“It’s not like I planned to be here in the first place. Your friend over there decided to stick his nose where it didn’t belong and bring me here.” Anjani nodded toward Jovi, who instantly straightened his back with indignation.
“Hey, I saved your life!” he shot back.
Anjani took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment.
“Det’chalani.” She spoke in what I assumed was some ancient tongue. Bijarki shifted his weight from one foot to the other, interest sparked.
“Right!” he concluded, knowing what she’d meant. We, on the other hand, didn’t.
“Care to elaborate?” I asked.
“It means life debt,” Bijarki explained, and Draven nodded. I could almost hear a plan hatching in his head, judging by the look on his face. “We saved her life, so she is in our debt. It’s an ancient custom of our kind, extremely valuable and sacred.”
“I owe you a life debt,” Anjani continued, her voice low. “I owe your friend over there a life debt, to be precise.” She nodded toward Jovi again, who glanced at us from my brother’s bedside.
“Indeed you do,” Draven concluded. “What are you proposing?”
A few moments passed before the succubus spoke again. “Whatever you need and I can do without putting my life at risk, I will do for you,” she answered.
“Can you take us to your tribe, then?” Draven asked quickly. I had a feeling he’d had that question locked and loaded, just in case.
Anjani pondered the idea, then nodded.
“Since your tribe is one of the very few left resisting Azazel, we could forge an alliance and increase all our chances against his expansion,” Draven continued.
“You’ll have to bring something to the table. My sisters will not respond to reckless or suicidal plans against a throng of Destroyers,” Anjani replied.
“Worry not, we have interesting tricks up our sleeves,” Draven said with a satisfied smirk. I guessed he meant my brother, Vita, and Aida. The Oracles were crucial in a successful strategy against a power-hungry monster like Azazel. On top of that, my mind also wandered to the sleeping Daughter. Perhaps she was one of the tricks he’d mentioned.
I frowned at the thought of my brother and friends being considered pawns in a war against an evil warlord. But as more time passed, it was also becoming clear that war might be our only option if we ever wanted to get back home.
“I’ll travel with her tomorrow to arrange a meeting with their tribe chief,” Bijarki said, pulling me back into the present.
“I’m coming as well,” Draven replied.
Wait, what?
“What do you mean you’re coming as well?” I blurted. “You’re severely incapacitated, even with your magical herbs and super-sharp senses, where do you think you’re going?”
Draven shook his head, and his hand left my shoulder, seeking Bijarki’s for support instead.
Irritation flashed through me.
“I’m perfectly capable of anything I set out to accomplish, including a visit to a neighboring tribe,” he said. “Besides, I need to speak to the tribe, since I’m not sure they’ll like Bijarki much on his own.” He grinned.
I looked at the incubus, who was visibly annoyed, rolling his eyes and pursing his lips.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We do not take kindly to the males of our species,” Anjani smirked from her bed. “We have very little respect for them.”
“Oh, I see,” I murmured, nodding. Then I remembered Draven’s insane idea. “You’re insane if you think I’ll let you wander off into the jungle like the blind bat that you are right now!” A range of emotions overwhelmed me from anger to frustration to helplessness. He showed little regard for his own safety in his spur-of-the-moment decisions.
“I’m going with Bijarki and Anjani. I won’t be on my own,” Draven replied. “While I appreciate your concern, it’s unnecessary.”
Wow.
I wanted to say more, but the tension in his jaw made me realize I had just disrespected him in front of a stranger. The succubus watched us with renewed interest, the shadow of a smile on her lips.
“Bijarki, I need you to prepare everything we need for our travel tomorrow.” Draven addressed the incubus, ignoring me.
Bijarki nodded with a frown. He didn’t seem too happy about the arrangement either, but, unlike me, he didn’t object. Instead, he and Draven turned to leave.
“Wait,” Anjani interjected. “What about me?”
“What about you?” Bijarki shot back.
Anjani shook her restrained arms and flinched from the shoulder pain. She’d probably forgotten about the wound.
“Oh, that. We’ll set you free in the morning when we leave,” Draven replied and left, following Bijarki’s lead up the stairs.
Anjani struggled against the bed, growling and hissing and cursing in words I didn’t understand, before she resigned herself and let out a long, painful sigh. I was left standing next to her, lacking purpose or any idea of how to sneak myself back into the Druid’s good graces.
How was I supposed to know he’d be so sensitive?
Guilt crept up on me. I had been too abrupt and loose with my words, calling him a blind bat and snapping at him the way I had. But he did have a habit of causing me to blow my lid.
Me and my stupid mouth.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
I was the first one in the basement to wake up in the morning. I’d sent Aida and Vita upstairs to sleep in the relative comfort of our bedroom. Jovi stayed to watch over Anjani. I’d pulled one of the spare beds closer to Phoenix’s and spent some time trying to fall asleep, lying on my side and watching my brother.
Once I managed to drift off, my dreams were a mixture of horrors and wonders. Draven was deeply embedded in my subconscious. I kept seeing him talking to me and smiling at me, which made me feel good, even happy. But then the poisoned spears of Destroyers shot through the moving picture of him, and I witnessed my brother and my friends get tied down and thrown into rusty old cages. I saw the same sequences over and over, and each time their violent ending threw me back into consciousness with a jolt.
