"Wow, kid, I can't believe you moved that big tree all by yourself!" an old man said in disbelief as he stared at the cleared yard where a fallen trunk once lay.
"It wasn't as heavy as it looked, Mr. Jeff." Lucian straightened, wiping sweat from his brow. "I can come back tomorrow to help repair the chicken coop and get rid of the stump if you need."
The old man laughed. "Oh, you don't have to do all that!" He raised an eyebrow, grinning. "But… I do need the help. Not as young as I used to be."
"Dad, I brought drinks for you and Lulu!" Bell called, running out the back door with two glasses.
"Oh, thanks, sweetie. Right on time," Jeff said, taking one from her.
Bell handed the other to Lucian. "Thanks," he said, sipping. The milk was oddly refreshing.
"Dear, could you come help me with the oven again? I can't seem to light it with the matches," an older woman called from inside. She looked exactly like an older Bell, cow ears and all.
Jeff sighed, leaning his axe against the chicken coop. "Best I go help the old ball and chain. Thanks for all the help, Lucian. If you want, stick around for dinner. Bessy makes a meannn gumbo!" He gave his hips a little shake as he went inside.
Jeff and his wife disappeared, leaving Bell and Lucian alone. Bell just stared at him with a smile.
Lucian cleared his throat, a little creeped out. "Your parents seem nice. Are they originally from here?" He sat on the stump, taking another sip of milk.
Bell smiled warmly. "My dad's from the human kingdom. He met my mom on a business trip to the beastfolk kingdom, and they fell in love. Since it's illegal to marry anyone but another human back there, he quit his job and moved in with my mom's family. But when she got pregnant with me, they started getting death threats from humans in the beast kingdom. To protect her and my grandparents, my dad brought us here. He heard it was a safe place for beings of any kind."
She brushed her bottom, sitting beside Lucian on the stump. "My mom was upset at first. They both came from well-off families, and she missed that life. But she got used to this small community, and ended up coming to terms with it. My dad on the other hand loved it. He says he was always meant to be a farmer, that meeting Mom was his call to action." She flexed her arm in a mock-serious pose, grinning.
Lucian watched her attempt at being funny with a blank face. "So you've lived here your whole life?"
"Yep!" she chirped. "I love it here. We visited the big cities in the beast kingdom once. Pretty place, fun vacation… but I could never live there. Too crowded. Everyone looked dead inside." She giggled. "No other place I'd rather be than here. What about you, Lulu? Where are you from?"
Lucian sighed. "A place I don't ever want to go back to," he said darkly.
Bell tilted her head. "So does that mean you're staying here now?"
"If Amira will let me," he admitted, voice tinged with hope.
Bell frowned. "Well, if she won't, you can stay with me!"
Lucian smiled, genuinely, for the first time since meeting her. "Thanks, Bell. I'll keep that in mind."
The sight of his smile made Bell giddy. She threw her arms around him, pressing his face against her chest in a suffocating hug. "Oh, Lulu, you're just so adorable!"
"Ehm!" a voice called from beyond the low fence.
Lucian broke free from the "pillows of death" and turned to see Amira standing there, arms crossed, one finger tapping her arm, a sadistic smile on her face. Beside her, Layla looked ready to keel over from laughter.
Bell shot up and bounced over, hugging Layla. "Hi, Layla! Haven't seen you all day! Did you drink too much last night?"
Layla peeled her off, chuckling. "Yeah, something like that. Hort wouldn't let me leave until he beat me in a drinking contest. I ended up carrying his pig ass home."
"That Hort, always up to no good!" Bell laughed, then turned to Amira. "So you must be Amira?" She extended a hand. "I'm Bell. I think we met earlier on the main road."
Amira smiled thinly and shook her hand. "Yes, we did."
"Lucian's told me allll about you. You seem rather… peachy." Bell grinned.
Amira chuckled awkwardly.
Lucian climbed over the fence, brushing off his hands. "You two done talking already?" he asked calmly.
"Yes. Layla's going to show us where we will be sleeping tonight," Amira said, putting pointed emphasis on we.
