Amal and Amane were the only biological twins to have ever formed in one of Ta’Zan’s artificial wombs. There was something truly special about them—when they were together, the sisters’ brains operated differently, at much higher levels. Specifically, the type of levels that had allowed them to solve the Perfects’ blueprints with the help of vampire genes. They’d created the supreme predator, with vampire abilities but none of their weaknesses.
Working separately, however, both Amal and Amane were… limited. They were still brilliant, but not as good as when they were together. Whatever Amane was thinking about, she needed to be closer to her sister in order to fully process it and come back to us with a solution. Her objective was clear, though. She didn’t want to repeat history. She wanted to avoid another genocide, and she wanted to stop Ta’Zan without too much bloodshed.
I had a feeling this had something to do with the Perfects, but I couldn’t be too sure until she confirmed it.
“Do you think you could reach out to more than one Perfect and sway them in our favor, without surgery and serium blockers?” I asked, shooting in the dark.
She nodded again. “I just don’t know how, yet.”
Suddenly, my mind was clear. I had a better idea of what we were going to do, as well as how we were going to do it. I gently gripped her chin with my thumb and index finger, turning her head so she could face me.
“We have a lot on our plate right now,” I said. “Let’s get this first mission out of the way. Let’s help our people and do what we’ve agreed to do. Once we’re back to the camp, we’ll figure out how to get you closer to Amal, I promise.”
She thought about it for a while, then gave me a weak smile. “The longer Ta’Zan is grounded, the better our shot at saving everyone,” she replied. “I know. I get it. If we destroy his flight plans, it will buy us some precious time. From then on, everything else will fall into place. But you have to understand something. If we go ahead with this, if we sabotage his shuttles and disable his comms system, Ta’Zan will get extremely angry. When he’s angry, he’s cruel and… horrifically creative.”
“I don’t doubt it one bit.” I sighed. “But you’ve been with us for long enough to understand that we don’t give up so easily.”
She chuckled softly. “You don’t give up, period.”
I stilled, unable to take my eyes off hers. Under the tree’s shade, the orange in her irises turned dark, like acacia honey. Amane didn’t move. My brain was quick to force me into a pretty simple conclusion: if this didn’t work out, we could die anyway. So, what did I have to lose?
I followed my thumping heart and leaned forward. She held her breath, and I kissed her.
Amane’s lips were soft. A muffled groan escaped my throat when they parted, and I tasted the natural sweetness of her mouth. There was a hint of berries and the same kind of honey I’d seen in her eyes. My hand instinctively came up and cupped her cheek, stopping her from moving away.
Everything else vanished for a moment. Whether said moment lasted a second or a minute, I couldn’t tell. Kissing Amane felt incredible, and I knew, deep in my very soul, that it was also terribly addictive. This creature had stolen my heart the moment she’d first taken that coconut-like mask off her face, revealing herself as my unexpected savior.
When I pulled back, the world returned—loud and quiet, bright and dark at the same time. And Amane was staring at me, her eyes wide and her lips deliciously pink. I wanted to kiss her again, but something told me that she wasn’t ready for it. In fact, she seemed bewildered.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I just… I had to.”
“Wh-What was that?” she breathed, blinking fast and clearly confused.
It hit me then. Amane had no clue as to what a kiss was, or what it meant.
“Ta’Zan never taught you about intimacy between two people? About attraction… love?” I asked, picking a lock of her long white hair to twist around my fingers. I stayed close, breathing her in, my nostrils filled with her natural scent—a dazzling mixture of jasmine and hibiscus, with a lemony hint.
She shook her head slowly.
“Oh. Well, this is awkward, then.” I chuckled.
“Why awkward?”
“Because I have to explain a few things I didn’t think I had to,” I said, smiling.
There was a certain purity about her that drove me crazy, in the best possible meaning of the word. Amane was untouched, pristine, and she had my heart already in her hand. I had no intention of losing her. Not now, not ever.
I wasn’t as traditional as most fire dragons, so far as purity oaths and single-soulmates were concerned. I’d had my share of lovers in the past, during my stay at The Shade, but none could even compare to this marvelous creature. This was my one shot to change my life for the better—provided I survived Strava, first, of course. But Amane was definitely a crucial part of the future I envisioned for myself. This kiss had all but sealed the deal for me.
Amane lowered her gaze, her cheeks blossoming in a beautiful shade of pink. Her body was responding to me in ways she wasn’t even aware of. “I don’t know anything about… this, whatever this is,” she murmured.
I brushed my knuckles down the soft line of her cheek, then ran my thumb over her lower lip, still tender from my kiss. Her eyes found mine, the pupils dilating as if she’d been submerged into absolute darkness.
“How does it feel?” I asked, my voice low and husky.
Amane’s effect on me was now audible. I only worried that my heart would cave in and explode, given how hard it was beating and struggling against my ribcage. She smiled, and fire blazed through me.
“It feels good,” she whispered. “Like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I don’t know what this is, or what it means, or why I like it.”
“I’m sure Ta’Zan has taught you about reproduction and whatnot,” I replied.
“Well, yes. The act of sex to perpetuate the species,” she said.
