Lily didn't see him for some time, Edgar.
The mistress must not be done with him. Lily shook the terrible images from her head. That could have been her. But Edgar took the blame for her. And that's what fed her guilt and worry.
'Why should I care? It's not like he didn't know what he was doing.'

Lily flipped the omelette on its side.

'And it's not like I asked him to. Shit.'
She moved the cooked omelette onto her plate and set the pan aside in frustration.
No matter what she told herself, she was still worried.
She blew her hair out of her face.
Her eyes went to the door of her 'special' room. It was empty and had been for sometime now. That was the problem, she had too much time on her hands now enough to be worrying. Yuck.

Her breakfast tray was set as she made her way into the living area.
She grabbed the unfinished murder mystery she'd been reading.

A rattling sound came from beneath the table followed by hissing sounds.

'How the hell do these damn things keep getting in?' She yelled in the empty room.
She set the tray aside and picked up the rattle snake setting it on the table.
The snake yacked up a small sheet.
Lily would have to ask Ginger to find another way to deliver her messages. She hated snakes.
Once the purpose of the snake was completed, she killed the abhorrent creature.

Ginger bagan in her note, 'Do not kill my pets.'
The waring came too late.
'Sorry.' Lily laughed
She continued reading.
She let out a sound of frustration when she finished.
The rogues has failed to dispatch of the nosy vamp because he had help, so the only survivor had reported to Ginger.

'F******g wolves.'
She set the offensive paper on fire.
She'd lost her appetite with the news and its messenger and all.

There was a soft knock at the door.
'Edgar.'
He looked disheveled and slightly pained.

'It's been a while, hasn't it?' He grinned.
Lily shrugged, 'I didn't notice.'
She turned and walked back into her house.

'Pest problem or latest sex toy?' He asked pointing to the dead snake on her table.
She cursed him in her head.

She kicked the creature to the ground.
'That was Ginger's messenger. She is fond of snakes.' Her lips lifted in a sneer at the end.

'And you hate them.' She neither confirmed nor denied it.
Edgar picked the fork and ate her unfinished breakfast.
'I wasn't done with that.' She complained.
'I can see that. So I'm helping you.'
He spoke with a mouthful of toast and then he offered her a fork full of eggs.
But she simply scoffed and walked away.

'You aren't here for a free breakfast or to talk about my sex life. So what is it?'
He swallowed before speaking this time.
'She wants us to get something from Ginger.'

Lily hadn't heard from the mistress. She must still not trust her since she waited for Edgar to return before putting her to work.

'I'll get changed.' Lily fastened her pace.

'Take your time.' He joked earning him a finger from Lily.
Suddenly Edgar caught a fit.
Lily looked out her opened door, pushing her hands in the sleeves of her dress.

'I'm okay.' He said wheezily, 'Wrong pipe.'
He kept his face turned away.

In no time, they arrived at Ginger's place.
They only took off their cloaks once they were inside and away from prying eyes.
Lily got an eerie sense of Deja vu when she stepped into the quiet house.

'Something's wring. And you can feel it too.' Edgar said.

Lily screamed despite herself.
They found Ginger in her room, on her bed- dead.
Like Tatiana, she had been tortured. Unlike Tatiana she was covered in snakes and snake bites.
Edgar ushered her from the room and closed the door behind them.
He held Lily's shoulders and looked into her eyes.
'You stay out here and see what you can find. I'll see what I can find in there.'

Lily wanted to strongly object, she was proud. However, she also had some dignity, going in there, she might make a fool of herself. At least, she was grateful that Edgar wasn't treating her like an invalid. Of course she wouldn't tell him this.

'You're right.' She flipped her hair. 'I wouldn't be of any use in there. You go do your sniffing thing.'

'Essence magic.' He corrected.

'Whatever. Same thing.'

She left before she could see the smile on his face.
The moment she landed at the foot of the stairs, her eye caught a cloth poking out of the floor board beneath the table.

She stood over the table and ripped the floorboard out with a spell.
Her shaky fingers peeled away the velvet cloth to reveal a yellow looking bone.

'The rib!'

'I found nothing. Whoever this person is...' Edgar stopped talking when he looked over the banister and found Lily frozen.

'What is it?' He rushed down to her side.

'Ginger found the rib.' Lily told him although he could clearly see it.

'Whoever killed her must be after this. Could be why they killed Tatiana.'
Edgar pulled the cloak over his head, in two long strides he was at the door.
'We should leave before whoever it is, comes back.'

Lily was right behind him. She hastily shoved the rib inside her cloak.
She shut the door behind her.
They were walking when she turned she bumped into Edgar's chest.
'What is it now?'
He pulled her hood over her head.
Her mouth shaped into an o.
'Keep your head low.'

They teleported to her front door after bouncing to several locations.
That way they'd lose anyone on their tail.

'Keep the rib. Until I get back don't let anyone in.'
She nodded. Then Edgar caught her arm before she left.
'Magic word is 'Nice breasts.''
Then he disappeared.

