Happily Ever Bitten

by Lexi C. Foss

  My lips parted in fascination as her hand tensed inside mine.

  How do I know this? she asked, a note of confusion underlying her tone. This isn’t possible, Grigory.

  It’s definitely not a form of magic I’m familiar with, I admitted. But it’s useful as hell.

  What if it’s wrong?

  There’s only one way to find out, I told her.

  Another test?

  I nodded. “Another test,” I replied out loud, then looked at Narissa. “We’ll be following Zay’s directions.”

  Yep. It’s official.

  I wanted to burn Neptune’s swamplands to the ground. Mostly because the sun overhead was fucking unbearable.

  Fortunately, Zaya could see just fine. She kept her hand in mine, leading me through land mines of swamp-laden surfaces, past streams of volcanic lava, and through the rocky terrain of the border fields.

  It took hours.

  And the sun had been up for over half of them.

  I cursed as I stumbled forward, hating the weakness of not being able to see. But Zaya kept me steady, her strength a beacon in the blinding heat of this plane.

  We’re almost there, she promised me.

  The words were more of a platitude than anything, as I already knew how much farther we had to go, thanks to our mental connection. She brought up her magical compass several times, checking it frequently as we moved silently through the murky insanity.

  Now, more than ever, I wanted to research her powers. Because what she was doing shouldn’t be feasible. She traversed this kingdom as if it were part of her, which wasn’t possible at all.

  This new gift certainly didn’t come from my blood or her halfling heritage. A mortal could have a sense of direction, but this was something else entirely.

  It was as though the realm existed inside her.

  And not just Neptune, but all realms.

  Noxia, I could somewhat understand with her link through me.

  Graystall made sense, too, because of her mother.

  But Neptune? Nope. No sense there.

  Not helping, she muttered.

  Sorry. It’s just…

  Insane, she finished for me. Yep. Quite aware, thank you.

  At least it’s helpful, I added, using my excuse from before.

  She snorted and said nothing else, leading me through the—

  “Watch out!” Narissa shouted from behind us.

  Zaya and I both jumped back as a giant green sea creature with various spikes on its body emerged from a swamp and leapt over the rock to a different pool of water.

  Seeing it all through Zaya’s mind made my heart race and caused me to hate my lack of vision all the more. Fuck.

  Sorry, Zay replied. I was focused on the map.

  It’s okay.

  “This place makes the River Styx appear calm and tranquil,” Zaya muttered.

  “Not all of Neptune’s areas are like this one,” Narissa murmured, her voice serene as we started walking again. “Our realm has some spectacular waterfalls. I visited them once when I was young. The creatures there were a lot more beautiful than those here in the barren lands. There are fish of all different colors, too.”

  “How long have you been in the tower?” Zaya asked, her thumb drifting over my hand to warn me of an upcoming step that her mind showed me a second before I moved.

  “A decade or so,” Narissa replied.

  I can’t even imagine, Zaya said to me.

  Neither can I.

  We all walked in silence for the next hour, the sun bearing down on me causing a migraine to pulsate behind my eyes. I’d taken off my jacket and draped it over my head, but I could feel the rays of energy zapping my strength little by little.

  I fucking hate the sun.

  Do you need blood? Zaya asked.

  I will after we’re done here, I admitted. It’ll help rejuvenate me.

  You can take mine.

  I smiled. You don’t want me snacking on anyone else, hmm?

  No. A flat answer lacking in amusement.

  I drew my thumb over her skin, giving her a gentle squeeze. You’re the only one I want, Zay.

  She didn’t say anything for a long moment, but I sensed the hesitation in her mind.

  I don’t want Narissa, I told her softly. Yes, she’s much more amenable than her twin sister, but I won’t marry her. Even if my mother demands it, I’m done choosing duty over my own happiness.

  What do you mean? she asked softly.

  I mean that I’ve chosen you, Zay.