“It’s more than that, though,” I replied, inching closer, until her warm breath tickled my lips. “Amane, two people don’t just get together to have a baby and… perpetuate the species. We bond. We fall in love. We spend the rest of our lives enjoying each other, body and soul, until we die. Or until the end of time, if possible. Love, Amane.”
“What’s love?”
I pressed my lips against hers for a moment, enough to revel in their softness once more.
“It creeps up on you. You don’t even realize you’ve got it until it’s too late,” I then whispered in her ear. “Do you feel your pulse racing?”
“Yes,” she managed, unable to move.
“Do you feel your heart beating hard, unhappy with the size of your chest, all of a sudden?”
“Yes…”
“And how does this feel?” I asked, briefly kissing her again.
“I’m not sure how I could possibly describe it,” she croaked, giving me a befuddled look. “Only that I don’t want it to stop.”
That was music to my ears. It made me smile like the biggest of idiots, thrilled that she felt something, that she couldn’t get enough of me either. I could take on a thousand Ta’Zans from this point onward, just so I could be with her.
We’d had our back-and-forths during our jungle treks. We’d fought side by side, and we’d eaten fruit from the same trees. We’d spent a substantial amount of time together from the moment we’d met. Of course we’d gotten close. I’d become aware of how she made me feel, rather quickly, but I’d been too busy running and fighting for my life to do anything about it. This was one of the few moments I felt I had left to make something happen.
“Good,” I said, and kissed her a fourth time. Still so delightful, so addictive. “I feel the same way.”
“What does it mean, though? I don’t understand. Is this sexual attraction? I’ve only read about it. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like,” Amane mumbled, lowering her gaze.
“That’s fine,” I replied gently. “We’ll fi
gure it out together.”
“Why are you like this, though?” she asked, wearing a pained expression. “Why are you so kind? I betrayed you all.”
I frowned. “You’re talking about your secrecy regarding the plague?” I replied, trying to figure out what she was talking about, and why she’d suddenly withdrawn back into her shell. She nodded. “Amane, don’t get me wrong. I was angry when I found out that you played a part in its creation. But the fact that you have the blood of millions of Draenir on your hands is not something we could ever change or erase. The best we can do is make sure it never happens again.”
“We?”
“Well, yes. We’re in this together, Amane. And I’m not letting you go,” I said.
“I caused the Draenir’s extinction…”
“But you’re trying to be a better person now. You’re fighting on our side. You’re working hard to do more, to stop Ta’Zan from doing much worse,” I replied. “Amane, you’re not the person who helped Ta’Zan anymore. You must be aware of that.”
“I am. I just don’t know who I’m becoming.”
I dropped a kiss on her cheek, then slipped down to one of the lower branches. She looked at me, smiling.
“Why don’t we find out together?” I asked. “Let’s go out there and make Ta’Zan’s life a living hell. We can kiss some more along the way, if you like it,” I added, wiggling my eyebrows.
Amane giggled, and my heart skipped a beat. I loved the sound of her laughter. This was the first time I was hearing it, echoing through the surrounding woods.
“I won’t say no, if you like it,” she shot back.
We climbed down the tree, chasing each other from one branch to another, until our feet touched the wet ground. The sky ripped open, and the rain came down hard as soon as we landed. We ran back to the camp, laughing as we tried to beat each other to the finish line. I let her win. She needed it.
I didn’t want this moment to end, but I knew it would.
The best thing I could do was make sure we could have more like this, and then some.
Rose
As the darkness of night settled over Merinos, the storm calmed down. The smell of wet wood and grass filled my lungs, as I took a deep breath and looked at our teams—three of them, clustered in the middle of the camp.
Bogdana stayed by Rakkhan’s side, both settled on the porch steps of his hut. I figured they were two very old souls, reunited by circumstance and bonded by a common past.
Lumi came to me while the others checked their bags and supplies one last time. The hour of our departure was upon us, and I had to admit, my nerves were stretched. There was a mixture of hope and fear squirming in my chest. The former was threatened by the latter, as there was nothing more devastating than having your hopes crushed by reality. We’d seen it happen more than once since we’d arrived on Strava.
Only, this time, the fate of the entire universe was hanging in the balance.
“How are we looking, so far?” Lumi asked me.
“Not bad, actually. The pulverizer weapons are absolute game changers, of course. But having the Draenir working with us feels more valuable than anything else,” I said. “The young ones might not know as much about Strava as, say, the Faulties or Raphael, but Rakkhan’s knowledge is crucial for what we’ll do, going forward.”
“I must say, I’m surprised he survived the plague. Well, I’m surprised any of them survived, for that matter,” Lumi murmured. “From what we know of the virus, it was devastating. It spread fast. Most of the Draenir didn’t stand a chance.”
“You know there’s always a streak of luck involved. Rakkhan was probably in the right place at the right time,” I said.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been around for long enough to know how rare luck actually is, and how incredibly useful good planning can be, instead.”
My breath stopped for a moment, as I understood the magnitude of Lumi’s suggestion. I stared at her for a while, mouth gaping, until she slowly raised a hand and pushed my chin up, stifling a smirk as she gazed ahead.
