After spectering my unconscious parents to their rebuilt and polished home (it seemed someone had been back and repaired the damage of the night before), Julian and I parted ways with little more than a goodbye. At least we'd see each other at the party, I told myself.
I navigated the halls of the Keep completely and utterly lost.
I would have stayed lost if Damien hadn't spectered in front of me as I turned the corner.
He smiled as he watched me. "You're here."
I couldn't help my smile. "Of course, I am." I looked around. "I got lost."
He took my bag from over my shoulder. The same bag I'd taken with me to Tartus now held Axel's book. A gift, Julian said, from Skryen.
"I noticed. You've been making your way into the kitchens."
I paused. "Wow. Now that I think about it, I think I only had an apple today."
He smiled, taking my hand. "Come on, I have dinner for you upstairs. How are your parents?"
I laughed. "Funny story. They went skinny dipping after drinking wine. They passed out before I could explain anything."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Julian said they'd be fine after sleeping it off. They're back home."
We were back in the study from the day before - had it only been a day? It seemed like it was a lifetime ago when I found Asmo snooping around Damien's things. We had spectered near the window and I watched with bated breath the lights of the small city beneath us dance along with the sprites out in the forest in the inky darkness of the night. The room wasn't very high up but high enough that I could see a new mountain range in the distance and a city nestled right behind it.
Damien walked away from the window and to the middle of the room. "I took the liberty of going to one of your favorite places and picking up one of your favorite dishes."
I turned to him with a smile. A delicate place setting was on a small table in the middle of the room. A silver ornate cover sat in the middle right in front of the chair. "Oh? What is it?"
He gave the boyish cocky smile I missed. "Come here, sit down and find out."
I did as he said and the exhaustion of the day came over me in waves as soon as I sat. Gods, I was exhausted.
Damien lifted the cover and I could hardly contain my excitement. "Is this-"
He nodded before I finished my sentence.
I took a fork and began to eat. I moaned as the fluffy pastry dissolved in my mouth. "This is delicious. It's just like home."
He laughed. "Good. Eat. I know you're starving."
The mushroom wellington of my dreams was tastier than I remembered. I stuffed my mouth with the mashed potatoes. I shook my head. "This is amazing. Thank you."
Damien crossed his arms as he watched me. "You're welcome. Having Azazeal in the human world was tricky. Glamours don't work on him and he refused to leave his sword behind. We almost had the cops called on us until I told them he was cosplaying as his favorite video game villain."
I hid my laugh as I ate.
Delight sparkled in his eyes and I thought I would melt right then and there. "No, no, you can laugh. It was definitely something I didn't think I'd ever do." He smiled. "I do think that we will need to teach the kitchen staff your favorite recipes since you're actually staying with us."
I laughed, covering my mouth as I spoke, "I look forward to it." I took a drink from the glass of water sitting next to my plate. "Where is he, anyway?"
