by LJ Swallow
Syv leans back in her chair and pulls hair from her face. "Oh yeah, lots of stories. Want to hear the one about my weekend with a vampire rock star?"
I blink rapidly. "There's a vampire rock star? Who?"
Her mouth tips into a sly smile. "That's my secret. You want to hear?"
I scratch my nose. "Does it have a happy ending? I don't want to hear about anybody dying."
Syv leans forward, her blue stone pendant touching the table as she does, and whispers. "A very happy beginning, middle, and ending."
Omigod, is she about to share her sexual conquests with me? At my expression, Syv barks a laugh. "Nah, he wanted me to find him something magical, of course. We just had some fun in the process."
Syv relays her story with enthusiastic hand gestures and whispers, stopping herself mentioning his band or name a couple of times. A happy glow spreads through, as I feel strangely relaxed by a chat with a friend. Well, the closest to a female friend I've found so far.
Fuzziness in the room joins the warm glow inside. I don't think I've ever drunk this much and managed to stay upright. Old Vee would be slumped asleep on the table - or vomiting - by now.
Halfway through Syv’s story, the front door bangs open and closed, and I hear voices in the lounge. I'm torn between politely letting Syv finish her tale and rushing through to see Heath and Xander. I strain to hear their conversation as they talk to Ewan and Joss.
"So, which one?" asks Syv.
Nobody appears, and the guys’ conversation continues, so I look away from the doorway back to Syv, who seems oblivious to the fact I've missed the last part of her story. I have no idea what she's asking me, but I'd seem rude if she knew I wasn't listening.
I attempt an answer. "Uh. Who? Um... I don't know."
"One of them must be." Syv's amused smile reaches her flushed cheeks. "Heath? Wasn't he the guy you wanted before you met the others? Did you and him get it on before?" I look back, blankly. "Ooh...Ewan! There's a tension ready to be unleashed there. Man, I bet he's good."
My cheeks flare as I join the dots. Is Syv asking me what I think she is? Which guy’s the best between the sheets? Or against the wall? Or wherever. "Uh," I repeat, dumbstruck.
"No? Hmm. Joss? I guess with the empath thing he'd be very in tune with what works for you." I open my mouth to tell Syv to keep her voice down, but she interrupts. "C’mon, who’s the best?"
"Sounds like I walked in on an interesting conversation." Xander leans against the kitchen door frame, arms crossed. "What about me?"
Syv sinks back in her chair with a wide smile. "Hey, Xan."
Omigod how long has he been there?
His calculating gaze travels from the now almost empty bottle of tequila besides the empty whisky bottle and glasses, then to Syv, finally landing on me. My flushed cheeks and blinking attempt to focus on him confirms to Xander what’s obvious here.
"Well?" he asks me. "I'm interested to hear your answer."
I silently curse Syv. "How was the drive from Scotland?"
Xander's gaze remains trained on mine, just long enough for me to squirm and convince me he's about to continue the line of questioning.
"Long. Now I need a debrief," he replies.
Syv giggles like a thirteen-year-old and Xander shoots her a look. "About what happened with Seth and why there's a bloody hellhound in my shed."
"That's unfair, Xander. He might not be, we don't know Spot came from Hell. He could just be a normal demon," retorts Syv.
Xander snorts. "Of course. That makes it so much better. I've never come across anything like that before, so get rid of it before I do."
Syv straightens and glowers at him. "Touch him, and I'll hit you. Hard."
"Sure you will."
"Don't piss her off, Xander," I put in. "If she wants to keep him, that's her choice."
Xander shakes his head. "You're insane. Both of you." He gestures at the table. "And drunk."
"Want a drink?" asks Syv and lifts the bottle.
"Maybe later. Vee, if you're sober enough, can you come through to the lounge and talk?"
Syv yawns loudly. "I'll leave you all to your chat. Can I borrow someone's bed? I'll take a nap, then leave later."
Xander closes his eyes and inhales. "Fine."
Syv wanders by Xander, before pausing in the doorway. "Thanks for the fun afternoon, Vee."
