In the Company of Witches by Joey W. Hill Page B

hit those points, Mikhael listened attentively. So much so, she was tempted to discuss more, because she enjoyed her business. However, she noticed most plates were clean at this point.
    “Ellen, Aiden, get the table cleared. All of you, go enjoy your day. Doors open at four, so don’t wander too far. Isaac, stay here for a moment. Isabella, Luke, you can wait for him in the parlor.”
    During the meal, while he couldn’t hear the discussion she was having with Mikhael, Isaac had studied every shift, every word spoken by the others. He’d made few comments, mostly cautious responses to direct questions. While he’d relaxed a little, as the others left the dining area, he looked pale and tense once again.
    Stretching out his powerful frame, Mikhael reached a long arm down the table to snag the comic strips. He put it on the table, studying the Peanuts column. The innocuous pose didn’t seem to soothe Isaac in the slightest, and Raina didn’t blame him. It was like watching a dragon work a crossword puzzle while picking his teeth with the finger bone of his latest virgin victim.
    “I expect you have nothing to add to what you told me last night?” she asked the incubus.
    His gaze shifted between them. Mikhael didn’t look up. He wasn’t expecting anything and, in truth, neither was she. She suppressed a sigh as Isaac shook his head.
    “I want you to take time today to learn about how we live here. While you’re doing that, think very carefully about whether there are things you should have told me that you haven’t. I know you have lived by deception, but in this place, honesty is your best chance of survival.”
    His jaw flexed. He really was a pretty young man. The shower and sleep had brought it out further. Flaxen hair to his shoulders, sea green eyes, straight nose and sensitive mouth. There were no ugly sex demons, but his androgynous look would appeal to her clients, if he chose to join her staff.
    Considering the profit possibilities on a parallel track with her concern for his well-being didn’t bother her, because she knew which one took precedence. Of course, Ramona, her closest friend other than Ruby, had once dubbed her Fagin. Though she preferred Ron Moody’s movie depiction of the savvy businessman, Raina didn’t dislike the nickname. After all, he had taught the boys marketable skills and gleaned a profit in an environment of thieves and murderers.
    “Unless you have questions for me, you can go to Isabella and Luke now. I’ll be around today if you wish to speak with me.”
    With a short, furtive nod, he slunk toward the door, looking like a cunning, abused animal.
    “Isaac?” When he halted, she met his uncertain, resentful expression with a steady one of her own. “Every succubus and incubus who crossed this threshold has been told the same thing by me. Self-worth is a gift you give to yourself. No one else can offer it. If you hold yourself cheaply, you’ll be treated cheaply. Doesn’t matter if that’s fair or not. It’s not up to the world to rescue you from your poor opinion of yourself. If that poor opinion is deserved, fix it. Each demon here has discovered something in themselves they didn’t expect to have. As a result, they’ve found what they never believed they could. A home. Contentment, brief spots of happiness. A family.”
    Isaac eyed her suspiciously. “Everything comes with a price.”
    “Yes, it does. You have to earn that kind of place. I’m not talking about working as one of the companions here. That’s your choice. I would make sure you had food regardless, and we’d find other ways for you to earn your keep. An old house always needs hands to keep it up. You earn your spot by pulling your weight honestly, and by not being a scavenger who takes lives indiscriminately. You prove you can be worthy of the trust and friendship of others. It doesn’t happen overnight. No one here managed that, and no one would expect it of you. You’d make mistakes; you’d