“That’s right, she’s got five apprentices now,” Varga replied. “How are they coming along?”
“Quite well, actually. Kale said she’s got a lot of faith in them. The Word is most likely to accept them all,” Serena explained. “But she’s a stickler for all the rituals, now. She doesn’t want to take any chances. We all know how volatile the Word can be.”
“Ah, yes,” I said, remembering the Stravian episodes.
“Who can forget the time Kale blacked out and wiped out the Perfects, huh?” Varga chuckled, though his humor wasn’t all there.
That had been a difficult time for Kailani, and for Hunter, for that matter, since she had little to no control over her powers. She’d begun her Word apprenticeship shortly before our founders went missing on Strava, and, once started, the process couldn’t be stopped. Certain conditions were also necessary for the swamp witch and the Word to bond correctly.
Kailani had gotten lucky at the time, so I totally understood why Lumi wanted to be extra careful with these new apprentices.
“And Hunter is with them?” I asked. “They usually kick him out of swamp-witch-related activities.”
Varga laughed. “Yeah, but you know the white wolf. He’s not the kind to stand back forever. Especially when you tell him no. That just riles him up even more!”
“I think Lumi needed Hunter to help with those pods of theirs,” Field replied.
“Wait, what pods?” Serena asked, somewhat confused.
“For the ritual. Thing is, they need to be fully isolated when they commune with the Word,” Field explained. “I don’t know the specifics, but I do know it’s something that Kale only did once. You know they won’t divulge any details regarding the apprenticeship rituals. So we can only speculate.”
“Well, Hunter had to be there. Let’s just leave it at that,” Bastien interjected, slightly amused.
“Mm-hm. They needed him for target practice,” Varga muttered, stirring a few more laughs from around the table. He then moved his attention back to Serena. “I heard something the other day, and I couldn’t believe it. Serena, I’m told that you and Eva have become absolute besties!”
It was Draven’s turn to laugh.
“You know what? I didn’t think it was possible!” Serena said, smiling.
“Wait. Eva. Which Eva?” Derek asked.
Aida was quick to update him. “Tamara’s daughter. You know Tamara, right? Lady of the Lamias?”
“Oh, wow!” Hazel gasped. “Eva, as in, the Eva that Draven was supposed to marry in return for the Lamias’ support against Azazel?”
“Yup. That Eva.” Serena giggled. “But listen, she’s not that bad at all. Hell, she’s actually awesome. We’ve been talking a lot lately. She had a thing for Thadeus, one of Draven’s Druids, but it didn’t work out. So… I don’t know, I ended up comforting her a few months back. We talked and talked and… in the end, she’s really cool.”
“Define cool,” Varga replied.
“Well, she’s stepped away from her mother’s machinations, for starters,” Serena said. “Eva has grown quite fond of GASP. She turned vampire last winter and—”
“Whoa! What?!” I croaked, genuinely shocked. “A Lamia went vampire? That’s the first I’m hearing of it!”
Serena sighed, wearing a sad smile. “Yeah, she didn’t want to tell anyone. It actually drove a wedge between her and Tamara. As you would’ve expected, the Lady of the Lamias wasn’t happy with Eva’s choice. Thadeus, either.”
“That’s so wrong,” Hazel murmured. “But why? What’s their problem with vampires?”
“No problem. Not directly, anyway. They just didn’t expect Eva to want that. And they didn’t take kindly to the change, I guess,” Serena replied. “So, Eva has been spending more time here, in Luceria, and on Mount Zur, than back down by the River Pyros. I guess she’s more GASP than anything else right now.”
“I find it impressive, if you ask me,” I said. “She’s a Lamia-Druid-Vampire hybrid now, isn’t she?”
Serena nodded again. “Yup. Lamia from her mother’s side, Druid from her crappy father’s side, and vampire.”
“Crappy father,” Varga mumbled, frowning as he tried to remember the single most important detail that set Eva apart from everyone on Calliope. His eyes nearly popped out when the memory came back. “She’s Azazel’s daughter.”
“Exactly. I kind of took pity on her, at first,” Serena replied. “We all know there was a time I would’ve loved to smack her around, especially when she was flirting with Draven,” she added, and gave her husband a quick wink. “Though he never reciprocated.”
“How long ago did she join GASP?” Vita asked.
“About three months ago,” Field said. “Aced her training and all her trials.”
“She still dons the slinky silk dresses and loves to be ridiculously demanding, like the Lamia princess that she is.” Serena chuckled. “But, deep down, she’s a good person, if you ask me. And I think she’s super valuable to GASP.”
Aida smiled. “I’m inclined to agree. She’s extremely intelligent. At first glance, one would think vain and pretentious, but that girl can see right through you. It’s almost scary.”
Nevis surprised me when he stood up and took a couple of steps back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Nothing,” he replied, smiling at me. He looked at everyone else. “I must apologize for what I’m about to do. If I don’t do it now, I’m not sure I’ll ever find the courage again.”
“You had too much rose water, didn’t you?” Draven asked, grinning.
The succubi’s spiced rose water had become a frequent drink at Calliope dinners. It was an infusion of certain herbs and flowers that sort of amplified everything. I’d already gotten used to its zing, but I’d completely forgotten that Nevis was still new to it.
Nevertheless, I sat still in my chair, wondering what he was up to. His aura glowed bright gold as he looked at me. It made me shut everyone out for a moment, as I felt his emotions echoing through me. This was about us, somehow…
“Nevis, what are you doing?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
