King placed a hand on Dave's shoulder. "Your spirit is strong, Dave, even stronger than the dark Incubus." King bit into the chicken. "You protect Papa all the time in the other world. The Mother said that everyone has a purpose. Even me."

A swift exchange happened between King and Alexis, and I stared at Alexis.

Alexis leaned toward me. "We'll talk about it soon."

King stood and reached for an apple and a hunk of cheese. He sat and hungrily bit into them both. ...