To say that I’d had a difficult night would have been an understatement. I sat up and stretched, still sore from my nap on the floor in Draven’s study. I looked over to find Anjani in deep sleep. Jovi had pulled another spare bed next to her sometime during the night and was snoozing on his belly.
I stood up and moved to my brother’s side. He was still unresponsive, but his breathing was even. I caressed his cheek with the back of my hand, just enough to get a feel for his temperature. He seemed okay, not too warm or too cold.
Last night’s abrupt ending and Draven walking out with Bijarki and leaving me behind rushed back into focus. They were going to take Anjani back to her tribe, while I was stuck here, hoping they survived the trip and returned in one piece.
I pursed my lips. No, no, no. He’s not going anywhere without me.
I didn’t fight that thought, mainly because I had to keep myself close to Draven and uncover all the secrets he kept beneath that brooding mask of his. I looked down at my brother and chewed my lower lip.
I’d have to leave Phoenix here. I was of no use to him anyway. All he had to do was wake up and be okay. Aida and Vita would be around for him. He’d be safe, while Draven would soon be out in the open with who knew what other dangerous creatures lurking in that jungle.
I went upstairs, mentally preparing myself to resist Draven’s impending opposition to my joining the expedition. Knowing him, there was no way he’d let me come without a fight. I didn’t have much of a choice either, since his Royal Stubbornness was dead set on reaching out to a tribe of warrior succubi he knew very little about.
I reached Draven’s bedroom upstairs and didn’t bother to knock. I found him sitting up in his bed, his muscular chest and broad shoulders bathed in the morning light. The runes on his skin had faded substantially, now mere sh
adows the color of burnt coffee. He turned his head toward me.
“I could hear your heartbeat rushing up the stairs, but there was no way I’d be able to make myself decent in the time it took you to get here,” Draven said with a half-smile.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen your bare chest before,” I quipped and mentally prepared myself to inform him of my decision to join him on the trip.
But then I stilled, watching as he moved his head around slowly. He parted his lips. The tip of his tongue gently passed over his upper teeth, and heat burst at my very core. The image of him half-naked and licking his lips deleted my thoughts entirely. I was unable to move, my eyes fixated on his pink tongue sliding along his upper lip.
My stomach churned, and I wondered whether he was aware of what he was doing, of his effect on me. It struck me as particularly brazen given his usual reserve toward me, which baffled me even more. Until he spoke.
“The weather’s good for travel today,” he said.
What?
I was confused.
He got out of bed, shortening the distance between us.
“How do you know?” I asked, trying to get my breathing under control and my eyes off his lips.
Draven cocked his head to one side and whipped out an all-knowing smirk.
“I can feel it on my tongue,” he replied, and it occurred to me that snakes used their tongues for smell, picking up the tiny moisture particles in the air. The Druid on magic herbs was a supercharged Druid and thus able to fully use his serpent abilities while not in snake form.
Embarrassment poured over me like a bucket of hot water, burning my cheeks and making me cringe, as I realized I had confused his tongue flicking for a sexual gesture.
I quickly remembered my purpose for coming to see him in the first place.
“I’m coming with you today,” I declared, my chin high and steel threaded into my resolve.
A moment passed before he replied. “Out of the question.”
“Nope, I am coming with you. There’s no way I’m letting you go by yourself.” My determination echoed in my voice.
“You’re not leaving the mansion. The shield is the only thing keeping you alive right now.”
“No, I’m keeping myself alive. Stop underestimating me,” I shot back and took a step forward.
“Serena, you’re not coming. I can’t risk you getting hurt. There are shape-shifters and all kinds of other equally deadly creatures in the jungle,” Draven replied. He took a step toward me, shrinking the distance between us. My heart pumped voraciously in my chest, and I tried hard to control it, all-too aware that he could hear it.
I tried to reason with him instead. “You’re about to go see a tribe of warrior succubi you know very little about. I don’t know about you, but I’m not comfortable with that thought.”
He raked a hand through his hair, a sign that he was wavering just a little bit. He thought it over for a second, then put on his typical smirk. “Worried they’ll try to seduce me?”
His blood-boiling arrogance was his weapon of choice for distracting me. Unfortunately for him, I was much better equipped to force him into submission.
“Don’t be a jerk! They could kill you on sight!” I retorted.
“No.”
“Draven, I am coming with you, whether you like it or not. You might find my sentry abilities useful. I might even save your ass for once, if push comes to shove!”
“No.”
“Keep saying no, if it makes you feel like you’re in charge, but I am coming with you. If you leave without me, I will follow you. There’s no way I’m not coming. Get that through your thick, Druid head.”
I exhaled and took another step forward. He towered over me, his face inches from mine. I held my breath, while he licked his lower lip, then bit it.
The silence weighed heavy between us, while I prepared my last blow.
“I’m not letting you go without me.”
“Serena…”
His shoulders dropped as he exhaled his defeat. “Fine,” he said. “Fine.”
