to the floor by the toilet, retching. Awful. Truly, truly awful. People had fought so hard for human rights, yet it seemed like everyone was cheering for the demons and Skydwellers to lose everything.


    Once I could no longer vomit, I cleaned my mouth out, dried my face, and attempted to compose myself in the mirror. It was horrible, certainly, but I didn¡¯t understand why Tsukiyo had sought me out after seeing what was happening. I wanted to know why.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t¡­shouldn¡¯t you be in the Underrealm, figuring out what to do?¡± I asked quietly when I returned to the living room.


    Tsukiyo looked over at me, his expression unreadable. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t let me keep you from figuring out how to rescue them.¡±


    ¡°I want to make sure you¡¯re safe too.¡± Tsukiyo offered me a cup of tea, a small smile spreading across his lips when I accepted it.


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re forgetting something important¡ªyou were able to free me and others from that book. That means you¡¯re capable of helping us free the poor bastards that are being captured en masse.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right.¡± I pursed my lips. That was definitely a good reason for him to want to keep me safe. I was useful to him. But¡­what would happen if I stopped being useful? I examined him out if the corner of my eyes. My gut told me he wasn¡¯t the sort to throw people away. That maybe I should take a chance and trust him. I released a low sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll help if I can. I just don¡¯t want to get in your way or slow you down. You seem fairly calm now, but¡­this is a crisis, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we have to approach it carefully.¡± Tsukiyo glanced toward his sister. ¡°What do you think? Should we bring Celia to the Underrealm?¡±


    ¡°Now? Hell no!¡± Lylar shook her head.


    ¡°Everyone will freak out if we bring her there, doesn¡¯t matter if the Nightingales disowned her or if she saved you. They¡¯ll wanna hold her responsible for all¡­this. Better off letting her stay here with a guard or two.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Tsukiyo began.


    Lylar stomped one foot and shushed him. ¡°No, no you won¡¯t! She¡¯s right that you have work to do in the Underrealm! Mayar can handle things here. If you must interfere, come back later when you¡¯re done with your duties.¡±


    ¡°I¡­suppose you have a point.¡± Tsukiyo sighed and rose to his feet. When he turned to look at me, it was with a softer expression. ¡°I¡¯ll come back later to make sure you¡¯re still safe. Thank you for the breakfast, it was delicious.¡±


    Before I could answer, he was gone. I stared blankly at the spot he¡¯d been standing in.


    Tsukiyo liked my cooking?


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 Chapter Fifteen

    Chapter Fifteen


    Though Tsukiyo made a big fuss about protecting me and whatever, I''d barely seen him the past few days. I tapped my nails against the counter, impatient, while reviewing the instructions for making a pork soup. It looked simple enough, but I still wasn''t confident in my ability. Tsukiyo had been pretty encouraging¡­but I wasnt convinced he wasnt faking it just to be nice.


    "What smells good?" The low question from beside me startled me into whirling around. Tsukiyo stood mere inches from me, a contemplative look on his face as he lifted the lid of the nearby crockpot. "Soup?"


    "Yeah¡­in a soupy mood." I looked down at Tsukiyo''s clothes. "Is that¡­blood?"


    "I had to quell an uprising in the Underrealm." He shrugged, running his fingers through his long hair. "Mind if I use your shower?"


    "Uh¡­ Sure." I blinked at him. "You''re not hurt, are you?"


    "I''m fine." He smiled before turning and walking off. I stared after him for a moment before returning my attention to the recipe.


    Was he really?


    I shook my head hard before busying myself. With the soup in the crockpot, I needed to put away everything else I''d pulled out. Once that was done, I gathered up the recyclables and carried them outside to the bin.


    A familiar car honk pulled my attention to the street, where I found Emily and Richard''s sedan pulling into my driveway. Uh oh.


    "Cel~i~a!" Emily called with a grin once they''d parked and gotten out of the car. "Oh my god. That dress is so cute on you! Who you dressing up for, hmmm?"


    "Dressing up?" I glanced down at my sky blue sweaterdress. "You call this dressed up? I call it comfy."


    "So soft!" Emily cooed before turning to look up at Richard. "We totally need to find our baby a blanket made out of this fabric!"


    "Can we come in?" Richard glanced toward the front door then at me.


    "Uh, yeah, I just finished setting up a new recipe," I replied weakly. Emily was loud, so that would clue in Tsukiyo that we had guests. I hoped. Though, I wasnt sure how to explain his presence. Ugh.


    "Cooking?" Emily stared at me.


    "I wanted soup, so I''m trying a recipe I found." I shrugged before holding the door open for them. "Want tea or something? I just restocked the pantry and the fridge."


    Emily and Richard shared a knowing look before following me into the kitchen. I tried to pretend I didnt see it.


    "Wow, you meant it." Richard pulled open the pantry door and stared at the contents inside. "You must really like him, huh?"


    "Yep she totally does." Emily peered in the fridge.


    "Come on. I don''t need a man to make me happy, organized, or take care of myself." I sighed at them and crossed my arms. "I''m trying to eat out less. That means learning to cook¡ª"


    "It smells really good, by the way." Emily edged over to the crockpot and licked her lips.


    "A woman maybe?" Richard murmured, rubbing his chin.


    "No." I pressed my fingers to my temples. "What are you guys doing over in my neck of the woods anyway?"


    "Well, with how crazy the news has been¡­" Emily perched in a chair and sighed, rubbing her baby bump absentmindedly. "Did you know about your family, Celia? That''s the Nightingale Crest on the uniforms those people are wearing¡­"


    "They''re claiming every child born in the country from here on out has to be checked for magical powers and if they''re pureblooded human," Richard added, grimacing.


    "I only learned recently. Apparently them disowning me is mostly because I''m powerless," I muttered, earning a sympathetic look from Emily. "Its¡­been a lot to process."


    "Well, of course it has!" Emily exclaimed. "Finding out angels, demons, and who knows what else are real? Magic? Not to mention dumping your ex, said ex is now missing, you need to find a good man¡­ How was your date with Tsukiyo, by the way?"


    "It was¡­as fine as a date involving me can be, I guess." I grimaced and shook my head. "Your friends seemed really mad when he asked me, though."


    "Oh they were." Emily rolled her eyes. "Worse when they confirmed the nice car outside was his. They all wanna marry rich even though their families are already well off. I don''t get it.


    "Seriously though, Celia, dont be so hard on yourself! A good guy will come around, whether its Tsukiyo or someone else. You just gotta be open to seeing where things go! You''re super defensive and down on yourself all the time, but new people in your life aren''t going to realize it''s not them making you like that."


    "Easier said than done." I sighed. "I''m not sure I even deserve to feel better or happy considering what my family has apparently been up to. People, including the demons and angels, are going to see me as involved even though I''ve been disowned. Just because I''m blood related to that¡­that tyrant."


    "Well¡­" Emily trailed off, her and Richard both staring somewhere behind me. A giggle escaped Emily, while the biggest shit-eating grin I''d ever seen spread across her husband''s face.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Sorry to interrupt," Tsukiyo purred. When I turned around to look at him, he gave me a warm, innocent smile and adjusted the towel around his waist.


    "Uh¡­" I tried to think of something to say, and not let my gaze drift down his chiseled body. "Didn''t you have clothes?"


    Smooth, Celia, smooth.


    "About that, I was wondering if I could use your laundry room." Tsukiyo took a step toward me, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips when I glanced down between us. "I doubt your other guests would appreciate it if I gave them a peek."


    "Sooo, I thought you said you ruined your date?" Emily drawled.


    I flushed deeper and looked away from Tsukiyo when he shot me a questioning look. He reached up and patted my head before walking by. "Celia did no such thing. She''s just hard on herself, and we''re still learning what makes each other tick."


    I stared blankly at the wall for a moment. He didn''t deny it was a date. Yet, patting me on the head like that was more of a brotherly thing. Which cue was I meant to focus on?


    "Well?" Emily smirked at me.


    "Huh?" I blinked at her.


    "Hot, wealthy man borrowing your shower and walking around your house in just a towel, and that''s your response?" Richard gave me a dubious look. "Even you cant play innocent with this one."


    "Celia, would you mind if I borrowed one of your robes?" Tsukiyo strolled back into the kitchen and shot me a sympathetic-yet-amused smile after passing my friends. "I doubt your friends appreciate the view as much as you are."


    "Celia~" Emily giggled, leaning in her chair. She turned her attention to Tsukiyo and grinned. "So, what are you doing here anyway? I''ve never seen her let anyone other than me and Richard visit her here."


    Tsukiyo gave me a surprised look before smoothing his expression over and looking at Emily, "David has Celia working with me on our joint business venture. I spilled a drink on myself earlier, so she graciously lent me her shower."


    "Huh. Guess David''s worried about letting her go into the city?" Richard grimaced, while Emily pouted in displeasure. "Celia, you need to help him find a robe, right?"


    "Oh. Yeah." I fidgeted with my sleeves and turned to look up at Tsukiyo. Letting the Aloryi have free rein to poke through my room probably wasnt the best idea. "Help yourselves to drinks and snacks. It''ll be a few hours before the soup is ready."


    I followed Tsukiyo out of the kitchen and upstairs, where he promptly returned to his true form and stretched, a fang-filled yawn escaping him.


    "Sorry they''re so¡­nosey," I muttered, pushing the doors to my bedroom open. "You sure one of my robes will be good enough?"


    "Unless you had something else in mind," Tsukiyo mused, his vibrant eyes flicking down to my legs briefly. "They just want what''s best for you, even if they''re a little misled on what that is."


