They fell silent. When she didn’t speak up, he decided to press his luck. “So what kind of demon are you? Like, what are your pow — gifts?”
Kiara hesitated. “I’ve got quite a few. I guess it doesn’t really hurt to tell you.”
She disappeared. Her clothes were still visible, but she wasn’t. She reappeared after a moment. “I can also become a phantom, where I pass through objects and fly.” She thought for a moment. “I have limited control over temperature in a given space, I can see in the dark, and I can inspire fear in humans and demons alike.”
That caught his attention. “Seriously?”
She smirked. “Would you like see for yourself?”
He thought for a moment. “Will anything bad happen?”
“No.”
“Then why not?”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
They paused for a long moment. “Well?”
She blinked. “You didn’t feel that?”
He shook his head. “Try again.”
This time, her brow furrowed. She held out a hand.
The wind whistled through the door. Jared raised an eyebrow. “Is that all you’ve got?”
Irritated, she grabbed his arm. A chill ran down his spine, like ice. Not fear, exactly, but it was uncomfortable.
She snatched her hand away. “You’re so warm!”
“You’re freezing!”
She tilted her head. “You’re immune? How? Not even Jessica is immune to emotional manipulation!”
Jared nodded solemnly. “It’s my cold, dead heart. Nothing affects me anymore.”
She took a moment to catch the joke before rolling her eyes. “Hardy har. Seriously, what are you?”
He simply shrugged. “Does it matter?”
She glared at him. “Does it?”
He thought about it. “So long as I’m decently powerful, it’s good, right?”
Kiara sighed. “Yeah, alright. But what do you eat, at least?”
He winced. “You first. What do you eat?”
“I eat fear.”
He cocked his head. “Don’t you inspire fear?”
“It’s not the same thing. I can make you, well, most people experience fear, but I can’t make them produce it. Humans are way easier to scare than demons, for the record.”
Jared chuckled. “So how do you eat? Do you just go around and haunt houses for a few hours every night?”
“You think you’re joking.” She bit back a laugh. “That’s almost exactly what Jessica recommended. But I found something that works almost as well. I just go see horror movies in theater.”
Jared gasped. “That’s genius. You just have to be near them to eat, then?”
She nodded. “Right. It’s a pretty decent meal, and I get to watch a show too.” She giggled. “No, I lied. The movie is outright torture most of the time. Especially that new one with the caterpillar alien thing. I’ve had to watch them all countless times.”
Jared scoffed in mock disbelief. “I’ll have you know that I am an extreme horror fan, and they are literary works of art! How dare you insult ‘The Endigrade’!”
Kiara groaned. “Don’t get me started. ‘Your soul is MINE, Elizabeth!'” she spluttered. “‘Prepare your last wishes’!”
They laughed at her surprisingly apt mimicry of the cheesy monster. As their laughter declined, Jared conceded the point. “Alright, fine, the dialogue was a bit rushed. But that CGI was awesome!”
She waved her hand in a so-so motion. “It was fine, I guess. Better than most.”
“From a professional critic, that is true praise indeed.”
Their next bout of laughter was longer, but it faded after a few minutes. Their eyes met, and they glanced away awkwardly.
Jared cleared his throat. “I guess we’re done, then? Unless…”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “We’re good.”
“Right. Do I just…?”
“Yeah. I guess I should be leaving now too.”
They got up and went for the door. They had nearly exited the barn when she slapped her forehead. “Jessica said she’d like to meet with you before you leave! And I need to give her my report…”
He stifled a groan. He was tired. It must have been 10 PM by now. Hopefully the conversation would be short.
They walked up to the mansion in awkward silence. What was going on? One second they had been laughing together, and the next…
Nevermind, he didn’t want to think about it. He focused on his feet for the rest of the walk.
Kiara just opened the door and stepped inside. As they marched up the stairs, Jared could see faint firelight coming from the study.
Miss Senguine was already seated when they came in. She had changed into a more fashionable set of clothes, with a loose red blouse, a pink scarf, and a maroon pencil skirt. The makeup was back as well as a pair of reading spectacles. She glanced up from the newspaper.
“Ah, yes, Kiara. Well? How was his terra?”
Kiara hesitated. “He has good potential, I think…”
Miss Senguine frowned. “How strong is he?”
She bowed her head. “His terra strength isn’t high, I’m afraid. Probably a 40 or so.”
Miss Senguine sighed deeply and pinched her nose. “Thank you, Kiara. You are dismissed to go home.”
Kiara bowed slightly and gave Jared an apologetic smile before leaving. Jared stood there awkwardly.
“Have a seat, Mr. Bertreck.”
He sat gingerly. “What does that mean, Miss Senguine? Am I not a Ferronaught?”
She slapped the newspaper onto the table. “No, no, of course you are. Your incident with Annika confirmed that. However…” She glared at him. “You are severely malnourished for your age. How many partners have you had, young man?”
He winced. “Not a lot…”
“I asked for a number.”
He sighed. “None, okay?”
She scoffed and set down her wine. “Typcial. A Ferronaught stumbles into my lap, and he’s a fracking virgin.” Her jaw clenched. “This will not do.”
“Since you are a Ferronaught, the best course of action will be to present you to the Summit. Provided you are deemed worthy of membership, you will receive their protection throughout the apocalypse.”
At his confused look, she explained. “The Summit is a high-tier alliance of the strongest bloodlines to confirm their rule over the rest of us. Your father is part of it. They have agreed to a form of a peace treaty with one another. Whichever of them attacks another will be attacked by the rest of the Summit. Until you are on that council, you are free game to eliminate from the competition. Anyone who knows will be trying to kill you.”
Jared frowned. “I thought I was effectively immortal?”
She waved her hand. “To demons, yes. Keep in mind that humans slew most of your kind long ago. It’s likely that they will continue throwing humans at you until one gets lucky.”
“The next meeting of the summit is the last one before the end of times begins. That will be in six months. If you are not fully capable by that point, you will be dead within a few years,” she stated matter of factly. “We do not know when the Summit will next meet, but I doubt it will be within the decade.”
Jared’s head was spinning. Six months. “Can’t you protect me?”
She snorted. “From members of the Summit? Not hardly. The most I can do is provide you with guidance and connections to keep you hidden and get you to the point where you can be accepted into the Summit. And that starts with getting you properly fed.”
She leaned forward. “Your first assignment: You will report back here tomorrow evening. By that time, I expect you to have had full sexual intercourse with a woman and for you to bring her here.”