When our eyes met for the first time, I had a powerful urge to devour your father. I fought it down quick enough for him not to notice the hungry gleam in my eyes, but the urge was strong and primal. Maybe it was his familiarity with you triggering something in me. Thinking back on it, I probably just had a crush.

“Sorry, I’m ruining your night at the beach, aren’t I?” he asked, a forced smile on his face.

“I just came to watch the waves. I don’t need to be alone to do that,” I responded.

I approached the shore, slipping off my slippers so I could let my feet get beat by the waves without fear. When I told your dad that I just wanted to watch the waves, I thought I had been telling the truth. Somehow, I ended up staring at him instead. The resemblance to you was uncanny. I had seen plenty of Asian men up until that point, but only at that moment had I seen the Hero of Nine Realms in another man’s face. Eventually, he took notice of my staring from the sideline and turned my way.

“Are you sure I’m not ruining your wave-watching? Seems like you’re focusing on me more than you are the Salish.”

He smiled at me. There was no intention behind it I could detect, but that just made it more disarming. Good-looking men are at their most dangerous when they aren’t actively trying to seduce you. I gave your father my back as I looked out toward the ocean again.

“Why are you staring at the sea this late?” I asked.

“I just needed to feel the breeze.”

“Couldn’t you just crack open a window?”

“Couldn’t you?”

I snorted. “At least I’m dressed casually. You’re in full office garb. You’re even holding your loafers in your hand.”

He smiled and shrugged at my words.

“I came here right after work and didn’t feel like going home just to get beach-ready. Especially when I only planned to stare at the water for a short while.”

“And just how long has a ‘short while’ been?”

He hummed while scratching his stubble. “Let’s see… Has it been four hours or five?”

I gave him a stupefied look; perhaps the most expression I had given anyone on Earth since I arrived there.

“You’ve been standing on this beach for four to five hours? Seriously?”

He shrugged. “Time tends to fly when it’s just you and the sea.”

“I’m surprised you could stand in one place for so long, staring at the same sight, without going mad. I only planned to be here for under an hour.”

“You’d be surprised,” he said while stepping up near where I was on the coast. “There’s a shocking degree of meditation that comes from watching waves ebb and flow; from watching seagulls cry out to each other; from smelling the sea salt. It can help you retain peace… and sanity.”

I found myself staring at him again. He couldn’t take his eyes off the ocean. It was as if some mysterious force was pulling his gaze. It was a new experience for me. Usually, I was the one gazing off into nowhere while some man on the sideline gawked at me thinking I didn’t notice his ogling. I think your father genuinely didn’t notice my gaze. He was too focused on something that only he could see.

“But… you’re right,” he eventually said. “Staring at nothing forever until almost midnight is a little silly. I thought I was fine considering I didn’t have work tomorrow, but…”

Your father sighed as he lifted his eyes to the stars. There they lingered until he brought himself back down to earth, looking as if he had just come to some sort of inner revelation.

“Yeah, it’s about time to call it a night. It was nice sharing the shore with you for a few minutes,” he said while walking off.

I watched his back grow smaller as he headed from the beach. It was around the time he was putting back on his socks and shoes that I approached him. Well, I teleported to be exact, but he didn’t know that.

“Hmm? Something you need?” he asked, surprised I got up to him so quickly.

“Yes, actually. A ride back to my hotel.”

“How did you get to the beach?”

“I walked.”

“Then why don’t you walk back to your hotel?”

“Because I’m not staying at a downtown hotel. Mine is on the north side.”

He made a face, pondering the plausibility of my claim. It made me crack a little smile. I’m not sure why, but I found it fascinating to run into a man who wouldn’t just take me at my word. I rarely met any in Validar and hadn’t met a single one on Earth until that moment.

He glanced down at my attire. “You walked the way to a beach on the south side of town while dressed like that?”

