She waited until Orpheus could be seen, since he must have been walking around the house, and called out to him.

He headed straight for her.

“You should be inside.”

“Can I watch you and the rain?” She pointed to the trinkets hanging from each corner of the porch roof. “They

will protect me, and I’m wearing the amulet. I’ll even bring the sword with me.”

“But a Demon might run at the barrier while I’m on the other side of the house. There are many around after what happened the other day.”

“So?” she snorted. “It’s not like I’m afraid of them. It’s kind of funny when they hurt themselves trying to get through the salt circle. I’m sure watching them do the same thing to the house will be just as funny.”

“You are a strange human, Reia.” However, he paused for a long time, and she could tell he was thinking about it deeply. “As long as you keep the door open so you can flee inside, and make sure you call for me if one is able to get through, and that you will run first before you try to fight it, and—”

“Yes, okay, I got it.” Reia rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, feeling the teardrop jewel on her forehead swaying. “Make sure I don’t let myself come to harm.”

He nodded, and she turned back inside. Grabbing the dining chair, she dragged it outside and placed it directly next to the open door. She sat cross-legged while holding her bowl of soup, eyeing the sword that rested up against one of her legs for close keeping, before she turned her gaze upwards to the eerie forest.

A sense of tranquillity fell over her as she watched the torrential rainstorm. Deep puddles formed quickly, growing by the second, and the sound of the drops hitting the porch roof was calming.

This is something she used to do every time it rained in the village. Watching the rain while eating a warm and hearty meal had always been a small pleasure of hers.

“Come here, come here, come here!” A Demon frothed and snarled as it ran for her. Reia just brought a spoon of liquid to her mouth while waiting for the inevitable to happen. “Gotcha!”

It bashed straight into the invisible wall, its entire body crumbling from its speed. Its arms bent awkwardly as its head seemed to go inside its neck all the way to its shoulders.

“Ha ha!” She squealed, bringing her legs forward to kick them in joy. “Idiot.”

She watched it stumble at the bottom of the porch steps, disorientated and dazed. A moment later, Orpheus barrelled into it in his more monstrous form, sending it flying halfway across the yard.

He turned his reddened glowing orbs to her. They seemed more mystical and ethereal with the grey rain curtaining him. It was the first time she found them endearing to look at since their meaning wasn’t directed at her.

Heavy, wet drops glistened against his soaked form, dripping from his long fur that was puffed in agitation and pouring off his white skull. The drops seemed to glitter when they reflected the bright light of a lightning strike, covering him in dots of light momentarily. It was almost mystical, like he was covered in the mythical lights of fairies.

“See?” She smiled brightly as she twirled her spoon in the air. “Safe and sound with you around.”

He gave a snorting huff that was wetter with the rain pouring in through the hole of his nose, his eyes flashing deep purple before he took off to charge the Demon he’d knocked away. She could see they were red before he finished his first stride of his legs.

Whoa. That’s different. When his eyes changed to desire when he was normal, it usually sparked a hint of her own arousal. However, while he was like that, more animalistic and beastly, that had been oddly... titillating?

Reia hummed to herself a humour-filled tune.

Okay, so what if I’m a pervert? A smile brightened her features. Who cares if I’m attracted to a monster? She continued to quietly giggle to herself as she brought another

spoonful to her lips. Who cares if I want to have se—Oh my god. What the hell is that?!

Reia’s eyes widened when she saw something large and white step from the tree line. It wasn’t a Demon, couldn’t possibly be a Demon, but it was still huge and strange.

It bounced as it walked, its brown legs bending high as its three-toed claws reached to the height of about its waist.

She placed her bowl on the ground and got to her feet to get closer while remaining on the porch.

It almost looked as though it was dancing as it crossed the yard, heading to the back of the house where she knew Orpheus was.

It wasn’t coming for Reia, didn’t seem to care that she was on the porch watching it as she walked to the railing.

It looks like an owl. Its wings spread a little as it did its little dance walk, bobbing side-to-side.

Just as it was about to walk past the house where she would no longer see it, it stopped sharply and turned its face to her, showing her dark black eyes that were like voids against its white feathers.

Reia scrambled back, nearly falling over, as it stopped and stared at her.

“Orpheus!” she yelled, backing away until she was at the doorway.

Within seconds, he was with her, standing on all fours at the bottom of the porch. He must have sprinted hard to get to her since he was huffing deeply. Instead of looking towards him, she pointed to the other end of the house.

“It is the Witch Owl,” he told her in a gravelly, snarly voice.

It turned its head and started bouncing away, heading towards what Reia thought was the garden.

“She appears sometimes.” Reia faced him, her eyes still wide and unsure. “I do not think she means you any harm.

She has left gifts before.”

“But what is she? She doesn’t look like a Demon.”

“She is part-human, part-other. She lives within the Veil, an entity unknown but who has been around since what I believe is the dawn of time.” He shook his body, water spraying from some of his longer furred areas. “I believe she is the one who gave me the amulet circlet, but I am not sure. She has only spoken to me once when human.”

“She can turn human?”

“Yes, but she is dangerous, Reia. Do not let her approach you. I am not sure what she will do.”

She nodded slowly, unable to conjure any words as her mouth opened and closed in shock. She’d never heard of a Witch Owl, didn’t know something like that existed, or that other beings lived within the Veil.

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Orpheus had spent most of the night outside circling the house to keep the Demons from it.

He’d bathed Reia like he needed to, but his hands had been more rushed than usual. He’d been excited to do this with her again after what the last one had led to, hoping she may want him to touch her so intimately again. It had brought him great enjoyment to watch her supple body twitch, contort, and tense due to his fingers. To have her shiver with his tongue on her neck. To hear the little cries, her pants. To feel inside her warm cunt and have it ripple around his digits while she came for him, because of him.

He liked that word, liked how abrupt it was, and liked that she’d given him permission to wield it.

Every ounce of his control had been tested. His cock had been hard, fully engorged, and near-bursting with deep throbs. He’d wanted to feel it again, to be that filled with desire that he was a thread away from losing control while being able to tell her what he wanted to do with her. To have her moan in reaction rather than be terrified that Orpheus desired her.

The pain he’d endured was worth it.