“I’d prefer friendship,” Nevis finally replied. “I would hate to cause you grief by killing your brother.”
I giggled, almost not recognizing myself in that sound. “I like how you think my brother wouldn’t be able to kill you. He totally could, you know. Varga is one of the best fighters I’ve ever come across, and I’m not saying it because he’s family. I’ve seen him in action, during training. That boy can totally kill a Dhaxanian prince.”
“Then I would hate for your brother to cause you grief by killing me,” Nevis shot back, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“You’re pulling my leg,” I said.
“It was just too easy,” he replied, then gave me a gentle squeeze of the hand.
We walked around for a while, headed for the north side, where a town hall was still present, albeit covered in weeds and more wildflowers. This place was eerily beautiful, and I could almost see the Draenir living here, carrying water from the pond in large brass pitchers, plucking fruits from the trees growing in their yards, meeting up in the public squares, talking and laughing…
I stopped imagining when thoughts of the plague snuck through and nearly ruined the picture for me. I preferred thinking of them as they had been, not as the flowery skeletons they’d become. The irony of beauty in death did not escape me. I just wasn’t ready to deal with it, choosing to deal with Nevis’s presence in my life, as he’d put it, instead.
“What is going on between us?” I blurted, my mouth taking the lead before I could stop it.
He didn’t answer right away, and, when he did, he offered another question. “What do you want it to be, Elonora?”
“Why are you asking me?” I replied. “I asked you a simple question. I would like to know what you want it to be.”
He smiled again. “It’s funny. When it comes to fighting Perfects, you’re as vicious and relentless as they come. Yet, when it comes to admitting your feelings toward someone, you hide behind a wall, as if your own feelings could eat you alive.”
“I do have a history of—wait, hold on.” I stopped halfway through, my train of thought disrupted by a strange sight less than twenty yards away from us.
I let go of his hand and rushed forward, reaching a small altar in the middle of the town square. It was shaped like a pyramid, with its top cut off and replaced by an artesian fountain, both elements made from a pale blue crystal.
“I think it’s pure sapphire,” I said, then reached out and touched the front side. It felt cool against my fingertips, the water trickling down from the fountain and spreading like a sheet over all four sides. Beneath, engraved in the crystal, were a series of stylized symbols. One I partially recognized: three wavy lines, one on top of the other. “This looks familiar.”
“I believe it’s a symbol of water. We’ve seen it around Strava before. It was in the pod cave, as well, along with symbols of the other three elements. But I think it has a different significance out here,” Nevis said slowly, leaning forward to get a better look.
“What do you mean?” I asked, slightly confused.
“I think we’re looking at a Hermessi altar,” he replied.
“Whoa. How’d you jump to that conclusion?”
“Logic. This city is blessed with natural, clean water. In the middle of its town square, its most ceremonial spot, is an altar,” he said, then pointed to the stone slabs surrounding the pyramid’s base. Plants grew between the slabs. “They brought offerings here,” he added.
He was right. And it wasn’t just food they’d offered. There were jewels scattered through the dirt, home objects and personal trinkets, all of them damaged by time. I recognized a little mirror, a set of combs, several rings, and a gemstone bracelet. They weren’t just dropped there. They’d been carefully deposited, and more symbols had been carved into the stone beneath. The ceremonial ensemble was impossible to ignore.
“The Draenir worshipped the Hermessi?” I managed, trying to wrap my head around the realization.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. The only possibility that gives this altar any kind of sense,” Nevis replied. “I doubt this faith would’ve spread into the bigger cities, though, or Rakkhan would’ve known something. Maybe it stayed in the small towns, like this one. Should we ask him, perhaps?”
I nodded, then pressed a button on my earpiece. “Rose, are you there? Can you talk?”
A second later, her voice came through. “Hey, Lenny. Yeah, I can talk. What’s going on? Where are you?”
“We found the Draenir town we’d talked about,” I said. “I’ll send you a full report later, once we’re done exploring it, but, for now, here’s a gem. Apparently, there’s a Hermessi altar here, smack in the middle of the town square. I mean, we think it is, anyway. It looks like an altar, and I think we found the Draenir symbol for water engraved on it.”