I took a step closer to him while I asked: “And what’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

It was the first time since he interacted that he had taken a look at what I was wearing – a sleeping gown with a long pea coat covering me. I was surprised it took him so long to check me out. His mind had been caught up in deep thought over something else.

“Well? What’s the problem with my outfit?” I pressed, taking another step closer.

We were barely an inch short of touching each other; so close we could feel each other’s body heat. Your father didn’t fluster or smile. Instead, a tired look came over his face.

“You; you’re a problem aren’t you?” he asked before giving a half sigh. “I can already tell.”

I pouted wondering just how he was able to read me that fast. We had only talked a few minutes and he was already rolling his eyes at my attempts at seduction. He gave me his back again as he headed toward his parked car. After getting in and starting the ignition, he exchanged a look with me through the tinted passenger seat window. After a moment of staring at his steering wheel and scratching at his stubble, he rolled his window down.

“Come on. Get in,” he said plainly.

“Oh? You’re going to give a ‘problem’ a ride?” I prodded while approaching the vehicle.

“Yes – straight to your hotel. No stops in-between, including snack and bathroom breaks”

“You’re making an awful lot of assumptions about a woman you just met.”

“When I get a hunch about someone I tend to go with it until that person gives me a reason not to. It’s worked for me so far, so I see no reason to stop now.”

I paused, stunned by the resemblance this man’s mantra seemed to be to a certain Chosen One’s.

“Do you still want a ride or don’t you?” he pestered.

I snorted as I entered the passenger seat.

“What’s your name, by the way?” he asked.

“Veronica.”

“I’m Christopher. Don’t forget to buckle up.”

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

“Have you been in Seattle long?” he asked.

It was the first time since leaving the beach that he had spoken to me. While I had been content with silently letting my hair get tossed about by the passing evening air as we rode, I chose to roll up the window and humor a bit of conversation.

“I’ve only been in town for a few days. Some guy on business down here begged me to come with him from Vancouver,” I said.

“Ah? So you’re a Canadian accompanying your rich boyfriend on a business trip.”

“Who said anything about a boyfriend?”

Your father gave me a look as we pulled up to a red light.

“He brought you down to Seattle and put you in this fancy hotel, didn’t he?”

“And? He does plenty of things for me, but that doesn’t mean he’s my boyfriend or anything. I haven’t even slept with him yet.”

“Hmm. That’s… an interesting relationship.”

“Interesting, huh? You don’t think I’m a gold digger, do you?”

“I’m not sure what to think of you, honestly. You give off a strange… I guess aura would be the word for it. I look into your eyes and I feel like you’re trying to turn me into prey.”

I stare at your father while he drove, amazed at what good instincts he possessed. Even back in Validar, most men, if they didn’t know my identity and reputation, didn’t assess any threat from me right off the bat. I didn’t realize until later that he was where you got your intuition from.

My focus on your father was interrupted by the sudden disturbance of something I hadn’t felt in months – magical energy. Initially, I thought I was just imagining it, but then I caught it again. There was someone following us. I just couldn’t determine who and from where. Whoever they were had to be a spellcaster from Validar; somehow stranded on Earth like me. But if that were the case, why on Earth would they be coming after me directly? The number of spellcasters who held grudges against me was legion, but the ones capable of facing me by themselves, I could count on one hand. And none of them were rookie enough that I could detect their magical energy unintentionally. This led me to wonder if it wasn’t me they were aiming for, but my driver.

“Alright, we’re here,” he said, parking in front of my hotel. “Hope your friend doesn’t get upset about you coming back with an unknown man.”

“We have separate suites on separate floors and I told him not to bother me tonight, so it won’t be a problem.”

He just shook his head in disbelief. I smirked at his disapproval while unbuckling myself. Just as I was about to exit the vehicle, I felt another surge of magical energy. This Validaran – whoever they were – they were close and they had some very nasty intentions. Malicious magical energy like that could be detected even by novice spellcasters. I knew then and there this person couldn’t be looking for me. A Validaran wizard or witch would have known better than to make their intent so obvious if they were targeting me. Which meant their target was likely the Earthling who had escorted me.

