Page 7 of How to Entice a Fiend

I stop running and set her on the ground as I stare down at her,positiveI misunderstood something she’s just said. “I’m mean?Am I really?I’ve taken care of you and protected you and just ran all over the city to find you after you were taken from meagain.”

Rylee can’t even seem to formulate words now because she’s crying so hard. “You! ARE! EVIL! I saved him and loved him, and he was mine and I don’t ever have anything that’s mine.”

I continue staring at her, absolutely unsure of what to do with her. She’s just turned seven, she should just be happy she’s allowed tobehappy and instead, she’s throwing a fit over acat? I open my mouth to remind her of everything shedoeshave before shutting it. What use is it?

A woman walking by looks at us in concern. It just reminds me that someone like me shouldn’t have someone like Rylee.

“Honey, are you okay?” she asks.

“NO! He’s MEAN.”

So mean, so awful. Then why the hell does she want to stay with me? She acts likeI’mthe one who abducted her and carried her off, not the one who saved her. All because of a stupid cat.

“Is this your father?”

“No!”

“Who is he to you?” she asks, looking more concerned by the minute.

Rylee seems unsure of what to say before settling on, “A meanie who gave away my cat.”

I stand here as I try to keep my rage stamped down over this woman butting in, as well as my irritation over Rylee makingthis whole thing a big deal. It was just a fucking cat. Does she not realize that people want both of us? They want me dead and her to experiment on and she thinks we should what? Buy a house somewhere and settle down? Adopt every sad-looking cat that looks our way? How the fuck could we be on the run with a cat? Are we just going to tote a litter box with us everywhere we go?

“I can take you to the house of that vampire you liked so much. Orin,” I say. “Do you want to go there?”

“Yes! There’s a pool and a big room, and so much to do and he’d let me have a cat,” she decides.

“What’s going on here?” the woman asks, but before she can ask anything else, I grab Rylee and carry her off to Orin’s. I set her down on the porch, unsure why I feel so… weird about this. I don’t actually care what happens to her, right? I was just… this was all to learn what she was, and then after that I just didn’t have anything else to do with her, so I dragged her along. But really, was that even fair of me? She would have a better life with anyone but me.

The door opens, telling me that the man Finn calls his father has heard us.

“Rylee?” he asks in surprise. “What’s going on?”

“She wanted to come here,” I say. “You better watch her like your life depends on it, you hear me? If something happens to her, I will destroy you and everything you love.”

“Awfully feisty for a Monday night, eh?” Orin says.

I turn around, realizing that this will work out for the best. If I don’t have to keep returning to her then I can continue my quest to destroy the entire council. I will tear every inch of it down with nothing to hold me back and I will findhimwhile doing so.

“En, where are you going?” Rylee asks. “I thought we were going to stay here.”

I turn back and raise an eyebrow. “We? I’m not staying here. You said you wanted Orin, so here you go.”

She looks alarmed and I’m flabbergasted that a child can even cry this much. Where do all the tears even come from? Rylee never cried when I first got her. She really never did much of anything. She just did whatever I told her and barely talked, and now she’s over here raising a fuss. “You’releaving me?”

“You said you wanted to stay with Orin.”

“I thought we’d both stay with Orin. Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!” she begs as she clings to my leg like she’s just going to drop down and become a weight for me to carry around.

“Why are you acting like I’m the one trying to get rid of you? You said you wanted to come here.” Apparently, I don’t know how to deal with children because I can’t understand this cryptic nonsense she’s spouting!

“It seems like it might have been a long night for both of you. Why don’t you two stay here for the night?” Orin suggests.

“Absolutely not,” I say.

“It won’t kill you.”

“It very well might.”

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