Page 13 of Wreaking Havoc
And if he could get the pup to bite—to take the contract—he would be.
As if the human was summoned by his thoughts, the front door opened. Kai’s muscles tensed in anticipation. He could smell him on the air, strangely sweet and almost floral.
And then there he was, the towheaded beauty, his fists clenched in determination, even as his knees visibly trembled.
Kai did his best to look as unintimidating as possible, but it was most likely pointless—he couldn’t revert to human form without a contract in place. He supposed he could have crouched down to the little one’s level, but he’d only feel foolish doing so.
The pup approached the circle, every step small and cautious, like Kai would grab him if he came too close.
He just might, at that. The human smelled good—soft and sweet, just like his pretty face. A far cry from the smoke and ash of the Void.
When he didn’t speak right away, Kai couldn’t resist asking, “What’s your name, pup?”
The human’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Sascha. So you can stop calling mepup.”
“Sascha,” Kai repeated, tasting the sound of it on his tongue. It was a soft sound. Everything soft. Everything sweet.
If Kai had been allowed this kind of variety all along, he might not have tired of his summonings so soon.
“Yes. Sascha,” the human repeated, his tone haughty, like he hadn’t run away less than an hour before. “And I have questions.”
Kai tipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Of course.”
Sascha peered up at him. His lashes were pale, like the hair on his head. “What does the contract entail?”
Kai shrugged a shoulder. “Just as it sounds. A mere bargain.”
“Yeah, likely story.” Sweet Sascha placed his hands on slender hips. “Whatkindof bargain?”
“That’s up to you, isn’t it?” Kai waved a hand. “Most want me for exactly what I told you—destruction of their enemies. Aid in battle.”
“Aid in battle?” Sascha repeated, disbelief coating his every word. “Who’s asking you for that? The knights of the fucking roundtable?”
Kai frowned at him, recognizing again that he was in a very different time from the last era he’d been summoned into. “Clansmen. Kings. It’s been…perhaps some time since I’ve been in the human realm.”
Sascha took a moment, seeming to digest that fact. “And what do you get in return, in this bargain?”
“Only a small piece of your essence.” Kai put his thumb and forefinger a smidgen apart in demonstration. “A tiny little piece, you see?”
“My essence?” Sascha’s brow furrowed in confusion, and then his pale eyes widened. He stepped back. “You mean my soul? You want mysoul?”
Kai attempted a reassuring smile. He’d never had to coax someone into a bargain before. “Just a piece, as I said. You won’t miss it.”
“Says you!” Sascha cried, his voice taking on a shrill tone again.
He was a loud little thing, wasn’t he?
“Yes, says I,” Kai confirmed. “It’s only to tether me here, in the human realm.”
“And I get it back when the contract’s done?”
Kai cleared his throat. “Well, not exactly. But as I said, you won’t miss it. Think of it like a strand of your hair.” Kai reached out, itching to see if that hair was as soft as it looked. But of course the summoning circle stopped him, his hand hitting that invisible barrier. He lowered his arm. “Would you notice one missing strand?”
Sascha gave him a suspicious glance. “You don’t take the whole thing when you leave?”
Kai shook his head. “I have other pieces already, from other summonings. This is my last contract.” Kai didn’t know what compelled him to give that truth, but it didn’t seem to mean anything to the human anyway. His eyes were still narrowed warily.
“Don’t I need every piece of my soul?” Sascha asked, teeth worrying at his lower lip.
