Diana Rowland - Touch of the Demon

“Shit,” I said again as I willed my jellified muscles to drag me out of the bath. Mzatal wrapped the towel around me as soon as I stepped out, then picked up another.

“Thanks,” I said. “Sorry.” I gave him a rueful smile as he dried my shoulders and arms then scrunched the towel through my hair. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. That was stupid.”

“You are tired and have had a challenging day,” he said gently, not seeming in any way annoyed. “Come.” He put his arm behind me and very lightly urged me toward the bedchamber.

I didn’t resist. “Challenging.” I snorted. “Yeah, that’s a word for it.” I clutched the towel around me as he guided me to the bed and pulled the covers down. I frowned, wearily casting my gaze around the room. “I don’t know where my night things are.”

“They are in the dresser,” he said. “Though you may be more comfortable sleeping as you would at home. I will bring something for you to eat.” He turned and exited to the main room.

I blinked at his back, wondering how the hell he knew how I slept at home. Then again, probably not much of a stretch considering he knew plenty of other intimate details about me. I set the towel on the end of the bed. Screw it. He’d seen me naked plenty of times already, and I slept much better in the nude. I groaned as I crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up. Tomorrow would be a day of hurrrrrrt.

Mzatal returned a moment later carrying a plate of the yummy cat-turd-looking things and some sliced fruit, and a glass of tunjen juice. I sat up and tucked the sheet around me as he held the glass out for me. “Drink at least half now,” he said as he set the plate on my thighs and smiled. “You will sleep deeply tonight.”

I obediently took a long drink of the juice. “I’m sorry I messed up the ritual.”

Mzatal shook his head and sank to sit on the edge of the bed. “You completed the first series, saw that which I could not, and you ignited the ring. The rest will come.”

I peered at him. “Oh. I thought you were…” I trailed off, trying to find the right word. “Mad” wasn’t right, but I was too tired to figure it out.

He met my eyes evenly, and I wondered if it had really been judgment I saw earlier in his face or simply my distorted perception. “I was— am —deeply pleased that you were able to work so intuitively with the sigils,” he said. “That ability is a vital element of this.” He laid a hand on my right ankle over the covers. I sighed in relief as the healing warmth spread up my leg. Though of course it did him no good for me to be crippled for a couple of days, so it made sense for him to make sure I could walk tomorrow.

“If we ever do get this blade, what happens then?” I asked. “I mean, to me.”

He tilted his head slightly and lifted a finger toward the glass of forgotten juice in my hand. “We will retrieve Vsuhl. After that, you continue to train. We have an agreement.”

I drained the glass and set it on the side table. “But what about the blade? You’ll have two of them.”

“It is my intention to hold it for Szerain,” he said, then moved his hand to my other ankle.

“Oh. Right. Makes sense.” I nibbled some of the food. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I knew I needed to eat something. “By the way, where do you sleep? I haven’t noticed you crawling into bed here,” I said.

“Qaztahl require far less sleep than humans,” he explained. “Usually only a night every ten days or so. Great potency drain or disruption also requires sleep for quickest restoration.” He glanced to the big comfy chair near the bed. “I slept there the night after your healing, and I’ve not required more.”

I gave a slow nod. When he woke me from the nightmare the other day, he’d been working in that chair, watching over me. “I feel guilty for putting you out of your bed,” I told him.

He gave my ankle a light squeeze and lifted his hand. “Such guilt is wasted,” he said as he stood. “Do try to eat more. You need it.” He poured more tunjen juice into my glass, then touched my shoulder briefly. “Sleep well, Kara.” With that he turned and departed.

I watched him go. He seemed to give an actual crap about me. But then again, so had Rhyzkahl. I sighed and ate a couple of pieces of fruit, then snuggled down under the covers. Mzatal needed me and wished to use me; he was quite clear on that point. It was his ultimate motives that I wasn’t too sure about.

I tried to push my doubts away, but even as tired as I was, it was a long time before I could sleep.

I dreamed of coffee. A steaming cup of my favorite Café du Monde coffee with chicory, plenty of cream and sugar. There may have been donuts in the dream as well, but it was the rich scent of coffee that invaded my sleep and teased me with the promise of alertness and calories.

The dream evaporated as a mental touch from Mzatal nudged me from sleep. I groaned and pulled the pillow over my head, desperately trying to recapture the scent, the flavor of coffee—even if it was only dream coffee.

A heartbeat later I lifted my head. I still smelled the coffee. How the hell could I still be smelling coffee? I turned over and saw Mzatal sitting in his chair perusing a stack of papers. I held the sheet around me and sat up, blinking in disbelief at the steaming mug, cream and sugar on the side table. “Is that…coffee?”

Mzatal smiled. “Yes, real coffee.”

I stared at him. “You got me coffee?”

“Yes,” he said as he set his papers aside. “You have been craving it since the morning after I first summoned you.”

“Thanks! Wow.” I shifted so I could reach it and quickly loaded it up with cream and sugar. I held it close, took a sip, and damn near let out a moan of ecstasy. Okay, maybe I did make a bit of an O-face. “Holy shit, that’s good,” I breathed.

Mzatal’s smile widened, watching me. “Excellent.”

I settled back against the pillows, making sure the sheet was securely tucked around me. I cradled the coffee like the precious thing it was and sipped. “No, really. Holy shit, I’ve missed this.”

“Yes, I know,” he said, eyes crinkling in amusement. “It is why I acquired it.”

In that moment, my heart melted just a teensy bit. I also realized with relief that I was only a little sore from yesterday’s exertions. “Keep this up and I may start to like you.”

Mzatal shook his head. “Perhaps suspend your opinion until after today’s training.”

I actually chuckled. “More stairs? Or do you have something worse in mind?”

He regarded me for a moment. “We will be summoning Katashi this evening.”

Well, that would no doubt be interesting, especially considering the whole question of whether Jesral had been in contact with Katashi. “‘We.’ Does that mean you want me there with you?”

Mzatal raised an eyebrow. “Absolutely. And you will assist Idris in preparation, which will introduce you to the nuances of summonings from here.”

I nodded and sipped delicious coffee. “Speaking of Idris. Um, has he ever had a girlfriend?”

Mzatal’s brows drew together, and he pursed his lips in thought. “There has not been opportunity since he has been here. On Earth, I do not know.”

I frowned and shook my head. “Doubtful on Earth either, if he was with Katashi.” I gave Mzatal a penetrating glare. “Idris needs a girlfriend or at least needs to get laid. And neither one of them needs to be me.”

His eyes snapped to mine. “I’m in total agreement that it should not be you,” he replied firmly. “He has been distracted by you to the point of having atypical errors in his work.” He tapped the pile of papers on the table. “As in this from last night. Such distraction can be devastating to a summoner, particularly here in the realm.”