“You’ll be proud to know I haven’t had a drop of human blood since we arrived here,” Lucius said as he waved his hands to extinguish the floor candles, moving towards a cabinet above the sink. “Thomas assured me they use the blood of predators in their rum.” He produced a wide bottle similar to the one Anubis had enjoyed earlier, clouded glass with no label and dark, thick liquid sloshing around inside. “Would you like to try some with me?”
Morrigan’s stomach suddenly responded with a growl, reminding her of how long it had been since she last ate. “The last time you and I sat around having drinks, you set a ballroom on fire.”
Lucius laughed. “You make an excellent point,” he said, looking at the bottle. Suddenly he brightened, setting it back down on the table. “I have a better idea.”
“We shouldn’t,” Morrigan protested, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “No one in this land knows we are here.”
“All the better then.”
“We should keep it that way.”
“I doubt anyone will notice.”
“It will be high noon soon.”
“Then make it rain.”
She sighed, remembering what it was like to argue with him. They locked hands and in moments, they reached the savannah under an overcast sky, close to a herd of antelope who drank from the murky river that wound through the plains. She knew it wasn’t the grazers he was interested in, but the beautiful pride of lions lingering nearby, who regarded them with cautious brown eyes. They were all female and Morrigan’s attention settled on the oldest, who sighed with aching bones and battle wounds, exhausted from trying to keep up with her daughters but too stubborn to let them best her.
She felt Lucius slip away to search for the distant male. She stilled, patiently observing the lionesses as they honed in on their prey. She waited until the exact moment that they lunged, distracted, so she could attack hers. It seemed as though the old matriarch knew she was coming, for she didn’t attempt to run, submissive as Morrigan dragged her away from the feeding frenzy. A rush of exhilaration seized her while she drained the old queen, ancient strength pummeling through her veins. Morrigan drank only what she needed, tenderly laying her to rest as she heard the distant, ferocious roar of a combative male echo in the distance.
Several feeding lionesses abandoned their food to investigate while others embarked on a search for their missing matron. Morrigan heard the hyenas creep in on the abandoned prey as she scanned the dark savannah, hoping Lucius was alright, when he startled her from behind. His eyes were wild with excitement, burning through the shadows, blood smeared on his lips and an angry gash still bleeding on his chest.
“The old boy put up quite a fight,” he told her breathlessly.
They raced back to Anubis’s house before the rest of the pride realized what had occurred, laughing like young lovers who had dodged their chaperones. Grateful the house still slept, Morrigan fell onto one of the leather hide couches with her appetite satisfied. She felt better than she had in months. A calm settled over her, replacing her dwindling adrenaline.
Lucius grabbed the rum bottle he’d left on the sink and two glasses, settling down on the couch next to her. They stared at each other for a moment before he reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. His touch sent a light shiver across her skin. “This is the longest I’ve seen you keep your hair this way,” he remarked.
Morrigan realized he was right, becoming acutely aware of her tresses, long and loose around her shoulders.
He continued to admire her, his eyes sweeping over her face, lingering on her lips. “You look much better. One could assume it’s the fresh blood, but I know seeing your son safe is what brought the light back into your eyes.”
Morrigan smiled. “I may not have raised him, but he is my heart. Which brings me to why I’m here. I met his lover, a goddess who survived the Purging, and ran into one of his spirits, a type of god in this land.”
Lucius looked surprised. “They were spared?”
“Apparently since they exist in a space similar to the astral plane, they were looked over. Discordia could not reach them.”
“Interesting.” Lucius considered her words. “What do the others think?”
“You’re the first one I’ve told,” she admitted, leaning over to pour herself a drink.
His eyebrows rose before his lips followed, turning into a half smile. “That is even more interesting.”
“It’s completely logical that I would come to you first,” she said defensively. “You have a brilliant mind that is best used for solving puzzles.”
“I see. So, you came rushing to my room in the middle of the day, while the rest of the house sleeps...to talk business?”
Morrigan stood up in exasperation. “Would you rather I go tell David?”
Lucius darkened, flying to his feet to block her. “Do not toy with me like that,” he warned her.
“Then stop pretending like you don’t know why I’m here.”
He grabbed her face and kissed her roughly, the metallic taste of fresh lion’s blood and cloves flooding her mouth as she hungrily kissed him back. Outside, the ocean waves lifted in response, crashing down so hard they reached the walls of the house with spray. He lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him, staggering as he tried to make it to the bed before they were distracted by their rising passion. They fell together in a tangled heap, tearing at each other’s clothes. Although they explored new bodies with impassioned hands, they fell into a natural rhythm. The surrounding candles sputtered to life as the ocean continued to steadily rise and fall, a clap of thunder sounding in the distance.
It was hours before Morrigan’s eyes drifted open from their brief respite to see him gazing at her. “That is only mildly unnerving,” she murmured sleepily.
He let out a soft chuckle. “Forgive me. You look absolutely enchanting when you sleep. Not a muscle in your face moves, like you’re etched out of marble. It’s strange…I can vividly recall what you looked like before and, although you’re wearing a different body, you look very much the same.”
“It’s the eyes,” she told him. “I recognized you in England by your eyes.”
He swooped back down to kiss her, but before he had the chance to pounce on her again, she sat up, gently pushing him away. “The others will eventually look for us,” she explained. “We still have problems to solve.”
Lucius sighed in defeat, rolling onto his back for a brief moment before jumping out of bed.
“Where are you going?” she protested, sitting up on her elbows.
She blushed when he returned. He was completely unashamed about his lack of clothing, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth and the half-empty bottle in his hand. He hopped back into bed, handing her the bottle. “There is something I need to tell you before we talk to the others. But it stays between you and I.”
Morrigan frowned, pulling herself completely upright. “Of course.”
“While you rested on our way to France, I was able to access my memories, the ones I tried to tell you about before the hydra attacked us.” He took a hit from his cigarette, smashing it out on the table before taking back the bottle she hadn’t touched. “I never had a taste for rum,” he commented after he took a sip. “I have always preferred a strong red, but I believe in Africa, it’s palm wine.”
“Lucius.”
He sighed. “Apparently, I was recruited by the Holy Watchers the first time I was sent to Tartarus. They pulled me out of there, promising that if I worked for them, I would no longer remain trapped. They also promised to reveal your location to me.” He took another long swallow. “I believe my memories disappeared because I wanted them gone...because they were too painful.”
