2026-02-05 19:18:21
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Velthra’s wings flared slightly before she caught herself. Ilyss sucked in a sharp breath. “My… guard?” Karpeta repeated, her voice a mix of surprise and curiosity. “Yes,” Ethan said simply. Karpeta’s brow furrowed. “But… why? Why now?” Ethan’s tone remained calm, neutral, as if suggesting nothing more significant than a change in travel formation. “It provides a clear explanation for my presence,” he said. “Authority without exposure. Mobility without scrutiny.” Karpeta glanced at Velthra, then back to Ethan. “So… you’re proposing this as a matter of convenience?” Ethan shook his head slightly. “Not convenience. Strategy. Discretion. And… accountability.” “Accountability?” Karpeta echoed. “Yes,” Ethan replied, meeting her eyes directly. “It places responsibility somewhere acceptable.” She stared at him for a long moment, trying to weigh the meaning behind his words. “So,” she said finally, “you would be publicly associated with me.” “I would,” he confirmed. “And others wo
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If he bowed too deeply, he’d imply subservience. If he didn’t bow at all, he’d signal arrogance. If he mirrored demon customs incorrectly— That’s it. You’re exposed. His body moved before his thoughts caught up. He inclined his head—not deeply, not shallowly—just enough to register respect. At the same time, he placed one hand lightly over his chest and angled his body half a step to the side. It wasn’t intentional. It was muscle memory. Something ingrained from formal events back home. Diplomatic receptions. Meetings where rank existed but wasn’t supposed to dominate the room. A compromise between deference and equality. The reaction was immediate. Karpeta froze mid-breath. Velthra inhaled sharply, wings twitching despite herself. Ilyss’s eyes went wide. “That…” she whispered. “That’s a neutral acknowledgment.” Velthra nodded slowly. “Used only by those whose rank cannot be formally declared.” Silence fell again—different this time. Heavier. Charged. K
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A cold prickle crawled up Ethan’s spine. “You couldn’t confirm it even if you wanted to,” she continued softly. “High-clearance units aren’t permitted to disclose affiliation. Especially not to civilians.” The biggest succubus exhaled slowly. “Oh gods. He’s that kind.” “The quiet ones,” the third said faintly. “The ones whose names don’t exist on record.” Ethan remained silent. Not because he was trying to be dramatic. Because he genuinely had no idea what to say next. Three pairs of eyes were on him now—measuring, recalculating. He could almost feel them trying to slot him into some invisible taxonomy of power and threat. Say too much, and he’d expose the lie. Say too little, and he’d invite suspicion. Say the wrong thing— You’re dead, his brain supplied helpfully. However, in order to maintain his sense of mystery, Ethan did not rush to explain. He let the moment breathe, pretending the pause was intentional while his thoughts scrambled. He searched for something—an
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Their earlier grins were gone. Not faded—erased. Their eyes were wide now, too wide to be casual. One of them sucked in a sharp breath she clearly hadn’t meant to take. The other’s tail, which had been swaying lazily a moment ago, snapped stiff and curled tightly around her ankle, as if anchoring herself to the ground. Ethan noticed immediately. He turned slightly, brow furrowing. “Why are you all looking at me like that?” No one answered. The silence was strange—thick, uncomfortable. As if everyone had reached the same conclusion at once and was now afraid to say it out loud. Then Karpeta moved. She bowed. Not the quick, half-embarrassed bow she’d given him earlier out of gratitude. A proper one. Measured. Respectful. Precise. “Forgive my ignorance,” she said carefully, her voice lower than before. “I did not recognize you earlier.” Ethan stared at her. “Recognize me as what?” The biggest succubus’s lips parted. She swallowed hard. “Oh,” she murmured. “Oh no.” The
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Karpeta shook her head immediately.“It’s not charity. It’s exchange. You saved my life.”Ethan opened his mouth to object, but she barreled on, wings twitching despite the torn membranes.“Whatever debt you think you don’t want,” she said, jaw tightening, “it already exists. Pretending otherwise doesn’t make it disappear.”Her voice wavered for half a heartbeat—then steadied.“Let me help you with yours.”The biggest succubus let out a quiet, knowing huff. “Told you. Once she decides something—”“She does not bend,” the third finished dryly. “She collides.”Karpeta shot them both a look. “You’re not helping.”“We’re being accurate,” the biggest one said, hands up. “There’s a difference.”Ethan studied Karpeta again.Really studied her this time.The way dirt clung to the edges of her armor. The shallow cuts she hadn’t bothered to treat yet. The wings—torn, uneven, still trembling faintly from strain. And yet she stood straight, shoulders squared, chin level, like pain was simply ano
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“Yes,” she said firmly. “A life-debt. Three, technically.”The other two nodded immediately.“Name it,” the biggest one said. “Gold. Information. Safe passage.”“Contacts,” the third added. “Favors. Blackwater remembers its debts.”Ethan frowned. “I didn’t do this for payment.”“I know,” Karpeta said. “That’s why I’m offering it anyway.”He studied her for a moment—really looked at her now. The damage to her wings. The grime on her face. The way she was holding herself straight despite the tremor still in her hands.“…You shouldn’t throw titles around lightly either,” he said.“I won’t,” she said quickly. “I swear it.”The biggest succubus grinned faintly. “She learns fast when she’s terrified.”Karpeta huffed despite herself, then sobered again. “Whatever you decide, we’ll honor it. If you want nothing from us, we’ll accept that too.”Silence lingered after her words.Ethan looked away again, toward the empty road where the demons had fled, jaw set like he was weighing something unpl
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