  After one night in bed together?

  I scoffed at that. It’s been a lot more than a night, Zaya, and you know it. We’ve been dancing around this attraction for months.

  Yet you kept bringing other women back to your rooms, she replied. Fucking them and not me.

  I haven’t slept with another woman in over six months, I countered, annoyed by my past and her using it against me. And even before that, there weren’t that many women, Zay. Not after you arrived. I always put you first, and I always will.

  She grew silent, mulling over my words while we traversed a few more rocky surfaces, the stench of burning flesh finally starting to subside. We were nearing the edge now. I could feel it in the air, see it in her mind, and smell the freshness of a new terrain approaching.

  I’m not jealous of your past, Zaya finally said. I understand why you… enjoyed yourself. But I won’t like it if that continues.

  The admission was soft. Hesitant. As if she expected me to pull away and laugh at her subtle request for commitment.

  Zay, you’re the only woman I want. Not just now, but forever. I told you, I claimed you. And you claimed me. That wasn’t just bullshit, Zay. I meant it.

  She didn’t reply right away, her mind processing my words. Then I felt her nod. Okay.

  Okay? I repeated.

  Okay, she murmured. We’re committed to each other. And you won’t marry or even look at Narissa.

  I laughed out loud, startling whatever wildlife existed around us. Birds, I thought, checking Zaya’s vision. Then I chuckled again and shook my head. I can assure you, I have no interest in Narissa.

  “You’re both rather strange,” the female in question stated.

  “We are,” Zaya agreed. “But it’s why he’s mine.”

  Possessive, little minx, I taunted, amused and floored at the same time. She’s not a threat to you.

  I know. And she did. I could see the truth of it in her mind. I’m glad you’re mine, she added.

  I’m glad you’re mine, too, I replied. Now let’s figure out how to get the fuck out of here.

  The sun was setting when we finally found our way back to a speck of civilization, and it set before we reached the entrance to the village.

  Narissa didn’t recognize the province, but Zaya did. When she mentioned the name, Narissa perked up and said she knew just where to go.

  That ended up being an old servant’s house.

  An older female with bright orange hair and yellow skin embraced Narissa with the warmest of hugs, her eyes tearing up at seeing the girl she once knew all grown up. Then her nose had curled upon finding us in our existing wardrobe.

  She offered us showers and clothes, something I was entirely too grateful for, and also provided us with something to eat.

  The latter wasn’t my favorite—all the food fish-sourced—but I indulged in as much as I could to be kind.

  Zaya rested against my shoulder, her blue hair fresh from the shower, her eyes closed.

  I need to get in touch with Adrik, I told her.

  She nodded without opening her eyes. M’kay.

  I kissed the top of her head. How about you take a nap while I go find a new phone? My wallet was ruined, but the demon credits inside were fine. I’d use them in the village to purchase a few essential things, such as boots that actually fit.

  Leaving Zaya with Narissa and Greza—the former palace servant—I set out to wander around the small village. It existed near the border o
f Noxia. There was a shimmering wall between the realms that required authorization to pass through, which was one of the reasons I needed Adrik. Without my portal charm, I’d have to go via the formal methods, and that wasn’t going to work.

  It took me only a few minutes to find the stores I needed, the first being footwear and the second being a small electronics store. They were both open, despite the later hour. Which made sense with their location near Noxia. I imagined that demons from my kingdom sometimes ventured over for small things, and my kind tended to stay up through all hours of the night.

  “Thank you,” I said to the final clerk. He’d helped get my new phone set up on the appropriate network. It had cost a minor fortune since I didn’t want to reveal my identity to him, but it was worth it to have a proper communication channel again.

  I quickly sent off a text to Adrik while walking back to the house.

  His response came several minutes later. I translated our old language in my head and smirked. Thank. Fuck. I thought you were dead or something.

  I typed off a reply. No. Just had a long date in a swamp with Zaya. How’s my mother?

