CHAPTER 153

"You okay?" he asked.

"You go ahead," she told him. "I'm curious about something."

"She's not right," he warned her. He was aware that she already knew this, but it needed to be said. "And be careful. She was barely in control last time I came, and I haven't been able to get her to tell me anything. It's like she's stuck in a loop."

"Oh, don't worry about me." She headed up the stairs with a determined look on her face. "I'll meet you out back in a few minutes."

He watched her ascend and then headed out back. Amymone was lying against the fountain, and her face lit up when she saw him. By her side was a stack of books he had brought on his last trip, and he suspected she had already plowed through most of them.

"Hi!" Amymone hopped to her feet and adjusted her dress, then carefully tucked a leaf into the book she had been reading. "Did you bring me more?"

"Yes, I did," he announced, then set the bag down. Each book he handed her was treated like a treasure, and he allowed her to read the summary on the back before handing her the next one. She was chattering with excitement, and her enthusiasm was only transcended by the occasional wail from up above.

After a particularly loud scream, Amymone paused in her perusal and looked up at the window. "She's in a mood," she noted.

"Yeah, Lily went up to see her. She's a succubus, so I'm not worried that she'll get hurt."

The dryad smirked. "Well, maybe not, but I wouldn't underestimate what's left of Emily."

Once the words left her mouth, the bedroom window shattered. Lily tumbled through the air and landed on the ground with a thud. The glass from the window hung suspended in mid-air for a moment before reversing course and reformed, good as new. Once the window was rebuilt, Emily appeared behind it, her eyes filled with darkness.

"Lily, you good?" Mike was already moving toward her when she hopped to her feet with a scowl on her face.

"Yeah. Queen cunt up there wasn't very happy to see me." Lily brushed off her pants and then gave Emily the finger. "Tried to have a conversation with her and she went full Carrie on me, but without the blood."

"Ooh, Carrie, that's a good one!" Amymone ran to Mike and grabbed his arm. "Is King still alive and writing books? I love a good horror novel."

"I assume so. I'll try to get you some next time." He looked up at the window. "It fixed itself."

"Yep. The Underworld doesn't like change, and this place is special enough as is. Can't have it showing up all busted in your world, now can we?" Amymone sat down next to her book pile and reached into her cleavage and produced an envelope made of leaves. "Oh, before I forget. This is for Naia."

"Oh, right. Thanks." He took it from her and pulled a letter out of the outside pocket of the bag. Naia and Amymone had been exchanging letters, which seemed to help. The news that her sister still existed had given her hope, and the letters had been a great way for the pair to keep in touch. "Also, no word on the heartwood. The centaurs are keeping their eyes out for it, but it's a big jungle."

Amymone sighed. "Yeah, well, I've got at least a couple of years left in me before I disappear. You keep bringing me stuff to read and I'll do my best to enjoy it. By the way, I'm Amymone." She waved at Lily.

"You sure are," the succubus replied. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna wander the grounds a bit until you're ready to leave." Her wings unfurled and she leapt into the sky and vanished over the roof.

"Is she always that moody?" Amymone asked.

"Yep. But she's a good person." He sat next to Amymone and picked up a book he had brought her earlier in the week. Though they didn't have a lot in common, there was one thing she enjoyed more than reading and he felt like indulging her. "So what did you think of this one?"

A big smile appeared on her face. "Oh, I am so glad you asked," she responded, and then spent the next hour telling him all about the books she had read. She spoke quickly, as if afraid that she would disappear at any second and be unable to share her opinions on the stories he had brought her. On occasion, Mike looked up to see Lily on the roof, her eyes on the forest. She had claimed that she was just looking around, but he knew without a doubt that she was up there watching for trouble.

Once it was time to leave, he left Amymone behind with her new stack of books and headed for the front gate. He paused long enough to wave at Emily. He usually dropped by just to say hello, but since she threw Lily through a window, he decided he would try some other day. Once in the front yard, Lily joined him, and he called for Cerberus and waited.

The ride back was uneventful, though Lily did spend some of it tracing circles on his thigh with her tail. He wondered how Cerberus would handle it if he decided to give the succubus what she wanted while riding on their back, but didn't want to upset the delicate balance they currently had.

Besides, he also didn't want to be late for Zel's ceremony. He had seen very little of the centaur lately, and was already getting the idea that he was about to see even less of her. The bulk of nearly every day was spent surrounded by people, and he now understood how easy it was to lose track of someone when your life was suddenly so busy. He had never been popular growing up, content with a couple of good friends at a time, though he often struggled at maintaining even those relationships.

Now though, every day was packed to the brim. Some of the women in the house were content to just be in his presence and spend time with him, while others preferred to enjoy more intimate pursuits. The nymph magic running through his veins meant he was able to rise to the occasion whenever he was needed, but he still couldn't be in two places at once.