“Is there a reason why you’re bothering with magical advances on the Outside?”

Aridon’s smug smile turned into a sneer of contempt. “If you can’t figure it out, Taiken Vaughn, I’m not inclined to tell you.”

Taiken snorted and casually tossed the bracelet on the table he’d been sitting on. “As fun as this conversation is, I didn’t come here to hear you brag about torturing outsiders for information.”

“Ah, you’re right. It isn’t. You came to settle your taxes.”

Taxes?

Lita’s heart sank. Taxes? That’s it?

Great. Just great. Yes, Chief, the last information I’m going to tell you is that the Brethren changed Taiken Vaughn’s tax rate.

“Come, we’ll sit over there. Human!” Lita jumped and ducked her head to stop herself from meeting Lord Aridon’s eyes. “There’s wine and cups behind the table to your right. Fill three glasses and bring it here.”

Lita’s heart pounded as she quickly put the lantern down to do as she was told.

“You baited me here for a drink?” Taiken asked coldly, walking to the table that his host was indicating.

Diana, remaining stubbornly silent, sat down first in the chair that Aridon pulled out for her. He absently pecked the top of Diana’s head before he also sat down.

“Baited? That's harsh, boy. All I did was have Diana send you your tax allotment for the year. And to say that, if you had any objections, to come see me.” Aridon smirked. “I assume you came because you had an objection?”

As promised, the shelf had a selection of wine bottles and several cups. Lita hesitated before choosing one that looked like it was already open and put both bottle and cups on the table.

“You knew I would.” Taiken reluctantly took a seat and shot a look at Diana.

As she opened the bottle to begin pouring, Lita noted that the demoness didn’t even acknowledge Taiken’s look.

“Why? You've paid that amount before.” Aridon leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands. They locked eyes. “It shouldn’t be so difficult.”

“I'm a demon, damn it!”

Lita jumped, spilling a little as her head whipped up to see Taiken slam his fist down on the table.

“My taxes shouldn't fluctuate like this!”

“Your taxes?” Aridon chuckled, unfazed by the tantrum. He leaned back and casually folded his arms. “By all accounts you've relinquished all your affairs into the hands of a human. It's been some years since you've taken an active role in your own holdings and it’s appearing more and more to be a human operation. So, because it’s human ran it gets human taxes.”

“Horse shit!” Taiken stood up, leaning toward the calm demon sitting across from him. “Every demon in the Separation uses stewards. My holdings are no different and never has been. This is about your dislike of me and you know it.”

“Temper, Taiken. What would your mother say?”

Taiken took a step back and nearly tripped over his chair. His expression was murderous. Lita, holding a thin stone tray, was glad she had to serve Diana first.

“Sit down, unnatural.” Aridon stared until Taiken reluctantly sat. Teeth visibly grinding. “Cheryl never had such a temper,” Aridon whispered tauntingly. “Must be your father's blood. But, you know Vaughn better than I. What do you think?”

Diana snorted in disagreement as she took the cup Lita offered her.

Taiken’s voice dropped, becoming quiet. “You didn't know him at all. And my mother very much had a temper. I’d appreciate it if you left them both out of this conversation.”

“Or what?”

Lita placed another cup in front of Aridon.

“Or maybe I'll take down the dome.”

For the first time Aridon’s confident demeanor broke and he glared at Taiken. “How dare you make such threats? You need it as much as the rest of us.”

“How dare you bait and mock me? I've been keeping my Contract. Don't tempt me to break it and go my own way.” Taiken leaned forward, jaw clenched. “Now, about the taxes.”

“You two always need a moderator.”

Diana waved Lita away when the girl put the last cup down in front of Taiken. Gratefully, Lita left in a hurry. As she went back to the wine table she unexpectedly met the bright eyes of the prisoner. He nodded to her and she, hesitating, nodded back.

“Really. You two are like a pair of human toddlers.” Diana raised an eyebrow and sipped her wine. “Aridon, Explain the alternatives.”

“This isn’t your discussion, Diana-”

The demoness interrupted with a huff, waving a hand in Aridon’s face to stop him. “Then I will. Taiken, are you unwilling or unable to pay?”

“My holdings are not land and we make no goods.” Taiken spoke in a rough growl, some of his features morphing with his anger. “With the extra taxes you've demanded from our principal patrons in the last three years, we barely have enough for a slim year.”

“So unable,” Diana interpreted. She shifted until she pulled something out of her belt and laid a parchment casually on the table. “We can work with that. Would you like to hear the alternatives we've worked out?”

“Do I have a choice?” Taiken’s jaw clenched.

“Option number one. Take the Oath. We’ll redistribute taxes for you like we do for everyone else.“

“No.”

Aridon snorted.

Lita half crouched behind the wine table, like it was a shield, and looked at the floor. Trying to look like she wasn’t listening.

“Very well. Option two. We've had to execute two of our lighters due to unlawful experimentation. We know you've trained and are keeping four lighters. I'm sure you can manage your own lighting, so let us borrow your lighters while you're in the Capital.”

“No.”

“What's your objection there, Taiken?” Aridon butted in with a cold smile. “You’re not protecting unlawful actions with your sovereignty, are you? Afraid we’ll find out?”

“If I were, my Contract with the Brethren would be breached and you'd be down there to put a dork in my chest.” Taiken scowled and turned to Diana. “I have a show to do tonight, so please skip to what you actually want from me.”

