Chapter Fourteen

When the bell on the front door jingled, I turned to find a distressed Tsukiyo moving toward me with long strides. I started to ask him what was wrong but the moment he was close enough, his hands both came up to cup my face. Heat rushed to my face as my father cleared his throat behind Tsukiyo. Oh dear.

“Are you alright, Celia?” Tsukiyo asked in a low, intimate whisper.

“Huh? I’m fine, what—”

“Let me guess, the news is covering Mother’s stunt?” Father asked with a heavy sigh. Tsukiyo stiffened before turning to glance over his shoulder. “Well, I can relax knowing Celia isn’t dating a loser again. I thought I’d come see if she’d found another ‘Andrew,’ and instead she’s caught herself a king? I couldn’t be prouder.”

“Tha-that isn’t, at least I-I don’t think he…” I stuttered before hiding my face in my hands. “Dad, just stop!”

“It’s good to finally meet you, Tsukiyo,” Father continued cheerfully. “I heard all about you from my late wife.”

That snippet startled me. I looked between the two men, no idea what to do. They were on conflicting sides…right?

“What is the Nightingale matriarch planning?” Tsukiyo growled before glancing at the glowing golden servant behind my father. “The Nightingale Family still enslaves Skydwellers?”

“Indeed. Mother never did figure out how to crack open the book of Aloryi.” Father tilted his head and glanced toward me. “I’m so very thankful she never realized your talent, Celia…”

“You two aren’t going to hurt each other, are you?” I looked frantically between Father and Tsukiyo. Regardless of my father’s misinterpretation of my relationship with the Aloryi, I didn’t want to see either of them get hurt.

“Awww, she’s as cute as ever!” The glowing Skydweller behind my father giggled and floated over to pinch my cheeks. “How precious! Of course they won’t, silly goose. You’re all on the same side. Not everyone in the family agrees with the matriarch’s methods, you know.”

“Your stepmother is worried about you. I’ll tell her you’re in good hands.” Father smiled at me before glancing to Tsukiyo and offering him one hand. “Take care of my daughter. If you can do that, then I can focus on rescuing her siblings from their grandmother…”

“Hold on!” I protested when the pair shook hands firmly. “What the hell is going on? Just…”

“Wait until you’re home for that.” David strode over, dragging a woman with dark blue-black hair over. He shot Tsukiyo a foul look before shoving the woman toward him. “And make your sister stop hitting on my customers and employees. I don’t need anyone thinking I’m running another service out of here.”

I shrunk back a little when the woman turned to blow me a kiss. Her facial features had seemed familiar when she arrived in the store a few hours prior, but it hadn’t occurred to me why. With them beside each other though…yes. The nympho was definitely Tsukiyo’s sibling.

“Lylar, you were supposed to be a protector.” Tsukiyo sighed at the flirtatious woman.

“But she’s so scrumptious!” Lylar grinned. “I could show her a whole new— Ow!”

“Try to have some tact when around her father, at least!” Tsukiyo grabbed her by the ear. “Celia, gather your things. I am driving you home.”

“Stay close to Tsukiyo, sweetheart.” Father kissed my forehead before heading toward the door. “I’ll let your stepmother know you’re safe.”

“Wha… Slow down!” I stomped one foot in frustration.

“Just listen.” David shoved my coat, purse, and a bag of food into my arms. “I’ll keep you posted on if it’s safe to come into work. We can’t let that tyrant sink her dentures into you.”

Tsukiyo grabbed me by the arm and dragged me and his sister to his car. He nudged his sister into the back seat before ushering me into the front passenger seat. I obliged him and clutched my belongings in my lap as my brain attempted to catch up to the present.

“You’ll see when we get home,” Tsukiyo interrupted the moment I opened my mouth. “I know I can’t ask you to trust me—so trust your father and David instead.”

“Ugh, but…” I sighed heavily and crossed my arms. “Fine. You’ll explain when we get back?”

