A Demon's Kiss ✔️

FOUR

Word Count: 1743

~Aspen

Yawning, I wander down the stairs, holding my stomach.

I'm nervous to see Kastriv again, and in this large home, I'm afraid of stumbling into something I shouldn't see. So I head straight down to where we were yesterday, lingering between the foyer and the living area.

"Good morning."

I flinch, whirling around.

Kastriv strolls down the stairs, not much longer after I did. He must have just woken, ivory hair mussed in such a way that has my mouth drying.

"I'm ready to go home," I tell him, keeping my gaze pinned to his, instead of letting it drift down to his low hanging pants.

He brushes past me. "Come sit down, enjoy some breakfast."

I frown. "I'm not hungry."

"I wish to discuss something with you. Something you may be interested in." He continues walking, not bothering to look over his shoulder.

Considering Kastriv is my only way out of here, I reluctantly follow him.

He leads me back outside onto the deck to a set of table and chairs, already laid out with a variety of breakfast foods. There's not much heat to the sun, as I sit down, basking in it regardless.

Kastriv doesn't say anything for a moment, filling a cup with coffee before handing it to me. It feels strange, having a Noble wait on me like this, dining with me as if I am politically, or magically on the same level as him.

"Do you have a job?" He eventually asks.

I shift. "No."

"Why not?"

"I'm better suited to what I do at home." I look away, toward the desert. What a concept...Me working. Oliver hasn't had to tell me that would never happen. He makes plenty of money, so that's no motivation, and I'm far easier to control when I know few people.

Kastriv's eyes narrow. "Speak from your own mind, Aspen. Not what he has told you."

I take a sip of my coffee so I don't have to answer right away. How deep does Kastriv think Oliver's hold on me is?

"I've never had the opportunity." It's not untrue.

"I would like to offer you a job," he offers.

I nearly spit the coffee from my mouth. A job? With a Noble? He must be playing some cruel trick on me. He can see that I'm vulnerable, and any way out of my current life is one I would be desperate for.

Wiping my chin, I set my coffee down, trying not to cough. "Doing what? I'm not qualified for anything."

"You are more than qualified," he murmurs, fingers drumming against the surface of his mug. "I want you to help me find these Demon's."

"I'm confused...Why not ask Oliver?"

"I don't want these Demon's dead, but I would like to locate some of them," he explains. I blink, still confused. I understand that he doesn't despise Demon's as Oliver does, but what purpose could someone have for Demon's?

"What for?"

His tilts his head from side to side. "That, I cannot say."

"I know nothing about Demon's. What you told Oliver yesterday was all the history I've ever learnt about them," I say carefully. He doesn't need to know who or what I am. It would only complicate things, and infuriate Oliver.