Kale eyed the mousy human girl with disinterest. He didn’t understand why Mimi’s brothers had called him over when the girl crossed into the new meadow. She wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. The girl hugged a notebook to her chest and clutched a pencil in a lead-smudged hand. She took in his unnatural form and made a choked gasp before darting behind Pili—the easy-going twin—and using him as a not-so-human shield. Seb’s brow flew up in surprise. The moody twin looked spectacularly uncomfortable so close to the human.

“Let Mother know there’s a hole in her wards so she can get it fixed.” Kale turned to leave.

“What do we do with her?” Pili took a step away from the girl, but she moved whenever he did.

“I don’t care,” said Kale. “Just make it quick.”

Seb got the gist and slipped a dagger from his belt.

Pili shifted in front of the girl, who suddenly clutched his shirt. “What are you doing?”

“Getting rid of the human,” answered Seb easily.

“Mimi said no killing the humans,” reminded Pili.

“It’s just one human. I don’t think Mimi will care if it keeps our home protected.”

Seb tried to step around his brother. Pili put a hand out to stop him. Kale had never seen the brothers challenge each other. This might get interesting.

There’s been lots of interesting stuff happening lately, Ferrox interjected. If you came out more often than when Vera is gone, you’d know that.

Have you told her that I’ve been around?

No.

Good. Kale relaxed to watch the fight playing out in front of him.

“We need to put her back,” said Pili.

“So she can go blabbing to all the other humans?” Seb shook his head.

“I won’t say anything,” came a trembling voice. “I promise.”

“See? She promises,” said Pili.

“She’s human. Their promises don’t mean anything.”

Kale half expected the girl to be offended and snap back, but she was too busy trying to look small. Vera would’ve said something.

What would she say if she saw you right now?

Kale swallowed back the curses he wanted to throw at Ferrox. The demon was right though. He sighed. “Just send her back. No one would believe her anyway.”

Seb was not pleased, but he sheathed his blade while Pili quickly ushered the girl toward the Earth-gate.

“That seems like a bad idea,” observed Seb once his brother was gone.

“Scared of a pathetic human?”

Seb offered a dark look and stalked away. Kale was disappointed. He’d been hoping the man would lash out at him. But no one here had the nerve.

Your girl would give you all the hell you want if you’d give her the chance.

Drop it, Ferrox.

“Wishing you were in Diyu?” asked Marianna, coming up behind him.

Okay, almost no one had the nerve to challenge him. The weaver sidled up beside him. She had no problem throwing barbs, but in her case, Kale had to tread carefully. Otherwise, she might put him in the ground—still alive.

“At least in Diyu, there’s something to keep me entertained.”

“Oh yes,” said Marianna drolly. “Skinning people, cutting off bits of them, shoving it down their throats, and then setting them on fire.”

“You are opposed to the torture of evil people?”

“I didn’t say that, but I am concerned about how fast your taste for it seems to be coming back.”

“I’m in control of myself.”

“Are you? How long has Vera been gone—do you even know?”

“Vera can take care of herself.”

“Yeah, that girl never gets herself into trouble she can’t handle,” Marianna said sarcastically but with fondness as well.

His tense muscles flinched at the reminder of how much trouble Vera was capable of. “Addamas will watch over her.”

To which Marianna scowled. She was not Addamas’s biggest fan. Honestly, the satyr didn’t have many fans, but he had been a good friend to Kale. They could trust him to keep an eye on Vera… Okay, the satyr had helped Vera run headlong into trouble more than once. Kale swiped a hand through his hair. Marianna seemed pleased by his agitation.

“She doesn’t need my help,” Kale persisted.

“Are you trying to convince me of that, or yourself?” she taunted.

Kale clenched his teeth and kept his mouth shut.

Marianna eyed him with condescending amusement. “Ah. I see. You’re hoping to convince Vera. How long before you plan to walk away from her for good?”

Kale winced at the accuracy of the weaver’s assumption. She couldn’t pull thoughts from his mind, but she had a way of reading him like a book. Of course, she’d known him for a couple of centuries. That was plenty of time to learn his nuances. It also made her old enough not to be afraid of him.