    "You''re enjoying teasing them¡ªand me¡ª too much." I pulled open the door to my closet and nudged a few robes aside. Finally, I pulled down one of my oversized fluffy robes and offered it to Tsukiyo. "This might be long enough on you."


    "Were they telling the truth? You dont usually let people into your house?" Tsukiyo took the robe from me but made no move to put it on, his attention instead focused on my face.


    "Oh¡­ Yeah," I grumbled, glancing away. "My house is supposed to be my sanctuary that doesnt have any bad memories or emotions clinging to it to drag me down. So, unless I know for sure that someone can be trusted¡­"


    "I''ll do my best to let you keep your sanctuary, though I cant promise to stop teasing you." Tsukiyo gave me a mysterious smile. He looked like he might say more, but soon shook his head slightly. "I should change, and you should get back to your friends. I''ll¡­try not to intrude."


    "You wouldn¡¯t be¡ª"


    Tsukiyo shushed me. "Its fine. I am have work I can tend to, and I''d prefer to stay in this form. I''ll lock myself in the guest room so they won''t stumble across me."


    "¡­oh. Okay." I tried to keep the disappointment from my voice. I''d been looking forward to possibly having him around more, but it looked like those hopes were dashed. Work was important, after all.


    Even so, it stung like a rejection. It was unreasonable of me, though. He had no reason to socialize with me or my nosey friends. I could understand why he''d want to focus on something like work instead. It was probably more pleasant than¡­me.


    When I returned to the kitchen, Emily perked up. "What you gonna make for dessert?"


    "Nothing," I stated. Richard narrowed his eyes at me, but Emily remained oblivious.


    "Come on! Now is the perfect time to try and impress Tsukiyo with your cooking skills!" Emily pointed at me, and I sighed. "Cake, cookies, pie, tart, brownies or blondies¡ªdoesn¡¯t batter so long as it''s made with love!"


    "¡­did you just say batter?" I peered at her.


    "It was a pun!" Emily puffed out her chest.


    "¡­no." I rolled my eyes. "And I dont have any dessert recipes anyway. So¡ª"


    "You have the internet."


    "My phone is charging."


    "Laptop!"


    "Sweetie, you''re being pushy again," Richard spoke gently, giving Emily a plaintive look. "If you want sweets, I can go by that little bakery you like¡ª"


    "This isnt about me!" Emily pouted.


    "Then you need to let Celia go at her own pace." Richard sighed, plopping down heavily in a chair across from Emily. "Besides, Tsukiyo can probably hear every word you''re saying."


    "Good! ''cause he needs to realize¡ª" Emily glared at Richard when he reached across the table to clamp a hand over her mouth.


    "Sorry, Celia, I know she¡¯s being a little¡­much," Richard offered with a lopsided smile. "If you''d rather we leave¡­"


    "Oh, no, it''s okay." I shook my head. "I can¡¯t eat all this soup by myself, so¡­"


    Well, either way I wouldnt be eating it by myself. Though, if Tsukiyo really didnt want to mingle with my friends, that meant we probably wouldnt get to have dinner together after all.


    But, maybe that was for the best. If Emily or Richard brought up our new reality again, I wasnt sure if I could keep myself together. My grandmother''s power was terrifying on its own without factoring in the paranormal. Add in the existence of powerful fantastical beings who would likely see me as their enemy¡­


    I didnt want to have another breakdown, but especially not in front of anyone.


    "Overthinking again?" Tsukiyo''s forearm came to rest on one of my shoulders. I glanced up at him, startled, but his eyes were on Richard and Emily. "You were saying something about dessert?"


    "Ah¡­hahaha¡­" Emily turned bright red. "You heard that?"


    "Quite easily." Tsukiyo raised an eyebrow. He looked at me, his gaze softening. "I could make dessert, if you dont mind. After all, you started dinner."


    "What?" I stared at him. "But, you have work to do! I wouldn''t want you to waste your time on¡ª"


    Tsukiyo''s fingers slid under my chin a split second before he leaned down to shut me up with a brief, soft kiss on the lips. Whatever else I was going to say left my mind, and I just stared at him in surprise as my face grew hotter by the second. He¡­had kissed me. Did he mean anything by it? Did I taste okay? Had I remembered to exfoliate my lips this morning?


    My mind reeled with dozens of questions as Tsukiyo chuckled and glanced toward my friends. "Why dont you three go relax in the living room? I''ll see what I can come up with."


    Emily and Richard dragged my dumbstruck ass out of the kitchen and into the living room while I tried to make sense of what had just happened.


    I was hopeless.


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 Chapter Sixteen

    Chapter Sixteen


    ¡°Hey¡­ Tsukiyo?¡± I peered around the corner and into the kitchen. The Aloryi shifted to look my way, his expression unreadable. ¡°Emily and Richard want us to watch a movie with them, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± Tsukiyo adjusted his robe, hiding his muscular torso from view. He smirked at me and crossed his arms. ¡°You were staring.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± I flushed and hid more of myself around the corner of the wall. The demon just laughed, walked over, and pulled me into the kitchen by one wrist. ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is your house. What do you want to do?¡± Tsukiyo reiterated, keeping his voice low. ¡°If they¡¯re bothering you, it¡¯s well within your rights to tell them to leave.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, Emily is relentless, but the movie does sound interesting,¡± I grumbled, glancing away from him. ¡°Oh. Though, the soup should be done soon. Probably should wait for that¡­ What about what you¡¯ve been making? It¡¯s been hours!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to see the movie, I see no harm in joining you,¡± Tsukiyo remarked, rubbing his chin as he examined me. ¡°That is, if you would like me to.¡±


    I blinked at him, thrown a little off-guard. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d heard him correctly. ¡°If¡­I would like you too?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tsukiyo stated with a knowing smile. ¡°You said your friends asked for me to join you, but you didn¡¯t say what you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I clasped my hands behind my back and wriggled my toes in my shoes. It hadn¡¯t occurred to me that I¡¯d get a say in the matter. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t have elsewhere to be and don¡¯t mind our company¡­ Yes, I¡¯d like you to join us, too.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Tsukiyo chuckled, his eyes bright with amusement. ¡°Why don¡¯t you change into something more comfortable, then? I can take the food into the living room for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you sure? I don¡¯t mind helping. In fact, I probably should since I¡ª¡±


    Tsukiyo turned me by the shoulders and steered me out of the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll handle everything. Go change¡­unless you¡¯d prefer I take you out of that dress?¡±


    That was definitely preferable. I felt my face growing hot as Tsukiyo chuckled by my ear. He gave me a gentle nudge toward the stairs before returning to the kitchen. My pulse roared in my ears.


    How was I supposed to combat that?


    I shook my head hard and scurried upstairs in search of fluffy pajamas. After changing into a set of navy-blue ones with little stars and moons all over them, I made my way back into the living room. Emily looked over when she heard me and raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Now I wish I¡¯d brought pajamas!¡± Emily pouted, watching as I swiftly pulled my hair up with a hair stick. ¡°Why¡¯d you change?¡±


    ¡°I think I can guess why,¡± Richard remarked slyly, rubbing his chin. When Emily frowned at him, he leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and she immediately devolved into perverted giggling.


    ¡°And that¡¯s my cue to find drinks for us.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    Striding past the couch, I made my way back to the kitchen to find Tsukiyo pouring soup into bowls. He shot me a questioning look but said nothing.


    ¡°Drinks, and a temporary escape,¡± I answered dryly. His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. ¡°White wine alright with you?¡±


    ¡°For starters.¡± He nodded, his smile broadening. ¡°Depending on their behavior, I think we may both need something stronger¡ªand soon.¡±


    Tsukiyo began carrying our food into the living room plate-by-plate, while I searched for a good wine to pair with the soup. While I was at it, I decided to move a few bottles of liquor to the front of the cabinet as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the glasses,¡± Tsukiyo informed me when I turned around with two bottles in hand. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°As I can be.¡± I shook my head slightly. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this movie is as interesting as Emily made it sound.¡±


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 Chapter Seventeen

    Chapter Seventeen


    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s way more pooped than I thought,¡± Emily frowned at the woman slumbering across my lap. ¡°Has she been sleeping okay?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± I answered simply, tugging a blanket over Celia¡¯s shoulders. She had slid one arm under my thigh and the other over the top, resulting in a grasp I couldn¡¯t easily escape without waking her. Celia¡¯s cheek was pressed into my thigh, her hair strewn across my lap. The sight amused me, but not quite as much as the fact she had started out leaned against my shoulder.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Emily peered at me, unconvinced.


    ¡°You seem to have the wrong idea about my relationship with Celia.¡± I shot Emily a cold look. ¡°We aren¡¯t dating, and we aren¡¯t ¡®acquaintances with benefits¡¯ either.¡±


    ¡°The term is friends with benefits,¡± Richard pointed out. When I sighed in exasperation, a look of realization crossed his face. ¡°Ohhh. So, you¡¯re not to the friend stage either? She seems so comfortable with you, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, he is totally her type.¡± Emily waved a wine glass around. ¡°She¡¯d probably have been scooped up by someone similar a long time ago if she didn¡¯t keep settling for crazy bastards.¡±


    It was Richard¡¯s turn to sigh in exasperation. I chuckled and glanced down at Celia, running my fingers through her hair. My touch didn¡¯t even make her stir. Saying that she was exhausted seemed to be an understatement.


    ¡°Huh. Regardless of what you say, you like her, huh?¡± Emily probed, a lecherous grin plastered on her face. ¡°I knew that kiss wasn¡¯t just to tease her!¡±


    ¡°Shhh, you¡¯re going to wake her up!¡± Richard clamped a hand over Emily¡¯s mouth.


