Chapter 46: I Made a Dangerous Deal With Lira to Protect Yuki

Adrián turned around very slowly.

Lira Vex stood six feet behind him.

On the sidewalk.

In broad daylight.

No disguise.

No illusion.

Wearing her black-and-violet modernized kimono, impossibly high heels, and with her extremely long black hair falling down her back.

Her dark violet eyes were fixed on him.

That same serene smile rested on her lips.

The pedestrians walking past didn’t even look at her.

Adrián noticed that.

He noticed Lira was using some kind of passive manipulation to keep the humans around them from registering her presence.

He also noticed that she had probably been standing there much longer than he wanted to find out.

"...Lira."

"Darling~"

"..."

"What a lovely kiss."

"..."

"And what a lovely girl."

Lira tilted her head.

"Tiny. Resourceful. Very shy."

Her smile widened slightly.

"Very much in love."

A pause.

"Almost as much as you are, darling. Though you only figured that out today, didn’t you?"

Adrián clenched his fists.

Lira’s head tilted the other way.

Her smile grew by the smallest amount.

"Oh, darling. Don’t be angry."

Her voice remained gentle.

"I’m not here to hurt her."

"Or you."

"I’m here because Rhea sent search teams out after she discovered you escaped."

She tapped one finger against her cheek.

"And I happened to know where you would be."

"...How did you know?"

"Darling, I have my methods."

"Don’t worry about that right now."

"Lira."

"Yes, darling?"

"Was it you?"

Lira blinked.

"Was I what?"

"The one following Yuki."

Adrián held her gaze.

"For the last three days."

Lira blinked again.

It was the most human reaction Adrián had ever seen from her.

A tiny flash of genuine surprise.

"...Darling."

"Answer me."

"No."

Adrián said nothing.

"Darling, I did not follow her."

Lira’s smile disappeared almost completely.

"I swear."

"I saw her from a distance yesterday."

"Once."

"I didn’t follow her."

"I didn’t scare her."

"I never came within two blocks of her."

"..."

"And this isn’t a joke, darling."

Her voice was serious now.

"I am interested in her for reasons you’re probably going to hate later, but that interest does not include frightening her."

"Quite the opposite."

Lira’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"I want her calm."

"I want her available."

"I want her thinking about you."

A faint smile returned.

"Not about strange shadows."

"...What does that mean?"

"Darling."

She lifted one finger.

"Focus."

"That isn’t the urgent problem right now."

"The urgent problem is that if Yuki says someone is following her..."

A pause.

"...and it isn’t me..."

Her expression sharpened.

"...then it’s someone else."

Adrián felt his stomach tighten.

"And I have three theories about who it could be."

"Tell me."

"One."

Lira raised a finger.

"A Fallen."

"Most likely someone from the Corvax Order."

Adrián went still.

"Possibly Sariel herself, though I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Sariel is too professional to let herself be seen."

Lira’s expression became thoughtful.

"And officially, she’s still reported as out of operation."

"More likely, it’s one of her subordinates."

"A low-ranking member sent to watch people close to Adrián Vega now that Adrián Vega has become interesting."

"..."

"Two."

A second finger.

"Another demon House."

"After yesterday’s pulse, any of the three Houses that contacted us could have sent scouts to map out your environment."

Her eyes remained fixed on him.

"Yuki is an obvious target."

"Childhood friend."

"Human."

"Vulnerable."

Lira smiled faintly.

"If you want leverage over Adrián Vega..."

A pause.

"...you squeeze Yuki."

Adrián’s jaw tightened.

"..."

"Three."

Lira lowered her hand.

"And this is the possibility I like the least."

"Someone from our own House who doesn’t report directly to Rhea."

Adrián frowned.

"Someone with their own agenda."

"Kael, probably."

Adrián stared at her.

"Or one of the lesser familiars being manipulated by Kael."

"Kael doesn’t trust you."

"And he probably has his own ideas about how you should be handled."

"...Kael wouldn’t do that to me."

"Darling."

Lira’s voice softened.

"Kael wouldn’t do anything to you directly."

"He shoved you during a meeting."

She shrugged.

"But sending a subordinate to watch Yuki so he has information he can use as leverage over you?"

Her violet eyes narrowed.

"That he is capable of."

Adrián dragged a hand down his face.

"Fuck."

"Yes, darling."

"Lira."

"Yes?"

"I need you to protect her."

Lira looked at him.

Very carefully.

Serene smile.

Dark violet eyes perfectly calm.

"Darling."

"I don’t protect humans for free."

"You know that."

"Ask me for whatever you want."

Lira went silent.

"..."

"Lira."

Adrián held her gaze.

"Whatever you want."

"I mean it."

Lira tilted her head.

Her smile widened.

"Darling."

Her voice became almost amused.

"How dangerous you are when you say things like that."

Adrián frowned.

"You do remember that noble cards are creatures of bargains, don’t you?"

She stepped slightly closer.

"Never offer ’whatever you want’ without setting limits."

"Any other House would have you signing away your soul right now."

"Ask for whatever you want that I can actually give you."

Lira smiled.

"Good."

A nod.

"Correction accepted."

"Much better."

She took two steps toward him.

Adrián didn’t move.

Now she was close enough that the scent of jasmine reached him again—

exactly as strong as it always became whenever Lira stepped too far into his personal space.

"Darling."

Her voice became quiet.

"I will protect your Yuki."

Adrián’s expression changed.

"I will personally make sure no Fallen, no demon, and no lesser familiar working for Kael gets within five blocks of her."

"I will do that starting today."

