"Thank you, Master," Samandriel said, staying exactly where he was until he was bid to rise. "For the compliment and for allowing me to finish." But who was Carrick not to listen the way ancient beings did?
His defiance would likely return later, but his talk with the demon had done him a great deal of good. If he embraced this, it might not be so bad. Called it penance and earned punishment in stark contrast to the sanctuary Mitchell offered him.