For a moment, I wondered if she was telling the truth or just messing with me. The corner of her mouth tugged, ever so slightly, enough to draw a chuckle out of me as I pulled her close and kissed her. The sweetness of her lips was dangerously addictive—that much I’d assessed from the beginning—but I had no problem with that whatsoever. I was hooked on Eva, with zero regrets.
“I’m not sure about the husband, but I think I’ll love the kids, no matter how many,” I said against her lips. She sat up and took a deep breath. I felt cold in the absence of her embrace.
“Seriously now, there is something you should know.” She sighed, her gaze lowering. It struck me as odd to see her so uneasy before me. Eva had been brutally outspoken until now. I was intrigued. “You and me… I get that there’s definitely something here between us. Something I didn’t think I’d find with you, of all people, but it’s undeniable, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, don’t get me wrong…”
“You’re spinning around what you really want to say, Eva. Just let it out already,” I replied, slightly amused by her adorable awkwardness.
“My mom. She won’t approve of us.”
In an instant, her shoulders dropped. I sensed her relief, but her aura told me this concern was genuine. It glowed gold whenever she looked at me, but there were tendrils of yellow and deep red scattered throughout—the fear of Tamara’s future reaction and the anger at the thought of arguing with her over this. I took a deep breath and leaned forward, unwilling to let anyone, including Eva’s mother, ruin tonight for us.
“I’m a dashing prince of Nevertide. Someday, I’ll be emperor,” I said. “What’s not to like?”
Again, she laughed, having a hard time keeping her composure around me. I loved that I could elicit such reactions from her. It filled me with childish pride, knowing I was able to make her laugh and smile more than anyone else in the world, and especially in these difficult circumstances. Soon enough, however, she frowned. “You’re not a Druid. My mother expects me to marry a Druid and continue the Lamia species, given that there are so few of us, still.”
“A sentry-Lamia hybrid is unacceptable?”
Any procreation process would require Eva to take the vampire cure—it was dangerous to humans if used repeatedly, but we knew even less about it for creatures outside that species. Eva had already pissed Tamara off when she’d turned vampire, and I could only imagine the face Tamara would make if she met the two of us now, together. Children were such a distant idea at this point… a mere “maybe, someday” on our radar, yet they were clearly essential to any kind of future for Eva, according to her mother. I could certainly understand why Eva had found this subject to be touchy, especially for the two of us in this still-budding relationship.
“Lamias haven’t been able to reproduce with any other species besides the Druids,” she murmured. “Granted, we haven’t tried sentries… yet.”
The way she looked at me when she said that made my senses catch fire. It made me want to go out right now and wring Brendel’s neck and snap it like a twig, just so I’d get a future with Eva, where I would get to love and cherish her, where I would get to test that compatibility theory until she’d come to me, one day, and smile and say she’s going to have my—I paused and sucked in a breath. I was letting the future go a little too fast ahead of me.
I gave her a soft smile, tucking a lock of her luscious black hair behind her ear. “I don’t really care what your mother thinks, to be honest,” I said. “Of course, I’d love her approval, but if she’s hell-bent on the species compatibility issue, there isn’t much I can do to change her mind, anyway. All I care about is what you want, Eva. If you want me in your life, I’m here. If you don’t, I obviously won’t like it. I might even feel miserable or worse, but I will respect your decision. Heck, if we somehow reach that day when you’re ready for the vampire cure and the prospect of motherhood, and if your only option will be the help of a Druid father, and you’ll still want me in your life, we could totally try some IVF treatments. I’m pretty sure the witches will help us with that. And I’ll raise that child as my own. I will love him or her until the end of days, just like I will love his or her mother.”
She stopped me, pressing her index and middle fingers against my lips. Her eyes were wide, glimmering with astonishment, while her aura flared like the sun, making me squint for a moment. I couldn’t hear her breath, though. It was as if it had gotten stuck in her throat. She swallowed hard and gasped.
“You were getting carried away back there,” she mumbled.
“But I meant it. I mean, should that day ever come. I just want you to understand my mindset.”
“I know. It just makes me fall even harder for you,” she replied, prompting me to hold her tight and kiss her, deeply and with every ounce of emotion I’d felt swelling inside me from the moment we’d first met. This was it, for me. Yes, it was intense, and it was moving fast, but we were still staring death in the face—it kind of gave us a free pass to skip past a few stages, fearing perhaps that we might not survive this. That we might not be together.