    I glanced down again. The human woman¡¯s inability to speak softly should have woken Celia. Was something wrong?


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean up after I¡¯ve carried Celia upstairs,¡± I stated, shooting a pointed look in Richard¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Right.¡± Richard nodded subtly to me and stood. ¡°Come on, Ems. Let¡¯s go home for the night. You can nudge Celia tomorrow when you¡¯re both awake.¡±


    I sighed, watching the pair as they left. It seemed that Emily was more impressionable than I first thought. Her drink had been non-alcoholic, yet after being told it was wine, she had acted proceedingly tipsy. I¡¯d have to make sure someone watched her. I couldn¡¯t have the Nightingale Family whispering in her ear.


    Celia stirred in my lap, drawing my attention downward. She nuzzled into my thigh, her nails biting into my leg. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how I was going to get myself out of that situation, or if I even wanted to.


    A crooked smile spread across my lips and I shook my head. Celia needed somewhere better to rest, and I had paperwork to deal with still. I hadn¡¯t anticipated spending the evening with Celia and her friends.


    Eventually, I managed to pry Celia from my thigh and lift her into my arms. A soft sound akin to a purr rumbled in her throat as she rubbed her cheek into my chest. When I made it to her room, placing her on her bed proved difficult. She clung to me as if letting go meant she¡¯d never see me again, going as far as to try pulling me into bed with her.


    That wouldn¡¯t do.


    I placed a hand over her eyes and concentrated briefly, summoning silver light. Celia¡¯s breathing and grip relaxed, allowing her to collapse harmlessly on top of her bed. After pulling the blankets over her, I shut off the lights and fled the room. It was a shame she didn¡¯t show that kind of desire when awake. I shook the thought from my head and left the room. After confirming Richard and Emily had left, I closed the blinds in every room and relaxed into my true form, a sigh of relief escaping me.


    A human body was so stifling.


    After a moment of contemplation, I decided to do the dishes instead of merely collecting them. Perhaps a small show of respect would help alleviate Celia¡¯s seemingly endless worries. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should tell her I could hear her thoughts. She was already skittish enough.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A small sigh escaped me as I set the dishrag aside. I couldn¡¯t blame her for her skittishness. I¡¯d scared her when she first summoned me, despite her clear innocence. Frowning, I glanced down at the dishrag. She had freed me, yet there I was¡ªan Aloryi king doing menial labor for the human that had summoned me.


    A ¡®human¡¯ whose presence I couldn¡¯t seem to get enough of lately.


    I couldn¡¯t deny that I found her attractive. There was something about her meek, innocent facade that amused me. Her insecurity and shyness made me feel the need to protect her. Then there were her dreams¡­which made me want to break her and her bed.


    A shiver ran down my spine and tail at the thought. I never expected to find a woman who appealed to me on both a psychological and primal level.


    I heard the rustling of fabric follow by a soft squeak behind me. When I turned, a groggy Celia flushed and glanced away, hiding partially behind one of her sleeves. She seemed entirely unaware that her oversized pajamas hung off one shoulder, revealing a tantalizing stretch of throat and shoulder.


    ¡°S-sorry, I just¡­¡± Her face turned redder when I raised an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s your house,¡± I pointed out, watching her fidget. ¡°Richard and Emily left a while ago. I thought I would clean up before taking my leave as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Celia murmured softly, her gaze dropping to the floor. I withheld a sigh and forced myself to calm down. I wasn¡¯t ready to test the depth of my attraction to her, and she wasn¡¯t in a suitable mental state. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should be the one doing that.¡±


    Celia strode over and reached for the dishrag, but I easily held it far out of her reach. She looked up at me with genuine confusion in her eyes.


    ¡°You cooked. I will clean,¡± I stated, attempting to keep my tone soft enough to quell her nerves and firm enough to convey the point. ¡°Besides, you must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep against me like¡ª¡±


    ¡°I-I did what?!¡± Celia turned crimson again and covered her face in embarrassment. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! That must have been t-terribly uncomfortable for you. I¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    I sighed and placed a hand on top of her head as her thoughts devolved into a self-chastising cacophony. Whoever had made her so fragile deserved the most gruesome death I could give them. Her thoughts hadn¡¯t even considered my race or status.


    She merely thought that any man would find such a situation involving her revolting.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, and I¡¯m not angry at you for it,¡± I informed her. She peeked through her fingers at me, unconvinced. ¡°If there¡¯s anything human and Aloryi men have in common, it¡¯s that we want to be needed or desired. Even if merely as a pillow.¡±


    Celia mouthed a few times but failed to come up with a retort. She dropped her hands to her sides but still struggled to make eye contact with me. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not upset about it¡­ Still, I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll try not to make the same mistake again.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that one. Most of the options sounded aggressive or cheesy, while what she needed was reassurance. Kissing her again wouldn¡¯t help either¡­tempting as it was. I likely shouldn¡¯t have done it in the first place.


    ¡°Consider us even, Celia,¡± I suggested, smiling. ¡°I kissed you without permission and in front of your friends. If we¡¯re comparing assumed sins, mine is worse.¡±


    ¡°Assumed¡­sins?¡± Celia raised an eyebrow at me. She struggled to parse my statement for a moment before sighing heavily. ¡°So, I¡¯m overthinking it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not mad at me or embarrassed?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°No. I found it endearing. I was worried you were still scared of me, but your sleeping self alleviated that concern.¡±


    ¡°Scared of you? Celia blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not scared of you. I¡¯m scared of¡­¡± she trailed off, shook her head, then continued, ¡°¡­never mind.¡±


    Celia turned away and started poking through the pantry. I shot an amused smile at her back before returning my attention to the dishes. She feared insulting or hurting me, mentally or physically. She feared growing attached, especially to someone she saw as out of reach.


    Above all, she was scared that my kiss and our date both meant nothing. The poor thing couldn¡¯t read me at all.


    ¡°Have you seen my tea?¡± Celia grumbled after a few moments, making a square shape with her fingers. ¡°Blue tin, about this big, says ¡®chamomile¡¯ in big gold letters.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rest?¡± I frowned. Upon closer inspection, Celia looked like she hadn¡¯t been sleeping well. Mayar and I had cast wards throughout the house to prevent nightmares and other such intrusions, but something had clearly impacted her sleep.


    ¡°Probably, but¡­¡± She fidgeted with her sleeves.


    ¡°I will take care of everything. Rest.¡± I placed my hands on her shoulders and shooed her out. The sensation of her soft skin sent a jolt through me. I ached to feel the rest of her.


    ¡°Tsukiyo?¡± Celia looked over her shoulder at me, her sinfully plush lips slightly parted.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­nothing.¡± I tugged her shirt collar. ¡°You¡¯re going to get cold if you stay like that.¡±


    I pivoted and returned to the kitchen before she could begin spewing apologies. I needed to be more careful if I didn¡¯t want to scare her away. She knew exactly why I had hesitated to release her, yet she seemed to think it was her duty to keep her distance.


    So someone ¡®more deserving¡¯ could claim me. Someone who wouldn¡¯t be old or dead in the next twenty to thirty years. A blink of an eye for an Aloryi.


    I sighed. Obeying her mother¡¯s wishes would be harder than I anticipated.


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 Chapter Eighteen

    Chapter Eighteen


    ¡°Hey, David! Some of the packages you were waiting for came!¡± I called, carrying in a stack of boxes.


    ¡°Careful with those!¡± David sighed at me. ¡°You¡¯re going to break something in those heels. I swear, you¡¯re trying to make me go gray.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm? This little human works here?¡± A man in unfamiliar attire shifted to look at me. He looked unimpressed at first, but soon his foxlike ears flicked forward, and his chartreuse eyes glinted with mischief. ¡°She¡¯s too cute to be a mere servant. Sell her to me.¡±


    ¡°Celia is an employee,¡± David stated, narrowing his eyes at the man. ¡°You¡¯ve been in the Underrealm for too long. Slavery is illegal these days.¡±


    ¡°Slavery?¡± The foxy man laughed. ¡°You misunderstand me. I want her to become one of my wives. She would make a wonderful addition to my collection.¡±


    A thinner fox-man leaned toward the first and whispered something, earning a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Celia,¡± David gave me a pointed look, ¡°go get something to eat. It¡¯s past your break time.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­okay.¡± I edged away from the odd trio before fleeing to the cafe.


    The fox-people looked human aside from the ears, tails, claws, and fangs. Well, there was their hair and eye colors too. How was that kind of behavior acceptable, and what was I supposed to do about it?


    I sighed, staring at my toes. More and more inhuman clients had been coming by the shop for the past two weeks, yet I hadn¡¯t seen Tsukiyo since the evening we had watched a movie with Emily and Richard. Maybe I really had screwed up.


    After shaking off the negative thoughts, I hurried with my lunch and then returned to the main floor of the store. David was still in deep discussion with the fox¡ªkitsune perhaps¡ªso I was able to sneak past unnoticed. There was an utter mess of books strewn about, and I intended to fix it.


    Maybe a mess was an understatement. The entire section on folklore and mythology looked like a hurricane had come through. I wasn¡¯t too surprised¡ªever since inhumans became visible to everyone, we¡¯d had a constant flow of customers coming in looking for books on the newly re-encountered races. Most of the city was still in a panic, but it had gradually lessened as time passed.


    Instead, new problems had begun to surface. A lot of people were taking issue with my family enslaving the inhuman races, while others saw it as protecting humankind. Thus, a new political rift had formed¡ªon a worldwide scale. No country had laws to support fair treatment of inhuman citizens or visitors, and most didn¡¯t care to create them. Most saw a workforce to enslave, much as my family did.


