Chapter 35
The first thing that came to mind when she thought of a creature without a heart was a jellyfish. And since he had plenty of tentacles, she felt sure that must be the answer.
But the look of incredulity on his face quickly told her she was completely wrong.
“If you’re not a jellyfish, then… what are you?”
“If you know my name, why are you asking who I am?”
She almost nodded along—Good point—but forced herself to stay alert. Fay did her best to hide the fact that she’d only called his name by accident.
The only reason this overpowered invoked had agreed to a contract with her was because she knew his true name. If he realized she had no idea what he actually was, she didn’t even want to imagine what he’d do.
“I—I only know your name, that’s all!”
It was cowardly, but she took the excuse.
“It’s common for witches to summon beings they know nothing about… Well, at least it was for me. I put a lot of stock in first impressions!”
The more she rambled, the narrower Alnazir’s eyes became. That probably just made her look even more suspicious. Fay’s nerves got the best of her and her words grew more jumbled.
“I-I mean, if you know too much about someone beforehand, it might ruin the excitement, right?”
“Hmm. So what’s your impression?”
Alnazir stared at her for a moment, then shrugged.
“My what?”
“That impression you said was so important.”
“Oh, that. Well, honestly, you were much…”
Much scarier than I expected. I still break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. She bit back the real thought and forced a nervous smile, licking her dry lips.
“You were huge—not so much now, but back then, you were at least a head and a half taller than me. Still are, actually, just not quite as big as before.”
“That’s because you’re small.”
Alnazir’s curt reply was clearly not what she wanted to hear. Fay actually felt a real bead of cold sweat slide down her back.
“And you had so many tentacles…”
“I only have five.”
“Well, I don’t even have one!”
“So I was just big and had a lot of tentacles? That’s it?”
He sounded disappointed, and Fay grew more anxious.
“Your eyes! I thought your eyes sparkled—like, really shone.”
Almost unnervingly so.
But this time, he seemed pleased with her answer about his eyes; his gaze softened.
“And… I thought you were very handsome. Shockingly handsome, actually.”
“So it’s all just about looks, huh.”
“W-well, first impressions are usually about appearance.”
Fay quickly made an excuse.
Alnazir stared at her quietly, then started nibbling on her tense lips, as if urging her to open up. Fay kept her mouth firmly closed.
Unfortunately for her, he’d already learned how to break through her defenses. He lifted her onto his lap and whispered in her ear,
“I want to kiss you. Open up.”
He applied just enough pressure with his voice to get her to listen without pushing her heart too far. Her defenses collapsed and Fay parted her lips, sticking out her tongue.
The wet, messy sound of their tongues mingling grew louder and louder until she was gasping for air, not even getting a chance to catch her breath as he chased her every time she tried. Saliva dripped down her chin.
Alnazir always thought it was a waste, the way her sweet drool would trickle away. So he let her go for just a second, licked her chin, and then trailed his tongue down her neck.
“I—I just remembered I have something to do!”
Fay blurted out, looking like she was going to die
“You have something to do right now.”
“No, I mean the tub! I have to fix your precious sleeping spot!”
His tongue stopped at her neck.
“I thought you couldn’t fix it?”
“I can! I’ll do it, I promise!”
Desperation gave her courage and conviction. If she didn’t act confident, she was sure she’d be eaten alive—figuratively or literally.
He seemed to consider for a moment, then pressed his lips hard to her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. Fay bit her lip and endured it.
At last, Alnazir let go, leaving a red mark on her neck.
You know what’ll happen if you can’t fix it, right?
His eyes seemed to say it all, making Fay shudder. Forcing her tired legs to move, she headed to the bathroom and sat in front of the broken tub. Taking a deep breath, she drew her wand and began to chant slowly.
The first try, the tub still leaked a little. But by the second, third, and finally fourth attempt, she managed to repair it completely—without a single drop of water leaking out.
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