Page 60 of The Demon's Delight
“I was summoned for the first time. Sir.” I couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled up, getting to say that.
“Oh?” He raised a bushy black eyebrow in curiosity. “Go on.” He leaned forward, scribbling a note into a large journal with a pen that looked comically small in his hand.
“A human summoned me, and I am providing them aid.” My instinct was to be as vague as possible, to leave out names or even descriptors. I wasn’t sure why, I’d never not trusted Keplar, but something deep inside wanted me to keep Hailon a secret. It physically hurt not to declare her as my mate, so I wasn’t sure my tactic would be possible to maintain.
“And that has required more than a full cycle? Nearly, what, two earth weeks to accomplish?” He frowned, gesturing to the chair facing his desk.
“Yes, sir.” Had it really only been two weeks? That seemed like such a short amount of time to have passed, and yet I felt like I’d been with Hailon for far longer.
“Have a seat, Seir. You’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry, sir. But yes, we’re traveling, and it’s been quite slow.” I stared at him, catching the moment where he processed what I said.
“Travel has beenslow? For you?” He barked a hearty laugh, shaking his head as he made another note. “I do miss your particular brand of humor when you’re gone.”
I schooled my expression, making sure he was looking me in the eye before I continued. “I wish I was embellishing, sir, or making a joke. But I’m not. My powers aren’t functioning like they normally do, not since I was summoned. I can’t sift or jump, and portals will not activate for me. Even flight has been out of the question. Only in the last few days can I even hover a few inches for a short distance.”
He frowned even harder, flipping through the pages. “Says here you came back shortly after you were summoned.”
“That’s factually accurate.” I remembered all too well the unfortunate series of events where the water had spilled on the circle, forcing me back to my apartment when all I wanted to do was stay. To defend her. To talk to her. “The circle was broken.”
“But no banishment.”
“Correct. I took a portal back. For what it’s worth, when I returned, they were doing a very good job of trying to summon me again.” I was significantly stretching the truth there, but he didn’t know that. Or perhaps, he already did and simply wasn’t calling me on it. It was impossible to know how much detailthe command leaders actually had access to in their seemingly infinite information.
“Tell me why I should consider letting you finish whatever this side mission might be instead of keeping you here and punishing you for forgetting to check in. I understand summoning bonds have their own rules, but I need my men at their posts. I need to know what’s going on.”
“Apologies, sir. I just need a little more time. I’m trying to return someone to their home. They were taken, kept against their will.”
He made a thoughtful noise as he closed the thick journal and slid it to the side. “You’re a good soldier, Seir. You never argue, always agree to take missions nobody else will. Even with this last promotion, you’ve been more than happy to pick up the balance when asked. So, I do recognize that this is odd behavior for you. I’m honestly not sure how to react.”
“I’m sorry, sir. None of this was intentional.”
He folded his hands together over his notebook, staring at me intently, clearly searching for any kind of dishonesty. “I believe you,” he finally said. “What should I do?” He cracked a smile, and it gentled his stern expression immensely.
“Let me go back, sir.” I grunted as a flare in my chest took me by surprise. His eyes drifted from my face to where I was rubbing at the burn. “Please. If punishment is still part of that equation, that’s fine, I’ll accept it.”
“I can understand needing to see something through.” His head tilted. “What’s going on there?” He gestured to my hand. “Need to see the medics?”
“No sir, I think I have it under control.” As much as one could, anyway.
He cracked another smile, but it faded quickly, his eyes narrowing. “How much more time do you need to complete your errand?”
My heart ached. I’d known my time traveling with Hailon was coming to an end, but I’d never really thought about how quickly it might actually be done. “A few days, maybe a week. But?—”
“I can give you three days. Then we need you here. Nonnegotiable. I don’t want to have to summon you back again, the paperwork is a huge pain in my ass.”
I nodded. I didn’t see another choice, and that should be ample time for us to arrive in Ravenglen. “Sir?—”
“Three days,” he reiterated, pointing at me for emphasis, “then you report back here for reassignment or there will be serious consequences.”
“Understood. But I need to…” My heart stuttered. “Reassignment, sir?”
“Your particular skill set has become obsolete, I’m afraid. We’re going to have to give you a new set of duties. You’re my most reliable prince, Seir. I’m loathe to lose you, but my hands are somewhat tied. Unless you can make an intriguing proposal, your travel talents are no longer needed here in the office. They would, however, be rather useful out in the wastes.”
I stared at him, unable to find words to convey my disappointment. The wastes was, as the name reflected, a place where things were sent in order to do nothing more than decay.
“Respectfully, I’m youronlyprince, sir. My brothers are assigned to other command or are no longer active in Hell. I would like to remain active, but as a significantly less full-time resident.”