    Others wanted inhumans to have the same rights as the rest of us.


    Then, there was a handful of countries that treated the inhumans with reverence.


    ¡°Celia, dear, you¡¯re still working in this squalor?¡± The woman¡¯s voice made my blood run cold. I whirled around to find my grandmother, father, and three skydwellers standing behind me.


    Father¡¯s skydweller gave me a subtle nod as I looked between the group.


    ¡°Squalor?¡± I sighed, deciding to bite back any snarky comment. ¡°People have been making a mess when they come in. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°But you can see them now, can you not?¡± Grandmother placed a hand on her two Skydwellers¡¯ shoulders. Both men grit their teeth. Their eyes were obscured by masks, but I didn¡¯t see any blood.


    ¡°Yes¡­why?¡± I frowned. What did my grandmother want from me?


    ¡°Read this.¡± Grandmother shoved an open book at me. When I opened it, all I saw were blank pages. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s blank. Did you want me to write something in it?¡± I asked, reaching for a pen. Grandmother snatched the book away protectively.


    ¡°You still can¡¯t see this manner of writing?¡± Grandmother rose her voice as the front door jingled. I glimpsed long black hair before Tsukiyo tucked himself out of sight. ¡°You can¡¯t truly be talentless! With such an incredible bloodline, we were on track to have you become the most powerful member of the family after me!¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡± I sighed, rubbing my temples. The skydwellers¡¯ mouths twitched, but they seemed practiced at keeping their expressions passive.


    ¡°Celia, the Nightingale Family is the most powerful family of sorcerers and sorceresses to have ever existed!¡± Grandmother exclaimed. ¡°Between your paternal and maternal bloodlines, you should have inherited great power. I even had tests run to make certain you weren¡¯t another man¡¯s child! Something, somehow, went wrong. Were you cursed, perhaps?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°I hate to intrude,¡± Tsukiyo purred from somewhere behind me. His forearm came to rest on my shoulder as he stopped beside me. ¡°But I am a busy man, and David assigned Celia to consult with me. We have business to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Is this the new boyfriend?¡± Grandmother squinted at Tsukiyo, oblivious to her skydwellers and my father stiffening. ¡°Interesting. I never thought Celia would fetch something other than trailer trash, yet she¡¯s caught herself a corporate genius?¡±


    I stuttered, my face growing crimson from both embarrassment and anger. ¡°W-we¡¯re no¡ª¡±


    ¡°Celia is a delightful, intelligent, and driven young woman, Mrs. Nightingale,¡± Tsukiyo stated, narrowing his eyes at Grandmother. ¡°Whatever your thoughts of her may be, I think she should be treated like royalty.¡±


    ¡°Smooth words from an even smoother businessman. I¡¯m sure you even have her believing them.¡± Grandmother flapped one hand. ¡°Do with her what you will. She¡¯s useless to my family. I don¡¯t have the patience to deal with arranging a formal marriage for her.¡±


    Once the intruders were all gone, Tsukiyo let out a low snarl and stuffed both hands into his pockets. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should apologize for my grandmother¡¯s behavior, so I kept my mouth shut and turned to look up at Tsukiyo instead¡­and the delicious, fitted pants and double-breasted vest he wore. Ugh. If those pants had been leather, I¡¯d have died on the spot.


    ¡°That was Quinn Nightingale?¡± Tsukiyo muttered. ¡°Is she losing her touch?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± I linked my hands behind my back and forced myself to tear my eyes away from the undone collar of his dress shirt¡ªor more specifically, what the v-shaped gap showed. ¡°You said we have business?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. You just looked uncomfortable.¡± Tsukiyo smiled and reached up to brush my hair out of my eyes. After, his gaze wandered down to my turtleneck dress and high heels briefly. ¡°Are¡­you going on a date tonight?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? No. This is how I usually dress.¡± I glanced down at myself, then back at Tsukiyo. He looked¡­relieved. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m probably keeping you from whatever you came to do, though. I¡¯ll get out of your way and back to work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d¡­¡± A soft sigh escaped Tsukiyo. ¡°I¡¯ll come check on you again once I¡¯m done speaking with David. It¡¯s been too long since I could come visit.¡±


    With that, Tsukiyo turned and strode away, leaving me wondering what he actually wanted to say. The soft, fleeting touches made me think that, maybe, there was more to the kiss he¡¯d given me than I¡¯d first thought.


    I shook my head hard and busied myself with tidying the mythology section of the store. That, at least, was something I could control and understand. Something I could tangibly gauge.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the Aloryi king returned, a slight but pleasant smile on his lips. ¡°Are you alright, Celia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Though, I¡¯m curious where you came from, if you don¡¯t actually have business with me.¡± I peered up at him. The sheepish smile he shot me didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Ah¡­ You see, I have been keeping an eye on you in case something like that, or worse, happened,¡± Tsukiyo murmured, bringing the back of a knuckle to his lips as he thought.


    ¡°Keeping an eye on me?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to leave my home this past week, so I chose to use a scrying technique to watch and make sure you were safe,¡± Tsukiyo answered, his expression apologetic as he lifted a hand to cup my face. ¡°I should¡¯ve asked if¡ª¡±


    ¡°You know how to scry?!¡± I exclaimed, leaning forward and grasping his hand in my excitement. ¡°Do you think you could teach me? I¡¯ve always thought it was fascinating! Even if I probably can¡¯t do it, I¡¯d love to learn more about it!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tsukiyo grew still for a moment before clearing his throat and giving me a pointed look. ¡°My hand¡­ Modesty, Celia.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I followed his gaze, then felt a spike of adrenaline rush through my system when I realized I¡¯d dragged his hand practically between my boobs. I quickly released him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Tsukiyo gripped my chin between his thumb and index finger when I glanced away from him. ¡°Perhaps you forgot, but I¡¯m still a man. That dress of yours is tempting enough as it is. Simply¡­restrain yourself if you aren¡¯t willing to see where your antics might lead you.¡±


    I stared at Tsukiyo in surprise, but probably not for the reason he expected. ¡°Tempting? Me? I¡­kinda thought you and your people would find humans gross or ugly.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tsukiyo sighed in disbelief. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or the place. Yes, I find you tempting, yes, that means I find you attractive. No, I¡¯m not ¡®just saying that.¡¯ Furthermore, you¡¯re interesting. Only people who aren¡¯t worth your time would think otherwise.


    ¡°With all that said, I really do have to go back to work. My sister and Mayar will meet you here when your shift is over and see to it that you get home safely. I¡¯ll come by when I can, if it isn¡¯t too late.¡±


    Before I could respond to the whirlwind of information, Tsukiyo turned and walked away. I opened my mouth and moved to catch him, then stopped. I had no idea what to say, and he had responsibilities to deal with.


    His ass really does look amazing in those slacks, I tilted my head slightly, watching him until he rounded a corner. Sighing, I returned to work, feeling slightly dazed.


    Tsukiyo found me¡­tempting. That was an interesting, useful piece of information. I smiled to myself. The idea of being a little bolder crossed my mind. It was fun to theorize what his reactions to blatant teasing or taunting would be. But¡­I knew damn well I didn¡¯t have the guts for that. Just being in normal pajamas around him had felt inappropriate!


    Even so, I wished I had the balls to be more forward. Not even just with Tsukiyo, but in general. I hated being so¡­timid, all the time. But I also didn¡¯t want to deal with confrontation¡ªI had enough of that from my family over the years.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. At the very least, I had to figure out a way to not be dumbstruck every time Tsukiyo did or said something that could be construed as affectionate. Maybe he saw humans as potential, adorable pets, or maybe he was attracted to me in a more meaningful way.


    Whichever it was, it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere if I went blank over every little thing.


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 Chapter Nineteen

    Chapter Nineteen


    I stared out the window in.my kitchen with a pout on my face and a steaming cup of tea in my hand. Another week gone and no Tsukiyo. To make things worse, it was raining so hard that I couldn¡¯t go sit in the garden with my tea. Mayar was off in the Underrealm somewhere reporting to his superiors about the latest news on the surface. Lylar, Tsukiyo¡¯s far-too-pushy sister, hadn¡¯t been around either. Emily and Richard were out of town visiting family.


    It¡¯d been a while since I was quite so lonely. Usually it didn¡¯t bother me, but this time it was. I had been looking forward to seeing Tsukiyo again, ¡®when he could.¡¯ What I hadn¡¯t expected was that it would take more than a week. It¡­was disappointing. Even if I didn¡¯t know how to deal with him and didn¡¯t think it was possible for us to be more than acquaintances, I still missed him.


    Emily had been telling me for years that I needed to keep more positive, uplifting people around me and get rid of the junk. Tsukiyo definitely fit the uplifting criteria, even if my brain seemed intent in tearing itself down every time Tsukiyo built it back up. Though, he also hit s lot of unrelated criteria. I was mildly upset with myself for being so attracted to him already. Maybe I was just rebounding, maybe I wasn¡¯t. I had no idea anymore.


    ¡°No work today?¡± Tsukiyo¡¯s voice from behind startled me so badly I almost spilled my tea. He shot me a small smile when I whirled around to look at him. ¡°Sorry. I thought you would have heard me walking.¡±


    ¡°No¡­and no work today.¡± I shook my head and placed my freehand over my racing heart.


