Dominicus jerked as if struck by lightning, his eyes losing their vacant stare as he turned to face me. His lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing tiny, pointed fangs, and his hand drifted to the sword strapped to his hip. I held both palms up and stepped back, giving him space.
“Easy, buddy. I was just trying to snap you out of the king’s thrall,” I said, watching warily as he stared through me, his gaze heavy despite not meeting mine.
The snarl dropped, but a frown still curled his lips. “Why didn’t you try something else? Do you have any idea how sensitive those are?” His hand remained tense on his sword. I took note of it as I explained.
“I did try other things first, but nothing worked. I thought a light tug on your ear was better than a full scale slap across the face.” Considering his reaction, perhaps the other wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
As if to back that up, he grimaced and lifted his free hand to rub his ear. “Well, it wasn’t. You should know that since you have some of your own.” He gestured to the ears perched on my head, deepening my confusion.
“Okay, I’m going to throw away all sense of politeness here, but are you blind or not? You’re staring through me, but you know I’m not human. It’s wildly confusing.”
Instead of getting offended, as I half-expected, he snorted and shook his head, some of the irritation fading into amusement. “You aren’t the first to ask that, though you are the most…forward in your phrasing.”
I shrugged. “Sorry, I’m not good with words and I doubt that’ll ever change.”
He waved the apology aside. “To be honest, it's refreshing. People seldom talk to me like a functioning adult once they learn about,” he gestured to his eyes, “this. As for your question, though, I can’t see you, not in the way others would.”
One of his ears flicked pointedly. “Bats have an innate echolocation skill, and when I was brought here by my patron, they offered to make me any race I chose. I’ve been fascinated with bats since I was a boy, so the opportunity to become part bat was something I wasn’t passing up.” Time hummed in interest.
Ask who his patron is. Depending on his answer, he may be a stronger ally than I ever thought.
Focusing back on Dominicus, I relayed the question. He tipped his head, considering me warily now.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Why do you want to know?” Suspicion oozed off every syllable, and I chose each word carefully.
“Easy, because I was sent here by Karma to help people. Depending on what task your patron gave you, we might be able to team up and get more done.”
Not to mention, having someone else in the same boat was invaluable. There was no guarantee he came from Earth, but even the whole ‘dimension-crossing traveler’ was something most couldn’t understand. Time grumbled in the back of my mind.
We just agreed to be careful with trusting people and you’re casually informing others of your association with Karma.
I rolled my eyes inwardly and responded in kind. It’s going to be pretty obvious to anyone who looks close enough that I’m not from here. Besides, it isn’t like I told him about you or the apocalypse.
His silence was the closest I’d get to approval, so I let it slide and turned back to Dominicus. The wariness from before melted into something closer to cautious trust, and after a minute of silent staring, he answered my original question. “I was sent here by Fate. They sensed something coming, but whenever they try to feel out what, all they get is static. Whatever it is, they think it warrants investigating, so…here I am.”
Time hummed in interest. This could be good news, though it is a mystery why she didn’t inform me…
I ignored that, my focus on Dominicus as he tipped his head toward Silas. “It didn’t take long to find that slime and the trail of destruction he left across Nexus.” He grimaced. “I underestimated him, though, and got caught.” A grudging smile curved his lips, flashing a single fang. “Good on you for seeing through his lies.”
I barely bit back a laugh. He had absolutely no idea how wrong he was, but for the sake of no one knowing about my affiliation with Time, he would have to stay ignorant.
“My…patron warned me about him.” After I cursed him out and he reset the world a day. “So it could be said that I had outside help.” Time huffed again.
I am not your patron, that is Karma. I do not take Chosens, and you will not be an exception, no matter what outlandish plans my wife makes about ‘adopting’ you.
A tiny sting pinched in my chest and I slapped it down, the almost camaraderie from earlier forgotten as I mentally snapped.
It’s your power running through my veins and you’re the prick in my head, so until you give me a better term for that, you’re stuck with ‘patron’. Live with it. Trust me, I’d prefer Karma.
A choice between the fiery and charismatic woman who saved me or the standoffish man who I butted heads with every other sentence. Yeah, the decision wasn’t hard.
He didn’t respond, so I considered the conversation closed and looked to Dominicus again. There would be time to bitch each other out later, we had more important things to deal with now.