“Oh, wow,” Rose murmured. “Is there anything else to confirm your assumption?”
“Just the rotten offerings left behind, at this point,” I replied. “Do you think Rakkhan knows something about it?”
“No. I spoke to him already. He’s not aware of temples or any kind of Hermessi worship,” Rose replied. “It came up before Kale took her team out to try and reach out to them.”
Nevis looked at me for a moment, his lips slowly parting. He couldn’t hear what Rose was saying, since I’d contacted her on our private line, but he was watching my expression shift. However, there was a strange intensity in his eyes.
Time interrupted its linear flow, allowing us to linger like that for a while. I just lost myself in his gaze, wondering if he’d kiss me again, and hoping he’d do it on the lips this time. I was too much of a coward to kiss him myself. How long is that going to last, though, you little chicken?
I even forgot that I had Rose on the line. She’d been talking, but I hadn’t heard a single word.
“Lenny, are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, yes. Sorry. You were saying?” I mumbled, heat spreading through my cheeks as I looked away from the Dhaxanian prince, worried I’d slip into another trance.
“It’s worth checking out their records. They might have something,” Rose replied.
“Okay. I’ll let you know. Thanks,” I said, then ended the conversation.
“There’s one way we could make sure we’re making the correct assumptions here,” Nevis said, as soon as I pressed the second small button on my earpiece. “Check out their archives. They must keep records somewhere.”
I smiled. “Rose said the same thing.”
Before I could say anything else, Nevis gripped my hand and led us toward the town hall, a pantheon-like building overlooking the structure we presumed was a Hermessi altar.
I had to admit, the Draenir’s culture was fascinating, especially since we knew very little about it. But finding out that some of them believed in the Hermessi shouldn’t have come as too much of a shock—the natural elements were clearly powerful here on Strava. That had to stem from somewhere.
Otherwise, they never would’ve been able to reach out to Ben, Vesta, or Kailani. If the records confirmed a belief in the Hermessi, then we were definitely on to something. Given that most of the Draenir stored their archives on magi-tech drives, chances were we’d find some videos, too.
I kept my fingers crossed.
Elonora
Plants with white and yellow blossoms, each curled petal the size of my palm, climbed over the town hall’s outer walls. It was a stunning display of nature taking over Draenir structures. Inside, it was just as wild.
Vines loaded with large, waxy leaves and multicolored flowers stretched over the floor. The yellow and white blossoms reigned over the inner walls, too, and small trees grew here and there, having made their way through the small gaps between the floor slabs. It was as if different species of plants had come to an agreement here—some took the ground, others took the floor, and a few even ventured up on the ceiling.
The end result was an accidental indoor garden, loade
d with wonderful fragrances that tickled my senses. The shapes and some parts of the furniture were still visible. We spent some time looking around, checking shelves and storage closets, until we found the archive hall right behind what must’ve been the reception desk.
It was huge, its ceiling tall and its atmosphere cool and humid. The walls were covered with shelves, and serium cables traveled from one corner to the other, connecting each wall storage system to a large table in the middle. On top, it had dusty screens, while below were the processing units. Despite their humble living, compared to the city Draenir, these people employed the same technology.
All their records were stored on glass tablets, much like the ones we’d found in the strongholds. We’d learned how to connect them, but we weren’t yet sure about how to read their contents. Amane, Kallisto, and Raphael were the only ones who could possibly help us, at this point.
“We should get the others in here,” I said, as we continued to check the metal plates mounted on each shelf. We were looking for the water symbol—well, hoping to find it, anyway, assuming it was going to be this easy.
“The locals will know the language,” Nevis replied, standing several feet away as he looked at another shelf.
“Amane will probably know more. I mean, they could be storing everything here.” I sighed. “Names, dates, historical records, wedding parties. Everything.”
