Sam’s shoulder.
“Are you sure? Because…” he said, trailing off. Apparently, he wasn’t quite sure how to tell Sam that he didn’t necessarily want a demon still in the grips of murderous rage serving his customers.
Sam moved toward the door, with something approaching his normal state of calm. “I’ll be fine; I’ll stay behind the bar and I won’t even look at anyone,” he muttered, letting the door slam behind him. Dwight shared a concerned look with Cassie, like he didn’t trust Sam not to kill and eat anybody, and followed close behind him.
When they were gone, Cassie looked to Serenus immediately. “What does he mean, it’s my fault because I slapped him? He called me his property!”
Serenus sat down, looking tired now that the action was over. “Cassie, a person bonded to a demon usually feels rather…subservient. It should be hard for you to disagree with him. When you struck him, right after being under compulsion not two minutes previous, you let the demons know exactly how special you were,” he finished quietly. “If they had any remaining doubt they were interested in you, you erased it.”
Cassie sank into an uncomfortable metal chair. “So despite what you said, it really is my fault that we have to go to court, huh?” she said softly.
Serenus leaned forward and put his hand on top of hers on the table; even though she wasn’t afraid of Serenus, the sudden contact still made Cassie jump in her seat a little. “Not really. If he’d told you what to do if officers of the court came calling, you would have been fine. This is why I asked you to be patient with him: he wants to help you, but he doesn’t know what you need to know.”
“But you do,” said Cassie, meeting his eyes. “Why didn’t YOU warn me?”
Serenus raised an eyebrow. “You’re not my familiar.”
Cassie looked down, suddenly embarrassed. She was getting so used to Serenus filling in all the gaps for her, when Sam refused or was unable to, that she had forgotten that none of this was technically his problem. She didn’t know what his relationship with Sam was, but the fact that he cared enough to try to help didn’t make him responsible for the complete mess she and Sam had created. She also didn’t know how far he was willing to go to protect either of them, or if she had any reason to expect him to.
“Thank you for showing up today when you did,” she said, quietly. Serenus smiled.
“It was my pleasure. A ny day I get to show officers of the Western Court for the idiots they are, is a good day in my book.”
“I…have to go back to school,” she said, remembering suddenly how she’d run out of first period English like a woman possessed…well, technically she probably was possessed. Serenus had called it being “under compulsion,” and the thought of what that felt like made her slightly happy that she’d given Sam such a good hit when she had the chance, consequences be damned. She thought of asking Serenus about how it worked, but decided against it.
S oon, she would have to know, but for now she just couldn’t think about it. Because dwelling on it at all today was going to lead to her stabbing Sam in the back with a bagel knife.
Serenus stood up when she did. “I’ll walk you back then; you really shouldn’t be alone.”
Cassie started to say that wouldn’t be necessary, then realized that it was; she couldn’t take two steps lately without demons trying to whisk her away to whatever hellhole they lived in. She was thoughtful as they made their way outside the shop, waving to the managers at the front as they left. Sam didn’t look up at her, for which she was just as happy.
“Hey, Ser?” she asked him as they hit the sidewalk outside.
“Yes, my dear?” said Serenus, taking her arm with his free hand like they were in an old-fashioned movie.
“Can demons be killed?” she asked, pitching her voice low so others on the street wouldn’t hear.
Serenus briefly broke
“Are you sure? Because…” he said, trailing off. Apparently, he wasn’t quite sure how to tell Sam that he didn’t necessarily want a demon still in the grips of murderous rage serving his customers.
Sam moved toward the door, with something approaching his normal state of calm. “I’ll be fine; I’ll stay behind the bar and I won’t even look at anyone,” he muttered, letting the door slam behind him. Dwight shared a concerned look with Cassie, like he didn’t trust Sam not to kill and eat anybody, and followed close behind him.
When they were gone, Cassie looked to Serenus immediately. “What does he mean, it’s my fault because I slapped him? He called me his property!”
Serenus sat down, looking tired now that the action was over. “Cassie, a person bonded to a demon usually feels rather…subservient. It should be hard for you to disagree with him. When you struck him, right after being under compulsion not two minutes previous, you let the demons know exactly how special you were,” he finished quietly. “If they had any remaining doubt they were interested in you, you erased it.”
Cassie sank into an uncomfortable metal chair. “So despite what you said, it really is my fault that we have to go to court, huh?” she said softly.
Serenus leaned forward and put his hand on top of hers on the table; even though she wasn’t afraid of Serenus, the sudden contact still made Cassie jump in her seat a little. “Not really. If he’d told you what to do if officers of the court came calling, you would have been fine. This is why I asked you to be patient with him: he wants to help you, but he doesn’t know what you need to know.”
“But you do,” said Cassie, meeting his eyes. “Why didn’t YOU warn me?”
Serenus raised an eyebrow. “You’re not my familiar.”
Cassie looked down, suddenly embarrassed. She was getting so used to Serenus filling in all the gaps for her, when Sam refused or was unable to, that she had forgotten that none of this was technically his problem. She didn’t know what his relationship with Sam was, but the fact that he cared enough to try to help didn’t make him responsible for the complete mess she and Sam had created. She also didn’t know how far he was willing to go to protect either of them, or if she had any reason to expect him to.
“Thank you for showing up today when you did,” she said, quietly. Serenus smiled.
“It was my pleasure. A ny day I get to show officers of the Western Court for the idiots they are, is a good day in my book.”
“I…have to go back to school,” she said, remembering suddenly how she’d run out of first period English like a woman possessed…well, technically she probably was possessed. Serenus had called it being “under compulsion,” and the thought of what that felt like made her slightly happy that she’d given Sam such a good hit when she had the chance, consequences be damned. She thought of asking Serenus about how it worked, but decided against it.
S oon, she would have to know, but for now she just couldn’t think about it. Because dwelling on it at all today was going to lead to her stabbing Sam in the back with a bagel knife.
Serenus stood up when she did. “I’ll walk you back then; you really shouldn’t be alone.”
Cassie started to say that wouldn’t be necessary, then realized that it was; she couldn’t take two steps lately without demons trying to whisk her away to whatever hellhole they lived in. She was thoughtful as they made their way outside the shop, waving to the managers at the front as they left. Sam didn’t look up at her, for which she was just as happy.
“Hey, Ser?” she asked him as they hit the sidewalk outside.
“Yes, my dear?” said Serenus, taking her arm with his free hand like they were in an old-fashioned movie.
“Can demons be killed?” she asked, pitching her voice low so others on the street wouldn’t hear.
Serenus briefly broke
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