Eva was my girl, and there was no way I’d pass up on the faintest possibility of us having a future. We’d worry about taking things slow once we were done with this end-of-days madness. The Hermessi be damned.
She welcomed me, her lips parting. I explored every inch of her mouth with my tongue. She moaned softly against me, and I nearly unraveled in her embrace. “Whatever happens, Eva, I’m with you, okay? I just want you to know that. As long as you want me in your life, nothing can stop me. We’ll handle the rest once we get to sit back and chill and have zero Hermessi to worry about.”
“That sounds like the perfect plan,” she said. “I don’t care what my mother wants. I just want to be with you.”
Ah, the greatest words I’d ever heard, tickling my ears like music from the gods. She let her head rest on my shoulder as we cuddled on the loveseat. Beyond the flowerpots and the wrought-iron edge of the treehouse’s terrace, The Shade unraveled in its mysterious nocturnal colors—dark hues of ocean and redwoods, the moon and stars shining down on everything, casting their pearlescent sheen.
We reveled in the silence, interrupted only by the splash of a distant wave or the hum of the midnight breeze. Just the two of us, watching the endless night go by and hoping that time would stop, somehow, before the morning came… before we’d go out and face uncertainty and potential death, once more.
Before, I’d had nothing to lose, and I’d thrown myself into battle with a recklessness that had earned me both praise and admonishment from my father. But this time it was different. I had something to lose. Something to look forward to. Something to fight for, even when my body and mind might fail me. I had Eva. And Eva had me.
Amelia
For the better part of an hour, Raphael and I said nothing.
We simply walked along the beach, with the moon shining above and lights flickering in the redwood treehouses rising along the coastline to our left. The ocean whispered to us, coming to the sandy shore in lazy waves.
Despite our sudden decision to go on a date, neither of us seemed to know what to do in this situation. At the same time, and despite the obvious awkwardness, we didn’t mind the silence. It didn’t change anything between us. We’d already taken the crazy leap toward each other, the moment we’d first kissed back on Mortis, then again after he’d asked me out and I’d blurted my “Okay.”
“I suppose I should’ve read past the part about asking for the parents’ permission,” Raphael muttered, his hand still holding mine. He looked at me, his eyes darker in the night. “What do people do on dates?”
“At the risk of repeating myself, are you serious?” I asked, unable to stop myself from smiling.
He shrugged. “I figured I’d take things one page at a time. I wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”
“I don’t think you need a manual for going out on a date, as adorable as that might sound.”
“Funny thing, I never thought anyone would associate the word ‘adorable’ with someone like me.” He chuckled. My stomach tied itself up in knots, as if part of me was yearning for more. I did understand that there were steps we needed to go through before we’d get to that. He’d gone to the trouble of studying human culture, just to make me feel comfortable, to create a familiar situation for me. Only, he’d gotten something wrong. I’d never been on a date before. I had no idea how to act in this scenario.
“I do appreciate you reading about this,” I said. “It’s thoughtful and respectful.”
“But I’m getting something wrong, aren’t I?”
I stopped and gawked at him. “What do you mean?”
He turned around in front of me, his height making my head tilt back in order to maintain eye contact. “I’m told it’s supposed to be an opportunity for us to get to know each other better, yet I’m speechless, and so are you. I assume it’s my fault, since you know more about human culture and dates than I do.”
I sighed deeply. “I don’t,” I said, shaking my head. His brow furrowed with confusion. “I’ve never dated anyone before. I’m as new to this as you.”
He scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. Judging by the look on his face, he was slightly irritated. As if wondering what came next, then, since we were both awfully new and inexperienced at this. I was positive that cultural papers and guides wouldn’t be able to make this any easier between us, because we were supernaturals caught in a war against the very elements of nature—any kind of dating was complicated between us. On top of that, our lack of romantic experience was a considerable wrench in itself.
“I don’t like this,” he said. “At least before, I could talk to you. I don’t like the silence.”
I didn’t mind it, but the insecurity that came with it was finally rearing its ugly head. This had the potential to go sideways, and the thought of going into tomorrow with any kind of animosity or the sense of a lost opportunity kicked me into sudden motion.
