“Satisfied?” she asked.
“More than I can put into words.”
Their pace across the desert was constant, if somewhat slow. Lee had been expecting them to arrive within view of the Sahara Base before nightfall, but the constant stops needed to rehydrate and cool off slowed them down. The shifting sand also did them no favors, sapping more energy with each step than firm ground would have.
They ate lunch as they traveled, a simple meal of sandwiches that Ryoko had packed just so to keep them from getting soggy during the water teleportation. It wasn’t until the sun had begun to set, drooping like a brilliant fireball downward toward the horizon, that Lee finally called for them to stop.
“We’re close,” he said. “Only a few miles out. If it wasn’t for that dune up ahead, we might even be able to see it, assuming it wasn’t veiled.”
“Can they see us from here?” asked Mira.
“It’s possible, though…” Lee frowned as he sorted through the jumbled memories of another man. “I don’t think their patrols veered this far out. Despite choosing the desert as a location, they weren’t all that partial to it.”
“Should we set up camp here for tonight, then?” asked Ryoko.
Lee nodded. “For sure. We won’t be able to risk a fire, not that there’s any wood nearby to burn.”
“I thought of that already.” Ryoko grinned, unzipping her bag and reaching inside. “I brought a portable camping stove. It’s small, but it should be enough to heat up our dinner.”
Lee set about erecting the tents while Mira kept watch and Ryoko began preparing the food. He wasn’t prepared for just how quickly the desert transitioned from hot to cold. The dry air held almost no ambient heat without its patron sun, and even before the evening had arrived in full, it was already as cool as Lestaron Island had been when they’d left.
“There,” he said once the second tent was complete.
“Finally,” said Mira. “I’m sick of walking around with sand in my shoes.”
She sat down in one of the tents and took her shoes off.
“Be sure to check those for scorpions when you put them back on,” said Lee.
Mira frowned at him, but he heard a small “eek” come from his left. He turned to see Tess staring nervously at the surrounding sand.
“They can’t bite you,” he whispered.
“I know that,” said Tess. “It’s more the ick factor of them that gets me.”
CHAPTER 28
The four of them eventually settled in around the cookstove. With no rocks, logs, or otherwise easily accessible seats to settle into, they got as comfortable as they could. The sunset brought the deep orange and red hues of the sand into full bloom. Lee almost felt like he was on Mars.
“I hope you both like chicken and ginger,” said Ryoko. “It’s a dehydrated soup, but I added my own blend of seasonings to make it a bit tastier.”
“I’ll try it, but I suspect my appetite lies elsewhere tonight,” said Mira.
She made no effort to hide the hungry leer in her gaze as she stared at Lee’s neck. He was about to shut her down, but Ryoko beat him to it.
“You are unbelievable, Mira!” she snapped. “Lee is our friend and our ally. You can’t just expect to, to…”
“I know, Ryoko,” said Mira with a sigh. “I was simply speaking my thoughts aloud. You know how often I fall into that bad habit.”
Lee raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s only been half a day since we left the mansion. Do you really get hungry that fast?”
For the first time that Lee could personally remember seeing, Mira blushed.
“The circumstances were not ideal when we left,” she said. “Jack and I usually, ah, trade days… in which we feed. With one day that we both take off.”
“Right,” said Lee. “That makes sense since you’re both usually feeding off my sister?”
He phrased it as a question since it was an assumption he’d worked out through basic deduction rather than witnessing the routine.
“Most often, yes,” said Mira. “She has a very sweet taste. Almost like pomegranate juice, with a hint of—”
“Ahem.” Ryoko cleared her throat, still favoring Mira with a disapproving glower.
“I apologize,” said Mira. “I should be more considerate. What loving brother would be interested in hearing about what his sister tastes like?”
An awkward silence hung over the campsite, interspersed only by the sound of Ryoko’s cooking spoon on the inside of the soup pot.
“Is it going to affect how capable you are in a fight?” asked Lee.
Mira blinked in surprise. “Potentially, it could.”
“Mira…” said Ryoko.
“I doubt Jack would object, under the circumstances,” said Mira, a slow smile building on her lips.
“He wouldn’t object to you feeding if you needed to,” said Ryoko. There was a tone of clarification in her voice that Lee could understand the justification for. The way Mira was looking at him was, well, enough to infect him with some of her excitement.
“I don’t mind, Lee,” said Tess. “If you’re alright with it. I can block her enthrallment effects as I did when she fed on you last time, as well.”
He nodded slowly. She was sitting on the sand next to him, already in his mystic stream now there was no further need for them to walk. Lee reached over and laced his fingers through hers.
“Will you stay nearby while it’s happening?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about…” She blinked, and her cheeks suddenly turned red. “You’re thinking something lewd, aren’t you! Lee Amaranth, if you’re trying to sneak me into a threesome with a vampire, think again!”
“More of a twosome plus her fangs,” he whispered. “I don’t trust her enough to let her try anything that intimate.”
Tess blushed even deeper and refused to meet his gaze. Lee turned his request over and decided it was a fair reaction given the naughty thoughts currently running through his mind.
