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Vyrian nods. “I have been here for seven moon cycles, and everything is still fascinating. Including the mating rituals of humans.”

I blush and gape once more.

Dante lets out another horrified laugh. “God, I’m sorry. But you must know how it is. I recognize you from Creature Comforts…” He snaps his fingers and adds, “Sal?”

“Syl,” I correct.

“Nice to see you again. This is Cielo. And this is Vyrian.”

Vyrian’s ears flutter.

“I enjoy your name, Sylllll. I would like you to write it down so I can add it to my collection.”

“Yeah, alright.”

He beams at that, like I just offered him a hundred bucks.

Then his eyes swivel to the binoculars around my neck, and he reaches out and touches them.

“What are they?” he asks, his rainbow orbs blinking down at me.

With a fumbling hand, I pull the binoculars from around my neck and hand them to him. “Binoculars. They let you see things that are far away.”

He holds them up to his eyes, and they grow even larger.

I roll my lips between my teeth and muffle a smile. I think I like this monster. He seems…nice.

Then again, they all seem fucking nice. It’s unnerving.

At least their niceness means I don’t envision them pushing me against a wall and fucking me. Thank the gods for that.

“Are you working today?” Dante asks, and I turn my gaze back to him as Vyrian wanders off to examine things with his new toy.

“Uh, yeah. Later. Just…you know, I was out and about looking at…insects.”

“All the way out here?” he asks, gesturing toward the lake.

I shrug. “Different bugs near water.”

“Oh, very cool. I’m not a fan of bugs, but Vyrian is. I’m sure he’d listen to you talk for ages about them.”

“Yeah, alright.” I shift on my feet, twisting my hands together before me.

“Um, well, sorry about the weird meeting,” Dante says, sensing I’m uncomfortable. And I am, but I also have questions.

He turns to walk off when I shout, a little too loudly, “Wait!”

He glances over his shoulder and quirks an eyebrow at me.

“Sorry, shit. I just…I have some questions and was hoping you could help me answer them…you or…you know, that guy.”

I wave to Cielo, and his ears flutter.

“Oh, what kind of questions?” Dante asks.

“Just…well…about someone I work with. It’s kind of private, but also I’m getting worried, so…” My words are jumbled and confusing, but thankfully Dante just nods toward his cottage.

“Worried about what?”