A few moments passed quietly. Neither of us moved to call the others through our earpieces. Instead, we ended up gazing at each other without saying anything.
“You should call Amane in here,” Nevis finally said, his expression blank, impossible to read. His aura, on the other hand, was a jumble of shades of amber and gold. My heart squeaked a little.
“Yeah. I will,” I whispered.
“Why don’t you do it now?” he asked.
A sigh left my chest. “I’m kind of enjoying this right now.”
His gaze softened on me, and my heart proceeded to sing like a manic soprano. Good grief, this Dhaxanian prince was going to make or break me… and I was okay with both, for some masochistic reason.
“This… what, exactly?” he muttered.
“You, me, a bunch of records we can’t read. If this isn’t romantic in this day and age, I don’t know what is,” I said.
A split second later, Nevis stood before me, his knuckles gently tracing my cheek. “Whatever will I do with you, Elonora?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
“I have no idea,” I managed, near hypnotized by his touch. Then, a very reasonable question smacked me in the back of the head. It was past time to ask it. “Why haven’t you found someone?”
He stilled, clearly surprised. He’d probably thought I didn’t have it in me to ask. Hah. In your face, Nevis, you gorgeous creature.
“What do you mean?” he replied.
“I mean, why is this happening?” I asked, pointing at him, then at me. “How come you’re not married and whatever?”
“Who says I’m not?” he retorted, and I nearly braced for the ceiling to come crashing down on me, until I spotted the shadow of a smile fluttering across his face. He chuckled softly—a sight I’d rarely seen since we’d arrived on Strava, though, knowing him, it was rare on any planet that he set foot on. I didn’t respond, giving him the opportunity to explain himself. He knew what I’d meant, anyway. “Elonora, I stopped looking a long time ago.”
“But why? Don’t you want heirs?”
He offered a shrug. “Frankly, I’m more interested in the soul. In melding mine with someone else’s. I believe there must be a spark of sorts, when two people meet. As if the instinct points your soulmate out before you even utter a word,” he said. “For a while, I did look among the people in my kingdom. I’ve met Dhaxanian ladies, most of them quite nice, but there was no spark. No will to move forward. Just this feeling of obligation to produce an heir. Frankly, given all the time I’ve got left to live—which, mind you, is a lot—I just don’t want to spend it with someone who only wants to have my child. As cold as I may seem, I do believe in love, Elonora. It fuels everything.”
Well, that was unexpected. I was speechless, looking at a whole new side of Nevis, a part of him I’d never had access to before. And to think that, less than two months ago, we’d met at the Shade party, and I’d immediately labeled him as a heartless mug.
I nodded slowly, trying to find the right words, because my mind was already getting strangled by my heartstrings. Nevis had so expertly pulled and plucked them that I could no longer function properly. Never mind the Draenir archives. I’d completely forgotten about those, and the fact that we needed Amane to help us.
“Okay, so, you haven’t found a Dhaxanian wife,” I replied. “What does that mean for me? For me and you, specifically?”
He smiled, as if he knew something I didn’t. It irked me a little, because I was about to open my heart to him, and I feared he’d stomp on it and crush it. I wasn’t sure I’d recover if he did. “Ask what you really want to ask, Elonora, and I will be truthful in my answer.”
I scowled. “Fine! Do you like me?”
He leaned forward suddenly and kissed me. Deeply. Until the world stopped spinning. Until the ground vanished from beneath my feet.
Then he pulled his head back, his icy blue eyes turning dark, like a rumbling arctic ocean.
“That’s not an answer,” I croaked, my knees threatening to divorce me.
“I don’t like you, Elonora,” he replied. “I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you.”
My chest hurt, and I suddenly had a hard time breathing. I recognized the golden threads in his aura. Nevis was telling me the truth, and I could see and understand it, clearly, for the first time—without a shred of doubt.
“You… Oh. Okay,” I mumbled.
He smiled again, and my insides melted further.
“There was a spark,” he went on. “At the party. When I met you and deemed you insufficient to be my wife.”
“Wow, you do not mince words, do you?” I replied, genuinely astonished by his bluntness.
He laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. It was a constant surprise to be around Nevis these days, I had to admit. Ever since that first kiss, it was as if I’d been granted access to the real him, and not the sharp block of ice I’d first dealt with.
“I admit, from a Dhaxanian point of view, we should never be together,” he said. “It’s why, despite the spark I felt, I forced myself to consider you insufficient. Traditions are important to my people, and I try to think the same way.”
“And yet, here we are,” I murmured.
“You’re not insufficient, Elonora. You’re more than I could possibly ask for,” he replied, further demolishing me on the inside. “I would like to be able to bring you back to Neraka and introduce you to my people. I doubt they’d hate you.”
“Whoa. Okay. Hold on. You’ve already thought about introducing me to your kingdom?”
My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute, and I couldn’t for the life of me slow it down.
“You are royalty,” he said. “By all forms of protocol, including those in my kingdom, I could easily arrange our marriage. I thought—”
“Oh, damn!” I blurted, my eyes bulging.
“I haven’t made a plan. I’ve simply thought about it,” Nevis replied quickly. “I wouldn’t want to rush you, since, given our circumstances, there might not be much of a future ahead of us anyway. Please, do not think I’ve been preparing for marriage. It’s not what I’m trying to get at.”
“Then what is it you’re trying to get at?!” I asked.
I’d suffered enough with Connor to last me a lifetime. I sure as hell wasn’t ready to address the concept of marriage. I was still stuck on opening up to someone for the first time in a few years! Though, I had to admit… had it not been for the scars on my soul, I probably would’ve jumped in Nevis’s arms already. This guy was perfect, astonishing, and incredible, all rolled into one and enca
sed in a thick layer of ice—my favorite kind of challenge.
“That I’ve thought about it. That I look at you, and I wonder what my life would be like with you in it for more than a week or two,” Nevis said, calming my nerves. “There was a spark, Elonora. I’ve never felt the spark before. For a while, I didn’t even think it existed. That it was just my delusion. Then you showed up and, well, I froze.”
I burst into laughter.
“You froze?” I managed, struggling to stop myself from doubling over.
He tried not to laugh, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching. “Yes. And now, I… I am at a loss, because I don’t like being away from you for more than a second, I don’t like how Raphael keeps flirting and dropping hints, even when you don’t catch on, and I certainly don’t like how there’s an evil overlord out there who wants to keep us apart forever and put us in glass boxes. In contrast, I do like being around you, I like the taste of your kiss, and I love how I feel when you look at me.”
I was finally floored, no longer able to contain myself. His confession had brought out something new in me, something I’d never thought possible.
Without saying anything, I put my arms around him and lifted my heels.
He didn’t hesitate. He caught my mouth in a kiss just as I was about to do the same. Our lips touched, and the world disappeared, thread by thread. Before I could even realize it, he lifted me off the ground and pushed me onto the nearest table. My back ended up glued against it, with Nevis on top, working my lips so hard I could barely breathe.
In my mind, the wheels were turning at supersonic speeds. When had this happened? How come I didn’t see it coming? Was Nevis such a stellar thespian that I’d missed the signs? Or had I been too busy swooning over him and fearing heartbreak at the same time, so that I simply didn’t pay attention?
When he slowed down just enough to gently nip at my lower lip, a gasp escaped my throat. Nevis tightened his hold on me and dove back for more, merciless in his caress. We were both equally hungry for one another, but he was decisive and relentless, his tongue exploring my mouth while I reveled in the sharp, cool taste of him. His hands moved up and down my sides, then stopped to squeeze my hips before moving back up. I was out of breath, and yet I couldn’t get enough of him. My sentry senses exploded, amplifying everything as his fingers dug into my flesh, demanding that I surrendered everything unto him, the Dhaxanian prince. He was ruthless in his conquest, and I didn’t mind it one bit. It offered me a thrill I’d never experienced before, and, by the stars, it was incredible…
A Shade of Vampire 66: An Edge of Malice Page 8