New ranger didn’t look so good. I could see the lack of sleep in the dark circles beneath his eyes. And yet... he looked unharmed. Without protection, help, or the ability to see the truth. He’d been lucky, considering the circumstances.

  “Don’t stand in the door, c’mon in,” I heard him call from the cottage. Only now could I enter.

  “I... have some tea, if you want...”

  “No, but thanks.” It’s a different kind of tea I’m after.

  He shrugged, poured himself a cup, and took a seat opposite me.

  “A lot of folks from town have been here. Strange fellas. Strange, but interesting.”

  “Indeed, a lot of townfolk have their little... quirks.”

  “Yeah. Dead set on getting my name, for example. Now that I think about it, I don’t think they even got it. Couldn’t handle their drinks.”

  I chuckled. So it was true. The fae were far from success. I couldn’t help but wonder who else had tried. His answer almost made me burst out laughing.

  “A lot of weird stuff happened around here. For example, this night. First, a wolf tries to attack me, and when I chased it with an axe, it ran on two legs! A coyote that came after did just the same.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “They do that sometimes,” I said, suppressing a chuckle. “My apologies, please go on.”

  “Then, near morning, I heard my mother calling me into the woods. My mom. Who never set foot outside my village. Called me, with perfect English.”

  So, a skinwalker and a mimic in one night. Unlike fae folk, these were real predators, out for blood. It should be impressive, but I had to do my best not to laugh. He was so clueless!

  And yet, here he was, sipping tea while talking about monsters. His heart wasn’t racing, reeking not of fear but of tired annoyance. Maybe—just maybe—there was more to him than met my eye. Maybe he’d even survive this investigation.

  Now, I could ask nicely. I could try to reason with him, try to convince him. But I didn’t have time nor the patience to do so. I chose the second option. I looked him dead in the eye. If he was startled, he didn’t let it show.

  “I command thee, you shall do my bidding. I rally you into my service, as my thrall. Do you accept?”

  “No.”

  Excuse me?! “That question was rhetorical. More of a courtesy than an actual choice.”

  “I refuse.”

  “You shouldn’t be able to!” Wait, why am I arguing with this mutt? It’s true that I haven’t made my own thralls in ages, but he has practically no mental defenses! Did I mess something up? I’ll have to ask Eilias to show me how to do it properly later. Oh... right.

  “Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?”

  I hadn’t noticed the wetness on my cheeks immediately. I could imagine how it looked to him.

  It wasn’t something I could explain easily.

  Oh, of course my tears are red. I’m a bloodsucker, so it’s alright! And yet... then and there, it didn’t look like I had much of a choice.