But she didn’t want him to do things for her. She didn’t want him to change his home when she had every intention of figuring out a way to leave.

She’d managed to wrangle up the courage yesterday to find out what he’d eat while she was here since he wasn’t intending to eat her. He’d told her he would eventually leave to hunt. Animals, he was planning on going to the surface to hunt for a deer or a wolf. However, she also thought he might hunt a human if he stumbled upon one. He said he even fished in the stream nearby occasionally when mating season had finished and there were more fish travelling through it.

The sun faded over the right of the forest. She knew from travelling here that they had always been walking towards

the sunsets, which meant all she needed to do was go the opposite way, and she’d hopefully find the Veil’s cliff walls.

She’d decided that if she survived that long and she could garner enough of his trust that he left to hunt – because she doubted he’d do it now – that she would leave then.

I just have to be good until then. Don’t anger him, don’t make him hungry, don’t accidentally hurt myself so I bleed too much.

She’d been making a mental list of what not to do.

Survival was her intention, and with the circlet amulet he’d given her, the bathing he said that hid her human scent, and hopefully with her cloak shielding her, she could walk through the Veil safely if she was smart.

Which meant, Reia had come to a distressing decision this morning.

“I want to make you comfortable,” he rebuffed, making her inwardly cringe.

Guilt shot through her. He wanted a companion, a fucking friend, and Reia was planning on fleeing. He at times seemed lonely in some of the things he said, like when he’d told her no other human had wanted to make trinkets with him. She also got the impression they hadn’t wanted to eat in front of him either.

Don’t upset him.

“If you want to make a chair, you are welcome to.”

He nodded before moving out of the garden.

“Do not leave the light until I return.”

Listening to his command, she grabbed her bowl and walked in the garden that was showered in bright sunshine.

She picked the fruit she wanted before returning to sit on the stump.

He returned not much later and placed a second cup on the table before backing away, giving her space as though he thought she’d prefer that he did. Orpheus never crowded her.

“What’s this?” she asked, reaching forward to find it was hot and the liquid inside had sweet smell to its honey colour.

“You do not have to drink it if you do not want to, but it is a tea.” He walked away until he was at the opening of the fence on the other side. “It’s the only one I know how to make.”

She hesitated, but the smell of it was rather inviting.

He was also watching her, almost as if with anticipation, and she found she couldn’t deny him because of that fact.

Slowly lifting it to her face, she sniffed its contents before taking a sip.

Oh wow! This is actually really nice.

She took a bigger drink, and watched his eyes change from blue to bright yellow within the breath of a second, flashing so quickly to it.

“Thank you, I like it.”

He nodded, before moving away to sit with his back resting against the timber stake of the fence and face the forest.

“I will watch over you while you eat.”

Even though it was late morning, and the sun was shining, the gloom of the Veil’s forest was ever present. The blue mist never faded, and the swallowing darkness made it disturbing to try to look through it. However, it was also serene and mystical. Almost as though she was no longer on earth, but in a place beyond, like the afterlife.

She half-expected a ghost to peek through it.

She looked over the garden, having learnt more of what was planted here the day before because he’d taken the time to show her. She also wasn’t the one that ripped the plants she used for her cooking since he was determined about doing it himself, like he wanted nothing more than to assist her.

As if her mind couldn’t stray away, she eventually found her gaze falling onto the back of him. His bony skull turned

right and then left slowly, appearing to listen out carefully to the forest surrounding them.

The sun cast his shadow forwards, highlighting the whiteness at the back of his skull to the point it almost seemed to glisten. His horns were twisty and flared up at the base before swiftly pointing backwards, diagonal to the sky.

She no longer found him frightening whatsoever, despite her lingering aversion to him. His consideration and thoughtfulness had begun to chip away at those thoughts, leaving behind the confusing creature she laid her eyes upon.

He was inhuman, that could never be changed. He didn’t look human, and although he had obvious humanity inside him, he wasn’t truly one within either. He wasn’t a human in a monster’s body, his mind was too… beastly for that by his growls and grunts, but the bits of humanity she could see were unravelling her.

I want to hate him. She really did, more than anything, but other than keeping her caged here, there wasn’t much else for her to hate. He didn’t threaten her. He only told her the truth of the dangerous situation she was in. He didn’t hurt her, nor was he mean or cruel.

He tried to make sure to give her foods she would like and water to keep her hydrated. She was so clean she thought she may be the cleanest person in the world considering he bathed her morning and night.

Halfway through her food, she turned her head down to her lap again, but this time pulling at the skirt of the dress she wore. She kept it long to keep the worst of the chill out, even though she’d much rather have it shorter. She didn’t like spinach, so he’d allowed her to take as much as she wanted to boil it and soak this dress in the previous day.

She could tell he wanted to help her. He had lingered just outside the kitchen while she boiled the plants, but he was wary. She constantly felt this from him, especially when he

quietly told her she needed to prepare the cloth she was planning to dye in salt so it would actually stick to it.

It was now a pale green with the white barely present.

It wasn’t her preferred colour, but she didn’t really know how to dye clothing using food, and she hadn’t wanted to waste the other plants on a possible failed attempt. The green was patchy, but she was still content with it. She would soak it again tonight and hang it up so that by morning it may be better.

She no longer felt like a fool in a wedding dress, and it brought her overwhelming relief. He allowed it, was allowing anything she wanted, while trying his best to make her content. He constantly asked if she needed something, wanted anything. He’d offered to even try to catch her a fish by the stream if she preferred meat.

The prickling emotion she felt in her chest was unwelcome, knowing it was something akin to tenderness for him. She felt many emotions for the Duskwalker.

Pity in his loneliness. Humour in his lack of understanding of humans. Ease because he wanted to protect her.

Frustration at keeping her. Tenderness because he was sweet and kind in his own way.

And finally, nervousness, because bath time had become unsettling for all the wrong reasons.

She was calm about it now, after three days of being washed twice a day, she’d grown accustomed to it.

However, her body kept having strange reactions to it, and each time it grew stronger as if her flesh was anticipating the touch.