Diana smiled. There was no maliciousness in that smile. “Very well. Aridon? I don't know where you keep it.”

The demon stood and walked across the room to a table covered in long objects. Most of them were bone but he'd also collected some sturdy wooden staves and formed stone into rods.

What he picked up, though, was a fully shaped, slim dagger about as long as Lita’s forearm. It wasn’t until he’d returned to the other demons that Lita could get a good look at it.

It was mostly the off-white color and texture of bone. Molded by demon touch into an unnatural shape. Knowing Aridon, it likely was a human bone.

Lita ducked her head again, feeling sick.

“What's this?” Taiken eyed it warily.

Aridon smile nastily. “Take a look.”

Silently Taiken took it and looked it over, studying the blackened symbols embedded into the surface. “A dork but I don't recognize many of these symbols. Also new ones from the outside?”

“Good guess. It's designed to kill. On the penetration of a few heartbeats.” Aridon folded his hands on the table, face twisted into a smug expression. “Hopefully a painful death.”

Taiken dropped it with a clatter on the table. “No.”

“You haven't even heard the terms yet.”

“I don't need to.” Taiken stood up, grim faced. “Who will you target first? My people?”

“Relax and sit down.” Diana shot Aridon an irritated look. “It's not meant for humans.”

“Right.”

“No, really.” She picked up the parchment she’d laid on the table earlier and held it out to him. “The mines are being invaded by goblins and orcs. The wretched things are digging in under the dome and killing our workers. No matter how many times we send demons in to wipe them out they just keep coming back. This dork is one of many weapons we intend to try on them.”

She waved the document for him to take but he made no move to do so.

“What's that?”

“A Contract. Signed by Aridon and binding all under the Oath. No human will ever be subjected to this dork.”

Suspiciously, Taiken opened the document and read. Lita watched him anxiously, wishing she could see what it said. Wishing she could check for those loopholes that could be a real pain when they came to light.

Finally he sighed.

“I can agree to this. If you drop the tax.”

Aridon answered with a growl. “That would be unfair to the others under the Oath. We’ll drop it by a fourth.”

“Three fourths.”

They haggled until Taiken refused to move off of 700 pebbles and Aridon relented. The smile Aridon wore when he sat back made Lita nervous.

“If you'll sign-“ Diana started to say.

Then Taiken formed a fang and bit his thumb before pressing blood into the Contract.

“You're not an illiterate human. I had ink ready.” Irritated, Diana folded the document and Taiken shrugged.

“It's faster this way.”

He then picked up the dork and Lita watched. To her surprise, to everyone's surprise, as he pushed magic into the thing the gleam of off-white faded away into black. Starting at his hands and moving outward.

“There.” He tossed it on the table.

“It will work now?” Aridon picked up the thing with shaking hands. Unable to contain his excitement he also stood to examine it.

“If the symbols are correct it'll work.”

“Good.” Aridon waved a hand dismissively, not looking up from the dork. “Now, get out. Not you, Diana. Human, escort him away.”

Lita moved quickly to meet Taiken at the entrance before Aridon threw one more parting command.

“Unnatural, close the door behind you. There's a good boy.”

Taiken grunted, grabbed Lita by the shoulder, and practically pushed her from the room.

Well, she thought as she sent him a scathing look. She barely had time to grab her forgotten lantern before being yanked up the long hallway. Now I have something to report.

“Let go,” she growled through gritted teeth.

If anything he tightened his grip on her arm and stared firmly ahead. She swore under her breath but a moment later, when she tripped, he finally let go.

He’s not under the Oath. If Taiken really wanted to, he could hurt me.

The thought was unexpected and she glanced sideways at him, chewing her lip and waiting for the fear. It didn’t come. Kelly aside, no matter how hard she tried to conjure an image of him hitting her, or worse, it just wouldn’t come.

“I hate him!”

His outburst was so unexpected that she paused half a step.

“Why does he hate you so much?”

Taiken looked sideways at her and shrugged. His hair had gotten loose in random locks, one falling across his eye before he pushed it out of the way.

An unwelcome memory intruded briefly on her thoughts. Kelly roughly pulling Taiken down onto a seat, muttering curses under her breath and berating him for letting his hair get so untidy. She’d yank at it until he winced.

Unwelcome because she also remembered stepping in once to tell her that yanking hurts. And Kelly wasn’t so hard to imagine hitting. Even though she’d never actually done it to Lita.

“I exist. That’s enough for him.” He turned ahead, frowning in concern. “Lita, I know it’s not my place, and you have a fairly good thing here, but I think you should leave.”

“You’re right,” she said flatly. “It’s not your place.”

“Lita-”

“I’ll stay here as long as I want to, Taiken Vaughn. And it’s none of your business.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Successfully dislodging the tie and loosening the rest of it. Ruefully he leaned down to pick it up.

“Besides, what is it to you? I know you demons don’t agree, but I’m not some pet you’re passing around.” She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the lantern. “I make my own choices.”

“I’m aware. And I never thought of you as a pet.”

“Then back off.”

“No.” He swung around in front of her so suddenly that she gasped and flinched at the movement. In the near pitch darkness of the underground tunnel, the demon grabbed her shoulders and gently dug his claws in.

Still, there was no fear as she recovered and glared defiantly up at him.

“Whatever you may think of me-”

“Not much!”

“Lita, shut up and listen for a moment.”