Lily smiled despite herself.
Wrong pipe her ass.

First thing first, she hid the rib and warded it with several spells.
No doubt Edgar went to report their findings to the mistress. So until he came back, she'd keep the rib safe. This time, she wouldn't mess up.

Surprisingly, Edgar was back after fifteen minutes.
'Nice Breast.' He shouted from the door.
When she opened him he added.
'Nice ass too.'

'There's a thing called privacy.' She retorted.
And he gave her one back.
'And there's a thing called a door. Trust me it saves lives.'
She tried closing the door on him then.
'Too late.' He pushed by her with a strange limp.

'You're bleeding? What happened?'
The worst case scenarios queued up in her head for her inspection.

'You see, the mistress wasn't too thrilled that I left you here alone even though I did ward your house. She was a little miffed that I could have led this psychopathic killer to her.'

She rolled up his sleeves and popped a few buttons.
'So she let her demons at you.'

He winced when she accidentally brushed her fingers against his wound.
'And drained me.'
Lily winced at that. She even took his powers.
They'd be back, but still.

'And so you know, Casper's nook doesn't exist anymore.'

'She destroyed it.' Lily said as a-matter-of-fact.
It was their mistress's way. When she felt a location was compromised she immediately destroyed it.

'You're not looking so hot Edgar. I'll have to do the babysitting soon.'
He only laughed. Still he made laid no blames and made mention about taking the fall for her.

She went into her room and came back with a sheet which she threw at him.
'Strip.'

'I like the sound of that. But before I consent to anything, please know that I have a low tolerance of pain, so I'll opt out of the torture side of things.'

Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes.
'Strip so I can take care of your wounds fool.'

'Party killer.'
But he did as she ordered.

It was Lily's turn to take a peek. And she was not enetirly impressed. After all she'd had werewolves, vampires and even ogres.
The ogres had been in a time when she wanted to try different things.
Yet still they had impressive builds. For a human, Edgar wasn't too bad looking.
He didn't have the washboard abs instead he had a taunt and flat stomach.

She gathered some herbs and vials which she mixed in a wooden bowl then rubbed in her palms.

Her palms traveled up his torso and to his chest, healing the cuts and bruises along the way.
Lily looked at her closed windows. Ah, that's why she was feeling so hot.
'It's not the window baby.'
He took her hands and guided her to the rest of  his injuries. The cloth shifted just beneath his abdomen. Then she took them back when she had to reapply the salve.
This time he let her do it on her own.
She glides down his thighs and hairy legs.
Her hands went beneath the cloth and found what she was looking for.
Edgar's narrowed his eyes in suspicion at first. Then she continued to work him then his head fell back.
The cloth slid to the floor allowing her full view of her new found pleasure.
Still she was not very impressed because she'd played with larger ones.
Her head dipped, she took his shaft deep inside her throat.
She smiled when Edgar groaned.
She replaced her mouth with her hands and said, 'Its not all torture.'
She swirled her tongue around him and played some more.

Edgar pulled her unto the couch. He wouldn't last much longer if he let her continue.

Lily laughed.
'I'm not impressed.' She said to taunt him.

'Well missy,' he rammed into her slick cavern.
Her gasp brought a smile to his lips.
'Let's see what we can do about that.'

Lily laid on her back staring at the ceiling with an odd feeling spreading across her body.
Edgar had made good on her promise to impress her but aside that she felt oddly worse. And the silence wasn't helping a damn thing.

'Why did you join the mistress?'
It was the first question that came to mind. Her curiosity had been peaked for sometime.

'World peace- ow that hurt.'
He rubbed his nipple where she bit him.
Then his voice got somber.
'We've placed sharks as our leaders. We need someone who completely understands our pain, who has suffered like us.'
Lily saw him in a whole new light.

'Dragons promote greed among their people, the shapeshifters let theirs roam wild and unchecked most times. And the vampires...' The pause was filled with so much emotion. She watched him reel it all in before he spoke again.
'I watched my mother destroy herself by throwing herself at those vampires over and over again. All for the small promise of immortality and a lavish life.'
He sighed, rubbing her back.

'I don't want that life for anyone.'

Lily chewed the button of her lip as she mentally chewed on her thoughts.

'We all have our reasons. The mistress is the better of the evils.' She whispered and he agreed.

'Did we just have a moment here?'
And he'd ruined it by speaking.
'Get out of my bed. This was fun but it doesn't mean anything.'

'I expected nothing more.' Edgar stood in his naked glory and got dressed.
'Just So you know for next time...'

'There won't be a next time.' Lily said sweetly.

'If, there is a next time...' he continued, ' I am open to suggestions, kinky or otherwise. But we must discuss them prior to the sex.'

She sent a pillow sailing towards his head but he ducked out laughing.

Lily glared after him. He was a dangerous one. She'd have to be careful and guard herself.