  Narissa met me at the door as I entered, her green eyes vibrant. “Did you find what you needed?”

  “Yes.” I moved past her to find Zaya curled up on the couch, lost to sleep. I bent to kiss her temple just as Adrik replied. Not good. I can’t figure out how to undo this damn hypnosis. I’ve tried everything, including slapping her. And she didn’t even react to that.

  Shit, I thought. Have you called… him? I asked, referring to Lucifer.

  He’s a last resort was the reply.

  I wiped a hand over my face and shook my head.

  “What is it?” Narissa asked. She’d changed into another dress, this one much plainer than the gown she had on before.

  “My mother seems to have fallen victim to the hypnosis,” I muttered. “I have no idea how to fix it.” I told her some of the things that had happened, how my mother seemed to be under the control of another, and how the same hypnosis had impacted Zaya.

  “Oh” was Narissa’s response. Then she turned and left without another word, causing me to frown after her.

  And she said Zaya and I were strange.

  Whatever.

  I exchanged a few more notes with Adrik, discussing a plan for getting the three of us back to Noxia. We eventually decided the delivery of a new portal charm would work best so we could teleport directly back to the palace. I’ll discuss with Valora who to send was Adrik’s last message.

  Setting the phone down, I knelt on the floor beside my sleeping warrior and brushed the back of my hand over her cheek. She didn’t stir, but her lips parted as if she desired a kiss. I gifted her a gentle one, ghosting my mouth over hers, then lay on the floor beside her to get some rest myself.

  I’d just started to doze when the clearing of a throat had me opening my eyes once more. Narissa stood in the doorway with a bag in her hand. “This is what your mother needs.”

  I blinked at her. “What?”

  She held up the bag. “This is what your mother needs,” she repeated.

  “I—”

  My phone buzzed, interrupting me. I grabbed the device and read Adrik’s latest message. Sending Jeremiah. He’ll be there in ten minutes. I’d already given Adrik our location.

  We’ll be ready, I shot back at him, then refocused on Narissa. “What’s in the bag?”

  “An antivenom,” she replied. “I had it made with the local ingredients. One sniff of this and she’ll wake up.”

  I gaped at her. “You know what hypnotized my mother?”

  “Not what,” she replied. “Who.”

  “Your sister?”

  She shook her head. “No, that’s not her gift. She turns her subjects to proverbial stone, shells of their former selves. What you described sounds like Charis’s gift. He’s quite skilled at hypnosis and holding control over his victims. Strange, though, that your Zay fell out of his spell. Perhaps he meant it to be temporary.”

  “Charis?” I repeated.

  “My sister’s consort,” she replied. “Surely you’ve met him?”

  I had, but I’d forgotten his name. “You’re telling me Napia’s consort hypnotized my mother and Zaya?”

  “It sounds like it, but we won’t know for sure until you try administering the antidote. If it works, then yes, it’s him.”

  “How do you know this?”

  Her smile was sad. “Because I’ve been under his spell countless times before. He likes to… play.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what that meant but suspected the worst. “That’s how you know the antidote.”

  She nodded. “One of the guards used to help me…” She trailed off, her gaze falling to the ground. “Well, at least it’s useful now. I hope.”

  “I guess we’ll find out in a few minutes when Jeremiah arrives,” I replied, pushing up off the floor. No time for sleep now. We had a kingdom to save.

  “Her consort?” I repeated, gaping at Grigory.

  He’d woken me moments ago, informing me Jeremiah was here to take us back to Noxia.

  “Yes. That’s what Narissa thinks. She gave us a potential antidote,” Grigory replied. “So the plan is, Jeremiah is going to portal us back to the palace, directly into my mother’s wing, and I’m going to place the bag under her nose.”

  “And we’re sure she’s in her rooms?” Jeremiah had confirmed that the alarms would blare upon our return since we were currently being hunted, so I wanted to be sure we had her location before attempting this suicide mission.

