(Please note that a character in this chapter has a written accent. If you cannot read it and would like a version of this chapter without the accent, let me know! I'd be happy to accommodate you!)

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Sebastien's mate died in his arms.

          He couldn't stop it—he'd failed to save Clementine. But he sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and accept the shitty hand he'd been dealt.

          That was why he was sitting across the street from the Penndragon Hotel in Eimwood, Uzlia's most esteemed city.

          He held onto his cappuccino like it was his nemesis' throat, watching each wealthy businessman and expensively dressed guest head inside the golden-edged doors, flaunting their Balaur Blană suits and sunglasses like they were daring some desperate street rat to rob them.

          Sebastien was convinced they were the kind of people who wiped their asses with coronam notes. But none of them mattered to him. His only interest was the man hosting the party they were all so eager to get into. The man who would undo his past.

          He waited for the perfect moment like a wolf on the prowl, and when Mathew—the lanky, pale boy he'd graduated Aldergrove Academy with—tried to barge past the hotel guards, Sebastien abandoned his table and hurried down the bustling street.

          As quickly as he could, he crossed the road and headed down the alley to the right of the hotel. He then darted behind the cover of a large air-conditioning unit and glanced at his watch.

          Any second now....

          Dead on time, one of the kitchen staff kicked the back door open and dragged several trash bags towards the bins.

          Sebastien moved swiftly and silently—there was no time to waste. He slinked into the kitchen, where everyone was too busy preparing food and yelling at one another to notice him. So, he hurried through, dodging the rushing chefs and desperate little servers trying to gather everything up.

          When he reached the service door, he stepped out into the red-carpeted corridor. He followed the dark-panelled golden walls to the service stairs, and once he climbed to the top, he crossed the hall and stepped into the staff changing room.

          He stopped to take a breath...and then hastily checked each locker.

          "Come on, come on," he uttered, and when he finally located a bellboy coat, he pulled it on and headed for the door.

          But that was when he heard voices.

          Someone was coming.

          Sebastien stopped in his tracks and looked for somewhere to hide, and when he spotted a changing cubicle, he flung himself inside and closed the door.

          The changing room's door opened, and a trio of footsteps came in. Three male voices complained to one another about the socialites on the patio, how much they hated their jobs, and how they worked so much harder than anyone else.

          With a roll of his eyes, Sebastien carefully edged the cubicle door open. He watched the three men head to the end of the room, and when they disappeared behind the wall of lockers, he eased it open and silently snuck out and back into the hall.

          He needed to get to the roof.

          Navigating the halls, he found his way to the service elevator. But when the doors opened, they revealed two waiters carrying hors d'oeuvres, who stood there with winded expressions on their faces and looked as though they might collapse at any moment.

          Sebastien walked inside and pressed the rooftop patio button, and with a ding, the elevator started moving. He tried his best to be patient, but one of the waiters was breathing heavily to his left, and the other man was wheezing. Humans were such weak little things.

          But that thought struck his heart with pain, and he sunk into the dismay he'd been trying so hard to ignore for months. Humans were weak; they got sick...they got old, and eventually, they withered away. The boy he loved suffered that human curse, and Sebastien hated himself for not being able to do a thing to save him.

          He'd make up for that failure now, though.

          The elevator arrived, and the doors opened to reveal the patio. Both the winded waiters moved past Sebastien and disappeared into the crowd of brightly dressed people, who were chatting, dancing, and drinking. And straight ahead was probably one of the best views of the city Sebastien had ever seen.

          But he didn't have time to sightsee.

          With a quiet huff, he slowly moved through the crowd, examining the faces of each person. He attempted to stay calm, but there was no sign of the man he'd come looking for.

          What if he wasn't here? It wouldn't be the first time this guy ditched a party—even the ones he hosted. But Sebastien couldn't give up. He'd waited ten months for this chance.... He wasn't going to waste it.

          He fought off the feeling of hopelessness before it could sink its fangs into him, and moved towards the balcony. When he peered over the edge, his hawkish eyes located the parking lot.

