“What is it you are asking for?”
Hadn’t Orpheus done enough to help this Mavka? He’d given him salt, the seeds to grow dill, had given him advice.
“I have never been to the Demon village. I do not know what I am supposed to do there.”
“And you want me to take you?”
“Yes. You have been there.”
“No,” he bit, placing his hands around Reia and bringing her closer to be firmer between his spread thighs. “I will not leave her for that long.”
He wouldn’t have considered it before this day, and he definitely wouldn’t now after knowing she’d been attacked by a Demon within the circle. She was brave, too brave. She was a threat to herself, and Orpheus refused to leave her here by herself for days just to help this Mavka.
“Then take me with you,” Reia suggested, staring down at him since he was seated lower than her in her standing position.
“We are not ready for that.” In actuality, he wasn’t ready for that. He needed to make sure she would be safe since he’d been foolish with the last human he’d taken there.
There was only one way to guarantee her safety and she wasn’t ready for it. “It’s too dangerous.”
She gave him a small smile.
“But wouldn’t it be safer if both of you were there to protect me?” She quickly turned her head to the Mavka.
“You’ve already done it once. You would do it again, wouldn’t you?”
He held her a little tighter. She is mine to protect.
“Yes, I will help protect Reia human person.”
“He speaks your name?” He nearly growled, his eyes swirling with red, before green, and then back to remain crimson.
Anger. Possessiveness. Jealousy. All these emotions were unpleasant and unwanted.
“The point, Orpheus.” She grabbed one of his horns and started shaking his head. It was the first time she’d ever touched them and he wished she’d do it more often.
“Wouldn’t it be the safest if you had someone else looking
out for me? It’s two birds, one stone. I get to see the Demon village, and you get to help him.”
“But I don’t want to help him.”
He was rather angry he was here.
“That’s not very nice.”
“I am Mavka,” he chuckled mockingly. “When have we been known to be nice?”
“You are usually,” she argued, shoving at his chest to get away from his arms. “I thought you wanted to make me happy.”
“Yes, always, but I will not take you there yet.”
“But you took the other human there.”
“That was different.”
He’d been stupid, and him taking that woman there had begun the path of him losing her.
“Fine,” she snapped before folding her arms across her chest. “Then go without me, but I want you to help him.”
“But I already told you I don’t want to help him, and I don’t want to leave you alone here since you don’t know how to stay inside.”
“What if I promise I will?”
He shook his head. “It is a long journey, and I do not trust that you will.”
“You don’t trust me?” She waved her hands to the side, gesturing towards the ground with all her fingers pointing downwards. “I promised to stay and here I am, keeping my promise.”
“I trusted you in this, to stay,” he answered. He’d been worried the entire time, but he’d chosen to have faith in her, only to discover she’d gotten injured. “But you are never where you are supposed to be.”
She was always outside when he told her not to be when he wasn’t around. She was always near the salt circle when he’d told her to stay away from it. She’d even gotten between him and this very Mavka when he’d warned her to move.
“You will come outside even if you promise not to. You will
—” Before he could finish speaking, she walked past him to go up the steps with heavy footsteps.
Her fists were clenched beside her, her back rigid in posture with her teeth gritted. Even her lips were pressed tight together.
He’d never seen these things from her before.
