Nemo stared at me, his lip twitching slightly. He clearly knew I was flattering him just to squeeze more out of the deal, but my words also stroked his massive ego.
'You possess a silver tongue, human,' the wolf grumbled, though the hostility in his voice lessened by a fraction. 'Affinity is usually dictated by birth. However...'
The shadows around his paw swirled, condensing into a small, viscous droplet that looked like liquid obsidian.
'For a ruler of my stature, bending the laws of talent is a trivial matter.'
'This is a drop of my Essence. It is formed from the deepest, purest concentration of my domain. Consume it, and your body will be remade to be beloved by the shadows.'
'Perfect.'
I nodded, suppressing the urge to grin. This was exactly what I needed.
'And third. The most important one.'
I raised the third finger, my expression hardening again.
'I want a Soul Oath.'
The atmosphere froze. The shifting shadows around us stopped moving, hanging suspended in the air.
