Don't Be Afraid, Little Dog—Your Mother Is Here - Chapter 1

The day my master was eaten, his blood splashed all over my face. The incubus’s fingertips were slick with foul-smelling blood as he smiled down at me.

He was beautiful, and his voice was soft—nothing like my master or Senior Brother, who were always so vicious.

If I had known the heretics they were forever threatening to kill were this kind, I would never have joined the righteous path.

He bent down and crouched before me, head tilted. “Scared witless? I don’t care for eating fools. They’re bad for the stomach.”

I stared up at him blankly. A string of tears fell first.

When I finally came to myself, I whispered through my sobs, “Thank you… Thank you…”

The incubus was utterly baffled. Not daring to eat me too hastily, he reached out by instinct to wipe away my tears. Instead, the blood on his fingers smeared across my face. The rank, metallic stench filled my nose. The instant I remembered whose blood it was, I retched.

Annoyance crept into his smile. “What? You find it disgusting? This king’s blood is fragrant!”

Only then did I notice that the fingertip he had held out was scraped, fresh blood welling from the broken skin.

Under his angry stare, I reverently cradled his finger, put it in my mouth, and sucked away the blood.

Shock and fury crossed his face, followed, unexpectedly, by a trace of embarrassment. He tried to pull his finger free, but I held on tight and refused to release it.

To my amazement, a rosy flush spread across his cheeks. This incubus was… unexpectedly innocent.

In the end, he did not eat me. He said I was deranged enough to be entertaining and that he would keep me around for amusement. Then he donned my master’s skin and swaggered back to the sect with me in tow.

He held my hand. The warmth of his palm soothed me, as though he were a gift heaven had sent me—the protector I had longed for, someone who would stand up for me.

His temper was dreadful, but somehow I became certain that he would be my salvation. He would shelter me and let me live safely in that foul sect, that living hell.

I had been sold to the sect at thirteen. At last, in my seventeenth year, heaven answered the wish I had made night after night.

And so I made a new wish—

“Mother Heaven, please take pity on me. I won’t be greedy. I only want him to stay with me.”

My incubus master treated me well. The trouble was, he treated everyone well. That made me a little unhappy. I had found him. He was heaven’s gift to me. What right did they have to steal everything I treasured yet again?

Clutching his sleeve, I ventured cautiously, “Don’t you miss home? Will you stay here forever?”

His eyes curved with amusement. He tapped my head with his fan and said haughtily, “Such disrespect! Call me Master.”

I obeyed. Only then did he stroke his chin and give the question some thought. “Your master doesn’t miss home, because everywhere under heaven is my home. And come to think of it, this is my first time teaching disciples. It’s rather novel!”

He paused. His gaze settled on my pleading face, and, looking a little awkward, he patted my head. “This king’s… ahem, good disciple is still here. Naturally, your master will stay and keep you company. Honestly. No wonder mortals say a child ties its mother down.”