Abioye gave an annoyed sigh as he took a seat at his desk. He gave a heavy sniff and shuddered. He even smelled like a human after being among them so long. How dare Maliah do this to him!

Imagine making him, a Death Prince, having to hang out with excess humans. It’s bad enough that he had to deal with her but she was crazy if she thought he was going to continue to deal with this until her 110th year!

Abioye scowled, shutting his eyes. It deepened when he heard his door open.

Without opening them he growled, “Go away…”

Ayana and Ajani didn’t miss a beat as they chorus while entering the room, “Don’t want to.”

“Soooo, how’s our future sister in law?” Ajani asked with a huge grin

Abioye opened both eyes to glare at them.

Ayana gave an identical grin, “We haven’t bothered you in a month about our future sister in law. Aren’t we sweet?”

“Agreed!” Ajani nodded, “I think it’s time for a check in don’t you think?”

Abioye’s mouth further flattened as his nose widened.

Ayana’s eyebrows furrowed together as she asked, “What’s wrong now?”

Abioye finally answered in a low growl, “Tell me, why are you humans so bloody stubborn? Alway have to be your way, have your way.”

The twins exchanged glances and Ayana finally inquired, “Soooo what did she do?”

Abioye snorted, “She actually went out today.”

“Out….” they both lulled.

Abioye waved his hand, “Out. Out. You know, into the world.”

Ayana was confused, “You mean the two of you didn’t hang out today?”

“No, I mean instead of staying home like someone got some sense, she actually went out. Doctor’s appointment, lunch and then shopping.”

The twins exchanged a glance and Ajani responded, “That sounds normal to me.”

Abioye breathed, “What I’m trying to say is that she didn’t need to go out today! She could have picked any other day! Instead she dragged me around the mortal realm. It’s going to take me a week just to get rid of the smell!”

“With your open floor plan I think you’ll be fine”, Ayana said gesturing to the back wall of the office.

That was precisely why Abioye didn’t have a wall there. He claimed that humans stank especially their souls and especially the bad ones. This allowed him to breath better especially on days when he had to see a lot of human souls.

“That isn’t the point! The point is, she thinks to drag me, a Death prince into this stupidity.”

Ayana rolled her eyes, “You don’t honestly think that our future sister in law is suppose to stay in every Saturday for the rest of her life, do you?”

Abioye just looked at her.

“Eh, Abioye, even you are not this stupid. You know enough about human lives to know that is an impossible.”

“This is different. She was the one that agreed to the contract. She could have not accept the charges. This goes along with it.”

Ajani’s eyebrows shot up, “To give up her life?”

“No one is asking her to give up her life.”

“Just give up the rest of her Saturdays until her 110th year, then?” pressed Ayana.

“Do you know how much time that is for a human?” Ayana finally exploded, “I don’t have to tell you the calculation because I’m sure you have done it already. Be that as it may, you want our future sister in law to give up that? You aren’t even being practical!”

Abioye growled and snapped, “Can you stop with the future sister in law, future sister in law?”

Ayana growled back, “Which part is untrue? Besides that is not the pressing issue here!”

Abioye breathed, “All I’m saying is that she accepted the contract so I have to nurture her spirit. I can’t do that if she's running all across town!”

“Did you accomplish it today?”

Abioye glared.

Ayana blazed ahead, “And you had to run around town with her, didn’t you? Look, that's not the issue we are having today. Think, Abioye, think!! You are a Death Prince and smarter than this. She is home most of the time on Saturday right now anyway. But what happens, next month or next year? In 10 years? Is she supposed to stay home and wait on you every Saturday? What happens when she marries some human male? You’d have to work around that or is she not suppose to get married now?”

Abioye looked away but looked back when Ayana banged her hands on the desk before holding it out. She ignored Ajani who was pawing at her trying to get her to calm down, “Show me where in the contract does it say she is supposed to stop living her life! Come on show me!”

She put her hand down fiercely, “You can’t because it doesn’t exist. This contract is not supposed to stop her from living life. It’s not supposed to put some noose around her neck!”

“Oh, so just mine, huh?”

“You are making it so that you are her noose!”

Abioye looked away. Ajani was watching Abioye carefully. His sister was pushing Abioye and although they all managed to become somewhat a family they still had to be careful. There three older half siblings were still a force to be reckoned with.

Ayana folded her arms, “You don’t like humans. You brother and sister don't like humans either. We all know and understand why, because of your mother.”

“Ayana….”, Ajani warned. Speaking of their mother would only add to the fire.

Ayana glanced at her twin before looking back at Abioye and remarking softly, “Maybe if you shared this with future sister in law, she would understand.”

“Regardless this is an unbreakable deal laid down by your father, our father, the Death King. We all know that his word is final. The contract has even been sanctioned by the Spiral. All of us, including Baba, are irrelevant to the Spiral. You dare to go against Baba but do you dare to go to the Spiral? Would the Spiral really bind you to a human that you would never truly like? Forever is a long time. Do you see the Spiral to be that cruel?”

Abioye looked up at his sister who continued. Ajani was amazed that Abioye was even listening.

“I see you haven’t gone to the Spiral and we all know you can. There is no one stopping you. I know you have thought about it, going to the Spiral Room and speaking to the Spiral but in all this time you haven't. I wonder why? Maybe because you understand that it’s not just the Death King in this. He had the Spiral’s blessings to make this contract so that’s what makes it unbreakable. But sure why not, why not go to the Spiral?”

Abioye’s mouth quirked down once as he stared angrily at the desk.

“Are you really going to continue making this harder than necessary? Is she that bad?” Ayana asked incredulously, “Has she been getting on your nerves? You see her once a week for your session. She is trying hard to live her life despite this situation that fell into her lap. If a weak human can get that kind of strength, why can’t you? You are Death prince and you’ve been acting like child about this since the beginning. This is the reality you were given. Are you going to deal with this like a man, like a Death Prince should or continue like a child and make both your lives miserable? If so, I pity future sister in law for being given someone like you!”

With that Ayana turned and walked out without a backwards glance. Ajyani followed. As much as Abioye tried to ignore his sister’s words they kept reverberating around in his head. It was a question that plagued him before now.

Why hadn’t he gone to the Spiralroom? Ever since that day he was called in and told about the contract millennia ago, he had not set foot in that room. But then again, that wasn’t his role in Mi’ol. His older brother Alimayu was the one that monitored the Spiral and helped pass the souls in and out of existence.

That was something that Abioye never quite understood. Of them all Alimayu was the one that hated humans the most, yet he was the one that had to keep a close eye on the Spiral much like their Baba had done for millennia past, since before Time. How could Alimayu handle those souls carefully without feeling the need to crush them between his hands after what happened to their mother?

It was because of humans that Abioye had no real memory of their mother. Of his long life and memory only his mother was a faded entity. He was a child when the humans' decisions cost his mother not only her life and soul, but her very existence. An existence that Abioye couldn’t really remember. It was only his siblings' stories that created any kind of hazy picture of her in his mind.

Even as he stared for hours at the family painting and the final painting that the Death King had painted of her from memory after her death did not yield any kind of recollection.