Dark Desire

Chapter Eight

"You did well," X'heve said.

Andrew looked around confused for a moment, the last he remembered was lying down in his bed. "My lord." He finally said as he came into focus.

"Gregory will make a great puppet. It was a smart move forcing him to join us." He stated.

"Thank you, my lord. I had been worried that you might have thought it too bold." Andrew said.

X'heve chuckled, "I thought it was brilliant. Instead of killing him you thought of a way to manipulate him and turn the situation into our advantage."

"I appreciate the praise my lord." He said to him, feeling proud at the praise. Though, he didn't understand why getting X'heve's praise felt so good.

"Is there anything you would like as a reward? I could make you a demon," X'heve said casually.

Andrew looked at him, "Jin offered the same thing."

"It would make you more powerful. You certainly wouldn't need so much sleep." He stated trying to get him interested.

He couldn't help but think about for a moment, but it didn't feel right. "I don't know." He finally said.

"Very well, a topic for another time then." X'heve paused for a moment as though thinking about a few things. "Is there anything else you would like?" He asked.

Andrew shook his head, "I can't think of anything at the moment." He thought of that dagger he got. "The dagger..." He started to ask.

X'heve gave him an evil smile, "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes. Jin said that you wanted me to deliver it to someone, and that you would tell me who." Andrew looked at him closely.

"It will still be some time before I ask you to deliver that dagger. It's a task for you for a later date. For now, just keep it safe and close. I am sure it will come in handy when you need it." He stated.

"Is there something special about it?" Andrew asked curiously.

X'heve nodded, "That dagger will burn hot when someone is trying to harm with you magic. I have a lot of enemies and you never know who might be near. Keep it with you. It will give you some protection in case a spell goes off and you are unaware. You haven't studied mage magic, so you don't know how to protect yourself against their spells. This will help." X'heve stated.

Andrew nodded, "Thank you my lord. I will hold on to it for the time being." His mind went back to the crate...

The demon lord chuckled, "A part of you wishes to know if I planted that crate there specifically." Andrew looked at X'heve curiously. "Would it change anything if I did?" X'heve asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"It would mean that you were testing me, and that you have a wider range of control than I thought you did." Andrew admitted suddenly feeling inferior and weak against the man in front of him.

"If I was testing you, you passed." That was all X'heve said as the image of him faded.

Andrew woke with a start. He looked around the room. Gwen was sound asleep next to him and Brian was now old enough to be placed in his own room to sleep through the night. How fast was time going? Half the year had already gone by. It was hard to keep track anymore as his days were so full and busy, there were hardly any moments to rest or take it easy.

A few nights later X'heve visited him again and requested the Andrew start teaching Jin how to properly do all the bookkeeping. He felt as though the plan Andrew set into motion was solid enough, and it was important to focus on other tasks. Jin could oversee the books while Andrew could focus on making sure everything else falls into place.