Because what was happening to me was also happening to their son, Ben; their granddaughter, Grace; their great-granddaughters, Caia and Vita… and to Lucas and Kailyn, among many others whom they were deeply fond of. They would soon learn that Reapers were present in the sanctuaries, calmly waiting to take us all away once the five million mark was hit.
Eva
It took less than two hours to prepare for the journey to Mortis, much to my dismay. I’d hoped we’d be too busy to sit down and “get to know each other,” like Kailani had suggested. My joy at seeing Nethissis again had quickly shifted into discomfort, once I’d seen how she practically ate Varga up with her eyes. Nethissis and I had more or less grown up together, but we’d never been too close.
There had always been a certain level of competition between the Lamias, especially with the rise of Azazel. Our species had already been shunned by the Druids, whom we needed in order to continue our lineage. Once their numbers began to dwindle, most of them becoming Destroyers against their will, the Lamias were left with a reproductive problem. Therefore, whenever a Druid did come along—before Azazel’s reign took a turn for the worse, and he started killing the remaining Druids left and right—the Lamias wound up arguing and fighting over who would get to be with the Druid.
After my (ugh…) father was destroyed, there was hope again for a relationship between the Druids and the Lamias, thanks to Draven’s, Serena’s, and the rest of GASP’s efforts to establish some form of cooperation between our species. We were no longer “personae non gratae” among the Druids, but it would be a long time before there would be enough of them for all the Lamias to simply say, “We no longer need to argue about this.”
Granted, in this case, the wedge between Nethissis and me wasn’t a Druid, but a vampire-sentry. Clearly, the competitiveness deeply embedded in us did not care much for species. Lamias were especially aggressive and eager for a mate during their peak fertility season, which varied from one gal to the next. It usually hit in the spring, but not always. I was inclined to believe that Nethissis was, in fact, in a more fertile period, where all males, regardless of species, seemed appetizing to her. It irked the crap out of me, because I didn’t want her anywhere near Varga.
He and I… We had something going on, and I wanted to see where it would lead us. I’d yet to even kiss the guy, and Nethissis was coming in, all hot and curvaceous and determined, making my self-confidence take quite the nosedive—to my utter shock. I’d never felt like this before, and it worried me. I didn’t want to lose Varga before I could even be with him. We were already in a gigantic mess with the Hermessi; I really didn’t need one of my Lamias popping in and making it worse.
The one thing that gave me comfort was the fact that Varga seemed relatively immune to Nethissis’s charms. But I also knew Lamias could be elegantly persistent, weaseling their way into one’s heart, eventually.
“The interplanetary travel spell we’re using this time is a bit of a gamble,” Acantha said, breaking my train of thought. We were on our way up to the platform on top of Luceria, where Phoenix and Ibrahim would meet us once they had the coordinates. “Since we don’t have anything from our destination, Nethi and I will have to steer it ourselves.”
“Hence the need for coordinates and these big-ass serium batteries,” Herakles grunted, his upper body bent forward under the weight of six large glass cylinders filled with serium crystals and sealed at both ends with meranium caps.
Fallon was carrying six of his own, and Varga four more. Nethi nodded. “Exactly. We’ll need all the power we can get for this.”
We’d spent the better part of an hour loading our backpacks with spell paraphernalia, pulverizer pellets, and healing potions, cleaning our weapons, and sharpening our blades—while Nethissis and Acantha did most of the socializing. The crew knew, by now, that both swamp witches were young and ambitious, and that they were, all in all, reliable field partners. The Word was constantly giving them new magic, though only a fraction of what Kailani had learned in her first three months after ascending.
They also learned that Nethissis loved the succubi’s spiced rose water, and that Acantha wasn’t too fond of her feline form—according to her, the lioness instincts were too aggressive, for which reason she often stayed in her humanoid form, fearing a certain lack of control. She’d assured Herakles, in particular, that she would never harm us and him, but that she preferred to rely on swamp witch magic.
Riza didn’t seem too happy with Acantha’s unabashed curiosity about Herakles, but she kept a straight face and smiled as often as she could. I didn’t even bother being polite, knowing that Nethissis needed to see me, clearly, to understand that she was treading some dangerous waters.
Riza had yet to make a move on Herakles, and the Faulty, despite being unable to take his eyes off her, couldn’t bring himself to take the first step, either. I’d decided that if they didn’t get past this first stage soon, I’d help them. All it would take was a little magical kick in the hind for one of them to do it, preferably before Acantha sensed their hesitation. While said hesitation had been adorable in the beginning, it was becoming a problem. After all, we were females and they were males. The chemistry was undeniable, and other females could easily swoop in and fight for the males’ attention. It had been the way of the world since Calliope and all the other planets had first been formed. It wasn’t going to change.
