Syryn was working harder than he had ever done. His overworked partner had been banished out of the alchemy room for a day. And Salem had protested vehemently but Syryn was more persuasive.

The alchemist perused through the catalogue of potions that Salem was selling.

25 entries needed stocking immediately. Written in red ink, the numbers stood out and they were in surprising amounts. At least a thousand of each entry. Business was good. No wonder Salem was always so tired.

With the increase in the volume of sales, the two of them wouldn't be enough to satisfy the requirements of their customers. Not even with the help of their new assistants could they make it happen.

Syryn had to make their lives easier. Big batches of potions would cut time and effort so it was a no brainer to the alchemist. A letter had to be written to Lord Peltner so he could enquire upon the smithy that had crafted King Hill's giant cauldron.

Neiro and Blaze were already experienced with the creation of potions in the big cauldrons which meant that Salem would have less trouble transitioning to it.

Just as he thought about them, the door swung open and Syryn saw two teenage boys squeezing through the door while shoving at each other. Syryn's eyebrow twitched. Nothing had changed it seemed. They grew up and so did their rivalry.

---------

Syryn was a simple person. He needed food and Rowan, and maybe a little bit of alchemy. At least that was what he had assumed until he was proven wrong.

He was hyper-aware of Riha. Every time he caught sight of the selkie, his mouth watered involuntarily. And whether his stomach was full or empty, it curled inwards demanding selkie parts. So like a psychopath, he stared and stared till Riha left the line of his sight.

Red had noticed it. Alka had kicked him under the table. Riha had stared back. As for Salem, the one person in the house who remained ignorant of Syryn's bloodline, he was confused by whatever was happening with Syryn and Riha.

The half-demon took to skulking in the alchemy room where he poured all his energy into work. To make matters worse, Rowan had been called away on an emergency that demanded his presence at the southern border of Sigil. He had assured Syryn of an early return but it had already been four days since his departure.

The blond's presence had been a strong motivator for Syryn to lay low and put a lid over his selkie hunger. With Rowan gone, he was antsy and irritable, prone to losing his temper at the drop of a hat. The others walked on eggshells around him, afraid of triggering his temper and ruining everyone's day. Syryn hated himself for it but it wasn't like he could remove himself from his escalating emotions.

Though Alka, Riha, and Salem had been understanding of Syryn's sudden swings of mood, Red wasn't so. He'd had it with Syryn being a bitch.

"Are you a woman on the rag?!

" The redhead hissed at the cranky half-demon.

"Always so damn moody!

"

"The hell do you want?

" Syryn growled at the child.

Red had tolerated Syryn's moods for three whole days. And by his count, it was a miracle, because if there was one thing that Red did not put up with, Syryn's foul moods in his proximity surely had to be it. The worst part about it was that the offender had an idea about how he could put a rest to his troubles, but no, he had to resist.

"Ask Riha for some blood, you idiot!

" Red snarled at him.

"I told you-

"

"Nobody is asking you to drink from him. A small amount of blood in a cup will help your restlessness abate.

"

Syryn crushed the pebble he was holding in his hand. What was once a smooth piece of rock was now powder between his fingers. And that was a bad sign. Too much strength bleeding through his human biology.

"The moment you allowed you satisfied the demands of your instincts, you were a goner,

" Red told him.

"The demon is fighting harder than ever now.

"

Like a curse upon his existence, Red's words about losing control had manifested into a reality. Syryn was seized by the desire to destroy whatever was in front of him. Sometimes, he was even besieged by the urge to spill blood. It was happening far too quickly for him to adapt to.

He exhaled loudly and pressed his hands to his forehead. How could he deal with this problem without resorting to selkie blood? Maybe he could kill something. An animal. Brutalise it. No. He instinctively knew it wouldn't be enough for the demon that was specifically demanding he hunt down a selkie.

Why oh why did he agree to Riha's request? His greed had gotten him in the end. As much as he'd like to believe that he had done it for Riha's sake, Syryn knew it had been his greedy mouth that decided for him in the end. He hadn't done it for Riha; It was a selfish decision on his part, one that had seemed nobler during that unfortunate moment. Poor little Syryn, carrying the burden of resisting his demon while drinking selkie blood even though he deemed it a barbaric thing to do. Yeah right. He didnt want to think about the hard-on that had popped up. Rowan hadn't mentioned it but Syryn would have been a fool to believe that the anti mage hadn't noticed it.

"I'm such a dumbass,

" he mumbled into his palms. He couldn't blame Riha because the selkie likely had no idea what repercussions it was going to have on Syryn.

"If you know what's good for you and still resist it then you aren't just a dumbass,

" Red sniggered.

The alchemist was too afraid to ask what according to Red was worse than a dumbass. The redhead curled his lips and narrowed his eyes at Syryn.

"I demand that you sort out your problems by tomorrow. And if I see you snapping at another person for absolutely no fault of theirs, I'll shove my foot so far up your ass you'll have to surgically remove it yourself.

" Red painted a disturbing picture for Syryn.

The alchemist chuckled. It was a disturbing but funny thought. His chuckle turned into full-blown laughter. To Red, he appeared demented.

"Someone tell the village that their idiot is missing,

" the redhead said to himself.