“And you are sure you haven’t drained their souls?” I asked. I had heard Demons fed from souls, and if they fully fed and gorged on one, there would be no coming back from it. There would also be no rebirth, either.
“I’m careful when I feed, Flower. I learned that lesson long ago. The hard way. I also wasn’t feeding when these women died. Danu has been forcing the issue a lot more lately. I’m not sure why, or how to handle it. Not sure why I am telling you this either,” he said, glancing at me sideways.
“Because we’re friends, Demon. It’s what friends do; they listen to problems and help find a solution,” I chimed in and threw him a cheeky smile.
“Hmm...Most people don’t like or trust Demons,” he replied easily.
“I haven’t met any other Demons to form an opinion, and you have to admit that Demons don’t exactly have a good reputation. But you, you’ve grown on me like a fungus.” I smiled when he snorted emphatically. “Most feed to kill. You don’t. You’re different, and while I planned on hating you, I decided I should pick my battles wisely. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. Like Ryder…I never planned to be here with his children planted in my body…making me fat. And yet, here I am, walking through a maze in Faery, pregnant with his twins, fighting for a world I would have gladly helped destroy only a few months ago.”
“Life is funny like that, I guess. One minute you know what needs to be done, and the next you are fighting against things you never saw coming,” Ristan said, and I had a feeling he was referring to the visions he was given.
“Do you think she gives you the vision as a gift, or as a curse?”
“A curse. Definitely a curse, because half the time she feeds me visions that piss off the guard, and even though they are accurate, I am sure those are just to fuck with me. The other ones, however—I think those are honestly ones she gives me to save Faery. She can’t help or interfere directly, so she helps in other ways,” he replied. “Mostly by setting events in to motion and letting freewill take over. The vision she sent me of you handing Adam one of your children, set in motion Ryder sacrificing you for Faery—yes, I noticed she mentioned that Ryder had done that, so it was part of her scheme to show how much he was willing to sacrifice his own wants for the needs of Faery. Let’s see, what else? You being taken into the Blood Realm to be returned to your parents to discover that you were the Blood Princess, and then handed off to the Horde King. Do you know Ryder almost killed me when I shared that vision? But that is pretty typical of how she gets her way, fucks with my head and still abides by the rules,” he grumbled.
“I couldn’t imagine seeing what you do, and remaining sane.”
“Who says I’m sane?” he quipped with a wicked smile.
“Okay, mostly sane,” I amended.
“Shit,” Ristan said, coming to a dead stop at the first directional divide. The path was a three way divide, and there was a thin piece of vellum on the lush green grass that had a few words scrawled on it. He picked it up gingerly. “Riddles, I hate fucking riddles,” Ristan growled and shook his dark head. “Why couldn’t she have sent a minotaur, or maybe David Bowie and a bunch of Muppets to mess with us?”
“Probably because that’s what you would be expecting?” I ventured as he nodded absently.
“The left is but a vision of pleasure. The right is just a vision of horror. The third is the easiest of the three. Choose wisely, for only one will take you in the direction of which you seek to go,” he read from the vellum.
“It’s written on spell paper?” I asked as my fingers itched to touch the vellum.
“Yes, it’s written on spell paper because even now your fingers twitch to touch it.” He pointed at my hands, and sure enough, they were itching to grab the magical paper.
“Sneaky bastard,” I griped.
“Sneaky Goddess is more like it,” he replied as he placed the paper back on the ground. “So, pleasure, horror, or the easy way?” he asked.
“Horror,” I replied after a moment of hesitation.
“Sounds lovely,” he said.
“Pleasure is a given. If we took it, it would probably be hell. The easiest way is what you would think to take, but since were dealing with Danu I’m going to take a gander and say we’d kill someone for taking it. Horror is the one most people wouldn’t take, so we go with it.”
“Blades out, and stay behind me. But stay close, Flower. I like my balls just the way they are.”
“Deal,” I said, and giggled at my own inner thought process.
“What’s so funny?” he asked after a moment had passed.
“I was thinking that I don’t have to run fast if we get in trouble. I just have to run faster than you.”
“Funny girl.” He smiled, but didn’t take his eyes off the path of the maze row we had taken.