I walked the rest of the way home and took my keys out of my pocket before I bit back a sigh of relief, grateful that no one else tried to stop me. "Thank the Goddess," I said, my voice barely above a whisper while I pursed my lips in annoyance and narrowed my eyes. "Thank the Goddess."

Something ran toward me from the corner of my eye, and I paused and looked that way while narrowing my eyes further before I saw that it was a black cat, and I slowly relaxed some.

Salem...

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I stopped making the rest of the way to my door and folded my arms across my chest, my keys dangling in hand, waiting for them to come closer.

'Oh, lookie, it's Salem,' Corey said cheerfully. 'Hi, Salem. How are you?'

Great...

I scowled and narrowed my eyes while the cat stopped in front of me and sat down.

The cat slowly blinked and cocked their head while they stared at me, and I had a feeling that they wanted to come in with me.

"What would you do if I said no?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper and shifted slightly as if I was about to kick the stupid cat, and Salem looked at my leg before they looked at me with wide eyes.

Again, the cat blinked and moved a little so that they weren't in range of my kick. They looked at the door before they looked at me again, and I had a feeling that they were going to go in no matter what I said or did.

I bit back a small growl and moved a hand across my face. "Can't you come back tomorrow?" I asked, keeping my voice at the same level while I raised my eyebrow higher. "I am tired, and I need to get some sleep. I wasn't even going to interrogate my grandmother tonight."

That was a complete and total lie because I was going to ask her some questions while I drank some of her stupid tea that she would force me to drink.

Salem narrowed their eyes and flicked their tail annoyed. They didn't say a word, but I could tell that they knew that I was lying.

I bit back a small sigh before I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Fine," I grumbled before I unlocked and opened my front door. "Let's go." I gestured for them to go inside so that I could go in too.

Salem smirked and flicked their tail before they walked in as if they owned the place, and I rolled my eyes and followed them in, scowling.

"Grams?" I asked while I closed the door and locked it behind me before I placed my keys into the cup by the door. "Are you awake?"

"Kitchen, Dear," my grandmother called from the kitchen, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. "I have some tea ready for you, Alex, and I would like you to drink it without any complaints. Is that understood?"

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I made my way to the kitchen with Salem following me, still in cat form. "Did you make two cups?" I asked. "I brought a guest."

"Mreow," Salem said in protest, and I looked down at them, and my scowl deepened. They looked at me through narrowed eyes and scowled, and I had a feeling that they didn't want to drink anything my grandmother had made.

"If I am drinking it, then you are too, Salem," I said with a small hiss while I bared my teeth in annoyance. "I am not drinking it alone."

Salem rolled their eyes and scowled before they shifted into their human form. "Very funny, Alexandra," they said while they folded their arms across their chest. "I am not drinking anything."

"You are too, Salem," my grandmother said, and I bit back a small smirk while I looked at them as if to say 'ha'. "Now, both of you come in here. Alexandra, be nice."

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I folded my arms across my chest before I made my way to the kitchen, and Salem followed me.

Grams was at the table with two cups in front of her, and she was pouring some tea in them. She looked at me and smiled, her eyes filled with worry and tiredness. "Hello, my Dear," she said. "How are you?"

I didn't say a word and shrugged before I cleared my throat and grew serious, raising an eyebrow in question while I stared at her.

My grandmother chuckled before she shook her head. "Don't give me that look, my Dear Girl," she said softly. "I have not done anything bad." She winked, teasingly, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"Then why was Bea here?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "And why was Salem here disguised as me?" I gestured to Salem, and they looked between us with a nervous look in their eyes.

"Because I called them, of course," Grams replied. "Now, sit, sit, and take some tea. Did you want to sleep tonight?" She looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded, hiding back an eye roll. "Yes," I said, deciding that it would be best to take whatever tea she offered me.

"I do not, Ruby," Salem said while their eyes grew wider. They cleared their throat and shook their head. "Please, is that the same tea for me? I have business that I have to attend to."

"Well so do I," I replied sarcastically while I gave them a pointed look. "However, you don't see me complaining about having to drink it."

Salem looked at me and scowled before they narrowed their eyes. "It is not the same, Miss DeLamont," they said with a slow drawl in their voice, and I bristled slightly. "Your and my time are different. We have different things that we have to attend to."

"And both things are important in one way or another, Salem," I said, giving them a pointed look, and Salem shrugged and looked nonchalant.

"Hmph," Grams said. "It doesn't matter. You both will sit down and drink them." She gestured to the tea, and Salem and I looked at each other before we looked at her, not moving or saying a word.

She scowled when we didn't move from the door and narrowed her eyes. "Now," she said with a slight warning in her tone, and I raised an eyebrow in question, mildly impressed. "Go to the table, sit down, and drink that damn tea."

Salem and I looked at each other before we did what she told us to do and walked over to the table and sat down. However, neither of us took a sip of that tea while we looked at her.

My grandmother sighed and shook her head. She didn't say a word before she turned her attention away from the tea and us to the stove where there was something else cooking.

(12/19/2023)

"What are you cooking?" I asked, my stomach growling slightly because it had been a while since I had last eaten, and I was getting hungry. "Is it something for me?"

My grandmother bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded. "Sure," she said. "Go ahead and start drinking your tea. I will make sure to put a plate in front of you before you start to feel too sleepy to eat, Dear," she said.

I scowled and narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean by sure?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question. "Was it for me?" I reached out and grabbed my cup of tea, liking the feeling of warmth in my hands.

(12/28/2023)

My grandmother smiled and shook her head. She didn't say a word and gestured for me to start drinking my tea.

