Page 28 of The Demon Court

“There are many of us, yes.” It bobbed again in front of her, although this time it looked a little more like a nod than anger. “You’ve never met one of us before?”

“No.”

It giggled. “Yes you have!”

She definitely hadn’t. Selene didn’t think there were any creatures like this in the Tower, and she’d never come across one in person. She’d have remembered smoke talking to her like a person.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, then gestured around them. “This isn’t a place for spirits of affection. I imagine there’s very little of that in the castle.”

Although her words may have stung, the little spirit only sighed. “I know. It’s so hard to live here sometimes when people are so fleeting. But I do so feel that it’s the place to be. Does that make sense?”

Not at all. But Selene didn’t want to hurt the little one’s feelings anymore. For some reason, she was rather fond of this spirit already. It was an innocent beacon of light in an otherwise dark place.

She turned her hand palm up. “You were worried that I wasn’t going to the party?”

“Well, it was prepared for you.” The spirit coiled up in her palm, anchoring itself with tendrils that wrapped around her wrist, and sighed. “Oh, so much affection. Who is Ursula?”

She stiffened. “Can you read my memories?”

“A little.”

“Please don’t.”

It hummed, paused, and then said, “Too late. She’s quite lovely.”

And just like that, tears burned in Selene’s eyes. She hadn’t wanted to get homesick this early. But being away from her family already toyed with her emotions. “She is.”

“I didn’t mean to make you sad!” The little spirit patted her arm restlessly, looking around the room for something to help. “Make it come back, please. Don’t let you missing her make the affection go away. It’s not nice anymore.”

Sighing, Selene shook her head. “It’s hard to not let those emotions get out of control. Why don’t we go see what is happening in that party and that will help distract me?”

“It will!” The spirit bobbed up and down in her hand as Selene got to her feet and left her bedroom.

She hadn’t explored the castle much. She’d been terrified and shut up in her room, away from everyone. Though she told herself it was to hide herself away for a better plan, Selene knew she was just hiding. It was so different here. So vibrant. All those colors almost hurt her eyes.

And then she was meant to gather information, but from who? From where? She glanced down at the mist pooled in her palm and wondered if she was heartless enough to use this little being. Surely the creature knew the secrets of this castle and its king. More than anyone else, perhaps.

The spirit was all too happy to play her guide, and it directed her through the halls with ease. Selene’s gut twisted as she asked questions, knowing that the spirit couldn’t guess her deception.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked as they turned yet another corner in the labyrinth of this place.

“Something like six hundred years.”

Selene paused in her walk and then blinked. “Six hundred?”

“I’m very young for a spirit to have even this corporeal form.” It bobbed again, almost as though agreeing with her shock. “Some spirits just get lucky. Like myself.”

“Six hundred years old,” she repeated and then shook her head. “How marvelous. And what do you like to be called?”

“Affection.”

“Yes, I know that’s what you’re the spirit of, but what is your name?”

“Affection. It is my name and the emotion that I came from.”

A thought bubbled into her mind and she flinched. She didn’t want to ask it, but the words were already out of her mouth before she could control them. “Then is Lust...”

“Similar to me, yes. He was once just like me, in fact.” Affection sighed happily. “Someday, I wish to take a mortal form like him. I think feeling affection in that form would be much stronger. Is it?”

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