I stand too and stumble slightly, steadying myself on a chair. Xander's mouth curls. "Seriously, Vee?"
"What?"
"Getting wasted with Syv. Not helpful."
"I'm fine." I swallow down a hiccup and walk towards him. "I can talk, but I'm sure Ewan and Joss have the full story too."
Before I can walk through the door, Xander wraps his hand around my arm. As with all the guys right now, standing close evokes images of sex and a desire to press my body and mouth against his.
I moisten my lips as I look back into his green eyes. I could wind my arms around his neck, pull him closer, tug that lip into my mouth and bite. Not too hard, just enough. Then he could kiss me until my toes curl and —
"Vee."
I blink at his stern tone. "Sorry. Distracted."
A muscle ticks in his jaw. "That's the problem right now. Stay focused."
"Yes, sir." I snicker again, and Xander huffs, the breath sweeping my face.
Peeling his fingers from my arm, I pass, shoulder brushing his chest. He lowers his voice. "I'd love to know the answer to Syv's question."
Is he joking around or annoyed? As usual with Xander, I can't tell.
Unable to resist, I answer. "Joss."
Xander doesn't reply, but surprise flickers across his face before he blinks it away. "Right."
"Joss is the best driver. Why, what did you think Syv was asking?" I ask with mock innocence.
As I walk away, I bite the side of my hand to stop myself laughing. This is awesome. New Vee can even tell half-truths.
But I've no idea what the answer would be to Syv's real question.
7
VEE
Back to serious, or an attempt to be. Is this my remaining human side trying to blot out the world rather than let the fear take over? I sit on the sofa between Heath and Ewan, head lolling onto Heath's shoulder. Heath fussed around me, repeatedly asking Joss to confirm I'm okay. Thank god Ewan and Joss can tell the bones of the story.
While I was talking with Syv, Joss and Ewan gave the other two a rundown on what happened. Heath and Xander quiz me over how I closed the portal. I can’t fully explain how due to the fact I’m drunk and because I barely remember anything but the overriding need to do it. In Xander’s eyes I see what’s inside me—frustration that Seth has done something we again don’t fully understand. We still don’t know what I’m capable of—evidently not zapping smirking gods out of trees.
I rest my head on Heath’s shoulder and he curls an arm around me. "Are you okay after what happened?"
"Teleporting, or seeing Seth?" I mumble.
"Both," replies Xander. "I’m annoyed we weren’t all there."
"I don’t think it’s time to confront Seth yet, is it? Look at what he is." Despite the sense in Joss’s words, I can tell Xander isn’t amused.
"But how did it happen? That’s what I don’t understand." asks Heath.
I shift to rest my head against his chest, burrowing my cheek into his soft warmth and soothing myself with his scent. Please let the room stop spinning.
"Vee?"
"I don’t know. I suppose Seth did it somehow."
"How did you feel when you saw Seth?" asks Heath.
I push hair from my face. "Pissed off. I wanted to hurt him before he hurt one of us."
"Do you think you could? Did you feel stronger?" Xander sits forward. "Anything helps us here."
"I don’t know, Xander. I felt a strong connection to the portal energy, but my response to him was emotional. Like when you’re at full War power. If he’d been close I wouldn’t have thought first, I would’ve just smashed the ba
stard."
I glare at Joss as he laughs. "Sorry!" He holds his hand up. "The image in my head is a good one."
"This is a double-edged sword," replies Xander. "Vee can somehow teleport to threatened portals—presumably—but that makes it bloody hard to know when this might happen."
"Maybe I'll learn to control the feelings?" I suggest.
Xander scrunches his nose up. Obviously, he doesn't agree.
He’s right. What if I suddenly disappear in the middle of the night? If Seth now knows I'm connected, then he can use that to his advantage. The silence tells me I’m not the only one considering this could happen.
"Vee healing Ewan is good," puts in Heath. "I know we don't talk about the topic because you think it'll freak me out, but I'm confident if we die when we confront Seth, Vee can help."
Heath's statement jerks me alert and I cling to his arm. He folds a hand over mine and squeezes. If he dies.
