Lesson 151- Sometimes we have to put up with people we just don’t like very much.
Torin shrugs uncomfortably, but Lindy leans forward and answers for him.
“Oh, well Laura told Eli that you were meeting with Solem tonight and then Eli told… Everyone. We figured the more witnesses the better, right? Although, Torin said I could hide out in your room when he’s actually here. Your brother is gonna come too. We thought it might be better to not draw his attention to any more humans.” She points out. I look around amazed. Everyone here came to help me? Seriously? Now I think I might cry. Okay, scratch that, I am crying. Torin immediately looks alarmed and hugs me tightly.
“Rina? Rina, what’s wrong?” He demands. Lindy smiles and leans around Tori to pat me on the arm.
“She’s just realising how much we all love her, that’s all. She’ll be okay in a minute.” She assures him. Torin lets out a relieved sigh. Lindy glances at her phone then slips off her barstool.
“I should grab Damien and head out back. I wanted to come support you, but I can’t risk my pelt around a demon that likes to enslave people.” She says with a heavy sigh. I pull away from Torin to reassure her.
“I totally get it. I appreciate you coming here at all. Seriously, thanks Lindy.” I hold my arms open for a hug. She rushes towards me and throws her arms around my waist.
“You be safe, okay? Stay with Torin, and don’t go making any more deals okay? One is enough.” She says sternly and I nod.
“Not planning on it. Thanks.” I agree easily. Torin reaches up to the little cat hammock thing and grabs Crash.
“You should take the kitten with you too. He needs to be kept safe.” He grumbles and I grin. Leave it to Torin to worry about the kitten. He really does take good care of the things and people he cares about. I watch as he escorts Lindy and Damien out the back. Apparently she and Damien have promised to stay in my bedroom and he’s being super accepting of people being back there without supervision. I think it’s mostly because he’s too busy worrying about me to actually worry about his territory. Either way, I’m glad they’re staying safe. I feel like this would be more stressful if I had to worry about Damien. I know he CAN take care of himself. But he knows even less about all this magic stuff than I do and I just don’t want to risk him getting hurt. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But Torin doesn’t seem worried about them being here. Actually, no one seems all that worried about being here. The vampires are drinking, Anat and Steph are in a heated debate about what counts as an actual riddle and Jackson is talking to Rowen. I have NO idea what they’re talking about but Rowen just used the word defenestration in a sentence with a completely straight face so I’m not sure I actually want to know. It’s hard to be really nervous in this environment. Everyone is so relaxed, plus practically every person that I really care about is here right now. I need to remember to thank Eli for gossiping and telling everyone about this meeting. Seriously, there are no secrets in this bar. No one is capable of keeping one. Not the bartenders, not the customers, no one. It’s amazing to me that all these people have managed to mostly keep magic and stuff a secret from the majority of humans. Apparently they CAN keep their mouths shut about some things.
Torin returns and is about to sit down when a loud knock echoes through the room, rattling the front door. I freeze in place. Torin gestures for someone to go and open the front door, they should be able to since it isn’t locked right now. Apparently he isn’t willing to actually step away from my side to answer it himself. I hold my breath as I wait to finally meet the demon who has basically torn my life apart. Meanwhile I cling to the arm of the one who helped me build it all back up again. Eli is the one who decides to be brave and answer the door. The man waiting outside is nothing like I pictured. For starters, he is nothing like Torin. Like not at all. If he were human I would say he looks like he’s in his forties or fifties, since he’s a demon I know he must be much, much older than that. I also notice that unlike Torin, he isn’t particularly large or intimidating looking. He has dark brown hair with a hint of grey in it that is nearly combed back and he’s wearing a suit that looks way too expensive to be in a bar like this. Overall, he actually is far more… Civilised looking than I would have anticipated. I guess I just imagined him as a monster. He looks around the room with complete disinterest until his , apparently unbothered by the audience. Then his eyes land on me. They widen briefly, then narrow, a hint of anger visible. I immediately feel disgusting. I take it all back, this guy might look fancy in his expensive suit, but that gaze tells me that any civility is just a smokescreen for the monster underneath. I’m now very appreciative of the way that Torin angles himself to stand between Solem and I, because I want nothing to do with this man.
Solem strides into the bar and stops a few feet away from Torin and I. He crosses his arms over his chest.
“Good evening Torin, how are you today?” Solem greets him politely. If I didn’t know better I would even say warmly. Apparently being socially awkward isn’t a demon thing, it’s a Torin thing.
“Solem.” Torin responds coldly. Yeah he isn’t going to bother pretending to be friendly. Solem leans around Torin to get a better look at me.
“So this is the human I’m owed.” He says curiously, then makes a ‘tsk’ sound.
“Torin, I know you’re young. But even you know that it isn’t very polite to make a bargain with someone who is already under an agreement.” He lectures as if he’s scolding a disobedient child. Torin glares at Solem, unimpressed.
“Rina never made a bargain, her father did. As far as I’m concerned she only has one contract. She made a bargain with me before ever even meeting you.” Torin says firmly. Solem raises an eyebrow.
“I claimed her first.” He says mildly. Torin shrugs.
“Did you? I didn’t sense any magical signs of a contract on her, and she’s been staying here as my… Guest, for several weeks now. If you had a claim to her, why didn’t you come and get her?” He challenges. Solem scoffs.
“For a human? I sent people to pick her up.” He says dismissively. Torin fakes surprise.
“Oh really? Why didn’t you say something sooner? We had no idea who those people were. They broke into my territory so obviously I had to take care of them. If they were your men, you should have claimed them. Also I believe you owe me for damages on my bar.” Torin adds, as if it’s an afterthought. I have to suppress a laugh. I can’t tell if this meeting is going really well or very bad. But sassy Torin is certainly entertaining. After a moment, Solem clears his throat loudly.
“Tell me, exactly what are the terms of your contract?” He demands.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
