The store part that sold Eastern Europe foods and ingredients was never as busy as the restaurant upstairs so it was a lot of standing around and sorting the shelves from where people would misplace stuff. The shift went well, with Svetlana staying upstairs and only the regular customers coming in occasionally. Eleven came quickly and Haven met me at my car, waiting as I unlocked the doors for him to get in.

"Do you ever have time to relax?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course I do. Why would you ask that?"

He hesitated a minute as if considering whether to answer then did. "I watched you the past week. Got an idea of your schedule, your habits."

I almost began a rant but realized it was out of my control and there would be no point. "And?"

"You're always doing something. Working, volunteering as a life guard, doing kendo with the fire witch, helping the air witch study, working in your garden, doing magic. The entire time you only stopped to sleep."

"I like to be busy. It isn't a crime."

"It's my duty to watch over you. That includes making sure you don't run yourself into the ground."

"Valí otsjúda," I growled. I know it was a bit unfair to tell him to fuck off in a language he didn't know but it felt good to say it.

"Apparently I'm going to have to put learn Russian on my list of things to do," he remarked..

"Apparently," I remarked, this time in Ukrainian. He looked at me thoughtfully. He was probably trying to figure out if I'd spoken Russian since they were quite similar to someone who didn't speak one or both of them.

The rest of the ride silent, up until we walked in my front door. "I'll go check things out," he said, sliding ahead of me. He ghosted through the all the rooms then disappeared out into the yard. I wasn't too unhappy to see him go. I'd seen the things trying to attack me but I was too independent to be happy about someone waltzing into my life and guarding me. The sky overhead crackled and a few seconds later a boom of thunder followed the flash of lightning that lit up the room.

I turned on the kitchen light and TV, setting it to a cartoon channel. My dining room table was a makeshift office desk, with my laptop, notebooks, and loose papers in neat piles. I sat in front of the computer and turned it on. It was one of the few things I'd actually spent a considerable sum on. It was a tablet, that could be used in the usual way or the screen rotated down to cover the keyboard. I did that now and checked my email, scribbling a few replies with the stylus. Sophia had emailed, asking what was going on and I gave her the short version in answer.

A scratching at the porch door caught my attention and I looked up to see the stray wolfhound that I'd unofficially adopted. I'd named her Sumy, after my hometown in the Ukraine. I stood and got a large cupful of dog food, going out onto the porch where I was greeted by her standing on her hind legs and hugging me to lick my face. I'd expected it and braced myself, laughing as I turned my head to avoid getting licked in the mouth. "Seedyet," I ordered. She immediately sat down, her tail thumping the ground as she panted. "Good girl."

I poured her food into a bowl I kept outside for such purposes and she began eating the kibbles quickly.

"So you do have a nice side."

I looked up and saw Haven resting on the top step, his weight leaning against the corner post that connected the railing of the porch and steps. Sumy looked up, studying him a moment, thumped her tail, and went back to eating. "Of course I do."

"Just not in regard to me?"

"Not in regard to anyone who barges into my life and tries to become part of it whether or not I agree."

Sumy finished eating and went out into the yard, jumping into the air to snap at the fireflies darting around. I sat down on the porch steps and watched her with a faint smile. Haven sat on the steps as well, leaving room between us.

"You have a lot of swords," he remarked after a moment.

"Among other things."

"Why?"

"Most are practice weapons. Others are decoration. They're all combat-ready though, no fakes or dull ones."

"Good. If I need extra weapons they'll be useful."

I glanced at him. "I know how to use them as well."

"That would be a last line of defense. I've trained years to fight them and only weapons with special runes and blessings will kill Void beings."

His mention of runes made me think of a pair of sais I'd picked up on a month long trip to Japan. The three silver prongs had runes engraved in them that I'd never seen before. I stood, indicating him to wait a moment, and got them from the spare bedroom. The left wall held a rack full of swords, and even a practice glaive alongside a live one. The closet had shelves that held my smaller weapons: daggers, throwing stars, and several pairs of sais among other things.

I grabbed the pair I'd thought of and took them out for Haven to examine. His violet eyes met my gray ones curiously. "Where did you get these?"

