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.”

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.”