He shook his head, a slight frown marring his brow. “I sought you for companionship. One of the youngest of my kind, I was created closer to humans than my predecessors were. The solitude they enjoyed, I deplored. With no need for additional chaos, I spent my time planning, waiting for the right opportunity. I saw you as a chance to end a lonely existence. The chaos that others like Ahgred still feel compelled to create stopped calling to me long ago. Once you leave this life, my purpose will vanish, as will I.
“Others heard of the deal I made and began their own quest to seek a similar deal. But they did not want to expire once their human companion did. They sought permanent entry into the human world, a link to maintain existence when our time here as chaos is no longer necessary. Such as the twisting link you wear. You see, because I am so close in appearance to humans, humans still willingly deal with me. The others of my kind have more difficulty.
“Like most of our interactions with humans, the link is forged through deals. You willingly give a piece of yourself to me in exchange for whatever it is you demand as a price.”
“But neither time it burned me was related to a deal.”
"Correct." He finally focused on me. “Though I do not understand its existence, I don’t see it as a bad thing. Once complete, it will protect you from Ahgred and time.”
“I thought choosing you would protect me from Ahgred. Once we choose, we no longer carry out the chant to protect us at night.”
“I’m no longer sure.” He said it quietly, his voice laced with apology. To be bound to the same limitations I now faced for the rest of my life... I thought choosing Morik would gain me more freedom.
“So if we complete this link, then what? How do we know when it’s complete?”
“It runs from base to crown. When it’s complete, by pact, none of my kind shall harm you.”
I sat on the edge of my bed, thinking. To do what’s right, I wanted to choose Morik. I didn’t want any of my line to go through this. Not only did I need to choose with my heart and head, I also wanted the link to give him free access to my world. I didn’t understand his world and preferred to stay in the world I knew if possible.
Despite his violent possession of Clavin before he first introduced himself, violence didn’t live at the core of his nature. Curious and thoughtful, he observed us and learned. To provide him with a link, didn’t give me a moment’s concern. My pensiveness steamed from the cause of the link.
“If it’s not growing because of deals, then what? How am I supposed to finish it?” Part of me feared, my inability to choose directly related to this link, which kept me under my existing time limit.
“I’m not sure.” He reached out and ran a hand gently over my hair. “We’ll figure it out. We have time.”
But how much?
Chapter 15
The rest of Christmas break passed in a breathless rush. In spite of Beatriz’s begging, I spent New Year’s Eve in my enchanted sleep more aware of the significance of a new year than most other people my age. When I woke, Morik drove me to work.
Typically, Sundays boomed at the Coffee Shop. I’d questioned Mona asking if business slowed because of the holiday, but she assured me that she kept the shop open on New Year’s Day because the high demand for coffee made it extremely profitable. I looked forward to the work and Gran, ever clever, added mini-quiches to the delivery she sent with me. The smell of them made my mouth water.
We arrived a few minutes early. Morik carried the larger of the two flat boxes, holding the door for me. Inside, the only two customers looked up from their cups at the sound of the bell. Mona stood behind the counter thumbing through a magazine and caught my glance.
She laughed aloud, “Remember what this looks like. You’ll want a hot bath and a foot rub by one.”
We set the boxes on the counter. Since starting her partnership with Gran, Mona had already invested in a cute clear plastic display to show the baked goods. She even bought paper doilies to place on the transparent shelves, saying it made it look fancier. I agreed.
“What’s in the extra box?” she said lifting the lid while I stepped behind the employee door to remove my coat.
“Hangover food according to Gran.”
Morik moved to one of the tables. I brought him a cup of coffee knowing he’d stay until it started to get busy.
Mona set out as much of the bakery she could and then moved the rest to the back room.
The bell rang before she returned. It didn’t stop ringing after that. The crowds of inarticulate, hung-over people hit us like waves on a shore. Starting small, they grew in intensity. At one point, I brought an extra coffee pot from the back. We didn’t have a warmer for it, but it didn’t matter. We moved a full pot to the counter to sit while the next one brewed. The waiting pot emptied before the next cycle finished.
Gran’s bakery disappeared in the crush of bodies, as did Morik. Before nine, we’d sold every breakfast item. By ten, Morik returned with three stacked boxes, saying Gran had gone back to bed and we shouldn’t expect more.