Odile perched herself on the ledge of the building.

The Mortal Realm was strange. It assaulted her every sense. The polluted air clogged her throat, the weather made her skin shrivel up, and the humans were the most irritating. She had fed in several, glamorizing them away from the busy crowds like sheep wandering away from the flock before absorbing their glamour.

Her first time taking glamour from a human was messy. She had killed him. He was a young man, barely into adulthood. It was supposed to be simple, slip into his feeble mind, rummage around for potent memories, and take what she needed before letting him go. But no, it couldn't be so simple. He chose to struggle and scream. In the end, her father had given her a knife to slit his throat before scolding her.

Odile had torn his mind asunder. She had taken mouthfuls of glamour but he was just a husk in the ground, twitching and moaning.

She never knew what had happened to that boy. It was years ago. Of course, she had gotten better.

Glamor was addictive. The glamour of the Mortal Realm felt different, it was more potent and she could feel its power feeding into her very core. Glamor was no simple thing. It was power, yes but it was also an experience.

Certain memories had certain emotions attached to them. For example, the human she had fed off of today. She was in the flower of love, ready to bloom. Her mind and body were a swath of pinks, red, and oranges bursting with power. Odile had glamored her away using the face of her lover before feeding on her memories, savouring the taste of each new emotion.

Now she understood why the Fae stayed away from the Mortal Realm, it was the most addictive drug one could find. Far better than my narcotic.

"Mistress."

Odile didn't run around. She placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it up with the tip of her finger before taking a nice long drag. She exhaled slowly, letting the tinted smoke take the form of a bird fluttering its wings. She tilted her hair, watching its smoky wings leave behind silver trails.

"My, my." She purred. "Back so soon, Alvar."

A lone, tall figure sat down next to her on the ledge. His legs dangled from the edge. "I have been tasked with checking in on you."

She rolled his eyes, swatting the smoky bird away with her hand. "I hate that our master has sent us here. The mortal world is so bland."

Alvar ran his hand through his long dark hair. She regarded him with cool eyes. He was paler than death with his nose and ears turning red from the cold. He observed the sky above him, the incoming rain clouds the same shape as his eyes. Many in the Court were trying to ensnare him, luring him to their dens and beds but he was uninterested in their petty attentions.

It's a pity. Odile would've tried her hand if not for the fact he was cursed.

"Have you found her?"

She took another drag, trying to quell her irritation. "My ghouls are close."

"The Faeling has always been elusive. She's an expert at evasion and her power isn't one to underestimate."

Odile scoffed. "Elusive?" She flicked the butt of her cigarette over the edge before taking another one from her pocket. "It sounds as if you almost admire her, Alvar."

Alvar didn't respond. Instead, he plucked the unlit cigarette from her lips and tossed it over the edge.

"Hey!"

Alvar gave her a chilly glare. Odile could thrown him off the building but that wouldn't be enough to kill him. Her father often reminded her to kill a hound before it could even think of biting her hand. A knife was in her hand already.

A flash of lightening lit the sky as the downpour started. Odile felt the rain drench her, the warmth of the cigarette gone.

"Our master expects the retrieval of the Faeling to be delivered before Oberon's Hunt is over and you are treating her like she's some sort of pet that has escaped on a whim." He growled, taking a step forward, "If you don't find the Faeling there will be consequences."

Odile slipped the knife back into her sleeve. Alvar had backed her to the very edge of the ledge. She could survive the fall but her ego would be more than just bruised. If only she could toss his off the roof and be done with it.

Alvar's eyes glowed silver with each flash of lightning. It was such a pity that his beautiful face was marred by his scowl.

"You're just as much of a pet as I am," she hissed, pushing him back. "I'll track down that Faeling. You just make sure that you return to our master and tell him that his precious cargo is on the way."

Alvar stumbled back but he glared at her. His face twisted into a cruel smile. "I hope you deliver on your promise, Mistress. I'll be watching."