"I don’t think we look for Seth until we have all the information we can find. There must be a way to take him down; it’s obvious us and Vee are the connection or he wouldn’t have spent weeks playing with us."
"What do we make of his story?" asks Heath in a quiet voice. "Was he telling the truth or messing with us?"
"We know he’s the god of Chaos, so some of it makes sense," I say.
"I think Heath means the part about god, angels and demons, and what we might be," says Joss quietly.
Is this it? Is this the moment their fears are finally shared, and Joss’s experiences listened to?
"It means Seth lived with us long enough to pick up on what we worry about by listening in to conversations." Xander drinks the beer he’d fetched himself. "Even I heard you talking to Vee about your biblical stuff. I wish you wouldn’t obsess about that shit."
"Why are you in constant denial about this?" asks Joss. "You’ve had visions too."
"Dreams." He swigs again. "Not visions."
But I saw something in Xander when we were in the hotel room; when our bodies and minds connected I saw and felt screaming and pain. Screaming and pain Joss has experienced and described to me.
"I know but—"
"Change the subject," snaps Xander. "Falling for Seth’s mind games isn’t helpful right now. God and his band of merry angels is a fabrication. Look at Ripley—him and the demons aren’t from Hell, but a different realm. Ripley told us that once. Chaos is the god who created all this."
I wait for Joss to push the topic, hoping he doesn’t because I’m too drunk and exhausted for theological arguments.
"Fine. Did you finish your meeting with Ripley?" asks Joss eventually.
"Cut short," replies Xander.
"What did you decide about Portia?" Ewan asks.
"Another double-edged sword." Heath pushes hair from his face. "If we don't tell her, she'll lose her shit when she finds out. If we do, Logan and she will likely be distracted by an internal fae war."
Xander nods. "Then we tell her, but not who's involved."
"She won't go near demons."
"Neither would we two days ago. Portia always demands we tell her everything, so maybe we should. Whether she wants to believe us or not is up to her."
"Logan seems to think he can take on the role of diplomat himself," puts in Heath.
Xander leans back in his chair. "Uh huh. I doubt his motives. I doubt all their motives."
Heath sighs. "I know, but today we saw what Seth is capable of. At least before the meeting ended, we agreed to share defending the portals’ wards from breaking. That should hopefully keep Vee in one place, if Seth touching the portal is what caused her to teleport."
Joss laughs, and I frown at him. "Sorry, it just sounds so weird."
"Here we fucking go again," says Heath in a harsh tone. "Back on the merry-go-round."
"No." Xander leans forward hands on knees. "We're not. We've learned Seth still wants to play with us. We know what his aim is, and we know Vee is—" He pauses and glances at me.
"On your side? Not his?" I suggest.
Xander casts his eyes down. "Yeah. Sorry, Vee."
I shrug. "S'okay. Took you long enough." But it's not. The fact even the smallest doubt remains, hurts.
"You spoke to Syv—has she found what we need yet, Vee?"
"Not yet. She’s closer though."
"We definitely need to help her out now," says Joss. "Seth threatened her."
"Where is Syv?" asks Joss.
"In your bed, comatose, probably," Xander replies. "I'm surprised Vee isn't."
"Surprised Vee isn’t in my bed, or isn’t comatose?" Joss smirks.
Everybody ignores him and he sighs.
"Yeah, you stink of alcohol, Vee," says Heath. "How much did you have?"
I attempt a focused smile. "I'm fine. Tired. The teleporting thing freaked me out. Besides, it was nice to chat to a female for a change."
Xander laughs. "Oh yeah, girl talk."
"No, actually," I protest. "She was telling me stories about her life. It was good to know mine isn't the weirdest."
"Just be careful," says Ewan. "She's not one hundred percent trustworthy."
"I think she's more trustworthy than Ripley and his colleagues," I reply.
"Yeah, what about Breanna?" he asks. "Do you think she can help? How closely linked is she to Ripley? In ten years, we've never come across her before."
Joss taps the table. "If she has skills at translating texts, I think we should ask her to help next time we see her. I can show her the book we have too. I’ve never quite deciphered everything. "
"Which one?" asks Xander. "You have a crapload of books."
