Sympathy for the Demons (Promised to the Demons #1) - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,50

to frighten anyone, which only strengthened my resolve. One could not bring a cute wife home to Sinistral.

“You don’t mean that,” she said. “I’m not sure you mean anything you say.”

“I do. You are my servant and nothing more, and I won’t let you forget it. Your attempts to be nice to me will get you nothing in return. Eventually you will understand the master and servant relationship.”

“Oh, I already do understand that,” she said.

Yes, she had known nothing but serving others, I supposed. But I still had to break her. I still had to make sure she understood that I was not her friend, and I never could be.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bevan

Hey, I was patient. I had always been plenty patient, and good news for me, Variel wasn’t very patient at all. He was working on this house like he had some sort of deadline.

Hell, he could probably just start building cabins for a living if he wanted. I knew a thing or two about that business, thanks to Helena, and Variel was no slouch at construction, even if this was a very old world way to do it.

I shouldn’t have worried that the servants would give Variel any power. They weren’t intimidating. They seemed to follow him with a certain admiration, even when he was cruel to them. No self-respect with those three. But they also showed that Variel didn’t really have teeth, I mean, besides the substantial teeth in his actual face.

I just had to bide my time and suck away his strength inch by inch.

At least, so I thought.

It was possible I got a little too cocky.

Well, as one week stretched into two, everything was fine. I started teaching Jenny magic whenever I had time, and I blocked out the rest of the intrusion of having Variel and his entourage around. Jenny seemed to thrive on the company, and that made it less irritating. Jenny had a way of seeing the good side of everything and everyone, while it was in my nature to be a bit of cynic so I could protect Helena against unforeseen dangers. I usually considered everything to be a problem or a danger until proven innocent.

Jenny was just happy to be free. I could see it in the way her eyes lit up, the way everything was the best and the most wonderful to her, the way that she was so patient even when Gillian knocked over a whole bowl of wild grapes she had just picked, squishing enough to ruin her recipe.

I couldn’t wait to have her all to myself. To show her the world. To work together finding the mysteries of familiar-kind. To woo her the way she deserved to be wooed.

I can’t believe I’m turning into a romantic. This is ridiculous.

But even a cynic like me was helpless in the face of a girl like Jenny.

When the cabin was done, or at least mostly done—it had no windows or proper flooring yet—Lord Variel passed around glasses of wine.

“To celebrate my own home, made with my own hands,” he said. “And all of yours as well. Fueled by the delicious meals made by my new little chef, who puts Sirio to shame!”

Uram nodded vigorously.

“I must admit, it was a satisfying accomplishment,” Lord Variel said. “To build rather than to inherit…well, I miss my castle, but I will always look on this cabin with affection.”

In that moment, I actually liked the ancient demon. No matter how ancient you were, or how demon-y, he reminded me a little of Helena leaving her own wealthy family to make her way in the world working with her hands. “There really is no substitute for making something from nothing,” I said. “Something real.”

“That’s true,” Jenny said. “I think I could have been a sad person if things had been a little different; if I had nothing to do. But every day when I get up and think about making something delicious and beautiful, I get excited about it.”

I sipped the red wine. It really had a kick. The heat flooded all the way down my body.

“What did you make for us today, Jenny?” Gillian asked. “I smelled something good!”

“Today I used the food dyes! I can’t wait to show you. I hope they look as pretty baked as they did as batter…and I also had to substitute blueberry spread for raspberry jam. I’m a little worried about that part. They do have a very different flavor.”

“I’m sure it’ll be wonderful,” Jameson said. “Everything you’ve made has