          And there it was. The black Lynx-6000, one of the most expensive supercars currently on the market. That was his target's car. He was here.

          But where?

          Sebastien scowled and turned to face the crowd. He listened to their voices, focusing his senses. But there were too many demons here for him to be able to sniff out a specific one.

          He tried anyway, and it resulted in his nose filling with the contorting scents of wolf walkers, elves, demons, and humans. There were so many different species here; he was surprised they weren't at one another's throats.

          But just then, a blur of red snatched his attention as it glistened in the corner of his left eye. He sharply turned his head, and when he set his sights on the crimson-haired man standing beside a pagoda and surrounded by a grinning, eager crowd, his determination was shattered by desperation.

          That was him.

          Immediately, he made his way across the patio, swerving past waiters and dodging the flailing hands of excited women gossiping to each other. He almost tripped over someone's tail and stumbled when he bumped into a man; he muttered his apology and scurried off, though. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

          When he finally reached the crowd, he tried to barge through. But everyone was so desperate to talk to the red-haired man; they tutted, snarled, and cussed at him—someone even tried to grab his collar and shove him aside, but he wasn't going to let anyone stop him. He ducked to avoid a man's grabby hands, swerved around a woman, and moved through the space between two laughing men.

          The second he got to the front of the crowd, he couldn't keep himself from blurting, "Lord Caedis!"

          Everyone fell silent and gawped at him. 

          The red-haired man stopped mid-sentence and shifted his confused gaze to Sebastien. In the shade of the pagoda, his eyes shimmered a beautiful flurry of red, gold, and orange. It looked as though fire itself was burning in them, and his pupils were sharp and slit like those of a cat. The man's skin was pale, his ears were sharply pointed, and as sunlight broke through the clouds, the various rings he had on every one of his claw-tipped fingers shimmered, as did the gold crucifix earring dangling from his left ear.

          "Excuse me?" the woman Sebastien had just interrupted exclaimed.

          Sebastien stood up straight, but when he caught the evil glare of the tall, dark-haired man at Caedis' side, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He did his best to keep his composure, though. "My lord," he said calmly, but he wasn't going to say what he'd come here for in front of a crowd. "Can I have a minute of your time...please?"

          "Wait your turn," someone said.

          Another man called, "Why is he even up here?"

          "Get back to work!" a woman shouted.

          "Please," Sebastien pleaded, ignoring them, keeping his eyes on him.

          Caedis stared at him.

          Was he thinking? Was he considering his request?

          But then, Caedis glanced at the dark-haired man beside him. "Give me a minute," he said, his accent thick but understandable.

          The man nodded and guided the crowd away with him, resuming whatever they'd all been talking about before Sebastien interrupted.

          Caedis then set his eyes on Sebastien again and waited.

          This was it. The moment he'd spent all those months preparing for. But as he stood in the shadow of the man he'd come to make his deal with, his mind went blank. Everything he'd planned to say withered, and he was left with nothing.

          He had to try, though. If he stood there and stuttered like an idiot, he'd lose his chance. "I came to make a deal."

          "And you couldn't vait two days vor All-'allows Eve?" he questioned, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

          "N-no, I—"

          "You know zhe vules. All prayers and offerings are made on—"

          "It's not a prayer," he interrupted.

          Caedis raised his left eyebrow.

          He'd pissed him off, and if he didn't want to end up being tossed over the balcony, he should tread lightly. "I can't...sit around and hope that you'll grant my wish. And I know it was rude of me to come barging in here, but...the truth is, I'm here to prove to you that I can be a worthy asset. I'm not just some loser who expects shit to be handed to him for nothing in return. I have skills. And if you give me what I want, I'll do whatever you want," he explained firmly.

          "Vhat makes you vink I might 'ave any use vor you? Is not 'ard vor somevone to sneak into a 'otel."

          "No, but I can do a whole lot more. I graduated from Aldergrove Academy. Isn't that proof enough?"

