Max sat up on the ledge of a building. Just a couple stories up and watched the spot in the back courtyard. He really had a bad feeling about this. He watched the man that showed up just a couple minutes ago. He stood just waiting checking his phone. It was pitch black and Max had already picked seven different ways to get out of here if shit went south fast. From where he was a giant tree hid him rather well, and would also allow him a quick way down. He was glad for what he was. It let him have the patience and the wherewithal to sit here and not feel rather cramped just waiting. After what seemed like forever another person showed and this one wasn’t human like the man who showed first. He pulled out a jewelry case, clearly meant to hold a necklace but you couldn’t see through or into it.Nothing was said between the two, just the necklace

“Who the frick are you!” He demanded and his gaze was calculating. She saw that he’d rather run first, but the man could fight. She straightened, that was a first. She’d never, never, had that kind of reaction before. Normally they hadn’t minded and let her do what she was doing. What did they care? As long as they got to bed a beautiful woman, and while that might be vain of her, she knew she was damn good looking. All of them said so. She thought she was decent looking so what was his problem?“That’s a stupid question. Hel.” She answered and her voice was soft, caressing almost but cold too. No real emotion to it.“Hel.” He repeated and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you fucking serious?”

Max saw the men go a different way clearly they hadn’t seen them come into this alley. He didn’t trust that they didn’t have a trap set. No doubt they hoped to get her with that fire and kill him at the same time. He wasn’t valuable, he was in the way at the moment. They needed to go now that the coast seemed to be clear for the moment, but she was holding onto him. He had no idea what the hell she was doing, and why she had to have such erratic behavior. It wasn’t helpful.“Hel, let go.” He said impatiently. “What are you doing?” He demanded in a very quiet tone not wanting anyone with sensitive hearing to hear him. “You feel amazing, so warm. I feel like I want to crawl into your skin.” She sounded like she was purring, and he had to say that was the creepiest thing anyone had ever said t

Max spotted an open sitting room and opened the door going in. Private was good and he was glad that one of these was free. It was just a small area with a small table by the window and bench seats along the walls of the room. He figured here was as good as anywhere. He stepped in and turned around to speak to Hel. He gave a rather harsh sound when she pushed him mostly with her fingertips into the room and he nearly went down. Though he caught himself and the door practically slammed behind her. She snapped her fingers and the shades that could be drawn came down and he narrowed his gaze. She looked intense.“What are you doing?” He sounded unsure, and he was. She looked dark and unbalanced right then. He didn’t see any positive emotions in her gaze. Or at least genteler emotions. &ldq

Hel followed him looking at the town and it started to grow into more of a city. She had to say that these mortals were very good at inventing things to help them when they weren’t like Max or others with gifts. But they were losing touch. They were losing their connection to it all and the part of her that was destructive watched closely. If it wasn’t good for the balance, it was fair game to destroy. Maybe that was her greatest role, destroy what is to make room for what could be. “This way.” He said turning down a path that was between a couple buildings. It had an archway that had plants growing everywhere. Just a few feet in it felt like you left the city and walked into a forest. The building that was tucked away here had vines growing up it. The sound of nature was real here. Looking left and right she couldn’t see the other buildings. Just a few large ponds and it seemed to extend quite a ways. Sh