He wanted to know if it would happen again.

Despite his excitement for it, he couldn’t stay and linger.

He was thankful she hadn’t asked him to as he knew he would have been torn in wanting to touch her and wanting to protect her.

Currently, outside was dangerous.

Rain was pouring in hard drops, and he knew one or two of his trinkets would fall apart under their force. If that happened, if they all fell, Demons would be able to break inside with ease.

He didn’t know if his rushed touch had elicited desire within her, but he told her he had to be quick in order to return to his duty of protecting her and the house.

It had happened before in the past. Orpheus had lost a human due to a storm and vowed it would never happen again.

Since he hadn’t had time, had forgotten due to his interest in her cooking, he asked if she would make him spare trinkets while he patrolled. The fact he could ask this of her because she’d been willing to learn and could aid him made him feel pride in her when he’d checked them and saw they were suitable.

It was only when the early hours of morning crept in that the clouds ceased their angry tears and started to clear away.

The ground was soaked and muddied. He worried how Reia would react when he told her she couldn’t leave the safety of the house by herself to sit in the garden until the dirt dried so he could carve a new circle and fill it with salt.

But, when she did awaken, Orpheus took her outside, under his intense and watchful gaze, so he could show her something quickly.

Her beaming smile sent a shudder through him. It wasn’t for him, so it didn’t send desire through him strong enough to change his vision, but it still brought him great contentment at seeing it.

“The garden is full!” she squealed, running forward despite his earlier warning to stay with him.

She started touching the leaves of the strawberry bush that had almost been picked clean, which was now full and much larger than it had originally been. The raspberry bush that she loved, but had been destroyed, was just as large and bore ripe and fresh berries.

Even all the vegetables she’d taken had resprouted, and he saw there was a small tree with yellow oval pieces on it.

He’d never seen that tree before, and he didn’t know what fruit or vegetable it sprouted.

Everything smelt clean, ripe, and fresh. Water droplets clung to leaves and their meat, glistening in the light that was trying to shine through the remaining clouds.

“What happened?” she asked, walking over to the strange new tree and pulled a yellow oval piece from it. “The lemon tree wasn’t here before.”

He followed her like a shadow.

“The Witch Owl conjured it.”

He’d seen her dancing around the garden through the night, flapping her wings upwards into the air in a motion that was like she was pulling something while bouncing on her bird legs. He’d been curious as to what she was doing, but since she wasn’t causing any harm, he let her be.

It was also best that he didn’t attack her. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to harm her since she was overflowing with strange, dark magic. She smelt foul of it, a sourly, stomach-churning scent.

She’d also helped him. During the time he had his first human, the one he’d built this home for, the Witch Owl had come to him. She was the one who told him of the salt circle and the protection charm trinkets. She was the one that informed him if she willingly gave him her soul – since it could not be taken – then his human would live with him always, safe even in the Veil without his protection.

“This is wonderful. If you go hunting, this will all last so much longer. I was worried that I would have little to eat but there’s even more here than before.” She pointed to the new leaves that hid vegetables below the ground. “It’s as if she knew what I liked and made extra grow for me.”

Her want for him to leave and go hunting left Orpheus with a sense of foreboding. He wanted to trust her, he wanted to believe that she’d stay while he was gone, but he didn’t.

She already left me.

His heart withered whenever he remembered.

I want it to be her. Orpheus wanted Reia to be the one who wanted to stay with him. He adored her scent, had from the moment he’d met her, more than any other human before. She was so beautiful. He’d never seen a human as pale as her, with hair that was so blonde and shiny, like the sun. Her bright green eyes were like a thick forest, easy for one to get lost in, and he found he lost himself when he looked into them.

Her body was soft, curvy. She was the first to elicit such strong desire in him because of the way she reacted when he touched it. It seemed like her flesh was sensitive, and he desperately wanted to know how she’d react if he was to instead lick every inch of it rather brush his hands over her.

As much as he’d grown fond of the physical aspects of her, it was what she had inside that he was truly growing attached to.

She was strong. So strong in will that she even wanted to fight against the Demons that would harm her in the Veil rather than shake in fright. Something about it made him feel pride in her and trust that she would survive with him.

She was confident, willing to laugh with him when no other had before. Quick to learn, but happy to teach, she wanted to help him in any task, to do them with him, or watch him if she couldn’t.

She is perfect. A perfect little human that was quickly stealing his lonely, aching heart. Perfect in shape, in mind, with perfect little smiles with those green eyes that made his groin tighten every time she directed them at him.

He’d never felt this way about any other human. Reia was perfect, and he wanted her to be his.

So to lose her, whether that was because she left him safely or died, would be hollowing.

Even if she was lost and he found another human that wasn’t afraid of him, they wouldn’t be her. They may not want to pick up a sword, or want to make trinkets with him, or show him how to cook. They may not want to watch while he ran in the rain scaring away Demons or laugh when they ran into the wards.

They may not desire me. They may not like Orpheus’

touch, may not allow him to lick their neck – especially right behind the ear. They may not give him the sweet little cry she made, one that was broken and deep of breath.

And they definitely wouldn’t smell of elderberries and red roses.

“I will get you fish next time I am at the stream for your water.” It was the best he could do for now.

He didn’t want to leave her despite that he was constantly hungry and needed to hunt for himself as well.

“Fish would be good,” she told him, giving him a small smile that was only bright enough to spread soft heat through him.

“Come, you should go inside.” He gestured towards the front of the house. “I will pick what you want from the garden now that you know what is here.”

She nodded, grabbing a lemon to take with her anyway, and started heading that direction.

Before they even left the garden, Orpheus shot in front of her and pulled her flush against his back. He gave a warning growl as he bared his fangs.

The creature came closer, large and tall, walking on its back legs and only using its hand to steady itself when it needed to. Its bony head twisted one way and then the other.

It paused when it heard him growl, and then took a wary step back.

“You do not usually warn me away,” he said to Orpheus before he rose to stand on his back legs fully.

He felt Reia peek around him while gripping the back of his shirt to stay with him. She gasped, tugging on it to pull herself more forward when he refused to let her.

“Another Duskwalker?”