“Yes.” Tsukiyo glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Lylar, keep an eye out for sorcerers. I’m not convinced they won’t move into this part of the city next.”

“Sorcerers? Got it.” Lylar cracked her knuckles.

I chewed on my lower lip as Tsukiyo drove through the city and toward my neighborhood. Whatever was going on, the whole city seemed to be in chaos. The various inhumans I’d noticed around the city were being confronted by normal pedestrians. Some of the people fled from them instead, screaming, but most took an oddly aggressive approach.

None of us spoke on the way to my house. I could have cut the tension with a knife. When we arrived, Tsukiyo ushered me into the house and left Lylar to follow at her own pace.

“Sit. Watch. I’ll get you some tea.” Tsukiyo shooed me toward the couch before disappearing into the kitchen.

I plopped down on the sofa with a huff and begrudgingly turned on the TV. Being ordered around in my own home after being dragged away from work wasn’t exactly a welcome experience. If it weren’t for how worried Tsukiyo had seemed, I would have refused to oblige.

The news flickered on and I stared at the screen, stunned. Dozens of cornered “demons” were being converted into multicolored energy and sealed into books, talismans, and other trinkets. People wearing uniforms emblazoned with the Nightingale Crest had corralled the demons into a tight, gloomy space they couldn’t flee from. It looked like one of the dirtier areas by the city’s warehouse district or port.

It was like watching a firing squad, except they were being bound to an eternity of slavery instead of dying.

Death would have been a mercy.

My stomach twisted, and tears stung my eyes. How could anyone do that to other living beings? Why did it have to be my family that was involved?

“I-I’m going to be sick.” I darted past Tsukiyo and his sister, fleeing for the main floor bathroom. There, I dropped to the floor by the toilet, retching. Awful. Truly, truly awful. People had fought so hard for human rights, yet it seemed like everyone was cheering for the demons and Skydwellers to lose everything.

Once I could no longer vomit, I cleaned my mouth out, dried my face, and attempted to compose myself in the mirror. It was horrible, certainly, but I didn’t understand why Tsukiyo had sought me out after seeing what was happening. I wanted to know why.

“Shouldn’t…shouldn’t you be in the Underrealm, figuring out what to do?” I asked quietly when I returned to the living room.

Tsukiyo looked over at me, his expression unreadable. “I… Don’t let me keep you from figuring out how to rescue them.”

“I want to make sure you’re safe too.” Tsukiyo offered me a cup of tea, a small smile spreading across his lips when I accepted it.

“Besides, you’re forgetting something important—you were able to free me and others from that book. That means you’re capable of helping us free the poor bastards that are being captured en masse.”

“Oh… Right.” I pursed my lips. That was definitely a good reason for him to want to keep me safe. I was useful to him. But…what would happen if I stopped being useful? I examined him out if the corner of my eyes. My gut told me he wasn’t the sort to throw people away. That maybe I should take a chance and trust him. I released a low sigh. “I’ll help if I can. I just don’t want to get in your way or slow you down. You seem fairly calm now, but…this is a crisis, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but we have to approach it carefully.” Tsukiyo glanced toward his sister. “What do you think? Should we bring Celia to the Underrealm?”

“Now? Hell no!” Lylar shook her head.

“Everyone will freak out if we bring her there, doesn’t matter if the Nightingales disowned her or if she saved you. They’ll wanna hold her responsible for all…this. Better off letting her stay here with a guard or two.”

“Then I’ll—” Tsukiyo began.

Lylar stomped one foot and shushed him. “No, no you won’t! She’s right that you have work to do in the Underrealm! Mayar can handle things here. If you must interfere, come back later when you’re done with your duties.”

“I…suppose you have a point.” Tsukiyo sighed and rose to his feet. When he turned to look at me, it was with a softer expression. “I’ll come back later to make sure you’re still safe. Thank you for the breakfast, it was delicious.”

Before I could answer, he was gone. I stared blankly at the spot he’d been standing in.

Tsukiyo liked my cooking?