Chapter#03

"I'm probably going back down there again later tonight. Do you think Dana wants to come with me again?"

Mike shook his head. "Not this time. She left me a note. Ratu thinks she found some magical items that may be able to bring her back to life." Dana's soul had been bound to her body, meaning that she would never truly die. She was hoping to cure her condition so that she could properly die and be reunited with her girlfriend in the Afterlife.

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"She left the house to go find them. Took the mimic with her." Ratu, a powerful naga, was capable of breaking magical items down and preserving the magic within to combine with other magic. "Apparently something on that list you made might be able to help her."

"Oh no. Won't she get hungry if she doesn't eat... uh..." During Beth's stay at the Radley house, she and Mike had been careful to avoid any discussion of his sexual dalliances with the others, but he knew that she had long ago caught on. "Your... essence?"

Beth was referring to Mike's semen. Dana had been turned into a zombie to infiltrate his home, but because his soul was bound to a nymph, his semen had powerful magical properties which kept Dana from feeding on the living, but only if she ate his cum. "She found a way to prolong the effects. She'll be fine."

"I see." Beth started to say something, then pretended to cough instead. "I guess I'll go to my room now."

"Yeah, sure." Mike picked up her backpack and her suitcase, and followed her up the stairs, trying to avoid staring at her ass through her clothes. It was still a bad habit, and the nymph's magic running through his blood didn't make it any easier.

Later that night, Sofia the cyclops made them all a big dinner of lamb. They ate out by the fountain on some makeshift tables that Tink had put together out of scrap. They all came out to celebrate their new roommate, the yard suddenly loud with their voices. Tink had put on a cute dress that Naia had helped her pick out, and Sofia wore a regal light blue gown that came to her ankles. At eight feet tall, she towered over everyone else.

When the sun had fully set, Cecilia the banshee made an appearance, her body hovering over the festivities. The three fairies circled overhead looking very much like twinkling Christmas lights. Abella had taken her post on the roof, her sensitive ears turned toward the front of the house. The Society kept a constant watch on the front of the house, hoping to catch Mike off guard.

That wasn't going to happen. Mike smiled at the weird family that had surrounded him. Even though Beth was still the outsider, they treated her like one of their own. It had simply made sense to offer her a room in the home, especially with the sinister forces determined to discover the secret of the home.

"Penny for your thoughts, lover." Naia's lips on his ears made him shiver in delight, and he reached back to wrap an arm around her waist.

"What do you know about the real second floor?" he asked. She smelled of fresh rain on a summer day. "The one that appeared. The doors are all blocked."

"Surprisingly little, actually." Naia rubbed Mike's back through his shirt. "Emily mentioned it to me once, but it was shortly before she passed. She forbid the others from going there, as it had just appeared for her."

"Wait, so the second floor is technically new?"

"I guess. One of the previous Caretakers may have mentioned it, but I couldn't even tell you who." Naia frowned. "Usually when you find something in the house, my memory of it returns. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help."

"Don't worry about-" Mike's jaw dropped when a pair of dark figures stepped out into the light of the garden. Ratu wore a beautiful silk kimono with a golden dragon emblazoned across the front and back. Behind her stood the minotaur Asterion, his giant axe in hand.

"My colleague here was very adamant that we come tonight."' Ratu smiled, her tiara sparkling atop her head. The fairies had stopped where they were, dropping down to hide behind the others. "I found it comforting that you have already spent much effort making us feel welcome."

"Ratu." Mike stood and offered the naga a hug, which she accepted. He felt her lick his neck with her overly long tongue, which made him flinch. "I didn't think you were coming. Don't you need to be monitoring the Labyrinth?"

"The Labyrinth will be fine for a bit, I have warded the entrance to notify me if it is breached. And I wasn't going to come, but Asterion made me. Surprisingly, I missed seeing my visitors." She smiled at Beth, who was looking at Asterion and blushing. "Welcome to your new home."

"Thank you." Beth wore a black gown with a pair of horn rimmed glasses. Tink had stolen them earlier, wearing them around the house as a fashion accessory until Mike made her put them back. She rose from her seat at the table to shake hands with Ratu, then gave Asterion a hug. The minotaur hesitated before hugging her back.

"Well, it's good to see you too." Mike offered his hand to Asterion, who contemplated it for several seconds before shaking it.

"We can be friends too." he said. Mike thought it an odd thing to say, but didn't bother asking about it. Asterion found the vegetarian dish that Sofia had made specifically for Zel. Beth helped him put together a plate of it, which required that he set down his axe. Mike nearly laughed at his reluctance to do so, the minotaur looking back and forth from his weapon to the food.