The Lecture

Kari wasn't at the bar counter when I walked through the door. Instead Zierra stood there, smiling and talking to a customer who was leaning over the counter to be a lot closer to her than I was okay with. Don't do it. I told myself but it was in vain as the man reached across the counter and grasped her hand. With a growl I stormed over and gripped his wrist hard enough to make him wince and loosen his grip.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my employees," I scowled at him.

He tried to tug his arm back but to little avail. "I wasn't hurting her!"

I yanked him back into his seat, squeezing harder. "Do. Not. Touch, Her."

We locked eyes and he paled as mine flashed black for a split second to emphasize my point. "Okay, ouch, okay!" I released him and he rubbed the joint, which was red from my grip. "Do you always assault your customers?" He spat.

"Do you always harass my bartenders?" I glanced him over as he scoffed and walked away. He wasn't a regular but I had seen him in here a few times. He didn't usually cause trouble but I had seen him try and flirt with Kari a few times though she shut him down pretty quickly. I turned back to Zierra with a huff. "Are you okay?"

She had an amused smirk on her face. "Employee, huh?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, well you've been helping out a lot lately. It's probably time I added you to the roster."

"Do you chase away the customers who flirt with Kari too?"

"I don't have too, she chases them away on her own," I rubbed the back of my neck, still nervous to be around her after the events of this morning. "Speaking of Kari, Lyon said she's looking for me?"

This time Zierra looked a little thrown off. "Did he say why?"

"Nope, just that she didn't seem happy," I grunted as I quickly hurdled over the counter. "It shouldn't be about money this time, we actually accepted Soren's payment."

"You remember that?" She snapped her attention fully to me, hope in her voice and eyes.

Panic made my heart race as I realized that we took his money after Zierra and I had kissed. -You're going to blow it!- I shook my head and waved my hands in front of me to emphasize my enthusiastic denial. "Unfortunately my memory remains a haze. I just found a pouch of crowns on my nightstand this morning and put the pieces together. At least I hope it's Soren's or else I owe someone quite the apology."

The light in her eyes faded and her smile faltered for a moment before she forced it back. "No it's form Soren, technically his wife paid you, but we accepted it before we left," she reached across the counter and felt my forehead again and, this time, I let her do it. "Hmmm," her brow creased as worry seeped into her features, "you're still warm, Sapphyre. I really wish you would take some medicine and rest."

I gently removed her hand, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles almost instinctively. "I promise I will get some rest after I talk to Kari. I couldn't get any rest without knowing why she was upset with me."

Zierra jerked her thumb to the kitchen. "She asked me to cover for her and disappeared back there about fifteen minutes ago."

I gave her a thank you before ducking into the back kitchen where Galen hovered over a cutting board, chopping some carrots with alarming speed. He looked up without stopping his work and nodded his head to the storage room with a grunt, signaling that was where Kari had holed herself up. I stood outside the door for a moment to prepare myself for the lecture I knew was coming before quietly knocking on the storage room door.

"Kari? You there? I was told yo-"

In a startlingly quick motion Kari ripped open the door and drug me inside, all but tossing me into a shelf which caused some potatoes to fall to the floor. I rubbed the back of my head where it hit something and groaned as she paced the few feet of room she had, opening and closing her mouth a few times as she tried to figure out exactly where she should start.

"Are you going to yell at me and get it over with?" I complained. "I told Zierra I would rest after this."

Kari's anger faded into something a little more concerned. "You kissed her, Saph."

"I did."

"You told her you don't remember it."

"Yes."

She ran her hands down her face, exasperated. "You lied to her, Sapphyre."

I looked down at my feet, Kari and Lyon hardly ever called me by my full first name so when they did it usually brought with it a new sense of seriousness to the topic. "It was for the best."

"Best for who? You? Or her?" Her tone bordered on accusatory and it made me flinch. "Do you even know how hurt she is, thinking you don't remember? Why would you think that was best?"

"I didn't want to hurt her like this!" I snapped. "I didn't expect us to connect like we did and I sure as hell didn't think I would be kissing her at Soren's party!"

"But you did and instead of owning up to it, you decided to break her heart. She cried when she told me, Saph, she felt so bad for not noticing you were intoxicated and I had to sit there, knowing you can't actually get drunk, and comfort her."

"You think my heart didn't break having to tell her I didn't remember? That I didn't almost cave when I watched that bright and happy light just drain from her eyes?"

"You didn't have to do that to her and you know it. The only question is why?"

"She's a princess, Kari, actual elven royalty," I slumped down onto a crate, "and I'm, well, this," as I gestured to my body I quickly changed into my daemon form for a few moments and promptly changed back in an instant. "I did her a favor, trust me."

Kari sighed and knelt in front of me before wrapping her arms around me in a hug. "You keep thinking you're this monster that isn't deserving of love but you've never actually given it a try."

I sat there for a moment without returning her hug but it wasn't long before I gave in and my arms snaked around her back. "Who could actually love a daemon?"

"What are you talking about?" she chuckled and drew away. "I love you, Lyon loves you, Jayde loves you, Shade loves you, and I'm really starting to think that Zierra loves you too. Just talk to her, Saph. You don't have to tell her what you are right away, hells it took you years before you told me, and if you don't want her to know you lied about being drunk then tell her that your memories came back, but for the love of the Goddess do not destroy what you have with her out of your own fear. I can promise you it will be the biggest mistake you've ever made in your life."

"I don't know about that. I've made quite a few mistakes in my life," I laughed.

"Not one you'll regret quite like this, trust me," her smile turned sad and something flashed behind her amethyst eyes, a memory, something she didn't talk about often. "Just promise me you'll think about it."

I nodded but before I could open my mouth to say anything else the storage door swung open and Lyon stood there, out of breath and covered in cuts and bruises. Kari and I stared at him in shock but waited for his breathing to go back to normal before prodding him for an explanation.

"We have a problem," he huffed. "A big one."

"Judging by your injuries I'd say we do?" Kari fussed over him for a quick second but he waved her off.

"What happened?"

"It's Jayde," his hazel eyes were worried and his words made my blood chill. "He's hurt. Bad."