“You’re implying that Rakkhan knew more about the plague than he told us?” I croaked.
“Merely thinking about it. Not implying anything,” Lumi replied. “I trust you, Rose. Enough to know that you will keep this to yourself, and that you, too, will think about it. While you’re here with Rakkhan, maybe you’ll even ask some questions. The elder seems to trust you. I’d take advantage of it, if I were you.”
I exhaled. “Do you really think Rakkhan knew about the plague before it was released, and rounded up a few Draenir to keep them away from it?”
“I wouldn’t exclude the possibility.”
“Ugh. You’re so cryptic sometimes. To what end would he have done it?”
Lumi shrugged. “If I were to guess, I’d say he knew he couldn’t stop the plague, but he could save some Draenir if he took them far away from the infection point.”
I couldn’t exactly reject the premise. But I couldn’t help but wonder why Rakkhan would’ve done it. What would’ve led him to not tell the other Draenir, and instead take a handful of survivors out here, to Merinos?
I had some time to think about it while I waited for our three teams to return—preferably safe, sound, and with their missions successfully completed.
“I need you to keep an eye on Bogdana while we’re away,” Lumi muttered, crossing her arms and casually standing next to me while we both overlooked the camp.
Most of the tents had come down and had now turned into charcoal, some of it still glowing red and crackling in the campfire. We’d left a few up, for us and the young Draenir to sleep in, along with the well and the food preparation table. Everything else had been destroyed, as we’d agreed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, if necessary. Each of our teams had been given sets of tracking spell paraphernalia, to allow us to follow each other if we were forced to abandon the camp.
“I will, don’t worry,” I replied.
“She didn’t tell us everything, I’m willing to bet my life on it,” Lumi said.
“I know. I have similar suspicions about her. I guess Elonora’s sentry abilities might be rubbing off on me.” I chuckled.
Lumi smirked. “Either that, or your instincts are sharper than you thought. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Bogdana will help us with the Hermessi. She’s definitely the most connected to them, out of all the fae I’ve come across since this whole Stravian disaster began to unravel. But there’s something from her past that she’s holding back.”
I nodded slowly, then gave her a sideways glance. “You know, Heron is leaving two of his wards with us. That means two powerful Maras, gifted with swamp witch symbols on their skin, able to do more than we possibly could, where Bogdana is concerned.”
“Elonora confirmed that the old fae is being slightly deceitful. But she sensed a tinge of fear. As if Bogdana would want to tell us more, but she’s afraid of how we might react,” Lumi said. “Whether it might have an impact on our mission or not, that remains to be seen. Either way, I think discretion is advised. With Bogdana’s link to the Hermessi, we can’t risk alienating her.”
“I’ll get the wards to do a mind-bending number on her,” I murmured. “Before she even knows what’s happening. Whatever it is, we’ll find out, Lumi.”
The swamp witch gave me a dry smile, her white irises with blue borders sending shivers down my spine. Whenever I saw her, I felt both uneasy and relieved, at the same time. I had a feeling it had to do with her nature, and I wondered if Kailani would make me feel the same way once she completed her swamp witch apprenticeship and became like Lumi.
“I suggest you do it when no one else is around, particularly Rakkhan and the Draenir,” she said. “If what Bogdana is hiding can jeopardize our fragile alliances, with the Draenir or Raphael, we’ll want to keep it to ourselves and discuss it once we’re back from this first stage of our mission.”
It was my turn to nod. “I agree. I’ll keep a low profile.”
“What do you think it is that Bogdana’s not telling us? Surely, you must’ve made some assumptions since you got here,” I whispered.
Lumi looked around, her gaze focusing on Bogdana and Rakkhan for a brief moment, before she set her sights on me again.
“Rakkhan recognized her. He knows her, and we’re aware that she was very close to Mudak Marduk. Emphasis on ‘very,’ Rose,” she replied. “Whatever she’s keeping to herself, I’m pretty confident it’s about Mudak and, implicitly, about Ta’Zan. Then again, without her confirmation, it’s merely an assumption, and it could very well be worthless.”
“But if it’s true, then it could definitely impact our mission.”
“Bogdana isn’t an idiot. She wouldn’t risk foiling our plan to simply protect herself. She isn’t a bad person, or, at least, she doesn’t strike me as one,” Lumi said. “Her secret might be important, but I doubt it’s a game changer. I think the wards will help with this.”
“I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
And I meant it. If there was anything that Bogdana knew, any piece of information she was holding back that we could possibly use against Ta’Zan, we were going to find out. The wards weren’t ordinary Maras. Blessed with a swamp witch’s spell tattoos, they served as beacons of raw energy for the Mara Lord.
The more of them present, the more powerful the Mara Lord’s ability to mind-bend—to the point where he could perform mass manipulations, coercing large groups to do his bidding. Heron, acting as Mara Lord of White City until his brother returned, had seven wards with him. The two that stayed behind were more than enough to breach even the mind of a fae as old and as seasoned as Bogdana.
A Shade of Vampire 65: A Plague of Deceit Page 9
