“And you are not afraid of me? You smell different from before, better, but I cannot smell fear.”
“He-he gives me a bath to get rid of my human smell.
That’s why I smell different, because he isn’t here to give me one,” she explained. “And I’m used to your kind now because of him. You aren’t monsters.”
His eyes sparked with yellow at that. “Monsters, no.
Perhaps, maybe, but I do not want to be a monster. I want a human who will let me hold them.”
Well, this is embarrassing. Her cheeks warmed slightly.
His eyes faded back to green, and he unfurled himself just enough to approach. He didn’t step forward, but he leaned closer.
“He said it is difficult to find a human that will stay with us.” He rested on his hand while sniffing up at her face. “You are not scared. Will you come with me?”
“Excuse me?!” Reia took a step back. “No, I’m Orpheus’.”
“You are not his.” He twisted his head in what she thought might be confusion. “You have not given him your soul. You are not his bride.”
“That-that doesn’t matter. I’m his friend.”
“But you can come be mine instead.” He came forward just enough to close the distance. “You could give me your soul instead of him.”
He reached forward like he wanted to touch her face gently, and Reia smacked his hand away with her arm.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Why not?” he asked, reaching forward once more and Reia smacked him away again. Red came into his orbs, and he darted closer.
“I said no!” She went to grab the handle of her sword with both hands, but his eyes turned white and he swiftly retreated a step.
“He said ‘no’ is important. That I should not touch if they say no.”
“G-good,” she answered with a shaky voice. “He is right. If someone says no, you should listen. No matter what it is.”
He placed his hand on his snout once more to tap the side of it. “Why will you not come with me?”
“Because I don’t want to. I want to stay with Orpheus. Find your own human that wants you.”
“Do you think I can? The others are always afraid, and it makes me hungry. How do I stop them from being afraid so they will stay with me?”
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “Just be gentle?”
“He told me I need to eat more humans first.”
Her face paled, surprised that Orpheus would tell him to do that.
“Why?”
Why would he say to do something so terrible?
“Because he said I’m stupid.” She lifted her hand to her mouth to hide the snort of laughter that wanted to escape.
“I do not have enough humanity to understand.”
Although what Orpheus had said was cruel, she couldn’t help finding he might actually be right. This Duskwalker was very different from the one she knew. Orpheus was far more intelligent. Even she could see this Duskwalker would struggle to understand a human enough to erase their fears.
“Where do you live?”
“A cave, like all Mavka – except this one.” He looked over the house. “It is strange. Why does he live in a human hut?”
Reia smiled. “Because it makes humans comfortable. If you really want my advice, be like him and build your own. If you bring a human to a cave, it’ll make them unhappy.”
He turned his head away, tapping at his snout once more with his foreclaw.
“He did say to be more like a human. I was going to ask him to help me get better clothes. The ones I take from the humans do not fit.”
“Like... help you by taking you to the Demon village?”
He tilted his head. “You know of it. Then can you take me?”
“Ah,” she laughed. He really was stupid. “No. You should definitely ask him instead.”
“Hmm. Then I will stay until he comes.”
“No. I think you should leave and come back later when he is here.”
“I will stay,” he said, sitting down on the very ground in front of her like a dog.