  Grigory nodded. “Yes, Adrik confirmed it.”

  “Okay. What’s our backup plan if Narissa’s antidote doesn’t work?”

  “I knock my mother out.” He said the words so seriously that I had no doubt he meant them.

  “Right.” I swallowed. “I, uh, guess… I guess that’s what we’ll do.”

  He pulled me in for a kiss. It’s the best plan we have.

  What if Napia is waiting for us?

  We kill her. He uttered the statement with clarity.

  Just like that?

  Just like that, he replied. You up for this, Zay? I know it’s been a long day.

  You’re the one going on hours of sunlight and no blood.

  Yeah, but I’m running on pure adrenaline now. That bitch hurt my family, and she’s threatened my kingdom. It’s time to send the serpent back to where she came from.

  Zaya nodded. That I can get behind.

  Good. He kissed my forehead, then turned toward Jeremiah and Narissa. They’d been politely chatting near the doorway.

  Jeremiah wore a Nova Kingdom star pendant signifying his placement as a lieutenant in Valora’s court. I hadn’t seen him since the wedding but remembered his kind smile well. He took his job seriously, which was evident in the way he remained in protective mode beside Narissa.

  “Ready?” the guard asked us, his blue eyes piercing as they went to Grigory.

  “Yes,” he replied. He had the bag from Narissa in his hand. Inside was some sort of mint leaf dipped in lime. Or that was how it smelled to me, anyway. It actually resembled a fig branch. The markings on it were what produced the aroma.

  Jeremiah stepped forward with the amulet in his hand. “Everyone, grab onto me.”

  Narissa followed suit first, her arm threading through his. I touched his wrist, my opposite palm going to Grigory’s shoulder as he clasped Jeremiah’s shoulder with his free hand.

  Space and time warped around us as the portal engaged, whisking us to the familiar grounds of Noxia palace. My stomach rolled with the motion, not because it felt weird but because of my nerves.

  I’d portalled plenty of times. It was more of a minor nuisance to my conscious.

  But I’d never teleported directly into a violent situation before.

  The moment our feet touched the ground, the alarms roared loudly, just as Jeremiah said they would. He blinked out as soon as we materialized, his primary t
ask to guard Valora and Adrik, leaving the three of us to face Lux alone.

  Grigory was moving before I even had a second to study our surroundings. He drove his fist into a nearby guard, kicked another, then plowed through the door into his mother’s bedroom chamber.

  Power whirled in the air as she ignited some sort of spell meant to stun.

  Grigory growled in response.

  Shit. I spun into action, taking down a third guard with a hit to his throat. I didn’t want to kill them, as I feared they were all under the same hypnosis and it felt wrong to hurt them when their minds weren’t their own.

  Energy hummed around me while I took on a fourth guard, his sword slicing through the air and directly for my throat. I stumbled backward, alarmed, only to gasp as Narissa released a ball of green energy directly into his torso.

  He gasped and fell to his knees, the sword clattering to the ground.

  “What the hell was that?” I demanded.

  “Stun powder,” she replied, shrugging. “He’ll be fine in a few hours.”

  “You could do that, and you’re just now telling us?”

  “It’s not something I like to do,” she replied. “It exhausts my minimal power reserves.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, then forgot my words as fire raged through the doorway of Lux’s room.

  I gaped at the inferno, then dove to the side as it flashed by me. Grigory snapped something unflattering at his mother about manners and ignited his own power in response. It nearly suffocated me on impact, his strength so intense it literally sucked all the air out of the room as he retaliated against his mother.

  It was all mental.

  A battle of wills.

  I felt him compelling her, demanding she kneel.

  She responded with another fiery ball, but it lacked the punch from before.

  I ran to the doorway in time to see her legs give out beneath her, her eyes furious as she stared at her son.

  And then he waved the fig beneath her nose.

  Rage poured off her.