A Demon's Kiss ✔️

TWO

Word Count: 1748

~Aspen

I stare up at the house, shuddering.

It's beautiful, for a Territory One home. It's located in an oasis, trees growing all around the building, looking like something you would find in Territory Four, if it weren't for the red sand.

Oliver didn't say anything to me the entire journey here. Not even to warn me.

He's unnerved. Kastriv and his unpredictability makes him uncomfortable. Killing Demon's is worth it though, for him to go through this.

I just wish I knew why Kastriv wants me here, for this meeting.

The Noble answers the door himself as we walk up to the main entrance. There are no staff in sight, so this truly is his private residence.

"Kastriv, thank you so much for having us," Oliver greets warmly.

"Hello Oliver. Hello Aspen."

I dip my head as his gaze flickers to me. He's hard to look out. It's like each time his eyes are on me, they are stripping me bare, exposing my carefully constructed lie. Oliver can see it too, which was why he was so reluctant to bring me here.

He opens the front door wider, motioning into his home. "Come enjoy what remains of this day outside on my deck, where we can have a drink."

Oliver grabs my hand, leading me inside.

Kastriv's home is almost as beautiful as he is. The way it is built is complimentary to the Territory One heat, with wide open spaces and floor to ceiling windows.

I smile, enjoying the warm breeze as it billows in. Everything that furnishes the home seems personal. Kastriv clearly enjoys items representing Territory One culture, with most items, including the flooring, made from native materials.

"You have a beautiful home," Oliver compliments, as we wind past the furniture toward the far doors, made of glass, opening up onto a sprawling deck with an amazing view.

Kastriv takes a seat, gesturing for us to join him. "Thank you, Oliver."

I can't decide what I should look at. The view is awfully compelling, showing off a partial view of the oasis this house is built within, and then a rolling desert, the sand a deep red colour.

Ultimately, I can't keep my eyes from wandering back to Kastriv.

"You know, you don't have to invite both Aspen and I to these talks. She doesn't enjoy politics." Oliver reaches across his chair to hold my hand.

I allow his fingers to wind around mine, trying not to wince as they press purposefully into my charred skin.

Kastriv watches our hands interlock. "She is here now, I suppose."

"Can I ask...Just because I'm curious, what the spirits are that you supposedly see? Are they dead people?"

Oliver usually isn't interested in the type of power the Noble's had, just in how much of it they wield.

"No. Spirits are manifestations of these lands, or aspects of nature. They appear to me as humans merely for communication purposes only. In their true form, they are nothing more than an energy force," he explains.

Oliver frowns. "But they have their own consciousness?"

"Consciousness is not purely human. It may seem that way, but even spirits have their own motivations."

He's explaining in such a way that isn't actually answering Oliver's question. He doesn't want to divulge the true nature of his power, which is fair enough. I'm sure he has been used for his magical inclination before.