Page 99 of A Soul to Keep

“That-that doesn’t matter. I’mhisfriend.”

“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 mehungry.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 reallywasstupid. “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.

“You should leave.”

---