Albert said with a sympathetic stare.
“Why? Because the whole threesome thing can’t work?” I took a gulp of the excellent coffee. “Let me tell you, Al, if the whole threesome thing doesn’t work out, I think you’ll be surprised who gets kicked to the curb. I think Dev and Daniel are much happier with each other than they are with me right now.”
The delicate cup looked fragile in his huge hands, but he held it with the infinite gentleness of one who truly knew his own strength. “Oh, I believe your relationship can work. I just don’t think you’re the same girl who went into the relationship.”
I took a deep breath and couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Maybe I’ve changed, but I did it for them. I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to for the past six months. I’ve tried to be what they need me to be.”
“What if they need you to be Zoey? I’ve talked to my master on several occasions, and I believe he needs you now more than ever. The experiences he had in Las Vegas have put him into a sort of shock. I think it affected all three of you. I believe you are the only one who is strong enough to break the three of you out of the state you find yourselves in.”
“I don’t think they want to be broken out of anything.” It was my greatest fear, that they were truly happy with the status quo and wouldn’t accept anything less than a docile, submissive me. “I think they enjoy the way things are going.”
“Master Daniel does not seem to be enjoying himself,” Albert said, shaking his horns. “And if Master Dev has sought other entertainments on tonight of all nights, he is unhappy as well. He gave you the chain of the goddess, did he not? Have you refused him?”
I touched the gold at my neck, pulling it out from under my shirt and showing it off. “No, I didn’t refuse him. I’ll perform the ritual with him. That’s not what our fight was about. Something happened earlier tonight and they don’t believe me. I was attacked and ended up with a concussion. They preferred to believe I was just drunk. I won’t bore you with the sad details of our fight, but I need some info, and you’re my go-to guy.”
Albert’s eyes went wide. “You were attacked by the demon? Should we place the club in lock-down?”
“It wasn’t Halfer. It was a woman and a bird. The bird was black and it had a…I don’t know what to call it. When it opened its mouth, a long tubular thing came out and it had teeth.”
“Proboscis,” Albert said thoughtfully. “It’s a type of mouth. It elongates and aids the creature in piercing flesh and sucking out the sustenance it needs.”
I shivered and not from the cold. It had been trying to get at my flesh. “Okay, that makes sense. It was going for my middle, which is softer, so it probably eats viscera. Eww. The woman turned into a bat.”
Albert thought for a long moment. “Many hags can shapeshift, and they often have familiars. I would begin the search by looking into this plane’s various witches. I would also check on the corporeal undead. There are several species that might be able to do the things you’ve described.”
“Oh, and it was the weirdest thing.” There was one fact about the creature that stood out. “Her feet were on backward. What was that about?”
A slow smile crossed Albert’s face. “Oh, Zoey. That’s important indeed. What did the bird sound like? Did it sound far away though the creature was close?”
“Yes,” I said, getting excited because it looked like he knew what I was talking about. Maybe I wasn’t going crazy.
“Did it sound like ‘tik-tik’?” Albert asked. I put my forefinger on my nose and pointed at Albert, who laughed. “You certainly can attract the deadliest of creatures. The bird is a familiar to a deeply insidious creature. The female is an aswang. It is an undead creature. It is a long way from home, though. They’re concentrated in the Philippines.”
I shrugged. “Hey, the faeries
“Why? Because the whole threesome thing can’t work?” I took a gulp of the excellent coffee. “Let me tell you, Al, if the whole threesome thing doesn’t work out, I think you’ll be surprised who gets kicked to the curb. I think Dev and Daniel are much happier with each other than they are with me right now.”
The delicate cup looked fragile in his huge hands, but he held it with the infinite gentleness of one who truly knew his own strength. “Oh, I believe your relationship can work. I just don’t think you’re the same girl who went into the relationship.”
I took a deep breath and couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Maybe I’ve changed, but I did it for them. I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to for the past six months. I’ve tried to be what they need me to be.”
“What if they need you to be Zoey? I’ve talked to my master on several occasions, and I believe he needs you now more than ever. The experiences he had in Las Vegas have put him into a sort of shock. I think it affected all three of you. I believe you are the only one who is strong enough to break the three of you out of the state you find yourselves in.”
“I don’t think they want to be broken out of anything.” It was my greatest fear, that they were truly happy with the status quo and wouldn’t accept anything less than a docile, submissive me. “I think they enjoy the way things are going.”
“Master Daniel does not seem to be enjoying himself,” Albert said, shaking his horns. “And if Master Dev has sought other entertainments on tonight of all nights, he is unhappy as well. He gave you the chain of the goddess, did he not? Have you refused him?”
I touched the gold at my neck, pulling it out from under my shirt and showing it off. “No, I didn’t refuse him. I’ll perform the ritual with him. That’s not what our fight was about. Something happened earlier tonight and they don’t believe me. I was attacked and ended up with a concussion. They preferred to believe I was just drunk. I won’t bore you with the sad details of our fight, but I need some info, and you’re my go-to guy.”
Albert’s eyes went wide. “You were attacked by the demon? Should we place the club in lock-down?”
“It wasn’t Halfer. It was a woman and a bird. The bird was black and it had a…I don’t know what to call it. When it opened its mouth, a long tubular thing came out and it had teeth.”
“Proboscis,” Albert said thoughtfully. “It’s a type of mouth. It elongates and aids the creature in piercing flesh and sucking out the sustenance it needs.”
I shivered and not from the cold. It had been trying to get at my flesh. “Okay, that makes sense. It was going for my middle, which is softer, so it probably eats viscera. Eww. The woman turned into a bat.”
Albert thought for a long moment. “Many hags can shapeshift, and they often have familiars. I would begin the search by looking into this plane’s various witches. I would also check on the corporeal undead. There are several species that might be able to do the things you’ve described.”
“Oh, and it was the weirdest thing.” There was one fact about the creature that stood out. “Her feet were on backward. What was that about?”
A slow smile crossed Albert’s face. “Oh, Zoey. That’s important indeed. What did the bird sound like? Did it sound far away though the creature was close?”
“Yes,” I said, getting excited because it looked like he knew what I was talking about. Maybe I wasn’t going crazy.
“Did it sound like ‘tik-tik’?” Albert asked. I put my forefinger on my nose and pointed at Albert, who laughed. “You certainly can attract the deadliest of creatures. The bird is a familiar to a deeply insidious creature. The female is an aswang. It is an undead creature. It is a long way from home, though. They’re concentrated in the Philippines.”
I shrugged. “Hey, the faeries
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