    ¡°And you weren¡¯t expecting visitors?¡± He tilted his head slightly, his gaze dropping to the babydoll nightgown I was still wearing, then to my left shoulder, a chuckle escaping him. ¡°You¡¯re losing your sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh.¡± I set my tea down and quickly pulled the sleeve back into place on my shoulder. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t expecting any visitors. I¡¯ll¡­uh go change.¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary.¡± Tsukiyo motioned toward the living room. ¡°Your robe is on the back of the couch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± I tilted my head. ¡°You¡¯re not going to lecture me again?¡±


    ¡°Lecture you? Ah¡­¡± A devilish smirk spread across his face as he crossed his arms. ¡°Well, this is your house, not work. If you decide teasing me is what you want to do¡­¡±


    I sighed and shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s be real. I¡¯m not ever the one doing the teasing.¡±


    After all, I still had no idea what he wanted or why he seemed to be keeping an eye on me.


    ¡°You do more than you think.¡± Tsukiyo followed me into the living room. ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t intentional, but your mannerisms, the way you dress¡­there¡¯s a lot of little tempting things you do. Like that.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Like what?¡± I stared at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°You bit your lower lip while you listened to me talk.¡± Tsukiyo smiled, his eyes bright with amusement. ¡°Often, you play with your hair or clothes while we talk. Your pupils dilate when you see me. Your eyes wander. There¡¯s dozens more little things you do that would lure any man in.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not trying¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which makes it more successful,¡± Tsukiyo interrupted, a flicker of unfamiliar fire in his gaze. ¡°If you were trying, it wouldn¡¯t be genuine and would mean you have an agenda.¡±


    I yanked my robe on and wriggled my toes in my slippers while I tried to think of a response. Everything Tsukiyo listed as ¡°tempting¡± were body language cues that indicated attraction. If he found them tempting, then did that mean he was genuinely attracted to me too? Was it up to me to keep him from making the mistake of pursuing a mortal?


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking again.¡± Tsukiyo nudged my forehead with one finger. ¡°Anyway, teasing and being teased aren¡¯t why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± I pursed my lips and nudged his hand. ¡°You can stop poking me now.¡±


    ¡°David said you could help me identify and organize the stones the Aloryi will be selling him.¡± Tsukiyo traced his finger down the side of my face slowly, eventually down to my chin. ¡°I¡¯m here for business, but¡­¡± he paused to shake his head, releasing me. When he spoke again, it seemed more to himself. ¡°No ¡®buts.¡¯ This is important business¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have samples with you,¡± I pointed out. Tsukiyo¡¯s gaze seemed a little hazy when it settled on me again. I frowned. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Tsukiyo ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to see the moon, or visit the temple that houses¡­¡±


    He trailed off, a look of discomfort on his face. I got the feeling it was something he shouldn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t, or didn¡¯t want to divulge details of.


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume it houses something with a similar effect. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± I tapped a foot, thinking. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to rain for the next several days. So¡ª¡±


    ¡°The clouds don¡¯t matter.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind¡­I¡¯ll need towels and dry clothes when I come back in.¡±


    ¡°Towels I can do, but you¡¯re out of luck on clothes. You can try fitting into one of my robes if you want, but it will be a bit short.¡± I studied Tsukiyo more closely. He looked pretty out of it. His breaths were coming a little too fast, his complexion was off, and¡­I could have sworn his pants had grown tighter. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was related. ¡°I¡¯ll go get them for you. Want some hot tea when you¡¯re back in, too?¡±


    ¡°Our work¡­¡±


    ¡°Can wait. You¡¯ll focus better once you feel better. If you wouldn¡¯t force me to work when sick, don¡¯t force yourself when you¡¯re feeling bad.¡± I placed my hands against his torso and gave him a nudge. ¡°Moonrise was over an hour ago. You should be¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Tsukiyo gripped both of my wrists and pulled me closer. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before releasing me and wandering off in the direction of the garden.


    I just stood in the living room, stunned, for an immeasurable amount of time. His occasional shows of tenderness or affection left me at a loss. Receiving anything like that from someone was almost enough to move me to tears. I never thought I¡¯d get to experience anything remotely similar.


    I shook the thoughts away and hurried upstairs to find towels and my biggest robe. Tsukiyo was a mystery to me in more ways than one. I didn¡¯t know much about him, if I thought about it, yet I was so drawn to him. It made me concerned that I was shallow. How could I be attracted to him when I knew so little of him personally?


    After collecting a stack of towels and a robe, I set them on the table near the garden door before putting on a new kettle. Finally, I retreated to the living room and tucked myself on the couch. I had to amuse myself somehow until Tsukiyo was done.


    I returned to the kitchen when I heard the kettle whistling¡­to find Tsukiyo standing by the garden door with just a towel around his hips. Low enough to sit under the base of his switching tail. His torso rippled with muscle while he dried his hair.


    Without any better ideas, I strode right past him to fix our tea. ¡°You can help yourself to food if you want anything with your tea.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you were right. The robe won¡¯t fit¡ªbut not because of length,¡± Tsukiyo remarked. ¡°Too narrow through the shoulders. I wouldn¡¯t want to rip it. can I use your washer and dryer?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, keeping my gaze on our tea and my back to him.


    His breath slid down my neck, his lips brushing against my ear, as he spoke in a low, sultry voice, ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to look if you want to.¡±


    Before I could muster the courage to do so, he was in the other room humming to himself while setting up the washer. I swallowed hard, finished up with our tea, then carried it all into the living room on a platter.


    He was going to be the end of me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a few more sessions. Perhaps I should stow a few changes of clothes here?¡± Tsukiyo strolled into the room with renewed confidence, the clarity returned to his gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that.¡± I tore my eyes away from his nude torso and motioned to the coffee table. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what type of tea or snacks you might want, so I brought out options. Oh. And blankets.¡±


    ¡°For you or for me?¡± Tsukiyo¡¯s fingers brushed over my shoulder. He chuckled when I hurriedly pulled my robe back into place. ¡°I think that robe may be too big for you.¡±


    ¡°Intentionally. I like my robes oversized and fluffy,¡± I grumbled, pulling the collar around my face and sinking into it like a turtle. ¡°I figured you¡¯d be cold after getting rained on.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I can manage with towels and blankets while we work,¡± Tsukiyo remarked, clenching a fist briefly. Tendrils of silver and blue light encircled his fist. When he opened his hand, a large trunk appeared in my living room, its side dotted with dozens of slender drawers. ¡°I don¡¯t know how humans view crystals in this day and age, let alone for a shop like David¡¯s, so I brought a bunch of samples.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll grab some books so we can cross-reference.¡± I stood and strode over to the bookshelf, well-aware of Tsukiyo¡¯s gaze on my back. ¡°Most stones and crystals are associated with different metaphysical properties or benefits. We¡¯ll just have to go through and see what¡¯s what.¡±


    Tsukiyo pulled out a drawer with well over thirty specimens on it before settling on the sofa and resting the drawer on his lap. Because of course he did. How was I supposed to focus on work instead of the most interesting specimen in the room?


    ¡°Paper and pen?¡± Tsukiyo smiled knowingly.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± I nodded, turning around again. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    I went looking for pen and paper while resolving myself to not jump Tsukiyo¡¯s bones. After all, I wasn¡¯t that kind of girl, no matter how tempting he made himself. I sighed. How was I the tempting one between us?


    When I returned, I did my best to keep my gaze from wandering down to Tsukiyo¡¯s Adonis belt region. He had his towel so low that I could only assume his privates were just as hairless as the rest of him. When I sat across from him on a chair, he shot me a self-satisfied smile and said nothing.


    ¡°Okay, how about we start by making a list of everything you brought?¡± I tapped the pen against my lower lip and studied the raw crystal specimens.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound like that¡¯s what you want to do,¡± Tsukiyo drawled, stretching his arms above his head. My face grew hot when I realized I was staring at him again. I quickly returned my gaze to the crystals, forcing myself not to linger on his waist.


    ¡°Are you suggesting something?¡± I countered.


    ¡°Only that you don¡¯t need to be so¡­reserved.¡± Tsukiyo chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve been alive for a long time. Humans waste so much time and energy on ¡®will they, won¡¯t they¡¯ approaches to relationships. Courtship in this era is faster than previous times¡­but humans still struggle with themselves too much. Is giving yourself what you want really so frightening?¡±


    ¡°Rejection is what¡¯s frightening,¡± I stated, the corner of my eye twitching. ¡°Well, that and shitty relationships that are nothing more than lust. You¡¯ve been around a long time, sure, but I¡¯ve got maybe another thirty or forty in me at best. ¡®Humans¡¯ don¡¯t have the time to ¡®indulge¡¯ in relations that won¡¯t or can¡¯t lead anywhere more meaningful.¡±


    ¡°Bah, mortality is fixable.¡± Tsukiyo made a dismissive motion. ¡°Well, you admitted to feeling lust. That¡¯s progress.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I wasn¡¯t saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°Every inch of you has been saying it for weeks.¡± Tsukiyo smirked. ¡°And the way you brought it up leaves little room for other interpretations.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be working,¡± I deflected, shifting in my seat. The way Tsukiyo was watching me made my body react in all kinds of troublesome ways. I was really glad I had a thick robe covering my chest.


    ¡°Denying yourself what you want?¡± Tsukiyo shook his head slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m old enough to know that sleeping with someone I know almost nothing about is a stupid idea,¡± I finally snapped. Seconds later, heat rushed to my face again because I realized I¡¯d openly admitted what was on my mind. I promptly covered my face with both hands. ¡°You just had to keep baiting me¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose you make a good enough point,¡± Tsukiyo stated cheerfully, clearly delighted he¡¯d ¡®won.¡¯ ¡°More dates first, then? Or do you want me to spend the evening regaling you about my life story?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t really come here for work, did you?¡± I asked dryly, peeking through my fingers at him.