I grinned with tremendous satisfaction but couldn’t take my eyes off his face. His jaw was clenched, the muscle throbbing.
“I really can’t put up with your stubbornness this early in the morning,” Draven added, irritation dripping from his voice.
I wasn’t fazed. I’d won. It felt too good.
“I need to get dressed,” he said.
“I’ll help,” I automatically said and fetched a shirt from his dresser.
He stood in the middle of the room, motionless, as I took his hand and placed the white linen garment in it. His fingers clutched it for a brief moment, then he moved to put it on.
I watched quietly as his arms stretched, one at a time, to sink into the sleeves. His muscles extended and vanished beneath the fabric. One button at a time, his torso was comfortably hugged by the shirt, his fingers meticulous and patient.
I pulled a dark chestnut coat from the dresser and gave it to Draven to put on. Not that I was an expert in 1800s fashion, but I couldn’t help but gawk at the sight of him and the way the layers of velvet and linen wrapped around his body and further amplified his tall figure.
He sat back on the bed and asked for his boots, which I handed over from the side of the bed. He pulled the thick leather Wellingtons up.
I opened my mouth to ask him about the Daughter again. After all, I’d already defeated him once in a game of wills.
“Don’t even bother asking me about the Daughter again,” he said. “I’m really not in the mood for another history lesson right now.”
I pouted, wondering if I really was that predictable.
“How did you—”
“I’m getting to know you better than you think, Serena,” he interjected, his voice soft and deep. He stood up. “I’m well aware of your interest in the matter, and I will endeavor to tell you more once we reach the Red Tribe. I’m just kindly asking that you have some patience with me.”
I nodded. It made sense, and we’d made great progress since our first day here. He was beginning to open up, but he was doing it in his own rhythm, bending his own rules in the process. I decided to give him some space on the issue until we reached the tribe. I secretly made a note to nevertheless try sneaking a question on the way there, just to see if I could.
“Okay,” I conceded.
He reached forward, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve lived most of my life in isolation. Then you crashed into it, and I’m still wrapping my head around you, adjusting as best as I can.” Draven smiled and squeezed my shoulder, signaling me to move.
His words poked me in the chest. I cleared my throat and headed for the door.
We had a long journey ahead of us.
Vita
[Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]
Serena took her turn watching over Phoenix after midnight, and I went upstairs and collapsed onto our bed. It took me forever to fall asleep. My mind kept dwelling on Bijarki. And when I finally did drop off, even in my dreams, I couldn’t escape him. I wasn’t sure whether I’d had more visions of the future in my sleep or if my brain was just playing fast and loose with the visions I’d already had of him, but the array of scenes that flickered before my eyes was intense.
When I woke up the next morning, it was to bright sunshine and Aida sound asleep next to me. I was flushed and hot, beads of sweat lining my eyebrows. I wiped them off with the back of my hand and breathed in the cool morning air, going over the few dream fragments that I still remembered.
An enormous canopy bed in the middle of a poppy field. Soft white sheets of translucent fabric undulating with the wind. The sky, enormous and blue above. And me and Bijarki sitting in the middle of the bed looking at each other. His fingers touched my face, then moved slowly down my neck, tracing the contour of my shoulder all the way to my wrist before he took my hand in his and pulled me into his arms. He whispered something in my ear, but I couldn’t remember what he said. I only reme
mbered how my heart fluttered at the sound of his low, husky voice. We melted in a long kiss, his lips over mine in a perfect fit…
The sound of snakes hissing pulled me back to consciousness.
No wonder I was feeling hot and flustered.
But I quickly shifted from flushed to irritated, remembering what Bijarki’s special ability was as an incubus.
He wouldn’t dare.
I narrowed my eyes as I got out of bed and padded to the window. Lo and behold, he shimmered in the sunlight, wearing his military suit as he brought out a couple of duffel bags from the house and placed them by one of the magnolia trees out front.
Would he?
My blood simmered as I saw him look up and notice me at the window.
He stilled, his cool eyes fixated on me. I could almost feel him drilling into my soul, but I wasn’t sure whether it was his nature or just my reaction to his presence, even at this distance. My knees quivered.
I clutched my fists at my sides and rushed downstairs. I had to confront him. I had to find out whether he’d been playing his incubus tricks on my mind while I slept. I needed a reason for those intense and colorful dreams of him touching me in ways I’d never been touched before. My cheeks burned.
I darted through the mangled foyer, jumping over the wooden threshold, the only part of the doorway left intact after yesterday’s emergency landing. Someone had swept away all the broken glass.
Bijarki stood by the magnolia tree where I’d last seen him, looking into the distance.
I allowed the anger of his potential invasion of my mind to engulf me. I needed all the rage I could possibly muster to confront him and call out his underhanded tactic. It must have been his fault. He must have manipulated my dreams.
“Hey, you!” I called out as I marched across the front lawn. The grass was soft and still dressed in morning dew, reminding me that I was barefoot. Despite the sunny sky, the temperature outside wasn’t that hot, and I felt chills running down my spine and arms.
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