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She placed the brush on the massive dining table that sat in the centre of the kitchen on the right.

Emerie didn’t like tying her hair back, as it often revealed more of her scarring and the hair loss she had around her left ear. However, she wanted it out of the way and in a style that would prevent it from tangling in the future.

Pushing all of it to the left, she plaited it down one side so it flowed over her shoulder and stopped just past her breasts. At the same time, she tried to ignore the five damn stares that were obviously on her as she took in the house once more.

She’d never been inside a home with ceilings over eight feet in height, but with how tall Magnar’s forking antlers made him, it was no guess as to why it was necessary. There was a simple chandelier made of timber, plain but giving plenty of light with its candles.

She drifted her gaze to the right where Delora eventually turned away to work at a cooking hearth, the counter cupboards next to it open and without doors. Directly in front of her was a big fireplace that was lit, giving the area a warm, comforting glow.

There was only one living room chair, but it was plenty big enough to fit a Duskwalker and human on it if they were to sit side by side.

Delora likes to paint,Emerie mused, since every bit of wall had some kind of colourful image or pattern on it.

Well, almost all of them. The one right next to the door on the left was of her, Magnar, and... a tiny Duskwalker? She wasn’t sure since it lacked horns, but she guessed it was a white skull on a human-shaped, black blob.

She didn’t know they could be small.

Against the large dining table that came to her rib height, there were two chairs that were small in their seating bases, but tall enough to allow a human to reach the table’s surface. She figured they were for Delora and Reia, when she was a guest here.

There was a singular bigger one, which she assumed was for Magnar.

However, Reia wasn’t sitting on one of two human-sized chairs. She was curled up on Orpheus’ lap, who had chosen to sit against the wall next to the door – on the other side of the painting.

Delora gestured to one of the available chairs. “Sit. Food will be ready soon.”

She did as she was told, and Ingram was quick to sit by her. She brought up one leg to tuck under her, not wanting it to dangle, but didn’t bring the other up since Ingram had curled his tail tip around her ankle. He was being awfully needy, which was making her bashful about his behaviour.

I don’t want them getting the wrong idea.

It didn’t take a genius to realise Delora and Reia had intimate relationships with their Duskwalkers. She was just going to pretend it didn’t make her extremely uncomfortable.

Not because she was against it, but because she worried they thought she had come here with the intention of building a bond with Ingram. She hadn’t, and she wasn’t so disillusioned to think that just because a human and Duskwalkercouldbe together, it meanttheywould.

They came here for a reason, and Emerie was set on helping. She was temporary. Her reasoning was her own, and a big part of that was the idea of being a plaything between two massive Duskwalkers freaked her the fuck out. Ingram was already too much for her to handle at times, and if Aleron had less humanity than him, she just didn’t see how she’d survive it.

That’s if Ingram was right and he could truly bring him back, which she still didn’t think possible.

She fiddled with her fingers as she turned her gaze down to the table’s surface. She was at least thankful that Magnar had stopped staring at her in curiosity and turned towards Delora.

Ingram was busy darting his skull between everyone with dark-yellow orbs, whereas Orpheus appeared tense with everyone in the room, especially them. Reia was the only one who truly appeared calm.

The silence was uncomfortable.

The only thing that filled it was the crackling from the fireplace and the hearth, as well as the bubbling and sizzling from whatever Delora was cooking. It smelled wonderful, and her stomach instantly grumbled like a ferocious beast.

“What...” Ingram started, indicating with his claws at the space between his short, upward-jutting horns. “What are the flames between your horns and antlers?”

Emerie’s brows instantly furrowed as she bounced her gaze between Orpheus and Magnar. “What flames?” she asked.

“You can’t see them?” Reia asked, one of her blonde brows lifting. When Emerie shook her head, she let out a laugh and turned her face towards Delora. “I guess that answers if humans can see them or not.”

“I had a feeling they wouldn’t be able to,” Delora muttered with her back to them, too busy making sure nothing burned. “I can’t even see the string bonding you two together, only ours, and only Magnar can touch mine. It’s like there are levels to who can see what.”

Was Emerie the only one who was sane, or was she missing something here?

When she brought her eyes back to Reia, the woman had a funny look on her face, like a mix of humour and understanding.

“I guess you can’t see the soul flames between their horns.”