All the resistance dropped away from me, and I surged forward, grabbing the massive gem with both hands and lifting it up off the plinth like a competitor holding up a trophy.

Abruptly, the lava retreated, and the thrumming noise which had filled the cavern this whole time stopped.

All my senses faded.

I was aware of nothing but the crystal in my hands, and the massive rush into my soul, of Kyrine. She filled my being. There was nothing between me and the immense presence of her foreign mind.

Something alien was now living inside my brain. It felt ancient, powerful, and not exactly friendly. It communicated a single desire: to feed. An insatiable thirst that wanted nothing more than to be quenched, and a hunger as deep as ages.

”What is your name, Keeper?” boomed her voice inside my mind, and I recognized it. It was the same voice that had spoken Enter when I’d struck the door knocker outside the mansion.

“Fuck you,” I replied through gritted teeth.

Kyrine’s laugh rippled through me, but I felt that she was impressed with my refusal to submit to her. I felt her retreat a little, giving me back a bit of space in myself.

Her voice was playful and teasing when she replied. “Fuck you? That’s a strange name.”

“You almost killed me,” I said.

“A simple test. And you passed. You ought to be pleased with yourself.”

“This night was meant to be a date, maybe even one that ended with me getting lucky. Instead, I’ve been shot at by corporate soldiers, told I’m not even human, then run a gauntlet in some Outworlder dungeon.”

Kyrine laughed. “Sounds like you really did get lucky! I like you, Jeremy.”

“Can’t say I feel the same.”

“You are displeased with me.” She sounded genuinely hurt.

“No shit!” I said. I was not feeling particularly forgiving just yet.

I heard the mental equivalent of an exasperated sigh. “You mortals. Always so touchy. How else could I possibly ascertain whether you are worthy of joining me?”

“As I understand it, I’m not joining you. I’m meant to be Keeping you, whatever that means.”

The dungeon laughed, and the sound of it boomed inside my skull, making my teeth rattle.

“Is that what you believe?” she asked.

My senses were coming back to me, and I could see the chamber. For some reason, it seemed slightly less menacing now.

I lowered the crystal back to the plinth but kept both hands firmly on it.

“I’m a Keeper,” I said. “I’m not sure exactly what that is—hell, I only learned of it an hour ago. But I figure it means I’m meant to, you know, keep you. Probably keep you from eating people.”

“Oh, you heard about the burglars, did you? My hunger is not an easy impulse to control. And it had been so very long since my last meal.”