Reappearing at the top of the tower, where his mobster friend was still waiting, shivers running down her arms from the cold, Alex almost slapped his head in realization.
"Fuck... I’m sorry, Amara, I forgot it was cold up here. We hiked our way up and got used to the climate, but I picked you from your ho... Let send you back right away."
But Amara raised a hand to interrupt him as he walked toward her.
"No," she said, shivering as she pulled her arm back to her chest to conserve heat. "If you are having an important conversation pertaining to the future of Earth, I want to be here. I can see the future, rember?"
Alex frowned at her sudden insistence.
"You were about to head to sleep, if I go by your clothes and the fact that I picked you up in your chambers. Aren’t you tired?" he asked, trying to make her change her mind.
She huffed in response.
"You think being tired can keep from attending important etings? Did you forget what my family is part of? Midnight etings are not uncommon for , Alexander. You won’t get rid of so easily," she said with a smug grin.
Clicking his tongue, Alex wondered how she had seen through him so easily.
"Am I that predictable?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
The truth was, he was, at least to the people who knew him a little.
He may have been a wild card in combat, but in matters of intrigue or social interaction, Alexander was as readable as an open book written in size twenty-four font.
As he was wondering why everyone was suddenly looking at him with gazes ranging from confusion to mocking, David only shook his head and took off his vest, throwing it in the woman’s direction.
"Here. Put this on before you catch hypothermia."
A few people turned to look at David with a stunned look, including Amara, who wasn’t expecting soone to give her their coat.
"But what about you?" she asked, recognizing the man from one of her visions.
"Don’t worry about . I can’t even feel the cold," David said, shrugging and turning away from her inquisitive gaze. "Perks of turning undead, I guess," he added, as he returned to his previous seat.
But even while he believed this to be true, as he had been feeling his emotions slowly receding as ti went on, and his body becoming mostly numb, sotis even completely unfeeling, that didn’t stop one bodily reaction of his from occurring.
And that was his cheeks to flush when Amara gave him a warm smile as she thanked him.
Alex opened his mouth to mock him, but Kary was faster, as she elbowed him in the ribs, the words choking in his throat as he grabbed his side, coughing in pain.
"What the hell was that for?!" he complained.
But all he received was a glare, telling him he was better off shutting his mouth.
The entire interaction confused Tian Kuo; the dynamics of their group confusing him more and more with each passing second.
But he pushed away the stray thoughts, returning to his seat at the table, conjuring an additional chair.
He had no intention of befriending these mortals, who would either be dead soon, when the demons broke free, or would die of old age way before his ti on Earth expired.
Waiting patiently for everyone to be seated once more, Tian Kuo cleared his throat to catch Alexander’s attention.
"So... you wanted to resu the conversation about your crazy proposition. What more did you have to add to this crazy endeavour?"
Alex grinned, understanding that the fox was at least more receptive than earlier.
"Well, aside from making sure you understand your role in the matter, I wanted to ensure you wouldn’t try to slither your way out of our deal once we were gone. So I was wondering if you were willing to make a soul pact to seal the deal."
Tian Kuo’s face paled for a mont, realizing what the boy was asking of him.
"Would my word as a celestial being serve as enough guarantee that I will cooperate?" he asked, trying to find another option.
Soul pacts were a tricky thing, especially for creatures like him, whose soul contained their entire essence and immortality. One wrong move, and he could go for forming one to keep a promise, to binding himself to another being forever.
And when an immortal being bound himself to a mortal one, that ant their immortality was also forfeit, as the soul of the mortal would pass on once they died, bringing the immortal soul with them to the afterlife.
It was understandable for him to be reluctant to anyone who understood this. But, apparently, Alexander was not one of those people.
"Why would I trust soone who has threatened to kill on multiple occasions already?" he mocked. "No. Your word isn’t worth jack shit to . If you want to trust that you will help, a soul pact is the only way."
And even though Alexander could see the reluctance in the fox’s eyes, he didn’t care. He wouldn’t trust the celestial being, no matter what.
The soul pact wasn’t even enough for him. He was asking for him as an incentive for the fox to do what he said he would.
There would be no trust beyond that point between him and Tian Kuo.
Seeing the steeled gaze in the boy’s eyes, the fox knew he wouldn’t convince him otherwise.
So, with a heavy heart and a sigh, he nodded in agreent.
"Fine. But, make sure you don’t fail the pact. I don’t want to be bound to a fool like you, who is a heartbeat away from death with every breath he takes. If you die and take with you, I’ll haunt you in the afterlife for eternity," he growled.
Alex snickered at the comnt.
"I’ve seen the pond of souls, Fox. There is no afterlife. We all move on to the next one, until our souls vanish from this universe," Alexander replied, as a joke.
He had no idea what happened after death, but the look of shattered beliefs on the fox’s face was enough for him not to care.
He rose from his seat, walked toward the fox, and extended his hand toward him.
"Let’s seal this deal, shall we?"
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