“It’s wonderful to meet you, Reia.”

She gestured her hand out to Jabez who was standing off to the side with his arms folded as though that was what he did when he was being idle. He looked at her palm, and then cocked his brow at it.

It seemed as though she was about to introduce herself in return, but instead she bit out, “Oh, just help me up for goodness sakes.”

She wiggled her fingers expectantly at Jabez.

With a chuckle, he grabbed her hand to pull her to her feet.

Reia stared at the woman’s hand when she then offered it to help her up as well. Blinking at it, she wasn’t sure what to make of this.

She is being... nice to me. When Reia was taken, she had expected to be terrorized by a heartless maniac. To be threatened to be eaten or something horrible like that. She expected danger and trouble, not for a human woman to greet her welcomingly.

As much as she wanted to smack it away, she didn’t.

She did get to her feet by herself, though.

“What do you want from me?”

What was their plan and how could Reia get herself from being no longer involved in it? I don’t have the amulet. If she tried to run through the Veil back to Orpheus, she wouldn’t be able to do it safely. It’s why he probably took it from me.

She had her sword, but she couldn’t survive an attack from multiple Demons at once. And say she could leave and get through the Veil safely – she still had no way to navigate it.

Will Orpheus come for me? She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Jabez obviously wanted to harm him, and she already didn’t trust this woman simply because she was here with him.

“You got me,” the woman laughed, clapping her hands together with glee. “I want to get you home, that’s all.”

She raised her brow at her with doubt, her shoulders rolling back defiantly.

“Why would you want to help me at all?” Then her upper lip began to lift, and she had to stem the growing want to sneer. Reia hoped her inability to keep her emotions off her face didn’t cause her trouble. “Who said I even wanted help to begin with?”

“Ooo, I like you. You’ve got fight in you, just like me.” She gestured to Reia’s sword on the ground. “I see you know how to wield a sword. Have you been learning so you can kill Orpheus yourself?”

“No,” she bit, turning her chin up at her.

“That’s good, then. You probably would have died trying anyway.” Then her smile and cheerfulness fell to give Reia a dark look. “But we saw he was helping you, and I thought that was rather odd.”

“What do you mean you saw us?”

“We’ve been watching you,” Jabez interjected, grabbing Reia’s attention.

He waved his hands in the air and a ball that looked as though it was made out of liquid silver began to swirl as he conjured it. Once it was the size of her torso, rolling like waves in a sphere, he threw his hands forward and it flattened into a disc.

An image appeared on it of their home. Their little log cabin surrounded by a clearing and gloomy forest – the view from above like a bird’s eye view.

“We always watch when he obtains a new offering.” Jabez gave a fang-filled grin of humour. “It’s entertaining to see how it will die. One gets eaten by him. Another will get eaten by a Demon running. Some are taken by me when they survive just a little too long.”

Reia’s jaw fell. “You’ve been taking them?”

Orpheus had told her that some were taken, but he’d never told her by who.

“Yes. It’s fun to watch him suffer. Some don’t even make it to the cabin at all.”

“What he’s saying,” the woman said, stepping forward to clasp Reia’s hand by force. “Is that we know what you’ve been through.”

She yanked it away, her touch making her skin crawl because of what she’d just learned. Shit... We were watched?

He raised his hand to cup his jaw while looking at the image of the house, while the woman’s brows twitched to frown at Reia’s sudden, harsh action.

“Can’t see in the house, though. Those pesky charms of his keep everything out, even my magic.” Jabez waved his hand and the image turned into something dark moving swiftly through the forest. “Good. Looks like he’s already on his way. I wasn’t sure if he would since he hadn’t come for any of the others I’ve taken.”

He slapped his hands together and the silver disc of liquid vanished. Then he turned to them with a dull expression on his handsome, yet alien-like, face.

Reia had a hard time looking past his horns, his long-pointed ears, and the striking black marks on the outside of him. The amount of muscle on him said he bore not a single ounce of fat, and he looked so remarkably strong she was sure he could snap her like a twig.

“What are you?” Reia rasped.

He was freely able to use magic. He’d freaking teleported her here! What else could he do?

His eyes crinkled with humour, his head lowering as he smirked. “A little bit of that, a little bit of this.”

At her twisted face, her nose bunching up on one side, he threw his head back and bellowed out a deep laugh that echoed in the hollow, stone room.

The woman sighed, giving him a look of irritation like she was bored of his antics.

“Don’t mind him. The Demon in him makes him a jerk.”

“Yes, but the Elf in me makes me aware of how easy it is to get what I want when I’m cunning. I was hoping to play with her. It’s fun to tease the humans. You’re ruining my fun.”

An elf? But I didn’t think they were real. Reia’s brows drew together in concentration as she tried to think back on the book the Witch Owl had given her. It had spoken of Elves,

but she hadn’t read too deeply on the passage of them.

She’s disregarded it as rubbish.

A being that is similar to a human, but not human. Pointed ears, mostly dark skin with white hair, and can use magic.

Usually slim and athletic.

The woman waved her hand at him.

“I’ll entertain you as much as you like later. After I get what I want.”

“Always after you get what you want,” he grumbled. “It better be good this time. I’m delivering the Mavka to you just like you demanded.”

Reia tried to remain alert and listen to their conversation, but she couldn’t help wondering what else was real if Elves were. She eyed him carefully. If he didn’t have those ears, I probably wouldn’t have believed him. Does that mean there are half-humanoid horses roaming around like freaks?

“You’re enjoying this either way, Jabez.” She tilted her head forward with her hands on her hips, looking up at him through her brows disapprovingly. “Don’t play coy.”