"The one with the Four Horsemen in," Joss replies.
I can't resist a drunk giggle. "The one with the pornographic pictures."
Xander snaps his head around. "What?"
"Vee means that detailed illustration of the four of us with her," says Joss and we share an amused look.
Xander runs his tongue along his teeth. "You showed her that?"
"Don't worry, Xander, I won't be asking for a demonstration," I say.
Our eyes meet, but he says nothing.
I flick a look between Ewan and Heath too, attempting to gauge their reaction. I already know Joss's thoughts. Heath watches me curiously. Is he waiting for my opinion?
Ewan stands. "I need some space. I hope Syv didn't crash in my bed."
"Nice subject change, dude," says Joss.
He huffs. "Like Vee said, not going to happen. I won't be joining in if you do."
I stare at my hands, annoyed with myself for my joke, because Ewan's tone isn't amused.
"Whatever, we'll show the book, and anything else we think might help," says Joss. "We have to do everything we can to solve this."
"We have to figure out how to stop it. Vee suddenly disappearing isn’t good."
"You’re telling me!" I say with a laugh.
"Next time you feel the same sensations, tell us. Nobody leave Vee alone. Ever." Xander stands. "Okay?"
"Even the bathroom?" I hiccup again. "Seriously? Oh! What if it happens when I’m naked or we’re..." I trail off. "Yeah. This is bad."
Despite the alcohol taking the edge off my concerns, I’m worried. Is this random and connected to the portals, or some control Seth has over me? The idea it’s the latter churns my stomach.
8
XANDER
Vee stands at the kitchen sink and the glass she holds beneath the tap overflows as she stares out the darkened window. I switch off the tap and take her glass, and Vee blinks at me as she returns to the here and now.
"Are you okay?" I ask her.
She wipes the water that spilled on her hand onto her shirt. "I think so. Are you?"
"No." Because why lie to her?
"I thought about what we said. I don't understand what shifted inside me, but I do know he won't succeed now."
He. Chaos. Fucking Seth. I rub my temples, wishing I shared her confidence.
"I need to tell you some
thing." Vee touches my hand and I drop my fingers in surprise. "I saw something else in that vision, Xander," she whispers. "I saw him. You all."
"Bad?"
Vee looks away and closes her eyes. I think she's retreated from me again, until she opens them and looks straight into mine. Ewan told me what happened in the room, how he saw nothing, but she reacted as if something attacked her, and I've waited for her to tell me.
There's a strange shift in how I feel about Vee. The connection feels stronger, as if the hold over me grew, and I sense myself within her more than I did before. I’m enmeshed tightly, and I don’t think I can unpick that now. Ever.
Vee relents and describes what happened. She refuses to tell me everything she saw, says she will once she’s processed and can talk about it. All Vee will say is she'll stop what she saw from happening.
Most importantly, and to my relief, she tells me she felt powerful against Chaos.
"Did we help you?"
I wait, eager to hear anything that could guide us towards any clue. Darkness flickers across her face. "You were there, but don’t ask me any more. I almost didn’t tell anybody at all, but we can’t hide things."
I want to say that she is hiding things, but I also understand how she sometimes doesn’t deal with trauma. How much really changed in Vee? Is she hiding the girl we saw in the snow, that night in Scotland, the one hellbent on hunting Chaos and demons down? Or is she still precariously balancing between human and whatever she is now?
"I'm worried about what Logan said—the energy he saw. Can you sense it?" she asks, as if reading my mind.
"I think you're charged with more energy somehow, through the four of us. Maybe our idea was right all along, and we activated something inside you."
Vee takes a ragged breath and I'm alarmed when her eyes well with tears. Shit, not this again. But I should be happy, because this emotional reaction means despite the visions, the teleporting and energy, she’s still the Vee we love. A slightly drunk version, but Vee.
"A lot scares me right now, but one thing frightens me the most." She whispers. "If whatever I am needed to absorb power from each of you, and some kind of destiny is fulfilled, will you stop feeling for me as intensely? Will you still want me here? All of you, I mean."