“I’m not the man she knew. The longer Ferrox and I are merged, the further from that man I’ll become.”

“So, you’re leaving to protect her.” Marianna rolled her eyes.

“Is that wrong?”

“It’s cliché and boring.”

“You’d rather I destroy her?” Kale released a measured breath and continued calmly, “If I stay here, she’ll keep trying to save me. You and I both know she’s too stubborn to quit. Failing will crush her. Over and over.”

“You say too stubborn. I say too good.”

“And yet, the results will be the same: She’ll get hurt.”

“I understand that you have little faith in yourself, but I’m surprised that you have so little faith in her,” Marianna chided.

“You think she can ward off the monster inside me? I mean, she’s pretty incredible, don’t get me wrong, but that’s a stretch.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Marianna replied. “I mean, do you actually think there’s anywhere in this unraveled world where you could run that she wouldn’t find a way to track you down? No matter how dangerous.”

Kale hadn’t thought of that. Stars blast me. He’d been planning to head to Diyu, where his depraved inclinations could be put to good use. What if the girl followed him there?

“Welp, I think my work here is done. I guess you’ll be sticking around a bit longer. At least until you figure out how to save that girl from yourself without getting her killed.” Marianna wiggled her fingers in farewell before walking away, leaving Kale standing there, gaping.

That manipulative witch.

Manipulative, yes. Wrong, no, Ferrox said.

The demon-horse had been spending a fair amount of time sleeping since Kale had come back. How long had it been? Marianna had asked if he knew how long Vera had been gone. The truth was, he didn’t.

I’m sleeping because I’m bored out of my mind with all this Guardian business.

I’m not the Guardian anymore, Kale reminded.

Maybe not under compulsion, now that the meadow has fallen to Earth. Apparently, you can take the magic bindings out of the Guardian, but you cannot take the Guardian out of you. You just have more graphic daydreams now of how you’d like to eviscerate everyone.

I’m surprised you don’t appreciate that.

Oh, I do. It’s like porn for me, Ferrox replied. But since I am not allowed to indulge in the flesh around here, I’m sleeping so I don’t lose my mind and bite off something that someone would rather keep. And get us cut down in the process.

Kale hadn’t thought about that either—how much Ferrox had to be struggling. All the more reason to retire to some underworld and be the torturer in residence for the rest of his days. However many days that would be. Unnaturals never lived to old age. Except for the now-dead Errock, who’d somehow been frozen in time until a witch unleashed him in Earth the year before. Otherwise, Kale had no idea how long an unnatural lived if no one killed them.

Which brings us back to that girl you fell in love with. How are you going to handle staying away from her for the rest of your life?

I’ll get over it, Kale told him.

Ferrox snorted inelegantly. You’re already delusional, then? I thought we had a bit more time before you lost it that bad.

Shut up.

You know you sound like her too, right? Ferrox asked. She doesn’t even care that you’re half horse now. So what’s the problem?

The problem is I’m half horse, Kale said.

I’d be offended if I wasn’t equally unhappy to be half man at the moment. But if she doesn’t care, why do you? And none of that load about you losing your mind and hurting her. I’m in your head and know that you’d cut us in half before you’d hurt her—I’d probably allow it.

I didn’t realize you cared for the girl.

I don’t, but I couldn’t live with your remorse if you ever harmed her. You’re already insufferable.

Why did you surface, if I’m so annoying?

Because I’m hungry, Ferrox complained.

Kale gazed up at the darkening sky. It was later than he’d realized. Wake me when it’s morning and you’ve filled yourself.

Don’t want to come along for the hunt?

Kale hesitated. Part of him wouldn’t mind scenting out a tainted soul and feasting on his flesh alongside Ferrox. With Marianna’s warning ringing in his mind, though, he was afraid to indulge and fall faster. He had to come up with a plan to separate himself from Vera first. Somewhere he could go that she couldn’t follow.

Your loss, Ferrox said.

Kale pulled back, letting himself fall away. Eventually, he was unaware of what Ferrox did. He floated in a numb, mindless existence of nothingness.