I held back an eye roll while I scowled and took a sip of my drink, and Salem followed suit. "So, why was Bea here?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Did something happen to her or to Nike?" I asked.

My grandmother shook her head no and finished cooking the food for me. "Nothing happened to them," she said and grabbed a plate before she placed food on it and then started to walk it to me after getting a fork. "They are safe and sound."

I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I looked at her. "Then why was Bea here when I was gone?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "And why were you here?" I asked while I looked at Salem, and Salem smirked and leaned back in their seat.

"Your grandmother called me and told me to come," they said. "Why else would I be here?" They raised an eyebrow in question, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled.

"I don't know, Salem," I said sarcastically while I folded my arms across my chest and my scowl deepened, abandoning my tea. "That is why I asked you, Salem. Why were you here pretending to be me?"

"Keep drinking your tea, Alexandra May," my grandmother scolded while she placed the plate of food in front of me. "Stop stopping like that."

I held back an eye roll while I scowled but did what I was told to do and started to drink her tea again.

"But also eat because you hadn't eaten in a while," she said while she grabbed herself some tea and then sat down in front of us. "Is that why you asked if the food was for you?" she asked.

I bit back a small snort before I hesitated and slowly nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," I said while I took another sip of my tea. "But why did Bea come over here?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

My grandmother shrugged and looked at me nonchalantly. "I wanted to see her," she said and leaned against the back of her seat. "Why else would I have called her over?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I shrugged and pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word while I looked at my grandmother before I looked at Salem and gave them a pointed look, wanting to see if they would answer my question.

Salem bit back a small smirk and shrugged, not answering my question. "That is up to your grandmother to tell you," they said before they cleared their throat and shifted on their seat. "She is the one that contacted us."

I held back an eye roll while I scowled and looked at my grandmother again, and my grandmother chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Have you ever thought about something happening between two people?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question. "One of which would be Bea?"

Filip and Bea...

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded, not saying a word.

My grandmother must have caught the look on my face before she slowly nodded. "Yes," she said before she cleared her throat and leaned against the seat. "When you went to Horus's place, did you realize something?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question.

I hesitated before I shifted in my seat before I cleared my throat. "I smelt people over there," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I recognized yours, Bea's, Filip's, and Salem's scent," I said, and she nodded in confirmation. "So, why were you all there?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question, and my grandmother smiled and shrugged.

Salem didn't say a word while they looked at me and then at my grandmother. Their whole body was tense while they looked at my grandmother, and I could tell that they wanted to say something but didn't want her to be angry at them.

My grandmother narrowed her eyes and scowled. "What do you want to say, Salem?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question. "Spit it out."

Salem cleared their throat and shifted in their seat. Their cheeks turned red, and they didn't look at my grandmother while they grew tense and stayed silent.

"Salem," my grandmother warned again while she narrowed her eyes further.

Salem hesitated before they sighed and shook their head, smiling sadly. "It's nothing, Gram," they said softly. "I don't want you to get mad at me if I say something that you don't like."

"And you being quiet is also making me mad," my grandmother said, and I held back an eye roll, amused. "Alexandra, finish eating your food." She looked at me and scowled while she narrowed her eyes. "And drink your tea."

I bit back a small sigh while slowly nodding. "Yes, Ma'am," I said before I started to eat the food again. "Now, why were you all here together?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question. "Horus wasn't able to tell me because of Levi."

"And because I had asked him not to," she said while she leaned back in her seat. "You should be careful with what information you want to find out, Alexandra May," she warned. "You could get killed."

I held back an eye roll while I scowled because I knew that I could get killed, especially in my line of work. "Grams, you do realize that I could get killed anyway, right?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "I mean, I am the Viper, and I have to deal with some dangerous men."

"But not as dangerous as some of the people you have not met," my grandmother said while she gave me a pointed look. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. "And, I do not wish that you meet them."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied her. "And why not?" I asked while I continued to study her. "What do you mean by that?"

My grandmother smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Alexandra Dear," she said softly. "Just focus on what you are doing now."

I narrowed my eyes further while I scowled. "Grams," I warned, and she shrugged.

She cleared her throat and shifted slightly. "If you meet them, then be careful," she said softly while she dipped her head closer to her chest, and I scoffed and rolled my eyes while I scowled. "They are dangerous, more dangerous than whatever men you are facing now."

"You don't know that, Grams," I said while I shook my head, and she bit back a small snort. I scowled and narrowed my eyes further. "They could be in the same level of dangerous people as the people that you don't want me to meet. However, that should be my discretion and not yours."

"They're the people that I am more scared of than you," Salem said, their voice barely above a whisper, and I looked at them from the corner of my eye. "You're going to have to be careful even if you cross paths with them."

I shrugged, not phased. "It won't be the first time that I have to be careful," I muttered before I cleared my throat and took another bite of my food. "I want to see who scares the shit out of you, Salem," I added, looking at them from the corner of my eye.

Salem smiled sadly and shook their head. "Not them you don't," they said, their voice barely above a whisper. "You don't want to meet them or be anywhere near them. I can promise you that."

I bit back a small smirk and finished eating the rest of my food before I leaned back in my seat. "And that is why I want to meet them because no one is allowed to scare anyone else besides me."

My grandmother sighed and moved a hand across her face before she shook her head and cleared her throat. "Just be careful, Dear," she said softly, and I could hear a bit of pain in her voice. "I can't lose you, too."

I set my jaw and bit the inside of my lip before I slowly nodded, my heart aching because I knew she was talking about my parents and missing them just as much as I did. "I know, Grams," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "And you won't lose me. I promise."

And I will keep that promise to the day that I die...