"And I will continue until Rhea decides the situation is under control."

Adrián breathed out.

"Thank you."

"Don’t thank me yet."

Lira smiled.

"The price is high."

Adrián’s shoulders tensed.

"What is it?"

"One."

She raised a finger.

"Someday in the future, I will ask you for a favor."

Adrián stared at her.

"It doesn’t matter when."

"It doesn’t matter what."

"When I ask..."

Her smile disappeared.

"...you do it."

"No questions."

"No negotiation."

"One favor."

"Only one."

"To be defined by me whenever I decide to collect."

Adrián breathed.

He knew this would hurt eventually.

He knew Lira was dangerous.

He knew agreeing to an open-ended favor owed to a noble card was almost certainly one of the worst ideas anyone could have in the demonic world.

But he also knew Yuki was in danger.

Now.

Real danger.

Confirmed by Yuki herself.

"Okay."

Lira watched him.

"I accept."

"Good."

She raised a second finger.

"Two."

Adrián immediately became suspicious.

"..."

"When I eventually introduce myself to Yuki officially—with your permission—you will not make a scene."

Adrián’s eyes narrowed.

"You will not ask why I know her."

"You will not interfere with how I choose to build my relationship with her."

A pause.

"Blind trust until I decide to explain the details."

Something cold moved through Adrián’s chest again.

"...You already know her?"

"No, darling."

Lira smiled.

"Not yet."

"..."

"Yet."

She let the word sit there.

"But eventually, I will."

"It’s unavoidable given the situation."

"And I would rather do it with your permission beforehand than behind your back."

"..."

"Do you accept?"

Adrián thought.

Fast.

About Yuki.

About the weird cold she had felt for three days.

About the tall shadow with long black hair she had caught glimpses of.

About Sariel.

Uriel.

Kael.

The three Houses that had contacted Alastor yesterday.

"I accept."

"Good."

Lira extended her right hand.

Adrián took it.

At the exact moment their hands touched, Lira’s palm flashed with a faint violet glow.

Adrián felt something.

Not quite a magical contract.

But dangerously close.

A vibration between their palms.

A small invisible weight settling somewhere inside his chest.

The very specific sensation of having signed something he hadn’t been allowed to read.

"Deal sealed, darling."

"..."

"Come."

Lira released his hand.

"Rhea is waiting for you."

They started walking down the sidewalk toward Silvano’s car.

Lira walked on his left.

Very close.

With her usual liquid grace.

And not a single pedestrian looked at her.

"Lira."

"Yes, darling?"

"Is Rhea going to kill me?"

"Yes."

Adrián looked at her.

"..."

"But not literally."

Lira smiled.

"Symbolically."

"She’s furious."

"She’s going to yell at you."

"She’ll throw things."

"Silvano will try to defend you, and then she’ll yell at him too."

Her smile widened.

"It’s going to be quite a show."

"Ishtar will probably record it on her phone."

"...Great."

"Yes, darling."

Lira sounded genuinely pleased.

"That’s the advantage of having a mistress with a strong personality."

"They’re never boring."

"..."

They reached the car.

Adrián pulled out the keys.

Lira remained standing on the sidewalk, watching him.

"Darling."

"Yeah, Lira?"

"Before you go."

She lifted one finger.

"Some advice."

"No additional charge."

"A gift from the House."

"Okay."

"Yuki is stronger than she looks."

Adrián frowned.

"Much stronger."

"So much so that one day, you’re probably going to discover you’ve underestimated her your entire life."

Her eyes gleamed.

"And that realization is going to be uncomfortable for you."

Adrián stared at her.

"...What does that mean?"

"Nothing specific."

She gave an elegant shrug.

"Just a general observation."

"Humans who attract Relic bearers like you are rarely ordinary humans themselves."

A pause.

"The universe is not that random."

"..."

"Good luck with Rhea, darling."

She gave him one final smile.

And disappeared.

No effect.

No flash.

No visible illusion.

One moment, she was standing on the sidewalk.

The next—

she wasn’t.

Adrián stood there with Silvano’s car keys in his hand.

He looked at the spot where Lira had been.

Then toward the avenue where Yuki’s cab had disappeared five minutes earlier.

Then up at the sky.

"Okay. Recap."

"One: I kissed Yuki. Yuki kissed me back. Yuki said she needs space, but she also said it’s going to happen again."

"Two: someone is following Yuki. It isn’t Lira. It could be Sariel, another House, or Kael."

"Three: I just made an open-ended deal with Lira that is going to cost me something undefined at some point in the future."

"Four: Lira just told me Yuki is ’stronger than she looks.’"

"Five: Rhea is going to symbolically murder me in approximately forty minutes."

"Six: I’m an idiot."

"Seven: I’m an idiot, but I kissed Yuki."

"Eight: it was a good kiss."

"Nine: it was an incredible kiss."

"Ten: shut up, Adrián."

He dragged a hand down his face.

Got into Silvano’s car.

Started the engine.

And as he pulled away, he caught something in the rearview mirror.

For half a second.

So briefly that afterward, he wasn’t sure whether he had imagined it.

A tall figure standing on the roof of a building across the avenue.

Extremely long black hair.

And what looked like—

two pairs of wings folded against her back.

Sariel.

Adrián slammed on the brakes.

Turned his head.

Looked directly at the rooftop.

Nobody was there.

"..."

He stared at the empty roof for several seconds.

Then started driving again.

Back toward the Alastor building.

With the very specific feeling of a man who had left three things far more important than he had planned behind him in the last two hours—

and who was now going to have to explain all three to a woman with wine and a very bad temper.