“Are you getting out or not?” he asked again.

“Of course… I just… Feel strange…”

I wobbled and fell against his shoulder.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Breathing somewhat heavily, I sat myself up and nodded. “Yes, I’m just sleep deprived is all… I haven’t been going to bed as much as I should…”

“You’re this sleep deprived but still managed to walk all the way to the south side of town?”

“Long walks are my way of dealing with insomnia, but I guess I took it too far. Could you…” I put a hand on his thigh. “Could you help me back to my suite?”

Your father blinked at me. He sighed and started to pull his vehicle into the hotel’s parking lot. It wasn’t exactly the reaction I was going for. An attractive vulnerable woman pleading for you to take her up to her room usually inspired a different reaction, but your father kept brushing off my attempts at seduction. I still achieved the desired result – him escorting me from his car into the hotel – but I couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.

I didn’t want him to leave the hotel by himself. The Validaran giving off that malicious magical energy was obviously just waiting for the moment when Chris was isolated so they could strike at him from the shadows. Until I could identify who they were, I couldn’t let Chris out of my sight. The fact that this Validaran was incapable of cloaking their magical energy leak but still able to mask their presence meant they likely weren’t just a spellcaster at all, but a Quintessence-user who also knew some magic. And, as several encounters with you had cemented for me, Quintessence-user and spellcaster was an obnoxiously annoying combination to deal with.

“I’m just taking you to your suite, alright?” he explained as we headed into an elevator.

My arm was locked in his for balance I didn’t need. I could feel that he knew I was playing it up. His face and mood said as much. When we finally reached my floor, he confirmed my suspicions by unlocking our arms once we reached the door to my suite.

“Thanks for that. Getting here would have been a challenge without you,” I said, pulling out my key card. “But, you know, I’m still feeling a little weak. Maybe you could ---“

Chris let out a heavy sigh. “Let me guess: You’re still feeling light-headed so now you need me to escort you directly into your room? Are you going to ask me to help undress you too when we reach your bed?”

I made a sour expression. I admit I was hamming it up somewhat, but he didn’t have to point it out so bluntly like that.

“You’re making strong accusations again…” I said.

“When you make your plays so obvious, you can’t get upset at somebody else for noticing them.”

“Oh? You think I’m playing games?”

“Think? You’re not the actress you think you are, Veronica.”

The side of my mouth twitched. I was actually getting a bit heated at that point. It was the first time in a long while any man had gotten me flustered. Usually, I just brush them off, but I couldn’t hide my attitude with how your father was looking down on me, both literally and figuratively.

“Look at you, thinking you know me so well. You might faint if you knew just the slightest bit about who I actually was, Christopher,” I sneered, gleaming more about my nature than I probably should have.

He just shook his head at my proclamation. “Do you want to know what I really think, Veronica?”

“Hmph. Go ahead. Shoot.”

Chris then put a hand on my shoulder, leaned into my ear, and then whispered: “I think you just want me to fuck you.”

The sudden boldness genuinely caught me off guard. I couldn’t believe he said something like that so plainly right there in the hallway. His expression barely changed between when he spoke and when he pulled his head back. I had dealt with many a suave rogue, boorish drunk, bookish wizard, and dainty noble trying to get under my robes in Validar, but I had never had a man say something like that so bluntly and casually in a sanitized environment before; not even under influence of alcohol.

Honestly, I didn’t intend to sleep with your father up until that point. I originally planned on putting him to sleep with a spell once we entered my room and using him to bait out his Validaran stalker. However… When a man you already initially found attractive, who you were getting a bit heated with, and who was a stone’s throw from your bed anyway said something like that right in your ear the pangs of passion have a propensity for playing with your plans. Chris and I stared at each other outside my suite for a moment. Needless to say, when I unlocked my door, we entered as a pair.