Layla giggled. "Goodbye, Bell. I'll see you tomorrow with the brat—er, kiddos." She waved.
Bell waved back brightly. "Goodbye, Layla! Nice to meet you, Amira! Oh! and don't forget our deal, Lulu!"
Lucian waved goodbye.
Amira's eye twitched at the name Lulu. "So… what did you two talk about all evening?" she asked sweetly.
"Nothing really. I mostly helped her dad move a dead tree."
"Was your shirt off?" Amira questioned, eyes narrowing.
Before Lucian could answer, Layla cut in. "Aaand here we are." She pointed to a large, slightly shabby house. The grass was overgrown, but the structure held strong. "All the farmland behind it belongs here too. Tools are still in the shed, though they'll probably need some repairs."
Amira smiled softly. Memories of her childhood flickered, ghosts of her parents standing in the yard, watching her play.
"Home," she whispered.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to it. If y'all need anything, I'll be at the tavern the rest of the night," Layla said, walking down the dirt road toward the village.
Amira stepped inside, setting her bag of clothes on a table. She struck a match and lit the candles around the house. Lucian followed.
It was surprisingly clean, dusty in places, but well kept. Three rooms: a bedroom, a guest room used for storage, and a library still full of books. At the front was a living room with a large chair before a fireplace. Above it hung a family portrait of little Amira with her mother and father. To the right of the door was a small workshop, shelves mostly bare, a few tools scattered on the counter. To the left, the kitchen, multiple ovens, a broad counter, and a cutout window that peeked into the living room.
Lucian's eyes lingered on the portrait. Amira's father bore the demon mark on his neck, the same as Layla. Her mother was stunning, nearly Amira's twin save for her eyes and black hair. Neither parent had silver hair.
"You look just like your mother," Lucian murmured.
Amira froze, forgetting the portrait was still up. Panic rushed through her. 'There's no way he'd believe me if I told him that's not my mom.'
"Ah—thanks," she managed, voice stiff.
"She's beautiful. Just like you." The words slipped out of Lucian absentmindedly, still staring at the portrait.
Amira flushed, glancing at him. Moonlight flooded through the window, brushing over his skin like timeless sand.
"You too," she whispered before realizing what she'd said.
Lucian's gaze shifted to the imposing man in the painting. "I'm guessing that's your father? He seems rather… formidable."
Still dazed, Amira nodded. "Yeah, he was—" She caught herself, panic sparking. "I-I mean, that's my adoptive family! I'm not a demon or anything like that!"
Lucian finally looked at her, his expression calm but sharp. "Amira."
The way he said her name grounded her. "Y-yes?"
"It's alright. You can tell me when you're ready. But don't lie to me." His voice was firm, with a quiet edge. "I was lied to my entire life. I won't live around it again."
Her heart clenched. "Got it," she breathed, forcing a smile. "Thanks."
The air grew heavy between them.
"Are you hungry?" Amira asked quickly, breaking the silence.
"Yes. Cutting up that tree earlier took more out of me than I expected."
"Okay, let me check the kitchen."
Lucian sat at a polished table with elegant chairs, out of place in the rustic house. A book lay there: Little Amira's Cookbook. He opened it carefully. The pages were colorful, decorated with pressed flowers. Most recipes were sweets, a few had stars beside them. One in particular caught his eye: Demon Prince's Stew.
Amira returned, frowning. "Most of the bread's moldy and all the vegetables are rotten. We don't really have anything to eat." She sat across from him.
Lucian lifted the book. "Is this yours?" he asked gently.
Her face flared red. "Where did you find that?!" She snatched it from his hands, clutching it to her chest. "You didn't read it, did you?"
"Only a few pages," Lucian admitted. "If there's nothing to eat, why don't we go to Bell's? Her parents were making gumbo—"
"LET'S GO TO THE TAVERN!" Amrai blurted suddenly, springing to her feet.
Lucian raised an eyebrow. As she turned away, he thought, just for an instant, he saw a flicker of a crimson Soulflame ripple across her shoulders.