    ¡°It was only part of my reason for coming by,¡± Tsukiyo answered brightly. ¡°I¡¯d hoped we¡¯d be able to sit outside and enjoy each other¡¯s company while we worked, at least, but the rain killed that idea.¡±


    That would have been significantly more romantic, I thought. ¡°Instead, you¡¯re going to sit in my living room and tease me?¡±


    ¡°That is an option, yes.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°How about not teasing the girl who knows she can¡¯t have you?¡± I shot him an agitated look. ¡°I doubt ¡®unmortaling¡¯ me is easy, and I haven¡¯t forgotten you¡¯re royalty. Either one would mean you¡¯re off-limits to someone like me, let alone both combined.¡±


    ¡°Please. Stop trying to ¡®spare¡¯ me.¡± Tsukiyo shook his head, his expression finally serious. ¡°Aloryi kings are welcome to ¡®court¡¯ whoever they want. Your mortality is easy to fix, but there are rules I intend to follow. If I¡¯m somehow wrong about you, then I should let you remain mortal.¡±


    ¡°Wrong about what, exactly?¡± I tilted my head when Tsukiyo shook his head and averted his gaze.


    ¡°If you insist on doing things the slow way, then I¡¯ll respect your decision,¡± Tsukiyo stated, lifting a red stone in one hand. ¡°Let¡¯s start with work, then. This one is carnelian.¡±


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 Chapter Twenty

    Chapter Twenty


    I laid in bed and stared at my ceiling in displeasure. In some odd way, I wished that I¡¯d given into my lustful thoughts and asked Tsukiyo to come to bed with me. I couldn¡¯t remember a time when I¡¯d ever felt so conflicted about saying ¡®no¡¯ to sleeping with someone. Being around him felt so natural that saying ¡®no¡¯ somehow felt wrong.


    After dragging my ass out of bed, brushing my teeth, and dealing with my hair, I wobbled my way downstairs with the intention of making food.


    Instead, I found a shirtless demon in my kitchen.


    ¡°Mmm? Wha¡¯re you are doing here so early?¡± I grumbled, rubbing at one eye with the back of my hand. Tsukiyo turned to say something but the words seemed to die in his throat, his gaze almost immediately dropping from my face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Someone forgot her robe entirely, this time.¡± Tsukiyo cleared his throat pointedly and glanced away.


    ¡°Mmm? ¡­oh.¡± I glanced down at myself, finding only skin. Right. Sleeping nude was fine but wandering around nude when someone could teleport into my house at any time was not smart. I wandered off in the direction of my room, pawing my eyes again. ¡°Robe¡­where¡¯d I leave it¡­¡±


    When I returned to the kitchen in my robe a while later, Tsukiyo shot me an odd look. ¡°I half expected you to scream and attempt to hide yourself behind your hands.¡±


    ¡°Effort,¡± I muttered while scrounging around in search of an energy drink. ¡°Not like it¡¯s nothing you¡¯ve seen before, and such a delayed reaction would¡¯ve been stupid.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Tsukiyo handed me a cold can. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me why I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I said you couldn¡¯t come here when you wanted,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Either there¡¯s work to do, you were getting some last-minute moonlight, or you wanna tease me more.¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± He raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Is being teased really so unpleasant to you?¡±


    ¡°It is when nothing can come of it and/or it doesn¡¯t mean anything to start with!¡± I huffed, cracking open the energy drink can.


    ¡°You struggle to read me that badly?¡± Tsukiyo asked in disbelief as I downed half my drink.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, do I?¡± I pouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re a very different woman when groggy,¡± Tsukiyo remarked, slipping his fingers under the collar of my robe. He tugged me toward him while sliding his fingers along the front hem. ¡°Celia, if I wasn¡¯t interested in you, releasing me from that book would have been the last time you saw me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I murmured, not quite sure what to think of that statement. Tsukiyo¡¯s fingertip traced down my stomach, causing me to finally look back up at him. He was studying me with an unreadable expression in his brilliant green eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I believe you. Not with how big of a deal you made out of repaying me.¡±


    ¡°I could have stayed in the shadows,¡± Tsukiyo acknowledged, a devious smile spreading across his lips as he leaned down. ¡°My ¡®debt¡¯ could have been paid without any personal interference. But you struck me as interesting. I decided to get involved. That way, I can gauge if you¡¯re worthy of all the power I could give you.¡±


    ¡°Power?¡± I stared up at him, but his attention was focused on my lips. He cupped my face in one hand and traced my bottom lip with his thumb. My back pressing into the wall startled me. I hadn¡¯t even realized we were moving. The mischievousness in Tsukiyo¡¯s gaze when he finally glanced up from my lips made my breath catch. ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I could free you from your restrictions as a human, give you so much power that you could do as you pleased with the surface¡­¡± Tsukiyo gripped my chin and lifted gently, his eyes locked on mine. ¡°An observer might think that racing pulse of yours, the shortness of your breath, and the brightness of your eyes were excitement over the offer of power. I know better.


    ¡°I could give you this world on a platter and yet you still find me more appealing.¡±


    ¡°W-well,¡± I stuttered as he got closer, ¡°what would I do with a world? That isn¡¯t a very fu¡ª I mean practical!¡±


    ¡°You were going to say ¡®fuckable,¡¯¡± Tsukiyo purred, nuzzling into the side of my neck. His soft lips grazed against my skin, almost startling a sound of pleasure from me. I clenched my teeth and tried to refocus. ¡°You do realize all you have to say is ¡®no¡¯ if you don¡¯t want me to go any further, don¡¯t you?¡±


    In all honesty, the idea hadn¡¯t even occurred to me. I¡¯d been more focused on trying to hide my desire, keep myself from making embarrassing sounds¡­and figure out what Tsukiyo was talking about.


    ¡°¡­what if I don¡¯t say ¡®no?¡¯¡± I asked quietly. His mouth curved into a smile against my neck, one of his hands slipping beneath my robe to wrap around my waist.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll indulge in you until we¡¯re both satisfied,¡± Tsukiyo growled, his claws digging into my skin. ¡°I¡¯ll make it so you never desire anyone else¡­¡±


    ¡°Not¡­quite what I meant.¡± I shivered, my eyes fluttering closed when he nibbled at my neck. ¡°Most¡­most people would think less of someone for sleeping with someone so ¡®soon.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Tsukiyo chuckled and suddenly scooped me off the floor. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I want you and I intend to have you, more than once, whether you give in to me now or two years from now.¡±


    ¡°¡­then I don¡¯t want to play games,¡± I spoke slowly. It was how I genuinely felt, even if it went against how I was raised. We had undeniable chemistry and I wanted to know if physical attraction was where it ended. Besides, the freedom to make impromptu decisions was half my reasoning for being on birth control.


    Tsukiyo set me down in my room and nudged the door shut behind him. He had a predatory gleam in his eyes and a mildly intimidating bulge in his pants. He tugged the mostly loose sash of my robe the rest of the way undone.


    ¡°It should be a crime to hide your body from me,¡± Tsukiyo informed me as he slid his hands over my shoulders, knocking the robe to the floor. ¡°How are you going to repay me?¡±


    ¡°I think you can let me off, seeing as it¡¯s my first offense,¡± I stated dryly before tugging one of his belt loops. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s hardly fair for me to be the only one nude.¡±


    Tsukiyo laughed and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. However, he grabbed both my hands and pulled me closer to him, resting them on the top button of his jeans. ¡°I want it to be perfectly clear that this is your decision. You don¡¯t owe me anything, I don¡¯t expect anything, if you aren¡¯t comfortable¡ª¡±


    He went silent, a shudder running through him when I grasped the outline of his dick.


    ¡°I stopped worrying about ¡®should we¡¯ a little while ago,¡± I pointed out, tugging his buttons undone. I was a little more careful with the zipper, just in case.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Tsukiyo pulled me to him and pressed his lips hungrily to mine. He tangled his fingers in my hair and held me so close I could feel his heart beating against my chest. I parted my lips for him, and invitation he eagerly accepted.


    I slid both my hands down his chiseled torso, traced my fingertips along the grooves of his hips, before finally running my hand along his stiff and very inhuman cock. Not only was the shape of his penis, partially the more aggressive and tapered head, unlike a human man¡¯s¡ªbut so was the texture. There were noticeable, smooth, rounded protrusions along the length of his shaft. When my fingers ran over them, Tsukiyo let out a shuddering moan that made my pussy twitch.


    ¡°Bed?¡± I suggested, drawing one fingernail along the underside of his cock. ¡°Or were you going to fuck me on the floor?¡±


    Tsukiyo gripped both of my ass cheeks and lifted me off the floor, startling me into clutching his shoulders. He tossed me onto the bed and pinned me beneath him, primal heat shining in his eyes. His lips met the side of my neck while his hands slid along my thighs, pulling them around his waist. He kissed and nibbled his way down to my chest. Once there, he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth and slid two fingers inside me. I moaned in pleasure, my back arching as his teeth closed around my nipple. He gave it another intense suckle before moving to my other one, his fingers digging deeper. I wanted so much more than just his fingers.