"A trip to Japan. A little out of the way bazaar type market. I got a good deal on them."

"They must have been a Guardians, probably quite some time ago. I'll consecrate them and you can keep them, just in case."

I nodded and he stuck them in his jacket, though I didn't see any bulge form in a pocket. He sat with his elbows on his legs and arms stretched out to entwine his fingers loosely. I stared at his hands, lost in thought and was startled when they wavered a bit. I focused on them but nothing was out of the ordinary. I let them unfocus again and realized he had another glamour that had been hidden under the first. It remained in place even after I noticed it and I wrinkled my brow.

"What?" he asked, turning his head a bit to look at me.

"You—err, never mind. Well, actually, why do you have a glamour on you? Other than your weapons and eyes."

He looked surprised a moment then his face went calm again. "It's a natural glamour."

"Natural?"

"I generate it automatically. Even if someone notices it I have to drop it consciously for them to see past it."

I looked at him in thought, then tilted my head slightly. "Are you human?"

"Yes and no."

My brow cocked upward. "That isn't a question that allows for much uncertainty."

"My mother was human. My father wasn't."

"What was he?"

"Tiefling, or so we think."

I stared at him blankly. "Okay. Can you drop the glamour for a minute?"

He looked back to his hands. "I'd rather not but if you ask me to again I will."

"I need to see what I'm getting in to."

I let my focus shift to my second sight as he sighed. I felt the glamour drop and I nearly fell off the steps in surprise. His skin, which had been tan, had taken on golden and purple tones like a sunset. His fingernails were black, looking like the most perfect nail polish paint job ever.

He stood and shed his jacket. A thin, whip-like tail uncurled from around his waist, four feet long and cat-like in the way it moved. The last visible surprise was three spiky ridges along each forearm that curved back toward him. The first two were as long as my palm and the third was half that. They were black with iridescent shades of gold and purple as well.

I scrambled to my feet in surprise. "Tvoyú mat'!" I exclaimed. I felt him place the glamour back but his appearance didn't change. "I can still see you," I breathed.

"What?"

"I can feel the glamour but I don't see it."

He looked thoughtful. "It must be because of the tattoo."

Now that he mentioned it I noticed the blue triskele still on his wrist, the blue standing out against his skin tone. It glowed in my second sight, a light blue the matched the inner layers of my aura.

Even when the second sight faded I was still looking at sunset skin. I reached a hand out then stopped, hovering a foot from him. Haven reached out and took it gently, setting my palm next to the row of spikes on his left arm. "Go ahead," he offered, turning his gaze back to the yard.

I let my hand rest there a few minutes, unsure of what to do. Curiosity got the best of me and I gently ran my fingertips along the spike, feeling hard bone that ended in a razor sharp tip. They would be good weapons, either slashing or blocking blows to his forearm since they seemed like they would be hard to break. His muscles were tense and I figured it was because he wasn't used to being close to anyone, and especially having someone touch him other than to fight.

His tail had curled back around his waist like a living belt but when I looked toward it he uncurled it and held it hand level for me. I put my hand under it, just near the end and he rested it on my palm. Only upon feeling it did I realize that it was not covered in skin, but extremely short fur like the hide of a cow in the exact shades as his skin. It was soft when I let my thumb rub one way but coarse when rubbed the other way.

"Tell me about yourself," he said suddenly.

"Don't you already know? I mean, didn't you get a file with the story of my life?"

The corner of his lips quirked up in a smile. "I got information on you. Your name, location, age. Basic things like that. They like us to bond with our witches by learning about them as we go."

"Well. There isn't much to say about me."

"Tell me about your childhood, why you moved here, anything."

"All right." I stopped and studied his tail a moment then began, rubbing my fingers along the fur. "I was born in the Ukraine, in Kiev. It's in the east, near the border with Russia. My mom was Russian, she lived in Chernobyl until the accident then moved to Kiev. That's where she met my dad, an American journalist. I don't remember him much. The only thing he really did for me was get me American citizenship."

