There's only one thing to do.

I reached for the pitchfork, remembering all the people who cursed and betrayed me back home. I could see their disgusted, vile, hateful faces. I felt the length of wood in my hand, the roughness against my now-ashen skin, and looked at him.

I froze.

He was silent, and watching me without condemnation.

My blood pounded in time with my heart, and for a moment that's all I heard.

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

I let go of the pitchfork.

"Decided not to kill me?" He asked, looking all too calm for someone discussing his own demise.

"I just cleaned the floor." The words slipped out. The boy laughed in response, it was the first emotion I'd seen on him. "What's your damned name, anyway?"

"Thag." He grimaced. "But that's a stupid name, you can blame my old man for that. 'It were my granpappy's name, it's tradition.' Call me Theo."

"Theo it is." I nodded, smiling a little. "What do you want?"

"Well, firstly, I wanted to thank you." He started to walk toward me, a lewd smile creeping across his face. "I needed a hand the other day, and mom was more than willing to comfort me."

"Oh, that's interesting." I scratched my chin. "So, anyone can use the triggers I implant. Maybe, I need to say, 'When I' say so-and-so."

"I'd guess so." Theo leaned up against the wall next to me. "I experimented plenty."

"Well," I chuckled. "You're a little twisted."

"Not all devils have horns." He nodded to me. "You asked what I wanted?"

"I did."

"I want to be your retainer." He smiled. "That's what their called in the stories. Your minion, your servant, your comrade. Whatever you got planned, I want in. I wanna make it a reality. I want to run wild, as the knight of the demon king."

His eyes were wide and intense, like a feral beast pacing in it's cage. The air around him seemed blisteringly hot, infected by his delusions of grandeur. It was a childish thing he was saying, unbefitting of his twenty-something years, but it still made my blood boil. It wasn't something I'd considered, but what child hadn't dreamed of being something so significant; something as important as a hero or a villain.

I had felt that boredom with my mundane, everyday, life. And, honestly, ever since my exile I had been having the time of my life. The control I'd exerted over this family, the power in my blood; the power of incubus, was wonderful. It felt great, it was like being a king; but it was only being the king over two people and a fucking shed.

Dare I?

I looked at Theo, who watched me with insanely focused eyes, and at the hand he offered.

Dare I?