“Know your place.”
Magpie pushed his plate away with a sneer. “To a certain degree only. There are several tasks I do for him, but I am not bound to obey his every command. I was a part of him, but now I am a being of my own, and I will not be drawn back into a world where I have no say in my existence.”
“So, what can we do? The whole club wants out of this symbiotic relationship with Baal, but there are several issues that need to be considered,” Vars said.
Knight nodded. “We know he can move in time. What would stop him from undoing everything and destroying us if we... attacked him somehow?”
Magpie rubbed his thumb along his lips. “He will be fixed in this timeline once the ritual starts. He’s been preparing for it for hundreds of years, and once he succeeds, your world will be no more.”
Jake choked on the cake he was trying to eat to shut himself up. “What?”
And this time, Knight didn’t chastise him, mirroring his sentiment instead. “What ritual?”
Magpie sighed. “The ritual needed to open up the gates between worlds. Right now, only his reflection is able to cross the threshold without wasting immense energy, but once he is successful, the swarm he’s gathered will descend on this world, without the need for hosts. That being said, regardless of the extent of his power, he can be thwarted. His first attempt at claiming this reality was sixty years ago, give or take, and the person who temporarily put his plans to rest was a mere human. I do believe Baal would be more cautious this time.”
“So there’s nothing to be done about the time travel issue at this point?” Vars asked, and Magpie’s nod was like a nail to their coffins.
Jake’s head was pulsing as if his brain were squished with all the information given. With what Magpie was saying about the end of the world, his newfound immortality seemed insignificant.
“I am taking certain precautions,” Magpie finally said. “I don’t want this world to die. I rather like it here. I intend for you, or your descendants, to help me with the matter once the time comes. For now, we wait and enjoy what the world has to offer.” He smiled and snatched a pink macaroon from the center of the table.
Chapter 21 - Jake
Jake followed Vars as if he were sleepwalking, the word “immortal” rattling around in his brain as if it were about to fall out through his ear. At least Vars holding his hand grounded Jake somehow. He wasn’t alone in a reality he didn’t yet comprehend.
Vars stopped by one of the doors with golden handles in a long hallway and pressed his thumb to a small device on the wall. The door unlocked with a curt clang, and he walked inside, leading Jake into a small foyer that looked incredibly homely in contrast to the wealth of Magpie’s own apartment on the top floors. It was nothing extraordinary—a large built-in closet with a mirror, shoe racks, and a hanger for coats and jackets, and walls covered by wooden panels. Simple and clean, just like Jake’s family home was.
“Welcome,” Vars said, taking off his boots and tidily placing them on the side.
Jake looked down the corridor with three entrances to the left, and one to the right. All of a sudden, he felt as if he was on a gameshow and asked to pick a random door to win a prize. The catch was that one of those doors led to a “playroom” that held either unspeakable pleasure, or never-ending torture.
“Is this where you used to live?” Jake pushed his boots off as well, eager for distraction.
Vars placed Jake’s duffel bag on the floor. “Yes. I actually need to pack up all this soon. I’m kind of eager to close this chapter, but I’d need more space assigned to me at the clubhouse first,” he said, leaning against the wall next to a framed poster of The Godfather.
Jake ran his fingers over the wall as he tried to figure out which door to choose. “Are you saying my room’s not good enough for you anymore?”
Strong arms slid around his waist, and Vars pressed his lips to the back of Jake’s head. “I think you also deserve an upgrade.”
Jake smiled despite not being in the mood for it. There was something so warm and homely about Vars’s touch that he instantly melted into the hug. “Maybe it’ll come with a new patch for my cut.”
“I bet. Come, I’ll show you around,” Vars said, taking the dreaded choice out of Jake’s hands. He tapped the first door on the way, stating that it was a restroom, and then ignored door number two and led Jake into a large living room with an open-plan kitchen in the corner. It was a quaint space, with white walls, a hardwood floor in a pale shade, and a collection of furniture that included a sofa and a chair, as well as a solid oak table big enough for six. By the huge windows were bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling, and another chair, clearly meant as a reading space.