          A look of pondering appeared on Caedis' face...and after a few moments of silence, he adorned another vacant stare. "Vhat do you vant?"

          "My mate," he answered. "Last Clausula, he died of colligo-internus. I couldn't do anything to save him, and...I can't...I can't live without him," he told him, trying his best to hold back the tears that were fighting so hard to escape from his eyes. Whenever he thought about Clementine, his heart ached, and his body shivered. But he had to push through it. After a deep exhale, he continued. "I need you—I'm asking you to bring him back to me. I'll do anything. Just...please," he begged.

          Caedis looked him up and down. For a second, it almost looked like he was reading Sebastien as though he were a book. But what was he looking for?

          "I-I'm kludde, I have thirty-eight copias, and I was the top student to graduate Aldergrove Academy's Law Institute," he pitched desperately. "I can and will do anything."

          "Kludde. You can talk to spirits, no?"

          "Yeah, that's right."

          But Caedis didn't look like he was any closer to agreeing.

          Sebastien's heart thumped in his chest, and angst gripped him so tightly that he began trembling. "I-I'm smart—obviously. I outsmarted all the kids in Aldergrove. And not only that, I managed to get away from what was supposed to be an eternal contract between my family and the spirit holed up in that school."

          "You bargained vith zhe ancient spirit?"

          "Well, not the spirit...more like my dad." He shook his head and sighed away his anxiety. "Please. I can guarantee you that you won't regret this. I'll do anything you ask—anything. I just want to see Clementine again."

          Caedis looked him up and down again. His judging gaze pierced Sebastien's soul, and it felt as though the God was digging around inside his head in search of what he needed to decide on his answer.

          Sebastien couldn't read his face. He had no idea what he might be thinking, and it made him horribly nervous. If he said no, what was he supposed to do? This was the only chance he had of getting Clementine back. If Caedis turned him away...he had nowhere else to turn.

          But then, that almost vacant look on Caedis' face slowly withered, and with a single nod, he said, "All vight."

          Sebastien was so abruptly filled with relief and excitement that he felt as though he might explode, but he had to contain himself. He didn't want the Lord Caedis to think he was some immature imbecile.

          Caedis grabbed the wrist of the waiter that was passing by. "Tell Zaliv I am taking zhis kid to zhe car."

          The man nodded nervously and scurried off towards the same dark-haired man Caedis had been standing with.

          Then, Caedis started walking. "Vollow," he said.

          As he was told, Sebastien followed behind him.

          They left the patio and headed downstairs into the penthouse; then, Caedis led him into a much larger, nicer elevator.

          Sebastien stood beside him as the elevator headed down. He tried not to glance at him too many times, but he couldn't help it. He'd only ever read stories about this man and seen him on television; he would have never thought he'd get to see him in person. But there he was...standing just inches from him, and the fact that Sebastien could feel the sheer power emanating from him made him feel more nervous than he'd ever been in his life.

          He flinched when the elevator reached its destination.

          The doors slid open, and as they walked out into the parking lot, Sebastien set his eyes on the black Lynx-6000 he'd earlier spotted from the patio.

          Sebastien followed Caedis to the car, and when they reached it, the red-haired man unlocked it and opened the back door. For a moment, Sebastien thought he was going to tell him to get in, but as he saw Caedis reach in and pull out a leather briefcase, he relaxed a little. He wasn't prepared for an abrupt road trip.

          Caedis closed the door and placed the briefcase on the bonnet. Once he opened it, he flicked through the papers until he located a large white envelope.

          "Zhis is vhat you vill do," he said, holding the envelope out to him.

          As he took it from him, Sebastien frowned skeptically. "What is it?"

          "You vere in Aldergrove vor a vhile, vight? So you know zhe land. A vew 'undred miles vrom zhe academy, you vill vind Alder Estate. You vill go zhere and vind out vhy my invormant 'as stopped veturning my calls. Zhe last ving 'e sent vas a letter explaining several strange vings 'appening in zhe 'ouse. All zhe invormation you vill need is in zhat envelope. Take zhat 'ome, vead vhrough, and make your vay to Aldergrove. Zhe address is in zhere," he explained, closing his briefcase.

