Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 59 - Pathetic Little Man

Catalina blinked rapidly as her eyes were suddenly accosted by the sun's light. Her wings flapped and her clawed hand raised to shield her face. Once she adjusted to the brightness, she took notice of the small blond human before her.

Cain was tense. He spent his whole trip thinking of what to say to the demon. She'd been loyal even when she had the choice of breaking their contract and returning to hell. Cain had left out some important information and admitted that he hadn't trusted her despite everything. He needed to clear things up before giving her any more orders.

"Took you long enough-"

"I'm sorry." Cain exclaimed, interrupting the demon mid-sentence.

She frowned. "What?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the scroll. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you. I should have told you everything. That I was from the future, that I knew about everything that was going to unfold. That I had an upper hand in every action I was taking. But...I was afraid that once you realized I wasn't some genius mastermind, that I just had this one advantage, you'd look down on me. I didn't want you to think I wasn't worth working for. And I understand if you think so now."

Her wings closed behind her as the towering demon folded her arms. They were standing in an alleyway, with the familiar stench of rotten vegetables and chamber pots. She knew they were back in the Sonnet capital.

Cain was wearing a long tattered cloak that concealed a regal purple vest and black trousers. A few shiny trinkets glimmered in the light, with what looked like a gold and white sash crossing his chest. He looked exhausted as usual but well-groomed.

Finally, she tilted her head. "You expected me to abandon you so easily?"

"I..." Cain realized it was probably even more insulting to assume such a thing when she'd constantly proven otherwise. "I made an error."

"You sure as hell did." She grunted. But then a twitch at the corner of her mouth lightened the mood with a smile. "But you're wrong. If anything it makes me want to stick around more. What better entertainment than to work for a time traveler?"

He was shaking his head before she even finished her sentence. "You don't understand. I no longer have the foresight I did before. The five years are up. Whatever happens from here on out, I don't know."

"Really? So you went through the trouble of summoning me in the dead center of enemy territory, just to tell me you don't have something up your sleeve?"

At that, the blond put a hand on his hip and clicked his tongue. "Now, I didn't say that."

The demon's ears perked as she recognized her master's old mischievous spark.

"I can no longer foresee the future, but that doesn't mean I can't write my own story."

"It would make for an interesting read." She acknowledged. "So what happens next in this story of yours?"

"A party."

If there was one thing Andrew ever did for Cain, it was tell him about the Ball that would be held in his honor at the Palace. 

He explained everything that happened during the battle after she was dismissed, then went into detail about his plan for tonight.

First, he sent her to secure their invitations under a new alias. And while she worked on that, he wandered towards the end of town where the refugees were. Noticing they looked worse for wear and had a large number of guards overseeing them.

"There was a riot." A beggar explained to the hooded Cain. He turned to see a spindly young boy sitting on top of a barrel, whittling a piece of wood with a carving knife. "A group tried to storm the palace. They were all killed. Now the guards will not let anyone leave."