“Let’s eat first,” he said.
The soup was hearty, and the fact that it was piping hot was ideal as the desert shifted from one temperature extreme to another with the arrival of night. Lee ate spoonfuls of chicken chunks, sliced carrots, rice, all tied together with a kick of pepper and ginger.
There were biscuits, too, which were a bit over-chewy but still tasty after being warmed. Lee used his to mop up the leftover soup broth, cleaning the entirety of his bowl. Ryoko, the genius that she was, had also brought along a bottle of brandy, which she pulled out of her bag with a hesitant smile.
“It’s up to you, Lee,” she said. “I know you said we’re unlikely to be spotted here, but if you think we should still play it safe…”
“I think we should get moderately drunk,” he said with a vigorous nod.
They passed the bottle around, commenting on the brilliant starscape overhead. It was so unlike the sky in the city, or even over Lestaron Island. The complete lack of light pollution emphasized how much illumination the night sky truly provided.
“Well then,” said Mira. “We’ve finished eating. Lee, would you prefer to join me in my tent, or should I join you in yours?”
“Mira…” said Ryoko in a warning tone.
“Don’t worry, Tess is going to chaperone,” said Lee.
Tess moved a little closer to him, eyes bright, cheeks flushed. “Is that all you want me to do, Lee?”
Her voice was nervous but playful, like a virgin testing the unknown waters of seduction. More nervous than Tess usually was when it came to sex, but he supposed the addition of a large-breasted vampire would undercut any woman’s confidence.
“I can think of a few other things,” he said to her, grinning. She grinned back and even winked.
Lee led Tess in her ethereal form into his tent. Mira followed behind, pausing at the flap, the edge of her dress and hair blowing to the side as the wind swept across the desert.
“If there’
s anything I can do to make this more comfortable for you…” said Mira.
“Tess will be the one making me comfortable, but thanks.”
“That wasn’t my implication, but by all means.” Mira shrugged. “I am nothing if not loyal to my beloved, Lee Amaranth. As good as you might taste, and as good as you might smell, we are both intended for others.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he replied. Lee stretched out across his sleeping bag, and Mira almost immediately moved to join him, embracing him from the side.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she was just an incredibly smooth liar as he felt her lips begin to press against his check, her hands running across his chest. The idea of her paying lip-service to more areas—beyond her statement saying for whom they were both intended—burned through his body, pooling in his loins.
“Mmm,” moaned Mira.
“Easy now,” he whispered. “You’re playing with fire.”
“I know…”
A hand settled on his rapidly stiffening cock, cupping his hardness through his insubstantial track pants. Lee almost slapped it away before glancing down and realizing that it was Tess, who he’d pulled into his mystic stream. She was blushing and glaring at him, guarding his cock with her hand like a poker player might shield their cards.
Her eyes said it all. Mira could suck on his neck all she wanted, as long as Tess got to suck on a certain something else.
“You look like you’re enjoying this,” whispered Mira.
“More than I think you know,” he replied.
If his words didn’t give it away, the coyness in his tone and focus of his eyes must have. Mira paid him no mind as he slid down his pants and boxers, her full attention on kissing and licking his neck.
Tess watched the vampire preparing to feast for a moment, and then almost seemed to imitate her movements, smothering Lee’s cock with slow licks and kisses, almost making noises that matched the quivering, hungry moans escaping Mira’s throat.
He felt Mira’s fangs drag across his sensitive skin, advertising their sharpness. A slightly less pointed sensation came from down below as he felt the gentle edge of Tess’s teeth with far less applied pressure. It was weirdly hot, doubly so given how it seemed to echo back and forth. Two sets of teeth, two end goals, two women about to suck down different forms of life’s nectar.
“Oh…” he sighed. “Wow.”
“Have I left you breathless, Lee Amaranth?” whispered Mira. She kissed him before he could answer, sucking and biting on his lower lip as she pulled back. She pushed her breasts into his face and Lee, unable to resist, let his teeth briefly and gently grip one of her thick nipples through her dress. Mira let out a sharp gasp.
Tess, not to be outdone, brought her mouth as far down along his length as she could manage, sucking hard in between cute little breaths through her nose. She pulled back. Lee cupped her cheek and ran his thumb across her lips, nearly losing control as he felt her briefly suck on that, as well.
“Are you ready for the main event?” whispered Mira.
He looked at Tess as he nodded, and she grinned, looking both embarrassed and incredibly pleased with herself. She didn’t return to giving him head straightaway, stroking him with her hand instead, letting her breath tickle his tip.
This time, it seemed as though Mira was following her lead, doing the same with a hot exhalation except with his neck as the target. Lee felt her tongue, along with Tess’s tongue, and then her lips, along with Tess’s bobbing, sucking mouth. He reached down and ran his hand through her hair, on the verge of exploding like never before.
Then Mira’s fangs sank into his neck. It happened at the same instant he came, the two pleasures warring with one another for supremacy before seeming to twist and throb together.
Mira was moaning in his ear. Tess was making lewd, appreciative, swallowing noises. Lee was pretty sure he was groaning in ecstasy, though it was hard for him to tell.
