Instinctively, Keshiema went to her dorm room. It still felt like home. "Thank goodness," she sighed as she plopped down on her neatly made bed. She had missed her blankets and pillows. The ones in the Great Temple did not have the right feel to them.

  The kiss raced through her mind, and her hair and eyes returned to coral again. "Gah!" She screamed into her pillow. 'How was my first kiss a power transfer?!' She yawned, unable to fight her heavy eyelids.

  ***

  Keshiema fell into the abyss. Down, down, down. A violent draft picked her up, throwing her up again before letting her fall once more. This time, the fall was short. THUD! She crashed into the ground with a force so great a crater formed from the impact.

  Her head throbbed and warm blood trickled down her face. Icy water seeped into the crater. She fell to her knees, dizzy from the injury, struggling to breathe as the freezing water reached her chest. The water continued to rise and she lost her footing. Her arms and legs ached as she fought to stay afloat.

  The ground rumbled, shaking violently, tossing the water and creating waves that threatened to push her down. With a violent thunder, the ground ripped itself apart, spilling the icy water and sending her falling once more. POOF! She landed in a soft, pillowy pile of fine powdered sand. Soaked to the bone from the crater-turned-lake, she found the sand sticking to her entire being.

  A fire flickered in the distance, the only light within the void. She shivered, craving the warmth of the delicate flame. Rising to her feet, she marched toward the blaze, praying to reach it before she froze.

  When she reached the small fire, it jumped into her arms and spun itself around her, burning the sand and evaporating the water without harming her in the least. Slowly, the flame faded, but it's warmth stayed deep within her soul. When the last of the fire's light finally dissipated, she noticed something else.

  Magenta crystals filled the cavern, glowing in the darkness. The same fine sand cushioned Keshiema's feet as she walked, following the trail of crystals through an endless maze of tunnels. The crystals grew brighter the farther into the void she wandered, until she came to a giant crystal with a dark shadow inside. She approached slowly, cautiously, trying to get a better view of the shadow. "Stop!" a woman's voice filled the room. She froze in place. "It is not yet time. We will meet when you are ready."

  ***

  Dásos looked at the two vials, moving them so that the thick crimson inside sloshed around. Demon blood was a powerful substance. When taken by force, there were plenty of possibilities. When given by choice, however, the spells and incantations were nearly limitless. His mouth watered again as he thought of Keshiema's essence, the soft, almost familiar scent of lilacs with a hint of smoky embers.

  The sweet taste of her lips still lingered on his. He told himself it was just her unique aura that was messing with his head, but he was still having a hard time denying the spark of electricity and the sudden surge of warmth he had felt during the spell.

  A mild tremor disturbed the air. As he closed his hand into a fist, the vials disappeared. Dásos knew the coming presence all too well. The head of Adramelech's Secret Police was a master of shifting not only his body but is aura as well. Demons and other higher entities knew the truth, but could do nothing to shield themselves from his trickery. Dásos was perhaps the only exception. Blood, after all, was a terribly powerful substance. "Nergal," Dásos greeted as he turned around. "What a surprise."

  "Had I known what you were going to do with my blood, I'd have never agreed," Nergal shook his head.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Is that what you tell yourself?" Dásos mocked the demon.

  "More or less." Nergal shrugged. "Speaking of blood," he looked into Dásos's eyes with scrutiny. "Have you got it yet? I can feel her aura lingering."

  "Nergal," Dásos tsked, "this type of thing takes time. I'm sure a denial to my request would put a damper on your plans. And you don't want that." Dásos was careful not to lie. His practice at not lying gave the words a convincingly smooth touch. "What are your plans, exactly?"

  "Time is running out, my friend, please don't make me wait too long." Nergal dissipated in a haze of black smoke, leaving his words to linger in the air with Keshiema's fading aura.

  'What does ?ther see in him?' Dásos pondered. He sat staring at the empty spot on his bookshelf. Something ached in his chest. He had done so much lately that was unlike him: Giving away one of his books, letting his bloodlust get the better of him, loaning a demon one of his most powerful magic skills. He wondered what it was about the woman that intrigued him so. He even permitted her to use his true name. And yet she insisted on not using it. "I shouldn't have even told her the other names." He pouted.

  "Phorest," a voice softly floated around him. "you need to get some fresh air."

  The spirit that haunted the old library loved to have company, so any time she wanted to send him away, he listened. "Alright, Wisp, I'll go."

  ***

  Rejuvenated from her nap, Keshiema sat on her bed holding the book. It had a light scent, musky, with a hint of oak and moss. It was an enticing aroma, a gift to her senses. The power Dásos had loaned her frightened her as much as it excited her. She touched her lips and blushed. Humans called it a kiss. While it was much less significant than that, in the same instance, it was much, much more. "You've never kissed anyone before." She told herself. Does this count?" she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "You're overthinking it. It wasn't a kiss. It was an energy transfer."

  A light tapping caused her to jump. She turned to see Dásos perched on her balcony with a sly smile on his face. Setting the book on the desk, she opened the sliding door and let her questioning gaze do all of the talking.

  "I was hoping you'd like to...what is that?" he pointed to her star.

  "Um, my Friskalian mark." She gestured for him to come inside, closing the slider behind him.

  "The mark of protection, eyes and hair that change color with your emotions..." he studied her face but kept his thoughts hidden behind a stoic expression.

  "Can I help you?" she sneered when he leaned in a bit too close, tempting her to close the gap. 'stop that!' she chided herself.

  Taking the hint, he backed up, but continued to look her over carefully. "What other powers do you have, aside from the healing?"

  "Speed and telepathy. I can also hear better than most." She wondered what he was thinking.

  "I see." He spied the book he had given her sitting on the desk. He picked it up, accidentally taking her dream journal with it. His eyes glowed for a brief moment before he set the books back down. "Anyways," he shook his head. "I wanted to know if you'd like to hang out?"

  "What is it you're planning on doing? Everything on campus is closed this time of night."

  "I wasn't planning to stay on campus." His smile was charming, but she had to refuse.

  "Sorry, I can't leave." she said, the disappointment evident in her eyes.

  "what do you mean? Everyone can leave."

  She wanted to tell him about her situation with the Elders, but she knew better than to trust anyone with that information, let alone someone she barely knew. She had not even told Cresil. "I just can't, and the guards are very aware of that."

  "Hmm." he smiled again. "You let me worry about the guards."

  "I can't, I'm not -"

  "you don't break many rules, do you?" he cut her off.

  "I'm a half-blood, I try to blend in as much as possible."

  His eyes bored into hers, and he said with seriousness that unnerved her, "Your heritage is not something you should be trying to hide."

  "Let's not talk about it." She lowered her gaze to the floor, too intimidated to keep eye contact.

  It took him a few seconds to respond. "Alright," he put his hands up, "consider the subject dropped. So are you coming with me or not?"

  She knew the Elders would be extremely angry with her if they were caught. But she desperately needed an escape right now. Between Cresil leaving, the min-trip trainings, and the nonstop attacks any time she went anywhere on campus, she was worn thin. 'What can they do to me, though?' she thought, 'They already promised not to hurt me...but what if they hurt him?'

  "I don't want you to get punished for my misbehavior." She finally told him.

  "So you're orders come straight from the Elders then." It was not a question, "I'm not afraid of them. And I can assure you, it's for good reason. If they catch wind of our little vacation, I will take all of the responsibility."

  He seemed genuinely unafraid of the mighty demon pinces, and she thought he must be extremely powerful or extremely insane. "Alright, I'll come with you." She relented, unable to resist the temptation of a relaxing night away. Dásos's smile returned as Keshiema took his hand.