          "How am I supposed to get there?"

          "You zon't 'ave car?" Caedis questioned, returning his briefcase to the car's backseat.

          "I'm eighteen."

          "Zhe legal age vor driving is vhat...sixteen?" he said, closing the car door, and then he locked it before turning to face him.

          "Yeah, but I don't have a car. Student loans, man," he said—but he realized he was getting too comfortable. "Uh...sorry."

          Caedis smirked amusedly. "So buy vone."

          Sebastien tried his absolute best to keep himself from arguing. But the fact he couldn't afford anything he wanted anymore made him want to snap at him. "I can't...afford one. My dad cut me off when I turned down a job at Hawkes and Foreman."

          "You vere going to be lawyer?"

          "Once upon a time."

          "Vhy did you turn down zhe job?"

          "So I could find you."

          Caedis leaned back against the car. "Your mate died of colligo-internus—a disease created by zhe Ravenblood. I 'eard all zhe Ravenblood vere killed at Aldergrove Academy last year, dooming zheir kind to extinction. You vouldn't 'appen to know anyving about zhat, vould you?"

          Sebastien knew there was no point in lying. This man would know. "Clementine and I killed all of them."

          "Clementine—your mate?"

          He nodded.

          "So, killing vill be no problem vor you."

          "It won't."

          The man crossed his arms. "Good. Zhis is 'ow zhis vill vork. You get zhe job done," he instructed, glancing at the envelope in Sebastien's hands, "zhen I grant your vish."

          "Yes," he said firmly. "I'll get it done."

          Caedis held out his hand to the side, and a small rift sliced through the air and opened up. He reached inside and pulled out a scroll, and the rift closed.

          Summoning magic—an ancient type. That made sense, though. Caedis was almost a thousand years old.

          He unravelled the scroll and held it out to him. "Sign."

          Sebastien moved closer so that he could read it, but he already knew what it was. In order to get what he wanted, he had to sign his soul over to Caedis. He felt no remorse, though. No hesitation. He'd made his decision the second Clementine was taken from him.

          Caedis held out a quill, but instead of a pen tip on the feather's end, there was a small blade.

          Sebastien edged his hand towards it—

          "Are you sure you vant to do zhis? Zhere is no going back; you are still veally young. I know 'e vas your mate, but zhere is still zhe possibility of you meeting somevone else."

          "No. This is what I want. There can't be anyone else but Clem."

          Caedis nodded. "Okay, zhen." He pricked Sebastien's index finger's tip with the quill's blade.

          Sebastien flinched a little, and then he pressed his finger against the bottom of the scroll. When he took his hand away, he watched the splotch of blood soak into the paper. Moments later, his full name appeared in crimson, and the contract shimmered black.

          It was done.

          A cold shiver ran down Sebastien's spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He wasn't sure where this sudden ominous feeling had come from, but it faded as quickly as it came.

          Caedis placed the scroll back inside a summoned rift. "Don't come back until zhe problem is solved." Then, he walked past Sebastien and headed towards the elevator.

          Sebastien frowned as he turned to watch him leave. "What if I have questions?"

          "I vould prever you not to contact me," he called as he walked off. "But if you veally need to, zhere is a number in zhe vile."

          He looked down at the envelope, and when he saw that he'd smudged blood on it, he tutted and wiped his finger on his coat. However, once he looked ahead again, there was no sign of Caedis.

          Sebastien sighed and started heading to the parking lot's exit. When he'd come here, he was under the impression the only thing he had to do was hand his soul over, but now he had to go and find some random guy, too?

          It could be worse, though. Finding someone couldn't be that hard. All he had to do was get to Aldergrove. That was probably going to be the most tedious part of this job.

          There was no time to waste. The sooner he got there and found Caedis' missing man, the sooner he'd be reunited with Clementine.

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