    ¡°Do you want more?¡± Tsukiyo purred into my skin, shifting his head so he could gaze up my torso at me. A smirk grew across his face when he saw me biting my lower lip. ¡°Tell me your desires and I might indulge them.¡±


    ¡°I want you to fuck me, that¡¯s what I want.¡± I growled at him and dug my heels into his back. ¡°Skip the foreplay, we don¡¯t need more¡ª Ah!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re much less timid than I thought you¡¯d be,¡± Tsukiyo remarked conversationally, giving my clit another tug as he smirked down at me. He nudged one of my legs further out of his way with one hand and ran the fingers of his other down my slick slit. ¡°I won¡¯t back down from a challenge. Even an implied one. You will lose.¡±


    Before I could question him, Tsukiyo slid his dick into me while stroking my clit with his thumb. I shuddered and gasped, my back arching, when the first inch of nubbed cock slid in. His shaft was much thicker than anything I was used to, but he took his time despite the low groans of pleasure that escaped him. Every time he moaned, I twitched around his dick, sending shudders through us both.


    ¡°Stop that,¡± Tsukiyo moaned into my throat, the claws of one hand biting into my hip. ¡°Th-that¡¯s cheating¡­¡±


    I opened my mouth to sass him but all that came out was a moan. His teeth dug into my neck as his dick came to rest fully inside me. My eyes rolled back, my body clenching and spasming against his dick, my legs latching onto him with a vice-like grip.


    ¡°More¡­¡± I gasped once the tremors subsided, earning a bestial growl in reply. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only just started,¡± he whispered by my ear, his claws tracing down my torso. ¡°I¡¯ll make certain you never want someone other than me¡­¡±


    Tsukiyo pressed his lips to mine, his tongue diving past my lips as he finally began to move his hips against mine. I writhed beneath him, eager to take more. Desperate and urged on by his tantalizing, sensuous touch. I¡¯d never had someone touch or look at me the way he did, and both were plenty to set my desire on fire.


    ¡°Come on, harder,¡± I urged him, nudging him with me heels.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t want to break you,¡± Tsukiyo faltered, causing me to shoot him a devious grin.


    ¡°Your cock twitched just at the thought of breaking me.¡± I clenched around his shaft, making him shudder, his back arching slightly. ¡°Go ahead and try to break me.¡±


    Tsukiyo bit his lower lip as he studied me. When he hesitated too long, I used our body weight to roll him over so that i was straddling him. I dug my nails into his lower abdomen, my toes curling as I settled into our new position.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you win.¡± Tsukiyo smoothed his hands along my thighs. ¡°You can scarcely focus as it is.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re hesitating.¡± I gave him a brief glare.


    ¡°I have to wonder where your shyness went.¡± Tsukiyo chuckled, cupping my face in one hand, his eyes searching mine. He smirked briefly before shifting beneath me, sending a wave of near-blinding pleasure through me. I bit my lower lip hard, but it did nothing to stifle my moan. Tsukiyo¡¯s fingers traced up my torso and to my breasts. ¡°Perhaps I should take over?¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for an answer. Instead, he gave both my nipples a good tweak before flipping me onto my back and burying himself fully inside me again. His mouth met mine, cutting off my cries of pleasure and snaking his tongue into my mouth.


    The sensation of his nubbed penis dragging along my walls was so intense it ripped any semblance of coherent thought from my mind, reducing me to one of the most basic of needs.


    More.


    When Tsukiyo pulled away from my lips, he righted his torso and pulled me up his thighs by my hips, giving me a full view of his glistening torso¡ªand of his hips rolling into mine. Tantalizing glimpses of his dick each time he pulled his hips back. I twitched around his shaft, excited by the show and by the seeming lack of control I had over the situation. I was the perfect size for him to manhandle, and that was precisely what I wanted.


    The glimmer in his eyes as he looked down at me, the ecstatic moans of pleasure leaving his lips, and the sensuous strokes of his cock gave me the impression he wasn¡¯t merely saying his carnal desires. There was something more complex beneath it all.


    Whatever it was, I sure wasn¡¯t going to unravel it while our moans and gasps echoed through my bedroom. With each sound of pleasure that escaped him, I found myself falling further into the mindless insanity of pleasure.


    Tsukiyo¡¯s claws bit into my hips as he leaned down and kissed me again, holding my hips tight against his. The hunger in his kiss combined with being totally filled by him pushed me over the edge again, ripping a scream of pleasure from me as my back arched and I writhed in his grip. Tsukiyo¡¯s fangs grazed down my throat, seeking out a soft spot, before digging into my skin and suckling. I wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d broken skin and I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°More?¡± Tsukiyo whispered knowingly by my ears I shuddered in his arms. He massaged one of my breasts with one hand, rolling my nipples between his fingers. When he spoke again, it was laced with a lustful groan, ¡°I want to fill you to the brim¡­¡±


    ¡°P-please.¡± I gasped as he nuzzled into my throat again, gently rocking his hips against mine. Even though my orgasm hadn¡¯t fully subsided, I knew precisely what I wanted. ¡°Do what you want to me! I want everything you can give me. I¡¯ll be your slave if I have to. Just, please, more. Don¡¯t sto¡ª Ah!¡±


    Tsukiyo pulled out of me in one fell swoop. Before I could ask why he was stopping, I caught the fiery, primal look in his eyes. ¡°Bend over.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to argue. I turned onto my stomach and lifted my hips into the air. Tsukiyo guided me higher and nudged my knees further apart by grabbing one with his tail. His claws traced down my back until one was grabbing my ass, and who knew where the other one went. A whimper of anticipation escaped me when I felt the head of his dick trace along my slit.


    When he finally slid into me at a maddeningly slow pace, I attempted to slam hips back against him, but he was stronger. He kept me at precisely the distance he wanted and took his time. His tail slithered around my waist and between my legs to flick across my clit, sending a jolt through me.


    Tsukiyo took his time, mixing up his pace now and then, but always slowing down when I drew close to coming. His tail stopped toying with my clit every time I got close. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was my lack of sanity or not, but I would have sworn his dick had grown thicker inside me the longer he fucked me. Lines of stinging pain down my back and hips from his claws sent twitches of pleasure through me.


    The more excited Tsukiyo sounded, the more I attempted to milk his dick with my pussy. I clenched around him, making it more difficult for him to slide out. His body shuddered against mine, his heated moans growing more and more desperate.


    Finally, he slammed into me and stayed there, flooding my insides with his hot come. Far more of it that I expected. My body clenched around his cock involuntarily when I felt him noticeably swell. His tail continued toying with my clit, a bestial growl rumbling in his throat. His hands slid up my torso and to my breasts, grabbing both roughly as he pulled me back against his chest.


    The altered angled paired with his teasing of my clit and nipples broke the last wall between me and another orgasm. I felt our combined juices running down my thighs as he ripped a final, squirting climax from me. When the intense orgasm was over several minutes later, I found myself collapsed back against Tsukiyo¡¯s chest, his cock still locked inside me, as I attempted to catch my breath.


    ¡°Feel better?¡± Tsukiyo cooed mischievously. ¡°Or do you require more? My tongue, perhaps¡­¡±


    Just the thought made me twitch around his dick. He let out a low chuckle before shifting to lavish my earlobe and neck with affection.


    ¡°If¡­we don¡¯t get out of this position soon, it will lead to more.¡± I shuddered, biting my lower lip as he massaged my breasts.


    ¡°You¡¯re stuck with me a few minutes more if you don¡¯t want it to hurt when I pull out of you,¡± he informed me, his voice a sultry purr by my ear. ¡°Shall I join you in the bath?¡±


    My mind flicked through all the possibilities for us to get into trouble bathing together. I bit my lower lip and nodded. Exhausted so I was, I wouldn¡¯t complain if one thing led to another. Again. He could fill me however many times he wanted.


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 Update: Wrist Health and My Creative Process

    <div>


    Hi there, everyone!


    I¡¯m still waiting for my wrist to heal at the moment, but I wanted to give everyone an update on that¡ªand on some changes I will be making to how I post chapters for my various series.


    <u>Re: Wrist</u>


    An overly generous friend of mine bought me an ergonomic keyboard. Many authors swear by this keyboard because it allows them to write thousands of words a day without hurting themselves. There¡¯ll be a learning curve while I learn to use it, but this this will hopefully assist me in maintaining my wrist health.


    Since I have a history of RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) and carpal tunnel, it¡¯s important I do what I can to prevent it¡ªand I hate dictating (speech to text.)


    <u>Re: My Creative Process</u>


    For much of last year, I was releasing four chapters a week between two series. While this is great for y¡¯all, it isn¡¯t so great for me. It¡¯s a lot of pressure and very little free time for me. There¡¯s also an issue due to how my creative process works.


    I¡¯ll be making some changes, and for you to fully understand why¡ªI need to explain how my creative process works.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    A lot of authors can simply dive into whichever project they need to work on in any given day. My brain doesn¡¯t work that way. I wake up in one of the following modes and am stuck with it until it¡¯s reset by sleep:


    <ul>


    <li>Of Astral and Umbral Brain</li>


    <li>Deck of Souls Brain</li>


    <li>Mooncaller Brain</li>


    <li>(Secret Project) Brain</li>


    <li>Editing Brain</li>


    <li>I Hate Everything and Want to be a Vegetable Brain</li>


    </ul>


    This becomes a problem when I need to write, say, an OAU chapter but I wake up with DoS Brain turned on instead.


    Using a rigid schedule stifles my process and results in me spending 4x longer or more on a chapter than I would otherwise need to. It¡¯s the chief cause in ¡°late¡± chapters. 2,000-4,000 words should only take me a few hours. However, with a deadline, and if I wake up with the ¡°wrong¡± mindset, it can take me 12+ hours of work to write that single chapter.


    So, what am I going to do about this?


    I need to use a process that works for me instead of against me.


    Instead of forcing myself to focus on a specific story that my brain doesn¡¯t want to focus on, I will be working with my brain¡¯s ¡°mode¡± of the day. If that means writing DoS, I¡¯ll write DoS. If that means editing, I¡¯ll work on editing. If I hate everything? I¡¯ll be taking a break for that specific day.