It was bliss. It was a drug, something worthy of banning at an international level. It was too good to be true, and he wasn’t the only one who apparently thought so. He felt Tess’s fingernails digging into his thighs even as she continued her cleanup job, as though warning him that she’d use pain as a distraction if needed.
“You taste incredible,” moaned Mira, as she licked his neck. “You… um, hold on.”
She reached a hand down and made an offended noise. “You came on my dress!”
“What?” Lee slowly connected her words together, unsure of whether to feel ashamed or not.
“You are a massive pervert, Lee Amaranth!” she said. “I’m here for your blood, not for your…”
Tess’s giggling bubbled upward as she slid forward to lie on his other side. “I may have accidentally aimed your thing at her once it started, you know, going off.”
“You and your pranks,” he muttered.
“A prank?” snapped Mira. “Our supply of fresh water is limited! You expect me to go to bed with your dried semen on my dress?”
“You could always sleep naked.” He shrugged. “I’d expect someone like you to be more comfortable with the occasional splash of bodily fluids.”
***
Mira left, and the moment left behind was still. Lee felt Tess slide away from him slightly, her breathing slow and rhythmic. He reached out a hand and twirled it through her hair.
“Your turn,” he said, letting his fingers trail down her neck. He reached for the bottom hem of her dress.
“No!” she said in a small but quick voice.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m just… not in the mood.” Tess inched farther away from him.
“I know you probably don’t like watching me be dinner for a busty vampire,” he said, “but we do need her at full strength.”
“I know. It’s fine. At least while I’m still here to keep her enthrallment from working.”
Lee felt a sudden stab of pain, a barb straight through his ribs and heart. “Do you have to phrase it like that?”
“Lee…”
“Why does it feel like you keep trying to say goodbye to me?”
She stared at him, blinking once, revealing the tears that had always been there, on the verge of tipping out. Lee felt angry, for whatever reason. Not at her, but at the world, at the fact that things could be so goddamn unfair.
“Lee, stop!”
“No!” He reached for her, pulling her into him. “I have to see.”
“Lee…”
He reached and lifted up her dress. He hadn’t paid enough attention, taken the time to stop and question why it was so long, drooping across the sand as she walked, or rather, floated.
For once, Tess was wearing panties. Perhaps for the last time, given how far her affliction had traveled. Her legs now faded into wisps of blue just below the hip. Lee heard Tess’s shaking, half-stifled sobs. He pulled her into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s not your…” Lee blinked a number of times. “It’s not your fault, Tess.”
“I didn’t want you to see,” she said. “It’s getting… kind of ugly, huh?”
“No part of you will ever be ugly. Not to me.”
She nodded, and Lee could feel the warm wetness of her eyes against his bare chest, though he knew they would leave no actual tear trails behind. He squeezed her in his arms. They’d always been enough to protect her before. Why not this time?
“I love you, Lee.”
“I love you, Tess. I won’t let you…” He thought about what he was saying. “I won’t let you go.”
CHAPTER 29
Lee awoke earlier than he normally would have intended to be conscious, as Ryoko’s polite whispering outside his tent became too much to ignore.
“We should set out soon,” she whispered. “I spoke with Jack. He and Zoe are ready, and they’ve organized the rest of the House of Shadows along with Shannara and the Melting Pack.”
Lee nodded. “We’ll head in the direction of
the oasis near the base first. You’ll be able to bring them all over from there.”
The early morning was a shocking contrast from the heat of the day. Lee could see his breath, and the act of collapsing the tents almost required more than his numb fingers were willing to give.
Tess stayed near him as he worked. She was smiling and seemed as recovered from the night before as he could have expected her.
“Be careful with those tent poles,” she said. “You’re going to poke someone’s eye out if you keep swinging them around willy-nilly.”
“Probably my own.” He grinned at her. “I think I’d look good with an eyepatch, though.”
“You’d need a pirate name, in that case. You do have the right amount of jaunt for it, I think.”
“Maybe Ghosthand? Or Spirit—”
“Get down!” hissed Mira, just he was finishing.
Lee dropped to his stomach, scanning the dune ahead of them. He glanced toward where Mira was standing, only she wasn’t there anymore. One of her vampiric powers involved moving stealthily through shadows; seeing her put it to use reassured Lee about his choice of letting her feed the previous night.
A sharp yelp of surprise came from just over the lip of the large dune they’d camped beside. Lee stood and plodded up the sand to get to the action. As he reached the crest, he found Mira standing with her arms wrapped around a woman in a tan robe, similar to the style, if not the form, of the ones he’d worn back at Primhaven.
“Look what I found,” purred Mira. She held one arm around the woman’s waist while the other gripped her neck. It almost seemed more like an embrace than a physical threat, though from the look on the woman’s face, her interpretation was clearly the latter.
“A sentry, maybe?” asked Lee.
Ryoko had made her way up behind them and frowned as she looked into the woman’s face. “Did you know we were here? Have the rest of your Order at the base heard we’re coming?”
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