"He left when I was four and that's when we moved to Sumy. Life was hard, technically it was still part of the Soviet Union and Ukraine hadn't declare independence yet. It was hard to find work and we eventually moved to Russia. Vladistovok, on the eastern coast across from Japan almost, where we had relatives. I was fourteen. I went to college there but didn't finish, I'm a little too flighty I guess." I laughed, manipulating the end of his tail across my knuckles and through my fingers. He made noises to indicate he was listening as I spoke and smiled when I laughed.

"After I gave that up I started teaching English lessons off the books. My dad had taught mom and she taught me. It paid off, since English became the language to learn if you wanted to do business. I saved up my money for two years then did some traveling. I went first to Japan then west to South Korea, Thailand, Greece, Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Germany, then to the US. And I've been here since."

"Why here?"

"I don't know. It felt as good a place as any to settle down. I liked the weather, it's about the same climate as Vladistovok, maybe a little warmer. It felt right, I guess."

"What do you do for fun?"

"Well, you know some of it. Kendo, life guarding at the community pool, gardening, feeding strays, learning new things. I love learning. Americans take schooling for granted but I'm grateful for it."

"You speak English well."

I laughed a bit. "You should have heard me when I first got here. My accent was horrible. I really worked on getting it manageable but I don't think I'll ever lose it."

The night air had turned cool and I shivered, rubbing my upper arms as I looked around the yard. I made a mental note that I needed to weed along the back fence. A weight settled on my shoulders and I looked at Haven in surprise when he finished fussing with the jacket he'd laid there. "Let us go inside," he said, standing and reaching a hand to me. I hesitated then took it, letting him pull me to my feet gently.

Inside I went to give his jacket back but he refused. "Keep it on, it's chilly in here."

I looked at him. "I'm from Russia, this is nothing."

"Oblige me."

"For now. Where will you sleep?"

"The spare room will suffice."

I sat on the couch, folding my legs underneath me so they disappeared under the coat. He sat on the loveseat, looking decidedly uncomfortable against the navy blue suede. I was staring at him and knew it but couldn't quit. It was like having a polite alien warrior sitting in your living room. You didn't want to offend them and start some intergalactic war, but it was just something you didn't see every day and the most interesting thing in the room.

Isis was perched on the ledge of the half-wall behind the loveseat, studying Haven. She jumped down, aiming for his lap, but he caught her mid-air underneath her front legs. Holding her up to eye level they stared at each other a moment, then she meowed and he smiled. My mouth nearly dropped as she curled up in the crook of his elbow and he brought her to his chest, scratching under her neck until she purred.

I shook my head at the traitor and looked around for Osiris. He was perched on the table that ran behind the couch and held my fish tank. A chess set absent the pieces next to the tank was his favorite spot. I had given up putting the pieces back in place every time he took the notion to knock them off to clear a space to lay.

"I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you later. Dobranich." I stood and slid the jacket off, laying it across the arm of the couch. He watched as I disappeared into my room, shutting the door. I went through my normal nighttime routine, stripping down to a sports bra and shorts as well as letting my hair out of the bun I'd had it in all day. My clock read a little past 12:30 when I finally nodded off.

I woke up at 4 AM and laid staring at the ceiling unable to fall back asleep. Throwing the covers off I ambled into the living room, yawning and stretching. It was empty and dark, so I turned on the TV to one of the music channels. This late, or early, it was playing some 80's dance music. I hummed along, padding into the kitchen to grab a snack.

I turned to open the cabinets over the bar top and found Haven leaning against the end of the half-wall at the entrance with an almost amused look. I almost screamed and looked for a weapon, then realized it was my house and if I wanted to walk around in the bare minimum and sing then I damn well would.

I cleared my throat. "I couldn't sleep. Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't."

I nodded and grabbed the bowl I'd been getting in the first place. From the fridge I got some grapes, washed them, then sat them in the bowl before going into the living room. I was a little self conscious about my lack of clothing but changing would only draw more attention so I just sat down and began popping grapes into my mouth as I channel surfed.