    By doing this, I can give each of my series attention every month and do them proper justice.


    This should actually increase my productivity, it just means that I won¡¯t be putting out 8 chapters per series per month.


    So, here¡¯s what you can expect.


    <ul>


    <li>I will no longer be working on a rigid schedule.</li>


    <li>Each series should get a minimum of 1-2 chapters a month per series.</li>


    </ul>


    It will likely be more than this, but there are factors like work, illness, and travel that could throw a wrench into things. For example, I will probably be going to Dragon Con with a bunch of GameLit/LitRPG authors later this year and won¡¯t be able to write while at the convention.


    Patreon will continue to get chapters earlier than Royal Road, Wattpad, and my personal sites. I¡¯m also planning to change up my Patreon tiers to include more rewards y¡¯all might like.

 Chapter Twenty-One

    Chapter Twenty-One


    ¡°Ugh. How am I going to cover all this up?¡± I muttered to myself, taking in the damage Tsukiyo had done the previous night. I had scratches and bite marks quite literally everywhere from my neck down. Obviously a turtleneck of some sort was in order, but it was looking like I¡¯d have to pair it with leggings or pants too because even my legs had marks all over them. I shivered and bit my lower lip, my nipples perking as my thoughts drifted to the previous night.


    I¡¯d never imagine that such utter satisfaction would lead to even stronger lust.


    After shrugging on a turtleneck dress and black leggings, I finished getting ready and darted out of the house. I was running late for work, and that just wouldn''t do. As I trotted to my car, Mayar came bounding over and hopped into the back seat.


    ¡°I will keep myself hidden,¡± Mayar stated. ¡°My master doesn¡¯t believe that the Nightingale matriarch is ready to give up on you just yet.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree there¡­¡± I murmured quietly. ¡°She¡¯s been shoving things at me for years. Now that she¡¯s done¡­something¡­to make everyone capable of seeing inhuman beings, she¡¯s not going to readily accept the idea that I wasn¡¯t ¡®fixed.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I will continue protecting you while my master looks into other matters,¡± Mayar added. ¡°Should anyone turn against you with violence, I am to transport you to my master¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°Other matters¡­like the ¡®Sun¡¯ that man mentioned?¡± I grimaced, slowing for a yellow light.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Mayar nodded. ¡°I must advise you stop talking to me until home for the day. There is no telling how many of the Nightingale¡¯s spies will be at your work, and if the city¡¯s security cameras will be looking for odd behavior from you.¡±


    I let out a heavy sigh. That hadn¡¯t occurred to me, but Mayar was right. Quinn had so many connections, and much of our city seemed to be on her side when it came to how to deal with the ¡°demons¡± flooding it. Their behavior made me sick.


    When I arrived at work, I strode through the front door to find David grimacing at something on his laptop screen.


    ¡°Bad news?¡± I asked, placing a hand on one hip.


    ¡°Hmmm? Oh.¡± David looked up, then tilted his head at me. ¡°Huh. Guess I missed my chance to sleep.


    ¡°No, no, nothing bad. A private client wants me to find them a book. Problem is, it¡¯s rare. Just found fakes so far.¡±


    ¡°Want me to get you some coffee?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Nah, I need to stretch my legs anyway!¡± David grinned and stood up, several of his joints popping audibly. ¡°Got the first shipment of crystals from Tsukiyo last night. Can I get you to organize them in the displays for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded, watching David hobble off to the cafe. After a moment of hesitation, I made my way to the back room in search of the crystals in question. Hmmm, last night? Did he have someone deliver them, or¡­


    I tilted my head, frowning. Well, Tsukiyo had taken his leave not long after we were both satisfied. He¡¯d stayed long enough to bathe with me¡­but he¡¯d returned to the Underrealm after. Now I had to wonder if he¡¯d gotten any rest. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and let my gaze fall. That was one thing that could have gone better. If he had stayed the night¡­


    No, no. His reasoning for going was good. I shook my head before busying myself with searching through the storeroom. There were too many risks attached to letting him stay the night, especially if my house was being watched by my family and their pawns¡ªwilling ones or otherwise.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I frowned, lifting the lid off the umpteenth box.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± David¡¯s voice from nearby startled a squeak out of me. I whirled around to find him leaning against the doorframe, his head tilted to the side. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh. ¡°The boxes all look empty to me, but I can tell from the weight they aren¡¯t. But, the crystals Tsukiyo showed me were all ones I could see¡­¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°These ones are special.¡± David strolled over and reached into the box nearest to me. He pulled something out, about the size of a softball of the spread of his fingers were any indication. ¡°Here, put out your hand.¡±


    I hesitated briefly before doing as I was told. David placed the surprisingly warm object in my hand, but I still couldn''t see it. Warmth spread from my hand and to my wrist before spiraling up my arm.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± David frowned at me. ¡°Right. Going to have to keep you away from these so the Nightingale folk don¡¯t grow more suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I shot him a questioning look as he took the crystal back.


    ¡°Your family would have a better idea of your¡­usefulness, shall we say, if they saw what that crystal did when you touched it.¡± David narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Go work in the cafe for now. I¡¯m going to go make a call.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­okay?¡± I threw my hands into the air, agitated, and made my way to the cafe as I was told.


    Mayar nudged my leg with his shoulder briefly as we walked. ¡°The crystals hold power and react differently based on species, gender, and the amount of power someone has¡ªah, and the type.¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask more questions, then sighed. If I was supposed to act like Mayar didn¡¯t exist, then I¡¯d need to wait until later.


    ¡°Your family would either bind you or kill you if they saw what the crystal¡¯s reaction to you was,¡± Mayar continued simply. ¡°The Nightingale Family will bind anyone useful to them. Not just ¡®demons¡¯ and ¡®angels¡¯ as you have seen. They¡¯ve bound extraordinary humans in the past as well.¡±


    That certainly wasn¡¯t a word I¡¯d used to describe myself, but I got the point. Caution was necessary.


    After chatting briefly with the handful of people already working in the cafe, I set about the task of keeping the tables clean for customers. Dreadfully boring as it was, there were few other things I could do to keep out of trouble.


    When I turned away from a table a while later, I came face-to-chest with a caramel, muscular torso covered in glowing gold tattoos. Startled, I glanced upward to find a man with short white hair and yellow eyes staring down at me. He had pointed ears, slit pupils, and claws much like Tsukiyo did.


    ¡°Um¡­ Can I help you?¡± I asked, watching as the strange man tilted his head slightly. The motion brought my attention to the torque around his neck that appeared to be solid metal, and far too tight.


    His lips parted as if he intended to speak, but the torque visibly tightened around his throat to cut him off. His gaze flicked to the side with a feral glare that would put a caged animal to shame.


    ¡°Celia, darling, is Tsukiyo not in?¡± Grandmother¡¯s voice made me bristle. The tanned man grit his teeth and stepped aside, revealing Quinn and several more of her ¡®Skydweller¡¯ guards.


    ¡°Why would I know where he is?¡± I sighed at her.


    ¡°A Nightingale woman always keeps her men on a tight leash!¡± Quinn scoffed before smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve reconsidered my stance and have a business proposal for the boy. A union between our families would benefit us both! You may not have use in a more magical sense, but you still caught the eye of such a powerful family!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just let us be?¡± I sighed heavily. ¡°I know everyone, and everything, is a pawn to you, but forcing a union¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should be grateful I discovered a way for you to repent for disgracing my family!¡± Quinn glowered at me.


    My fingers twitched as an unfamiliar feeling ran through me. If I had power, killing her and ending the suffering of so many would be in my grasp¡­


    I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, pushing the uncomfortable thought away, even as the image of strangling her myself lingered in my mind¡¯s eye.


    The skydweller nearest to me narrowed his eyes but did nothing.


    ¡°You lost your right to use me when you cast me out of the family. I have no interest in making up anything to you.¡± I let my words hang in the air for a moment before shooting her a smug smirk. ¡°If anything, you should be groveling before me to make up for all of the pain you¡¯ve put me through.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Quinn¡¯s face twisted with rage. ¡°Kill her!¡±


    None of the skydwellers moved. Finally, the one closest to me turned to look at Quinn and simply said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You dare defy me?¡± Quinn snarled.


    ¡°Our contract states we cannot kill anyone with Nightingale blood flowing through their veins.¡± The skydweller crossed his arms, his gaze frigid. ¡°Do you truly intend to kill your own flesh and blood over such remarks? Remarks that, if I recall, are entirely truthful.¡±


    Quinn fumed in silence, her eyes ticking back and forth. The skydwellers looked unconcerned about what might happen. Confident, even. Mayar leaned up against my legs, his body tense. It took most of my willpower to refrain from glancing down.


    ¡°You will be useful to the family,¡± Quinn stated, turning on her heel. Without another word, she stormed off.


    I shifted to thank the strange skydweller, but they all vanished before I could even open my mouth.


    ¡°You should inform David of what happened.¡± Mayar nudged my leg. ¡°I will inform my master when I can. For now, I will remain by your side. I don¡¯t trust that wretch not to return.¡±


    Sighing heavily. I wandered off in search of David. Mayar was right, my grandmother wasn¡¯t one to give up so easily. If she tried something again, I fully expected Mayar to take me to the Underrealm as he was told¡­and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was okay with that. I doubted the people there would take kindly to the presence of a human, and there was no telling if Tsukiyo would be there to calm his subjects down immediately. A small frown flitted across my lips. ¡®His subjects.¡¯ I¡¯d almost forgotten he was a king. That would definitely complicate things even more.


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