Two males and two females. The Perfects from Calliope.
They glanced around, blinking rapidly as they tried to adjust to their surroundings. I slid down toward them. In an instant, they drew their swords at me.
“Whoa! I come in peace!” I said, raising my hands in a defensive gesture. “Rose sent us!”
Nathaniel frowned and cocked his head to one side. “I’m Nathaniel. These are Uriel, Deena and Angelica. What do you mean by ’us?’ I only see you.”
A loud thump startled us all. I looked back to find Araquiel. He’d just landed and had only acquired several cuts on his face—already healing. I looked back at Nathaniel. “Nope. It’s ‘us.’ I’m Herakles. And that’s Araquiel.”
The Perfects and Araquiel exchanged nods and brief smiles, while I quietly listened to the sounds of the jungle. It was only a matter of time before more soldiers would come in from the colosseum. Someone was bound to come looking for the shuttle. They’d definitely seen it.
“We need to get as far away from here as possible,” Araquiel said.
“We’ll catch up when we leave this hotspot,” I added.
The four Perfects didn’t wait to be told twice. They closed the shuttle doors and climbed out of the crater. I followed, rejoining Araquiel at the top. Blood rushed through my veins, fueled by the adrenaline.
“I see you managed to steer the shuttle despite the travel spell. I’m told that’s pretty hard to do,” Araquiel said to Nathaniel.
“With four of us and the fuel, it was doable,” Nathaniel replied.
“Called it.” I chuckled. “Let’s go.”
I led the way through the jungle, with five reformed Perfects by my side. Frankly, I’d always felt stronger surrounded by my rogue Faulties. I drew my energy from my friends and allies. But with Perfects in my entourage… it felt different. Infinitely better.
The odds didn’t feel against us. At least, not as harshly as before. With these creatures on my crew, I felt like we had a better edge against Ta’Zan. As if all wasn’t lost. Not yet, and not as long as I was still breathing.
Araquiel and I had already agreed upon one thing. If our worst-case scenario were to come true, if Ta’Zan were to defeat Rose and Ben somehow, we would never give up. We’d keep fighting, tooth and nail, until Ta’Zan met his end. Or we died first.
Elonora
I spent the next couple of hours catching up with Grandma Claudia and Grandpa Yuri, while Derek stayed on the line with GASP on Calliope, briefing us whenever there was new information. Varga and Nevis stayed by my side, and Grandma Claudia told us about the more recent developments inside the colosseum.
Personally, I looked forward to meeting Isda. They had nothing but good things to say about her, and, after what she’d done to get my brother out of this place, she had a special place in my heart already.
“I see the Perfects are in no rush to change you into these silky tunics like us,” Grandpa said. “It’s a shame. Evil world and whatnot, but the fabric feels nice.”
I chuckled. “Meh. We’re better off with what we have, especially the hoods and masks and goggles. They had no reason to take them away from us, anyway. Besides, I’m pretty sure they’ve got bigger issues on their minds right now than to put us all in matching outfits.”
Plus, the hoods, the masks and the goggles were going to come in handy later.
“There’s something different about you,” Grandma remarked, smiling at me. “Your cheeks are pink. Your eyes glimmer whenever you look at Nevis. I don’t have to be a sentry to know you’ve got the hots for the guy.”
I froze, feeling the heat spread through my face.
“And it’s obvious he’s got the hots for you, too,” she added.
I looked at Nevis, who gave me a soft and reassuring smile in return. He then focused on Grandma and Grandpa. “I suppose Elonora finds it awkward when you’re so blunt, but, personally, I think it’s endearing. And yes, you’ve read us both correctly. We are in love.”
“Oh, snap,” Varga murmured, his eyes wide. “I didn’t think he’d spell it out like that.”
“Yeah, me neither,” I breathed, while my grandparents burst into laughter.
“Honey. It’s amazing you found each other in the middle of this mess!” Grandma said, squeezing my hands in hers. “I can read you like an open book, sometimes.”
“I need to work on that.” I sighed.
Nevis wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He didn’t pull back, and he clearly wasn’t afraid to show his affection toward me. I figured he was making it official this way, and that just made my heart swell in my chest. “I love Elonora, and I hope you both find me agreeable enough to be a part of her life.”
Grandpa Yuri smirked. “I find you agreeable, but I’m pretty sure my wife thinks you’re hot.”
Grandma chuckled. “Scrumptious, to be precise.”
It was Nevis’s turn to blush, his eyes bulging. He was seconds away from either stroking out or digging himself into a hole from which he’d never come out. The poor thing.
“Grandma!” I chided her, laughing. “You’ll scare him away!”
“Daemons and soul-eating Maras didn’t scare me; I doubt this stunning vampire lady will,” Nevis retorted, offering a charming smile to go with it. Oh, he definitely wasn’t afraid of my grandparents. In fact, he was showing a side I hadn’t seen before—perhaps the facet he showed to other people when he engaged in diplomatic affairs. The kind of smile that got deals signed and empires conquered.
Judging by the look on Grandma’s face, she was definitely conquered.
“I’m glad to see you two together,” Grandpa said. “An unlikely couple, by most definitions, but I know my little Elonora well enough to understand that it takes a certain kind of character to get past the thick wall she’s built around her heart.”
My grandparents knew my history from The Shade, including the heartbreak that Connor had caused. They were quite protective of me, in fact, and it was good to see the lack of objection on their part, as far as Nevis was concerned. The last thing I wanted was for my family, the people I loved unequivocally, to reject him—the one person who’d managed to steal my heart without making me feel miserable.
“Nevis had his methods,” I replied, resting my head on his shoulder.
“You deserve it,” Grandma said, beaming at me. “I just hope you both get to take this relationship further, once or… if this ordeal ever ends.”
