Page 7 of Villainous Greed
Huh? What was he trying to see?
He glanced toward me again, those brown orbs oddly hypnotic as they swept over me. “But I’m here to visit you today.”
“Me?” My forehead crinkled.
“The minions are hungry, right?” He raised his hand, and an apple materialized in his palm. Everyone gasped as my stomach grumbled.
“You can make food appear?” Finn’s mouth hung open.
“That’s so cool!” Sofia clapped.
“Why can’t we do that?” Odin asked.
Proxies were destructive, not nurturing creatures. We had nearly unlimited power as we aged, but it was all dangerous—harming, explosive, unstoppable—if we lived past eighteen. We couldn’t heal or materialize necessities.
The stranger waved his hand. A blanket stacked with food appeared at our feet — rare human dishes I’d hardly been treated to. Derrick bred mundane animals for food, rarely sharing chicken or eggs with us.
“Yay!” Sofia cheered as they rushed forward.
I recognized chicken and was drooling before regaining composure. “Don’t eat anything!” I yelled, my vision fading as Odin shoved a chicken leg into his mouth. Falling to my knees, I yanked it from him. “Spit it out. It could be poisoned.”
“Is she always this paranoid?” the stranger asked.
Odin gripped his neck, coughing.
“Odin!” Panic filled my lungs. I grabbed his shoulders. “Odin!”
Odin coughed again before laughing, spitting meat on my left cheek.
“You tricked me?” Relief flooded me as tears welled up.
“It’s good, Nova.” Odin shoved meat on my lips. “Eat. You don’t have to go to the city.” He beamed childishly, and I envied his carefree nature—something I’d never experienced.
“Don’t scare me again.” I shook him sternly.
“Can I eat, Nova?” Sofia whispered. “I’m so hungry.”
“Do you have no sense of danger?” I scolded. “I killed this man yesterday, and he comes with food…Necromancy!” Iglowered at the stranger, scanning for his puppeteer. I sensed no one else.
“Try immortal,” he piped in.
My eyes slanted at his dark gaze. Immortal? Worse than I imagined. With the shackles, I couldn’t protect us. “They’re children!” I pleaded, clenching my fists. “Don’t hurt them.”
“Who are starving,” he added. “Let them eat.”
Weak from hunger, anxiety high, I couldn’t think straight. The four were choking, eating so fast. I dropped my shoulders in defeat.
There were worse ways to die,a moment of weakness said.
No!Their lives mattered, but mine didn’t. I’d never considered ending mine until meeting them… None were dying. I’d ensure they lived. Demons could survive poison, but not hunger. Food was crucial then. Picking up the chicken, I tossed a piece in my mouth.
“It’s good, right?” Sofia leaned closer, hopefulness brightening her dark red skin.
I nodded, my vision blurring from tears. “Yes.” I glared at the immortal. “What do you want? We have nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say nothing, Nova.” I jumped at the familiar way he said my name.
I studied his confident form, the way he watched me — never looking away. He had a motive. A similar roving stare from Derrick made my skin crawl, but this one sparked heat in my bones, seeping into my neck and face like the human world’s sun, making me feverish. Something I’d never experienced before. Unsure how to react, I ignored it.