“Will it be enough, though?” Varga asked.
Ahead, marble stairs reached all the way up to the top. Luceria was somewhat deserted these days, with only a minimal number of staff on duty. The rest had been advised to stay home and safe, given the Hermessi cults’ outreach and ability to permeate any layer of Eritopian society. I didn’t mind it. The less crowded, the better.
“Worst-case scenario, we’ll need to draw vital energy from you,” Nethi replied, smiling at him. “Surely, you won’t mind pitching in…”
Varga thought about it for a moment. “It’s okay. I’ll help however I can. Frankly, I think Fallon and I have a larger amount of energy to offer, given our hybrid biology.”
“Good. It’s nice to see such dedication. It’s rare,” Nethissis said.
“I can pitch in, too,” Herakles interjected, drawing a brief scowl from Riza. But it did make Acantha grin.
“Excellent. The more the better,” the Bajang swamp witch replied.
I slowed down slightly, just enough to catch Varga’s attention. The rest of the group kept moving, including Nethissis. I was nervous, but I felt the need to tell Varga a few things before this trip. It could very well be our last, if we weren’t careful, and I didn’t want us to go in without opening up a bit.
“What is it?” he asked, putting the serium batteries down for a bit and shaking his wrists to remove some of the strain from carrying them.
“There’s something you should know, if you haven’t noticed it already,” I said, my voice low. He frowned. “Nethissis. She’s… She’s a great girl, don’t get me wrong. A talented Lamia. I mean, her snake form is gargantuan; she could kill a full-grown daemon through constriction. And she’s got some nifty Druid magic under her belt, on top of the Word. But, Varga, she’s obviously got a soft spot for you, and—”
“You want me to be careful,” he replied, a faint smile revealing his white teeth. Nearby candlelight from a wall sconce glinted against his fangs.
“Pretty much. She’s… She can be very intense.”
“I’m not interested. I thought you’d have noticed by now that I’m into you,” he said, matter-of-factly. It shut my brain down with phenomenal speed, leaving me speechless and wide-eyed and probably looking like he’d dropped a boulder on my toes. It made him chuckle softly, and, when I failed to respond, he inched closer, the tip of his nose poking mine, his natural scent filling my nostrils and sending my senses flaring. “Eva, we’re about to go talk to Death. I’m sorry if this surprises or shocks you, but I’d rather get it off my chest now, before it’s too late.”
Before I could even process anything resembling a coherent reply, he leaned down and caught my mouth in a brief but incredibly sweet kiss. His lips were soft, and he tasted like a thousand good dreams, all rolled into one. I felt the tips of his fingers tracing my jawline, while relishing the deliciousness he offered in what ultimately felt like a mere split second.
He pulled back and exhaled, his smile broadening as he looked deep into my eyes without saying another word.
“Okay,” I breathed.
He chuckled and took my hand in his. It felt surprisingly warm. I was buzzing with newfound energy, but unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It was as if I’d just licked one of those serium batteries. He kissed my knuckles gently, then let go.
“Come on, let’s go. We can continue this conversation later,” he said, the dark veil that settled over his eyes telling me that he had more in store for me. I only hoped we’d both live until then. That Death wouldn’t screw this up, somehow.
I nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Again, nothing else could be formulated. My brain was mush. My cheeks were on fire. And my lips… oh, they tingled. I’d felt his tongue during the kiss, briefly nudging mine. I’d only realized it now. The taste of him lingered.
We pulled on our hoods, masks, and goggles. He picked the serium batteries back up, and I joined him as we went up the stairs. The sun was setting, a purplish blotch on the western sky, but it was still powerful enough to burn a vampire’s skin without covers. My knees were jelly, I realized as I got past the last step. The rest of the team waited in the middle of the platform, basking in the afternoon sunlight.
There was a sense of hopefulness coming in, and I was more than happy to jump on that particular ship. We’d made it this far, after all. We could do so much more…
“I was doing some thinking just now,” Riza said. “Energy-wise, you should start with Eva and me first, if you need more than those serium batteries.”
Both Acantha and Nethissis frowned slightly. Riza smiled, giving me a fleeting glance.
“Thing is, I’m a jinni. I’m chock full of energy. And I’m pretty sure a Lamia-vampire hybrid like Eva is more than enough to get started with,” she added. “I can still teleport if my energy levels are lower, for example. If you drain Varga and Herakles first, we’ll all be vulnerable. They’re our first line of defense, and it’s been like this since we started the mission. Additionally, you can draw more power from Fallon, if Eva and I aren’t enough. Just leave Herakles and Varga last, is all I’m saying.”