He sat down on the couch and after an hour or so appeared to be asleep. I watched him from the corner of my eyes and waited until he was definitely asleep. I sat the bowl on the floor silently then stood, creeping over to him. Leaning forward, I studied the horns on his forehead. His words from yesterday—was it just yesterday, it seemed like weeks ago—ran through my head, that he "belonged" to me.

I had to admit that despite his unconventional appearance he wasn't ugly, far from it. My hand reached out its own accord, hovering a few inches from the base of the horns. Isis jumped onto the ledge just behind his head and startled me off balance. Steady arms caught me by the waist and I stared straight ahead, avoiding what was surely a questioning gaze. Lady take me and the thrice damned cat, I thought with a glare at the decidedly smug looking feline.

Being of the same nature as water I tend to be very spontaneous, like a spring rainstorm that comes on suddenly and without warning. That was all I could think of as for why I had gotten that close to him, and in case it sounded as lame out loud as it did in my head I kept it to myself. I looked down and blinked upon seeing that his eyes were still closed. If not for his arms keeping me upright he could have been asleep.

Bracing myself with my upper shins against the edge of the seat of the couch and my hands against the back I leant forward, putting my mouth near his ear. "You're like a loaded gun," I whispered.

His hands tightened a bit to let me know he was listening, or so I presumed. "See, a loaded gun you know it's dangerous. There's no question about it. But you're still a little drawn to it. Because of the danger. And you know you are supposed to leave it alone." I turned my head away, feeling guilty like I was leading the man into dangerous waters. I went to stand straight but he followed me so we were both standing. He wasn't much taller than I, to my surprise.

I focused on his forearm blades, at how careful he was to not even remotely risk cutting me with them and how effortless it was for him to not do so. If I had blades like that me and everyone in a five foot distance would be sporting bandages. His nose nuzzled my temple, putting his mouth near my ear in imitation of my earlier position. I felt his mouth open, but his words were cut off by the shrill ringing of the house phone.

I pulled away, singing praises to the Lady for the interruption as I answered with a breathy, "Hello?"

"Alek, my friend!" a loud voice greeted.

"Kenna?"

"Yeah, my car died on me. Can you come give me a ride home?" she said.

"You are the luckiest fire witch at this moment. You have absolutely no idea," I answered, staring at the kitchen table.

"Why's that?"

"I'll explain later. Where are you?"

"Rafters."

"Ne khuya?"

"I haven't heard that one before."

"Roughly means for fucking what, like why the fuck are you there?" I said.

"I know, I know. But, it fit my mood."

I pursed my lips together. Rafters was the club I'd met Kenna at a few years ago and was for all points and purposes a BDSM club. I'd discovered my darker side in Russia, in back alley clubs and raves but at Rafters I learned pain was a universal language. It gotten almost addicting and I cut ties to any place of that sort. Apparently the Lady had decided I needed to face that.

"Are you inside?"

"Yeah, my cell gets no signal out here. I know what I'm asking but, I can't call anyone else."

"Our dirty little secret," I muttered. "I'll be there in 30 minutes."

"Thank you."

I hit the end button and sat it carefully with deliberate movements on the table, aware of the sound of rain moving thousands of feet overhead and the rush of Haven's blood in addition to my own.

"Something wrong?"

"No, I just need to go somewhere really quick. Alone."

"I can't let you go alone this late. This is dead time and the Void wanders most now."

I didn't feel like arguing, when the pull of his blood was so alluring, and waved dismissively.

"Whatever." I retreated to my room, shutting the door firmly and collapsing back against it. My breath was shallow and coming quicker but I forced myself to calm down. I could do this, I just had to walk in, give Kenna a mental poke, and leave. Three simple steps. I repeated this as I pulled on a tank top and shimmied into a pair of jeans.

On my feet I pulled on a pair of black fur boots, tucking the jeans into them. To guard against the cool air outside I grabbed a long sleeved button up shirt with silver pinstripes against black fabric, rolling the sleeves up my forearm and buttoning it up halfway. I didn't bother putting my hair up, just stepped back into the living room with my façade of calm back in place. Haven was waiting with his jacket back on, his face a mirror of mine. I grabbed my keys and led our unhappy bandwagon out the door.