Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Chapter 234

"But you’re right, you have no way to pay them." She went on, looking thoughtful.

Dulce’s life was far from finite, regardless of whether his heart beat or not, he lacked the vitality humans possessed.

"So how do you propose I get rid of them?" Dulce sat up, relieved to have someone trustworthy to discuss the matter with.

"You were very open about your inability to pay with your soul so perhaps offering a different method of payment might suffice."

Dulce kept a poker face at her words, a faint flush staining his face. To think that unaware, he had eagerly bound himself to four different Demons in search of an immortal dog... how foolish.

"What other method of payment would you suggest?" He asked stiffly.

Moira scratched her head, thinking deeply. "You summoned Demons for company, right? And you asked nothing else of them, maybe returning their company for the same period of time may balance things out." She skillfully concocted a shaky solution.

Dulce actually considered it, unfamiliar with resolving problems amicably. "Would that actually work?"

Moira shrugged, "You can only try."

Dulce was still skeptical, "But the payment is no different than the service."

"Perhaps. You could also offer gold, a favor, loyalty...."

"I doubt they have any use for gold and the other options are unsavory." He cut her off, disgruntled.

Moira paused for a moment, realizing that she was hearing Dulce express emotions for the first time. It wasn’t that the Vampire was too gentle to do so before but simply that he completely lacked them.

She laughed then, her eyes sparkling, "In that case, give this offer a try and see if it works."

Dulce reluctantly rose to his feet, there was little else to do but that. "Would you like to attend the western magical institution?" He asked.

Moira instinctively rose to her feet as well, caught off guard. "I can’t cast spells."

"That is irrelevant." Dulce said calmly.

Moira couldn’t help but feel the hair on her neck stand on edge, Dulce treated her no differently even though he was more expressive now, but there was a danger in his cold eyes that unsettled her.

"The institution would disagree."

Dulce didn’t go into details, wanting to spare the witch the goriness of it. "I’ll take that as an affirmation." He said, heading for the exit.

Moira was speechless, not quite sure how he planned to achieve that if he couldn’t even get in as a spellcaster.

"Find out more about Hellhound mating bites after you’re enrolled in the academy." Dulce said to her, leaving for the main shop.

"Dulce! Wait-" Moira hurried after him.

The sight of Eustace up ahead derailed the conversation. The old wizard was bent over his staff, glaring at a spot in the store while he stood safely in the hallway.

"Did you come with a Demon?" Moira whispered as they closed the distance.

Dulce didn’t bother denying, not really surprised to find out that he had been trailed. "It’s likely." He said flatly, walking into the shop at the same time that Asael turned around.

The Shadow Demon was composed like his unexpected appearance wasn’t a surprise, a book in his hand. He stood in front of a shelf, his white hair bound back.

Eustace had no quips about Asael’s presence, instead, he stared at Dulce with something akin to terror, hastily taking his leave.

"Will you stubbornly insist on running back to the cottage?" Asael dropped the book he had been browsing, going over.

Dulce’s eyes darkened, "How did you know where I was?" He asked a question in turn.

Moira took a few steps back, not wanting to be burned by the sparks flying off the friction between them. "Come visit again, Dulce." She said sweetly, taking a few more steps back.

Asael shot her a cold look, realizing that nothing had changed in Dulce’s relationship with the human witch.

"Let’s go." Dulce walked past him, the implications of his words clear.

Asael went after him, warping the Vampire away with him. They appeared in the leisure room, Caedos and Kath’tan surprisingly seated in the room.

"Not leaving anymore?" Asael asked, keeping him close.

Dulce didn’t try to pull away, a little queasy. The arm around his waist was what kept him upright as the room spun around him a few times. "I have a proposition."

Their sudden return already caught the other Demons’ attention, now, Dulce’s words made them tense up.

Asael’s eyes were tainted black, irked by the Vampire’s favorability for a certain human witch. "Tell me."

Dulce forced down the demand to be let go off, still wary of stumbling. "I have no soul and you have no use for gold, so I can only repay your company in kind."

Asael listened quietly, his eyes darkening. They had all been willing to keep the Vampire company without his soul to begin with, it stung to hear him refer to it so dismissively.

"How so?"

Dulce stepped back now, putting distance between them. "I’ll accompany you for the same amount of time that you did me." He said haughtily, his silver blue eyes cold.

Asael’s expression didn’t change but his eyes lightened, a curious light in his gray eyes. "Alright." He agreed instantly.

Kath’tan and Caedos shot to their feet at that, visibly disagreeing with Asael’s words even if they didn’t verbalize it.

Dulce’s eyes widened a fraction, he hadn’t expected them to agree with that method of repayment, he didn’t quite know how to feel about it. "Very well," He said calmly.

"You agree to return our company as we did you?" Asael repeated. It almost sounded like there was laughter in his voice as he did, the ghost of a smile slanting his lips.

Dulce narrowed his eyes at the odd line of questioning, his suspicions raised. He considered the offer again, wondering if there was something crucial he missed.

He could tolerate living in the cottage with them for another four seasons, and afterward, they could be rid of each other without any lingering resentment. But it was only if they didn’t insist on treating him like they did his heartless shell.

Otherwise, he would be rid of them immediately instead of going through the effort of accompanying them for another year.

He scoffed, displeased that he had been disquieted over something so inconsequential. "I already said I would."

"Asael," Kath’tan called coldly.

"Naturally that includes the services we provided you," Asael went on, ignoring the glares boring through his back. "We were bound to you, so you have to bind yourself to us." He leaned forward, the wicked smile on his face unmistakable now. "We were in intimate relationships with you, so you will do the same."

"Don’t overstep." Dulce bit out, a red glint in his silver blue eyes.

"On the contrary, I’m only repeating your words back to you." The Shadow Demon straightened up. "You agreed to return our company as we did you." He repeated once more.

Dulce felt a chill down his back, he had agreed to returning their company as they did him. Denying it now would be going back on his word.

His gaze cooled, he didn’t care much about rebinding their contracts or rekindling their intimate relationship, as long as they would equally keep to their word when the time was up.

"That I did." He said in a steady voice, his eyes proud. With that, he left the room in a blur of gold and dark clothes.

It was already well into the afternoon, it was a sunny spring day, the meadow coming alive with insects and birds.

He walked into a room carrying a woven basket filled with mortifyingly familiar items. He worked swiftly, drawing a summoning spell to bind all four Demons.

The sigils were neatly done, almost worthy of Moira’s capabilities. Burning candles lit his room up, filling it with incense. He lit up the last candle and prepared the silver dagger.

His sleeves were unbuttoned, revealing his pale, slender wrists. He lifted a hand over the final candle, slashing his wrist open. Blood spilled down, painting the pale skin red, it stained the tips of his sleeve, staining the dark red black.

The blood dropped off his fingers into the burning flame, which immediately grew in size, its color a blinding gold. The sigils glowed immediately, golden light filling the room.

When the blinding light died down, Dulce was still alone in his room, but in the little cottage at the edge of a meadow, four Demons felt a summoning contract bind to them.

He fought the urge to roll his eyes when even though he specifically didn’t summon them to his side, they still appeared any way, all four wearing matching expressions of surprise.

He turned away from them only to walk right into Ruoxi who suddenly warped in front of him, snaking an arm around his waist.

"If I remember correctly, we had another arrangement. You were to accompany us, night after night." The Incubus’ voice was low, and a faint scent of lotus clung to his skin. "And last night was Caedos..."