In hindsight, that was probably unwise. There was a mysterious Validaran still hovering in the shadows somewhere and there I was letting a man I had met barely an ago ‘distract’ me. But what can say? A powerful spark is something even a Witch of Oblivion struggles to ignore. Chris didn’t go home that night. I convinced him to stay over for the night. He didn’t have work the next day, so he agreed, showered, and then settled back on his side of my bed. Just so you know, there were two rooms in this suite. He simply chose to sleep in mine. Your father might be even more audacious than you are, Morgan.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I stayed up watching his sleeping face longer than was proper. He was a surprisingly enigmatic man for an Earthling. I wondered just what it was that motivated him to stare at the sea until midnight. I was pondering it still when I heard somebody whisper: “Grasp of Slumber…”

Grasp of Slumber was a spell that aimed to instantly knock unconscious its target, but it was such a weak spell that only those without any magical immunity were incapable of resisting it. Against a Witch of the Oblivion like myself, it couldn’t even conjure up a yawn. I played along though and let my head flop dramatically onto the pillow just as I knew the caster wanted. I had already noticed them sneak in through the window, but I wanted them to get a bit closer so I could take a look at them personally. I peeped open an eye and watched them standing on Chris’s side of the bed, their face hidden by the darkness of the room and the hood of the baggy jacket they wore.

“You truly do look a lot like him. …Your face is equally as disgusting!” he hissed under his breath in some northern Validaran dialect.

It was the first time I had heard a Validaran language in months. It was also the first time in months I had felt Quintessence in action. The Validaran rolled up his sleeve and channeled a strong Quintessence through his fingers that took a sharp outline at the tip of his middle finger. Does that technique sound familiar to you? It should. It was the signature move of the White Tiger Sect – the Ashen Fang. When a seasoned Quintessence-user from the sect used it, they could thrust through solid bedrock, dwarven steel, or even castle walls like they were just wet paper. Had that technique connected with your father’s head, it would have left it a donut of flesh. Sadly for Chris’s assassin, his target dissolved into mist just before he was gored. The assassin’s eyes widened in astonishment as feathers flew from the five-star pillow he pierced instead.

“You’re shockingly sloppy for a White Tiger Sect member. You couldn’t even see through such a basic illusion,” I said.

He looked over at me watching him, my head propped up on one hand. He recognized then that I was no ordinary human. He obviously didn’t know my identity though, because rather than try to escape or at least bargain for his life, the idiot decided to attack me next.

He tore his hand from the pillow and aimed squarely at my face. His hand only pierced the air as I teleported away right before his Ashen Fang could make contact. He looked around for where I had gone and eventually spotted me outside my window, riding atop my broom. I gestured for him to follow before floating up to the roof of the hotel. I peered down while up there, watching him leave through my window and scale the hotel’s wall by rapidly leaping up its side. When he finally hopped to the top, he kept that same furious energy about him.

“I understand now why you were so sloppy at concealing your magical energy before. Quintessence cultivator types like yourself only learn the bit of magic you do as a formality. That spell you used on me was impressively half-assed.”

The White Tiger Sect member clicked his tongue while removing his hood, revealing a young but heavily scarred face underneath.

“Had I known you were a Validaran wizard, I would have simply snapped your neck instead,” he hissed.

“First off, I’m a witch, not a wizard. Second off, I think you’re overestimating your odds a little here. You failed to scratch me or Chris.”

His brow twitched. “And just why are you protecting him anyway? If you’re a Validaran that means you were delivered to this world by the same act that I was.”

“And just what method would that be?”

“Death by the hand of Morgan Moon!” he spat coldly. “I know you must also be one of his victims, so tell me why you are protecting his father!”

“I’m protecting his… Wait, what?”

My mind froze. I just stared at the White Tiger Sect member blankly for a moment. Eventually, I started to laugh at myself. I laughed as manically as I did when Nathan succumbed to my love potion. Even when I was in another world, the world still proved to be such a small place.